companies are sourcing millions of printed books for AI labs that scan them for training data, then destroy them. printed books are more valuable because they're free of AI slop, and AI labs know destroying them is an "optics problem." www.404media.co/ai-companies...

AI Companies Are Buying Tons of Old Books Because They're Free of AI Slop

ISBNdb, a company that sources printed books for AI companies to turn into training data, tells clients “the optics problem is real.”

404media.co

Solidarity with Palestine showed up on the pitch, but none of it stopped Israel's killing. In her latest for our blog, Palestine Square, Marah Abdel Jaber lines up the scorelines against the headlines. Read: palestine-studies.org/en/node/1659...

Forensic Architecture just published an in-depth investigation into the Minab school bombing in Iran that's well worth a read and watch forensic-architecture.org/investigatio...

"Marie, do tell, what would you wear to a Met Gala themed around art and fashion?" well I'm so glad you asked! in this scenario where I assume I am famous enough to do such things, I would work with a designer to recreate a version of this dress from Schiele's phenomenal portrait of his wife Edith:

I will dress as his sister, Gerti. I have this painting in my bedroom, she is everything.

#Breaking: Today, MSF learned of the bombing and destruction of the Mrauk-U general hospital in Rakhine State, #Myanmar. Reportedly, the airstrike resulted in the death of at least 30 civilians and injury to more than 70: https://ow.ly/uqV050XHrry

Statement: Deadly airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U (Rakhine State, Myanmar) | Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF ...

Today, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) learned of the bombing and destruction of the Mrauk-U general hospital in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Reportedly, the airstrike – which occurred around 9 p.m. on 10 December – resulted in the death of at least 30 civilians and injury to more than 70. It appears to be the deadliest recorded [...]Read More... from Statement: Deadly airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U (Rakhine State, Myanmar)

ow.ly

I suspect the figures for US investigations will increase dramatically this year with all that's going on.

An academic study of Bellingcat's output over a decade, includes a breakdown of the regions we write about vc.bridgew.edu/ijcic/vol8/i...

Politics today is less driven by ideological conviction and more by parties chasing votes based on a distorted picture of public opinion, one filtered through algorithms that amplify emotionally engaging content. This incentivises performance over substance and erodes democratic deliberation.

Andrew Fisher@fisherandrew79.bsky.social · 11mo ago

If correctly written: "Ministers are to announce a tightening of migration rules as the government hands over the political agenda to Nigel Farage" Both immoral and politically inept. Well done Yvette Cooper.

This is one of those moments when the hollowness of our democratic systems becomes visible to the public. Facts are verified, but deliberation is pure performance, and accountability is nowhere. The system absorbs truth without ever acting on it.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last yr.

Protesting over Gaza’s starvation feels like screaming into a void – but we mustn’t stop | Nesrine Malik

Rogan’s popularity isn’t an accident, it’s a reaction to hollow politics. Mainstream political discourse has become so scripted, insincere, and performative that people no longer see it as a space for real truth, debate, or accountability. They feel managed, not heard.

NPR's Gaza producer faced Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at his forehead and masked thieves as he tried to get food from a U.S.-supported group. By Anas Baba

Knives, bullets and thieves: the quest for food in Gaza

NPR's Gaza producer faced Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at his forehead and masked thieves as he tried to get food from a U.S.-supported group.

n.pr

The past 16 months, since the start of the Gaza War on October 7, 2023, have witnessed a marked escalation of Israeli attacks on various parts of Syria. The nature and patterns of the attacks have varied during this time period, affecting military and civilian sites across the country.

This isn’t abstract. This is the process we’re seeing unfold in the US and beyond, where distorted narratives aren’t just debated, but govern. It’s not a culture war. It’s institutional epistemicide.

A recent report showed that the destruction of just one USAID program, the anti-AIDS PEPFAR initiative, would lead to the deaths of one million people *every year* www.vox.com/future-perfe...

Trump’s strategy of “go hard on one-two opponents” is working perfectly, The targeted ones are shocked and powerless, while others stay quiet, afraid to be next. This is how he breaks the stronger ones, one by one, until the rest is too weak to defeat him together. From countries to universities.

🧵 Yesterday I shared my views on how disordered discourse has captured the US state and the risk of that happening elsewhere, but I don’t want to leave you hanging without proposing a solution.

Eliot Higgins@eliothiggins.bsky.social · last yr.

What we’re witnessing in America is what happens when disordered discourse captures a political party, then the state itself. The Republican Party was the first to fall - abandoning truth for conspiracy, ideology for grievance, and policy for performative outrage.

Tremendous piece from @bryce.lol on the psychology behind Trump's attraction to very large numbers, which has already been read about 500bn times. (Its on FT Alphaville, so free to read)

What makes Trump’s magic number $500bn?

The lawlessness of big numbers

ft.com

The top prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he will seek arrest warrants against senior leaders of the Taliban government in Afghanistan over the persecution of women and girls www.bbc.com/news/article...

ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Taliban leaders for 'persecuting Afghan girls and women'

Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for the Taliban government's Supreme Leader and chief justice.

bbc.com

Now that's a headline.

I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers | Rebecca Shaw

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s desperation to be cool as they suck up to Donald Trump is so cringe it makes my skin crawl

theguardian.com

Here are some pieces I really loved publishing while at the Post: @christineemba.bsky.social's fascinating look into what's gone wrong for young men AND what could be done about it www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.

No one's offering men a model except the right. It's time for a new plan.

washingtonpost.com

In September #MSF teams gave Texas, a Sudanese minor, a camera to document daily life in his camp in Calais. Like 100s of other young people, he survives in precarious conditions—living in tents, exposed to rain and mud—while facing serious risks from life on the streets. www.msf.fr/grands-forma...

Calais, à travers les yeux de Texas, jeune soudanais de 16 ans

En septembre 2024, les équipes MSF ont donné à Texas, un mineur soudanais, un appareil photo jetable afin qu’il nous livre son quotidien dans son campement de Calais. Comme des centaines de mineurs, i...

msf.fr

Today marks 25 years since @msf.ca received the Nobel Peace Prize. "Our action & our voice are acts of indignation, a refusal to accept an active or passive assault on the other." True then, true more than ever today. #AidSky #MedSky #IDSky

Doctors Without Borders 1999 Nobel Peace Prize Speech Animated

YouTube video by Doctors Without Borders / MSF-USA

youtube.com

A recent study, "Higher Ultraviolet Light Exposure is Associated with Lower Mortality," published by Stevenson et al. (2024), sheds new light on the complex relationship between ultraviolet (UV) exposure and overall health.

Time to Rethink Sun Exposure: Balancing Benefits and Risks

Moderate ultraviolet (UV) exposure significantly reduces risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and overall mortality, offering health benefits beyond vitamin D production. Balancing sun exposure gu...

euractiv.com

'Trust' and 'social capital' are widely valued by prominent scholars. However, one secret ingredient has been overlooked. Romantic love entwines couples in mutual understanding, sharing their intimate concerns, listening to each other. It's so foundational. Yet actually contingent.. 📉

Alice Evans@draliceevans.bsky.social · 2y ago

Lovers share their hopes & dreams. Living together, they share stories about their days, and learn about different perspectives. If 50% of young Americans are single, this may have social implications - potentially less empathy between men & women. Graph by @jburnmurdoch.bsky.social

Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, Syria’s ‘human slaughterhouse’ www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, Syria’s ‘human slaughterhouse’

Exclusive: The Guardian gains access to Sednaya jail, where prisoners are rumoured to be trapped underground – as desperate relatives wait for news

theguardian.com

We are happy to be top of mind this year on @theguardian.com for their yearly donor appeal. Our work in crises around the world is only possible due to our independent funding. It’s what allows us to deliver neutral and impartial humanitarian medical care where it’s needed most.

Mark Lankester@markrlankester.bsky.social · 2y ago

The Guardian has chosen MSF as one of three partners for its 2024 appeal www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

“In the morning, we were shocked to see hundreds of bodies and wounded individuals in the streets surrounding the hospital,” the doctor added. “The situation is catastrophic in northern Gaza, particularly in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital.” edition.cnn.com/2024/12/06/m...

Israeli military kills four doctors in raid on northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital, eyewitnesses say | CNN

Four doctors were killed at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in besieged northern Gaza on Friday, after Israeli forces stormed the compound, killing and injuring dozens of people in areas surrounding the faci...

edition.cnn.com

New from me on what the rage and glee on public display after the killing of a healthcare CEO portends. I suspect the corporate world will respond with more security and retreating even more into their gated lives. They would be advised to read up on history. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/o...

Opinion | The Rage and Glee That Followed a C.E.O.’s Killing Should Ring All Alarms (Gift Article)

It echoes another era of extreme inequality and extreme violence.

nytimes.com

Steve Linberg@slinberg.net · 2y ago

When @zey.bsky.social has something to say, stop what you’re doing and listen. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/o...

"As a world, you told us to endure the worst terrors and humiliations of the occupation, without turning to violence." — #AJOpinion by Nahed Elrayes ⤵️

Are we your perfect victims now?

In memory of Mahmoud Almadhoun, the beloved Gaza Soup Kitchen chef killed in a Israeli drone attack on November 30.

aje.io