All posts tagged: badly

OpenAI May Have Screwed Up So Badly That Its Entire Future Is Under Threat

Published by José

[ad_1] Battle of the titans. Forgiveness or Permission In its quest to become a for-profit entity, OpenAI may have catastrophically fumbled the bag with its patron Microsoft. As the Financial Times reports based on insider interviews, Microsoft is ready to walk away from the frustrating negotiations with OpenAI as both parties seek to renew their partnership amid the latter’s for-profit push. Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal revealed the increasing tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI about whether the larger company will even allow the smaller to go for-profit at all. Along with OpenAI seeking Microsoft’s blessing in its battle for profit — a push that has already proven legally problematic — the FT‘s reporting indicates that one of the chief sticking points between the two is the size of Microsoft’s future investments in OpenAI, potentially hobbling the latter’s endless quest for growth. Deal or No Deal According to the FT‘s unnamed insiders, representatives from the David-and-Goliath tech duo have been meeting daily to try to pin down a deal that would satisfy both. In exchange for …

NYT on COVID: Not “Badly Misled.” One of the Worst Misleaders!

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] In an astonishing turnabout earlier this week, the New York Times asserted, via an article by Zeynep Tufekci, that we have been “badly misled” about the origin of Covid — that there was strong evidence in favor of the much-maligned lab leak theory: Image Credit: InkheartX – Adobe Stock … in 2020, when people started speculating that a laboratory accident might have been the spark that started the Covid-19 pandemic, they were treated like kooks and cranks. Many public health officials and prominent scientists dismissed the idea as a conspiracy theory, insisting that the virus had emerged from animals in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. And when a nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance lost a grant because it was planning to conduct risky research into bat viruses with the Wuhan Institute of Virology — research that, if conducted with lax safety standards, could have resulted in a dangerous pathogen leaking out into the world — no fewer than 77 Nobel laureates and 31 scientific societies lined up to defend the organization. So the Wuhan …

Why are Green parties polling badly for the European elections? | Green politics

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] Voters may deal Green parties a blow that costs them up to one-third of their seats, if polls before this week’s European elections prove correct, in a shift that could lead to a rollback of climate policies with the effects rippling far beyond the continent. At first glance, the projected slump in support – which follows months of protests from farmers against environmental rules – reads like a backlash against climate policies set by politicians who tried to move too far, too fast. But political scientists are unconvinced by that narrative. There is little data to support fears of a societal “greenlash” from voters unhappy with the costs of the transition, according to the authors of a recent survey of 15,000 voters in France, Germany and Poland. While local evidence from the Netherlands shows how a specific climate policy can push people away from the Greens and towards the far right, on a broader level researchers have found support for climate policies falls mostly along ideological lines. So what explains the poor polling numbers? …

MTG’s bid to oust “MAGA Mike” Johnson badly fails as Democrats derail “GOP chaos caucus”

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] The majority of Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday saved far-right Speaker Mike Johnson from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attempt to oust him after less than seven months in the leadership position. Johnson’s (R-La.) election to the role in October—following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who then left Congress early—was seen as a signal of the MAGA flank’s hold on the Republican Party. However, since then he has faced criticism from Greene (R-Ga.) and others for, among other things, not shutting down the government. Greene delivered on her threatened motion to vacate—provoking boos from fellow lawmakers—after meeting with Johnson for hours on Monday and Tuesday. The final vote to table her resolution was 359-43, with 196 Republicans and 163 Democrats backing the far-right speaker. Seven Democrats voted present and 21 lawmakers did not vote. Ten Republicans joined Greene in trying to give Johnson the boot: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Eric Burlison (Mo.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Alex Mooney (W.Va.), Barry Moore (Ala.), Chip Roy …

“Fani Willis messed up badly”: Appeals court deals another blow to Trump’s Georgia election case

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] The Georgia Court of Appeals has further delayed Donald Trump’s election interference case in the state, revisiting the question of whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed for alleged misconduct. In a Wednesday filing, the court granted an interlocutory appeal to the former president’s legal team, allowing them to argue once again that Willis should be removed from the case. Trump’s legal team has 10 days to file a notice to appeal. The case, concerning Trump’s effort to get Georgia officials to change the results of the state’s 2020 election, has faced a tumultuous path since the DA’s office launched an investigation more than three years ago. Willis has faced significant scrutiny for her relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade, which Trump lawyers argued created a conflict of interest. Earlier this year, experts also warned that her continued comments on the case, even after a judge ruled she shouldn’t be tossed, posed a threat to the continued prosecution of the case. For example, Willis’ remarks on cable news — that “the train is coming” …

One month ahead, the French badly need to start doing their homework

One month ahead, the French badly need to start doing their homework

Published by Sam

[ad_1] The French public lacks crucial information about the upcoming European elections and the role of the European Parliament while holding broadly pessimistic attitudes about the European Union, according to an exclusive survey carried out by French pollster Viavoice for French media including FRANCE 24’s parent group France Médias Monde, France Télévisions and Radio France. Issued on: 06/05/2024 – 16:49 4 min Just under 50 percent of French people are interested in the European parliamentary elections, with 48 percent declaring no interest in the June vote, according to a Viavoice survey published Monday. Moreover, a large proportion of respondents still fundamentally misunderstand the aims of the upcoming vote – and the nature of the European Parliament itself. Nearly half (46 percent) of French people surveyed think that the upcoming elections allow voters to elect the members of the European Commission – which is not the case – and just 40 percent correctly responded “false” to a question asking if the voting will take place over two rounds. Read moreMore Europe or else? Macron lists ‘mortal’ dangers ahead …

We badly need more public loos – let’s stop being embarrassed about asking for them

We badly need more public loos – let’s stop being embarrassed about asking for them

Published by Sam

[ad_1] Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more In my twenties, I used to go clubbing in a wild and wacky underground venue in a converted Victorian lavatory. Now I’m in my forties, I’m starting to wish it was a working toilet again. I remembered that place after reading the inspiring story of Amsterdam resident Geerte Piening. Back in 2015, she was fined for public urination as a 21-year-old, after being caught short leaving a bar late one night. She gamely fought her fine and campaigned on the issue to the point where finally this week – a mere nine years later – the city has agreed to spend millions on opening new toilets by October. The fact that Piening had to campaign for so long on this issue is sad. It takes a brave and motivated person to have their name permanently linked to a small release of urine in an …

“Continually losing”: Experts say Trump’s pressure on lawyer to be aggressive is badly backfiring

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] If Donald Trump believed he was likely to emerge victorious from the first ever criminal case involving a former president, chances are he would not be attacking his judge, his judge’s daughter or the jurors that will decide his fate. But perhaps all the Truth Social rage-posting is just for public consumption, the all-hours missives signaling his disdain for the process and a courtroom that’s too damn cold. Well, probably not: If Trump were confident that he remains above the law, he would not also be privately raging against his own lawyer. As The New York Times reported Tuesday, the former president has been doing so since just about the start of his hush-money trial, suggesting he’s none too confident about the verdict expected in May. Todd Blanche, the lawyer in question, quit his previous firm to represent the 77-year-old Republican. And he has at times seemed to behave just as the former president would like, refusing to back down in the face of case law and a plain reading of Judge Juan Merchan’s …

Badly behaved tourists forces Japan to ‘stop them taking photos’ of Mount Fuji | World | News

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] Snap-happy tourists will be blocked from taking pictures of Japan’s highest mountain Mount Fuji. The extreme move comes in a bid to prevent badly behaved visitors from getting their Insta-worthy image of the famous Japanese landmark. A huge barrier will now be put in place – a mesh net that’s 2.5 metres high 20 metres long. An official from Fujikawaguchiko town said that construction will begin as early as next week. He said: “It’s regrettable we have to do this, because of some tourists who can’t respect rules,” reports Agence France-Presse. The official said that tourists are leaving litter behind and ignoring traffic regulations in the town of Fujikawaguchiko. The photography spot has become so popular as the volcano appears behind a Lawson convenience store which are common in Japan. Because of this the official, who did not wish to be named, said that “a reputation has spread on social media that this spot is very Japanese, making it a popular photo location.” Traffic signs and repeated warnings from security guards have been ignored. …

GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw: Some Republicans “want Russia to win so badly” they may oust Speaker Johnson

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] House Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., decision to hold a long-delayed vote on aid for Ukraine could cost him his job because some of his fellow Republicans would much prefer the government in Moscow to the one in Kyiv, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said Thursday. In February, the U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, but only this week did Johnson promise to hold a vote in the lower chamber, saying he intends to break the package up into separate bills. That comes as Ukraine’s military is running out of ammunition and Russia is making territorial gains. But Johnson’s decision has thrown the Republican caucus into turmoil. The party’s base has been suspicious of Ukraine ever since former President Donald Trump falsely accused its government of intervening in the 2016 election on behalf of Hillary Clinton. Now the more extreme MAGA wing, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is in open revolt, threatening to do to Johnson what they did to his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Speaking …