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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 30, 2025 14:22
Europe Has Never Looked More Pathetic Tue Sep 30, 2025 11:27 | Will Jones
With Trump's announcement of a peace plan backed by both Israel and Arab leaders, Europe, with its toothless alternative proposal to reward terror, has never looked more pathetic or weaker on the global stage.
The post Europe Has Never Looked More Pathetic appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Down The Tylenol Rabbitol Tue Sep 30, 2025 09:00 | James Alexander
President Trump says Tylenol in pregnancy may cause autism. Wes Streeting says don't listen to Trump, he's a politician. But what does the science say? Professor James Alexander goes down the Tylenol rabbitol.
The post Down The Tylenol Rabbitol appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
I Smell a Rat in the BBC?s Claims of Climate Change ?Ratmageddon? Tue Sep 30, 2025 07:00 | Ben Pile
Rodent populations in the US and Britain have exploded, and the BBC inevitably blames climate change. But Ben Pile smells a rat. After all, there are much more likely explanations than slightly milder weather.
The post I Smell a Rat in the BBC’s Claims of Climate Change ‘Ratmageddon’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Tue Sep 30, 2025 00:41 | 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.
Could Lithium Batteries Be Programmed to Explode? Mon Sep 29, 2025 19:05 | Dr R P
Israel's pager attack on Hezbollah highlights a frightening possibility: that lithium batteries could be programmed to explode. Yet another reason to avoid Chinese EVs, says the Daily Sceptic's robotics expert.
The post Could Lithium Batteries Be Programmed to Explode? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
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Comments (21 of 21)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21That's true they shot the Rhino. April 1997. I remember hearing about it and assuming that they meant they shot it with some sort of sedative, but it turned out they shot with a .303 rifle they keep on the premises for shooting any escapees.
Captive breeding programmes are probably necessary, and zoos probably have some sort of function for scientific research and even a place for school trips, but the idea of keeping a great ape locked up for 24 years just to amuse people is clearly criminal.
Having said all that has anyone considered that the orang utan may have simply wanted to run for the leadership of Fianna Fail?
Just watched the "and finally" piece n RTE's 6.1 news on this story. The whole thing seemed to be lifted from this post.
I am thrilled to hear the Orangutan escaped Dublin Zoo and a life of absolute misery.
Some years ago, I visited Dublin Zoo and found the majority of animals there looking depressed and listless - some rarely moved at all and they showed absolutely no interest in either the enclosed unimaginative concrete environment they were provided with nor the annoying members of the public that came to gape in at them. I came away feeling very dispirited myself (as did a teacher with a classroom of strangely quiet children who I got chatting to at the time) - it was hard not to feel that this was all very wrong - when obviously some of the animals were so bored and unhappy that they could not be bothered moving at all.
All Zoos should be closed down and the animals sent back to their home countries and large wildlife parks provided for them instead - they are unsuited to concrete urban environments.
Just watched the report on this on RTE. Of course the incident was treated as a big joke by the presenter. Worse the teacher of the kids who saw the incident referred to the Orang Utan as a "monkey" and said they enjoyed the "performance" of the obviously stressed mentally wrought creature. No wonder there is so much ignorance of the natural world and animal welfare in this country.
Unfortunately its down to Ireland's Catholic legacy, its the same in every Catholic country, animals are simply for the entertainment of humans, hence bullfighting, coursing, dog fighting and not that long ago bear baiting.
I went to Dublin zoo years ago and saw a couple of black panthers pacing a tiny cage with bars obviously driven insane.
Dublin zoo is a disgrace.
Agree completely with the comments above.
Its fuckin unbelievable that we treat animals like some kind of freak show its totally medieval.
The news report on RTE is embarassing and vile - putting the "gReat Escape" music over hte warden as he describes the incident is particularly crass.
I encourage people to watch it so as they can see for themselves our state broadcasters taek on things.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0404/animals.html
"Dublin Zoo has rejected the criticism, describing its animals as healthy and active"
Well, that was not the case when I visited Dublin Zoo some years ago. The Orangutan I saw that day was in a very small space indeed, looking down at the ground listless, in a state of complete despair and totally dejected, its condition was upsetting everyone including the school children I mentioned earlier. Some other animals that were active were worryingly so, they appeared extremely agitiated, for example, the polar bears on that day were frantically pacing up and down at a maddening pace, clearly out of their fucking minds with boredom, whilst other animals like the Orangutan did not bother moving or even looking up at all.
How the fuck would representatives/spokespeople of Dublin Zoo feel if they were confined to a small concrete enclosure/cage for the rest of their lives? Where every day is predictable and boring, and to make matters worse, you have to put up with members of the general public gaping in at you and making fun of you, and also emptyheaded news reports from the inane about you!
I certainly will not be returning to Dublin Zoo until I get my hands on a 'tranquillizing gun' that I could aim at the Dublin Zoo management and that RTÉ news reporter.
A few words of advice for Dublin Zoo management and all who laughed in the RTÉ studio, in the words of a deranged vainglorious, self-admiring & infamous Mayo politician:
"You should try it yourselves some time!"
It's wrong to blame Catholicism for all the cruelties inflicted on animals; these horrors also occur in countries which don't have a 'Catholic legacy', & seem to be the viler side of human nature. It's undeniable that some heartless parties within the Church have used its power for all kinds of abuses, but be aware that many Catholics & other Xians work hard & patiently for the welfare of all creatures. Many of the saints are associated with companion animals, which they treated with respect, as fellow-creatures. See www.catholic-animals.org for more info.
A world without exploitation and violence can only be achieved when all sentient beings are freed from torture, suffering and oppression, its the same negative behaviour which exploits animals as well humans.
Challenging destructive human behaviour starts with our selves.
I visited Dublin Zoo recently and, especially in the African Plains section, it's clear that there has been big improvements in recent years. By and large the animals have plenty of space, with the exception of the reptiles. I wasn't impressed by the Farm either - the animals there were in quite small pens; the cathouse was ridiculous. However, the comments above seem to be about a Dublin Zoo that is long gone - I thought most of the animals had plenty of space and the place had the feeling of a wildlife park rather than a Victorian zoo.
Animals should be treated humanely , but can't really have rights . We shouldn't be projecting human concepts like 'rights and freedom' onto the activities or instinctive concerns of our animal cousins . The rhino that made what Berie termed a break for freedom , was probably just looking for a mate or something like that .So long as animals are fed ,housed and have a bit of space and company they are usually happy enough.
Zoos are primarily scientific institutions for the study of animals and not places of public entertainment . Having said that ,humans , especially children are fascinated by animals . It's part of what makes us human . It would be an awful pity if children were to be denied the chance to see a live elephant or a giraffe .
run for leadership of Fianna Fail, well, given the state of health and Education looks like that girl had an eye on a Mary job. I gotta say it would probably be a step up personality wise from Hanafin.....
Rights for animals:
It's certainly worth debating whether animals can have "human" rights. A great ape is certainly very close to us, if not downright identical.
Chimps etc can experience strong emotions, use language, understand colour, do maths, recognise and structure statements about abstract concepts (sign language has opened a whole world of finding out what's going on inside their heads), and generally behave in very human ways.
It's appalling therefore, in my view, that we can carry out physical and surgical experiments on them for medical research, and even to test cosmetics.
Remember, people used to categorise other groups of humans as not having the same rights- black people, jewish people, even Irish people, were once looked down on by the "civilised".
Speak for yourself when you say that great apes are identical to us. I mean, really, this is hyperbole. Yes, they are more intelligent than often assumed and we have common ascestors but human "rights" cannot be applied to animals. "Rights" are particular politico-moral injunctions, not a list of rules for treating creatures decently. For example, is democracy a "right"? It is considered so in human society, so do we give apes the vote? Umm...
Let's be serious here. Of course animals should be treated with respect and decently but human rights cannot be applied to the animal world.
Humanity has a great deal to answer for in terms of how we treat each other and with regard to how we treat animals and our natural environment. Animals feel pain, suffer depression and can be driven insane through bad treatment. It is incumbent on us not to inflict unnecessary suffering on animals but, speaking as an omnivore, I find the outrage about well-maintained zoos a bit strange - shouldn't we be focused on the atrocious conditions that farm animals often endure?
Animals in zoos live long lives and generally get the best of grub and are well taken care of. Farm animals, on the other hand, are often treated like shit, and live greatly abbreviated lives before been given the bullet.
Animals can't really have rights because rights have always been acheived when they have been fought for by those who were previously denied them . White people didn't give black people rights in America - men didn't give women the vote - catholics weren't given civil rights in the north of Ireland by the British government etc. To talk about animal rights is to misunderstand and depreciate the struggles that human beings have fought against tyranny throughout history .
A lion can have rights in a jungle perhaps , or a monkey in a rain forest but that is only to the extent that human society allows such environments to exist . Rights are expressions of power. Because we are more powerful than animals , humans have the right to treat animals in whichever way we choose . The future of the planet depends on how we make that choice . If we say that animals have rights we abdicate responsiblity in making responsible choices in my opinion.
"Because we are more powerful than animals , humans have the right to treat animals in whichever way we choose ."
That kind of attitude down through the ages has had dire consequences for all living things, including many of our fellow humans
There are many people who have human rights but do not have the vote. Children for instance.
I remember talking to a scientist who was involved in animal experiments. Feeling uncertain about what he he was doing he did some research, and the best scientific opinion he could garner from colleagues was that a chimpanzee is about as intelligent as a two-year old child.
While a two-year old would not normally get the vote, or have many responsibilities, it is unlikely that we would happily lock one up in a cage, or force shampoo in his or her eyes to see if they went blind.
So saying that rights only apply to those who can fight for them is misguided. In a normal society those who can't defend themselves should be the ones we, as concerned citizens, do the most to protect.
I made the point that animals should be treated with respect and decency - I think you're conflating my remarks with 'animal lover'.
You're right about 2-year-olds and the vote. I guess I should have drawn a distinction between civil and human rights.
Anyway, no matter because it makes sod all difference to this discussion.
Firstly, I am arguing AGAINST the maltreatment of animals but saying that, at the same time, they ARE animals and can't be accorded HUMAN rights.
Your chimp example is a real hostage to fortune. Should we carry out IQ tests on animals to decide if they're entitled to 'rights'? How do you reckon the cow or hamster would fare? You see, you're not comparing like with like when you compare animals with humans.
There is no such thing as 'animal rights' by the way - only rules constructed by humans that WE apply to animals. For instance, do you think our imposition of 'animal rights' will prevent cats from torturing the lives out of mice?
"so do we give apes the vote? Umm...
Would they do a better job? Couldn't be much worse than our current electorate!!
Most apes could be persuaded to make a random uninformed x somewhere on a page (where we told them to) in return for the promise of a short term reward
Judging from today's London Independent , Joseph Stalin had similar plans in the nineteen thirties.. He set up experiments to see if scientists could produce a hybrid between humans and monkeys so as to produce slaves to work on his grandiose plans for transforming the soviet union.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stalins-space....html
there's another link here . Sinister sort of stuff http://www.bigfootencounters.com/hominids/stonehill.htm
Being a vet student, I have been lucky enough to gain a unique point of view on this subject. Not only are we taught about, and examined on, animal welfare [and all the philosophical theories and legislation that go along with that...], but every year vet students get taken to visit dublin zoo for a 'behind the scenes' look at how the place is run. Judging by comments left above, a lot of the people seem not to have visited the zoo in more recent years where vast improvements have been made to the size and quality of the animal's environments, especially in the African Plains section which in particular provides very impressive open spaces for the animals to roam.
The zoo keepers we met there were very conscientious and concerned about the animals in their care, and 'environmental enrichment' was a huge part of their job. This involves finding ways of keeping the animals active and interested in their surroundings, i.e. hiding their food in different places every day so that they have to 'hunt' for it, etc. (for more info, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_enrichment, or http://www.colchester-zoo.com/index.cfm?fa=about.enrichment, will give you an idea).
Furthermore, this zoo, as with many others, is involved in important breeding programmes for endangered species, some of which there are only a few hundred left in the entire world, which is often a notoriously challenging job in many species which are reluctant breeders. In fact, the zoo keepers we talked to there considered their breeding programmes to be the main reason for the existence of the zoo, as opposed to just being a public attraction.
From what I have seen, the animals there look very healthy and seemed in good condition, maintained at the right body weight, with nice coats, eyes, and feet, etc, which is more than can be said even for many pets and privately kept horses that I've seen. Some of the facilities they have for caring for the animals there are not visible to the public but i have seen them myself and was very impressed.
Sorry about the long post, but speaking as someone who detests animal cruelty, and has a little 'inside information' on the matter, I thought that Dublin Zoo deserved a more balanced view here.