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Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker

Indymedia ireland

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.

offsite link 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.

offsite link 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.

offsite link 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.

offsite link 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

offsite link 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 >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Oct 08, 2025 01:19 | 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.

offsite link Hundreds of Pro-Palestine Students Sing Antisemitic Chants on October 7th Anniversary Tue Oct 07, 2025 19:30 | Will Jones
Hundreds of pro-Palestine students chanted "from the river to the sea" ? an antisemitic slogan calling for the destruction of Israel ? during protests on the second anniversary of?Hamas's October 7th attacks.
The post Hundreds of Pro-Palestine Students Sing Antisemitic Chants on October 7th Anniversary appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Scientists Are at Last Uncovering the Links Between ME, Long Covid and Long Vaccine Tue Oct 07, 2025 17:59 | Patrick Ussher
Scientists are at last uncovering the links between ME (aka Chronic Fatigue), Long Covid and Long Vaccine. It's a breakthrough that promises treatments that target the underlying cause, says Patrick Ussher.
The post Scientists Are at Last Uncovering the Links Between ME, Long Covid and Long Vaccine appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Gary Neville Suffers Backlash as ?Angry? Workers Who He Ordered to Remove Union Jack Accuse Him of S... Tue Oct 07, 2025 15:38 | Will Jones
Footballer turned property developer Gary Neville?is facing a furious backlash after he ordered builders to take down a Union Jack, saying that "angry, middle-aged white men" were using flags to divide the country.
The post Gary Neville Suffers Backlash as “Angry” Workers Who He Ordered to Remove Union Jack Accuse Him of Suppressing Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Jenrick Stands by Claim he ?Did Not See a White Face? During Birmingham Visit Tue Oct 07, 2025 13:43 | Will Jones
Robert Jenrick has stood by comments he made complaining of not seeing "another white face" in a Birmingham neighbourhood, saying it is one of the "worst integrated places" he has been to.
The post Jenrick Stands by Claim he “Did Not See a White Face” During Birmingham Visit appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Choice Ireland welcome Human Rights Watch report on abortion in Ireland.

category national | gender and sexuality | press release author Friday January 29, 2010 13:25author by Dorothy Gale - Choice Irelandauthor email choiceireland at gmail dot com Report this post to the editors

The report launched today is the result of an investigation into the reality of abortion in Ireland, which was carried out in 2009. The report examines the real effects of Ireland's restrictive and often unclear abortion laws on women in crisis pregnancy and highlights the increased burdens placed on women forced to leave the state to access medical care.

Commenting, Spokesperson Sinead Ahern said
“In the 27 years since the 8th amendment we have criminalised and stigmatised women in crisis. We have not stopped abortion happening; we have simply driven it abroad or underground. It is time that we discuss the issue of abortion in Ireland in terms of the reality and not geography. Although the women visit foreign clinics we still have a duty of care to them”.
ireland0110.jpg

Ahern continues, "the current situation allows women who can afford to travel to access abortion services while women who cannot are left behind. The current situation disproportionately affects the most vulnerable women, such as young women, migrants and those on low incomes".

Choice Ireland also welcomes the recommendations calling for the regulation of crisis pregnancy counselling agencies. Commenting, spokesperson Maura Lane said “The lack of regulation in this area has allowed so-called rogue agencies lie to, manipulate and intimidate women in crisis in order to dissuade them from terminating unwanted pregnancies”. Ms Lane added that “despite repeated calls by Choice Ireland, Mary Harney has refused to introduce such legislation."

Choice Ireland is a pro choice activist group which has been operating in Ireland since 2007. For Further information visit www.choiceireland.org

According to the UK Department of Health 4,600 women giving Irish addresses terminated pregnancies in the UK in 2008

331 women from the Republic of Ireland travelled to the Netherlands for safe and legal abortion services in 2008 and 451 women in 2007

The WHO estimate that 13% of maternal mortalities rates are due to unsafe abortion.


Human Rights Watch report 'A State of Isolation: Access to Abortion for Women in Ireland'
can be downloaded from here http://www.hrw.org/node/87910

Related Link: http://www.choiceireland.org
author by Pro-Abortionpublication date Sat Jan 30, 2010 13:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The ordinary Irish citizen is still conservative on the issue of abortion - most people do not regularly attend Catholic services and few people agree with celibacy, discrimination of homosexuals, the moral prohibition of contraceptives, that sex before marriage is immoral etc and other tenets of tradition Catholic morality.

However most Irish people still believe that abortion is the killing of an unborn human being and is murder and they do not concede that a woman has a right to choose.

Ignoring this deeply held belief is an uphill struggle.

Irish people traditionally are resistent to change foisted upon them or the perception of change foisted upon them by "aliens" who do not share their values - this was true during British rule and this is true when it comes to the last two European referendums which were passed on a second vote after people changed their minds.

Unless at grassroots level Irish people are persuaded of the right to choose and that liberalisation of abortion would be a progressive movement, then any hope of liberalisation the legal status of abortion in this country will always fail.

Most pro-abortion campaigners I have come across are hostile to Catholicism, hostile to conservative rural attitudes and have a condescending attitude toward mainstream Ireland generally.

To persuade people to your point of view you have to the skills to engage with people with another world view.

Many people I know who are opposed to abortion and are not exactly devout Catholic fundamentalists by any means are hostile to pro-choice campaigners because of a perception of elitism.

This has to change.

author by Tallulah Does the Hula from Hawaiipublication date Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

For a start, I’d like to know who is the “ordinary Irish citizen” who is conservative on this issue? Polling data would suggest otherwise i.e. that abortion is not “murder”. It might be a deeply held belief among the Catholic fundamentalists who believe that social and health policy in this state should be dictated by the likes of people who spend their lives ringing Joe Duffy and writing anti-choice letters to the Examiner, but it certainly wouldn't appear to be the opinion of the general public.

To argue that “Irish people are resistant to change foisted upon them by aliens” is at best laughable. The Lisbon Treaty was passed if you recall.

Even if it were true that Irish pro-choicers were hostile to Catholicism, I wouldn’t blame them. The Catholic Church actively campaign against women having any rights beyond the right to be perpetually pregnant, barefoot and chained to the kitchen sink.
PS. Where is this perception of elitism thing from? Enlighten us, please.

author by Alison - Choice Irelandpublication date Mon Feb 01, 2010 13:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The author of "a top down approach cannot work" makes some interesting -- and some
contradictory -- comments. I'd agree there's hostility to Catholicism among many pro-choice
advocates, but considering the Catholic church (which has rather a "top down approach" itself, and which one could also consider to be an "alien" force, assuming it's still led from Rome?) has been and remains a powerful force against women's rights, reproductive and otherwise, is that so surprising? As for the charge of elitism -- well, lots of political movements are accused of that, but it's hardly engaging with issue at hand, it's just name-calling. There is a moral aspect and a legal aspect. Pro-choice advocates support the right of those who consider abortion (or taking the morning-after pill, e.g.) the same as murder to hold that belief, but we oppose its enshrinement in law -- we believe women as fully autonomous moral beings are capable of making their own choice. And before any readers start in with the argument that we don't allow the right to choose when it comes to murdering adults or children, no, that's because actual "murder" is simply not in dispute as a moral question. Indeed, the Irish state right now doesn't REALLY treat abortion as if it were murder. Would it allow 6000 of its citizens to travel to the UK each year for the purpose of actual "murder" and do nothing about it (an estimated 6,000 women travel from Ireland each year for abortions in the UK)? Would the Irish people have supported women's right to travel to carry out actual "murders"? Abortion is not the same as murder and it is not treated the same as murder even in Ireland by the very people the author of "top down" argues are so conservative on the issue (isn't that comment a bit elitist, by the way?). The effort to secure the right to choose for women in Ireland IS an uphill struggle, but we won't give up.

author by Steeple Chaserpublication date Mon Feb 01, 2010 17:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Following news that 60% of young adults favour legalised abortion, Paddy Power have opened a book on when an abortion referendum might take place.

The bookie’s odds suggest no referendum is imminent with 2015 or later the odds on 2/5 favourite and 2014 the next most likely at 4/1.

Whenever a referendum does take place, Paddy Power consider it more likely that it will be passed at 4/6 than fail at 11/10.

However, with many other topical issues requiring a referendum for action, it is an unlikely 16/1 that abortion is the next referendum put to the people. The most popular idea which has already been put forward by a Dail Committee is a referendum on children’s rights and is 10/11 favourite to be the next.

Paddy Power said

The results of this survey have thrown a cat among the pigeons but it’s likely that abortion won’t be the next referendum we’ll vote on

When will a Referendum on Abortion take place?

33/1 2010
18/1 2011
10/1 2012
7/1 2013
4/1 2014
2/5 2015 or Later

Next Referendum on Abortion

4/6 Passed
11/10 Fail

Next Irish Referendum

10/11 Children’s Rights
6/4 Judges Pay
8/1 Electoral Reform
12/1 Abolition of the Senate
16/1 Abortion
20/1 Gay Marriage
33/1 Scrapping the Euro
50/1 Death Penalty
50/1 United Ireland

author by Steeple Chaserpublication date Mon Feb 01, 2010 18:10author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Heres the opinion poll which is mentioned by Paddy Power:

Survey: 60% in favour of legal abortion

By Catherine Shanahan and Orla Barry

Thursday, January 21, 2010

THREE-in-five 18-35 year olds believe abortion should be legalised,
according to a sex survey which found one-in-four women has
experienced an unplanned pregnancy.

The national poll also found almost 10% of 18-34 year olds has been
involved in a relationship where an abortion took place.

The survey carried out by Red C on behalf of the Irish Examiner found
three-in-four women believe the morning-after pill should be available
over-the-counter (OTC). Curiously, less than one in seven men said
they had been in a relationship that resulted in an unplanned
pregnancy. But Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, research and policy manager with
the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme, said not all men may know their
partner is pregnant.

According to the Irish Family Planning Agency (IFPA), the cost of
accessing the morning-after pill has been an increasing cause of
complaint, particularly in the last 12 months.

CEO Niall Behan said they had also seen a fall in the numbers seeking
long-term contraceptive methods because of prohibitive costs. The
morning-after pill is inexpensive but a GP prescription is required.


Related Link: http://irishexaminer.ie/ireland/survey-60-in-favour-of-legal-abortion-110224.html
 
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