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24 Nov, 2014

What I’m Thankful For

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In an article written for Time, Sulkowicz talks about what she is thankful for, including her family, boyfriend, and supporters:

My education. I learned about performance art in high school, whereas so many people will never know what it is. And, although Columbia betrayed me, I am thankful for how I’ve learned to think clearly and critically about my situation, and for the opportunity to collaborate with inspiring student activists and a wonderful art faculty and community there. Everyone who has believed in me. Everyone who has helped carry the mattress. Everyone who has carried mattresses in support around the world. Everyone who has stood up for themselves and spoken out. Everyone who has worked to end the silence. These are the people who make real change.

6 Feb, 2015

BBC’s future of news ‘misguided’

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Highfields writes an editorial for The Yorkshire Post, about the BBC’s moves into regional news.

When I first read the BBC’s Future of News report last week I’m not sure what depressed me most – the inflammatory language used, the misguided sentiment behind it, or the fact that the BBC intends parking a tank on every local lawn and offering its version of hyper local news controlled from London W1A…Ithe BBC needs to focus on what it’s brilliant at – creating world-class content – and stop trying to be all things to all people. The BBC sets the standard for national and international news. They simply don’t have the resources to be brilliant at everything..I do still dare to believe that we can actually create a genuinely collaborative partnership – one which allows the BBC to play its role in the provision of local news but which still allows local media to thrive in the communities they have been serving for hundreds of years…Fast forward to a digital world where there is not supply from a television and radio broadcaster to a print publisher, but a flow of digital content to and from a national media brand to hyper local titles.

2 Mar, 2015

Wants AI regulation

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Altman warns that superhuman machine intelligence (SMI) is a danger to humans and should be regulated (original blog post here):

The U.S. government, and all other governments, should regulate the development of SMI. In an ideal world, regulation would slow down the bad guys and speed up the good guys — it seems like what happens with the first SMI to be developed will be very important. I think it’s definitely a good thing when the survival of humanity is in question.

Altman wants regulations to have a system for measuring the benefit of use or training of machine intelligence as well as external review of its capabilities:

For example, beyond a certain checkpoint, we could require development [to] happen only on airgapped computers, require that self-improving software require human intervention to move forward on each iteration, require that certain parts of the software be subject to third-party code reviews, etc.

21 Mar, 2015

Warns supporters

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In his column in The Sun, Clarkson warns his supporters that protests never work

The simple truth of the matters is this: Protest never works. Because we are all plankton. And the world is run by whales. Oh, you can be a big and important plankton but that doesn’t make a jot of difference if a whale has decided to eat you up.

24 Mar, 2015

Ovaries removed

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Jolie undergoes a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy to have her ovaries removed, after her doctor warns her that she could have cancer. She is entering early menopause and can no longer have children. Describing the process:

Your CA-125 is normal,” he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I have it every year because of my family history. But that wasn’t all. He went on. “There are a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.” I took a pause. “CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing ovarian cancer at early stages,” he said. He wanted me to see the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries.

I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren. I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful. That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: “You look just like her.” I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so “let’s get on with it.

Regardless of the hormone replacements I’m taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.

Bubble Talk bet

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Altman discusses recent talk of a bubble in Silicon Valley valuations:

I’m tired of reading about investors and journalists claiming there’s a bubble in tech.  I understand that it’s fun to do and easy press, but it’s boring reading.  I also understand that it might scare newer investors away and bring down valuations, but there’s got to be a better way to win than that…Investors that think companies are overpriced are always free not to invest.  Eventually, the market will find its clearing price.

He then opens a bet saying that, to win, he must be right on all three counts by Jan 1, 2020: 1) the value of the top six “unicorns” will rise from $100 billion to $200 billion 2) Some mid-stage YC companies will rise in value from $9 billion to $27 billion and 3) the Winter 2015 batch to rise in value from $0 to $3 billion.

This bet is open to the first VC who would like to take it (though it is not clear to me anyone who wants to take the other side should be investing in startups.)  The loser donates $100,000 to a charity of the winner’s choice.

27 Mar, 2015

Dog or Jewish Boyfriend? A Quiz

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In a New Yorker article Dunham posts a 35-point quiz:

Do the following statements refer to (a) my dog or (b) my Jewish boyfriend?

1. The first thing I noticed about him was his eyes

2. We love to spend hours in bed together on Sunday mornings.

3. He’s crazy for cream cheese.

4. It hasn’t always been easy, but we currently live together and it’s going O.K.

29 Mar, 2015

Religious freedom laws ‘dangerous’

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In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Cook says recent ‘religious freedom’ laws are pro discrimination:

There’s something very dangerous happening in states across the country. A wave of legislation, introduced in more than two dozen states, would allow people to discriminate against their neighbors. Some, such as the bill enacted in Indiana last week that drew a national outcry and one passed in Arkansas, say individuals can cite their personal religious beliefs to refuse service to a customer or resist a state nondiscrimination law…

Our message, to people around the country and around the world, is this: Apple is open. Open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Regardless of what the law might allow in Indiana or Arkansas, we will never tolerate discrimination…

This isn’t a political issue. It isn’t a religious issue. This is about how we treat each other as human beings. Opposing discrimination takes courage. With the lives and dignity of so many people at stake, it’s time for all of us to be courageous.

8 Apr, 2015

The best lesson I learned from joining a board

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In an article for Fortune, De Baubigny talks about the personal impact of becoming a board member of Bono and Bobby Shriver’s Product RED initiative:

Joining a board also shaped me as a professional in more ways than I could imagine. It tested first-hand everything that I was advising our entrepreneurs to do as they built their companies: achieve the impossible on a limited budget, hire the best (one of the best hires I have ever made was bringing in Deborah Dugan to run RED), navigate choppy regulatory waters, reshape the business model against a changing economy, and develop long-term partners. At the same time, I had the privilege of watching a team and board come together to do something truly impactful: get medicine to those who need it and, ultimately, save lives. This “night job” taught me passion, tested my skills, and pushed me to grow–all skills from which KPCB was able to benefit tremendously. Joining a board (profit or not for profit) develops all the skills above, plus time management in order not to detract from your day job. It has been an incredible learning experience and has truly inspired me.

Apr 2015

Fails $29 food stamp challenge

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Paltrow writes that her perspective on hunger is forever changed after trying to live on $29 worth of SNAP benefits (food stamps) for a week. She grades her effort with a C-.

As I suspected, we only made it through about four days, when I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice). My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days—a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year. A few takeaways from the week were that vegetarian staples liked dried beans and rice go a long way—and we were able to come up with a few recipes on a super tight budget.

23 Apr, 2015

‘We will not be silenced’

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Oz hits back at his critics and vows to continue exploring alternative routes to healing.

I have spent my entire career searching for ways to lessen the suffering of my patients. The best and safest paths have generally been the traditions of conventional medicine. They are tried and true, well funded, and fast. But there are other routes to healing that offer wisdom as well, so I have been willing to explore alternative routes to healing and share any wisdom that can be gathered.

My exploration of alternative medicine has never been intended to take the place of conventional medicine, but rather as additive. Critics often imply that any exploration of alternative methods means abandoning conventional approaches. It does not. In fact, many institutions like mine use the names “complementary” or “integrative” medicine, which is also appropriate.

I know I have irritated some potential allies, No matter our disagreements, freedom of speech is the most fundamental right we have as Americans… We will not be silenced. We’re not going anywhere.

10 May, 2015

Defends NSA’s snooping program

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Rubio writes an article in USA Today defending NSA’s phone-snooping program. He claims that there has not been a not a single documented case of abuse of NSA’s program.

The government is not listening to your phone calls or recording them unless you are a terrorist or talking to a terrorist outside the United States…There is not a single documented case of abuse of this program. Internet search providers, Internet-based email accounts, credit card companies and membership discount cards used at the grocery store all collect far more personal information on Americans than the bulk metadata program.

21 May, 2015

Josie: I Am Not a ‘Pretty Little Liar’

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In an anonymous posting to Jezebel, one of Nungesser’s alleged victims tells more about her case and defends herself:

When I filed the complaint against Paul, I didn’t know it would turn into a national event. It was over a year before Emma started carrying that weight, months before what happened at Columbia helped sparked a national dialogue about rape on college campus. I was just trying to do the right thing.

The incident happened my junior year at Columbia, when Paul followed me upstairs at a party, came into a room with me uninvited, closed the door behind us, and grabbed me. I politely said, “Hey, no, come on, let’s go back downstairs.” He didn’t listen. He held me close to him as I said no, and continued to pull me against him. I pushed him off and left the room quickly. I told a few friends and my boyfriend at the time how creepy and weird it was. I tried to find excuses for his behavior. I did a decent job of pushing it out of my mind.

The anonymous student says that when Nungesser was given an appeal, she—having already graduated—withdrew from the process because she felt frustrated with “Columbia’s incompetence’ as the appeals process began.

4 Jun, 2015

NYT op-ed

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Snowden writes an op-ed for the New York Times on the second anniversary of the release of his disclosures:

Two years on, the difference is profound. In a single month, the N.S.A.’s invasive call-tracking program was declared unlawful by the courts and disowned by Congress. After a White House-appointed oversight board investigation found that this program had not stopped a single terrorist attack, even the president who once defended its propriety and criticized its disclosure has now ordered it terminated. This is the power of an informed public.

At the turning of the millennium, few imagined that citizens of developed democracies would soon be required to defend the concept of an open society against their own leaders…Yet the balance of power is beginning to shift. We are witnessing the emergence of a post-terror generation, one that rejects a worldview defined by a singular tragedy. For the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, we see the outline of a politics that turns away from reaction and fear in favor of resilience and reason. With each court victory, with every change in the law, we demonstrate facts are more convincing than fear. As a society, we rediscover that the value of a right is not in what it hides, but in what it protects.

3 Jul, 2015

Financial Times Greek crisis op-ed

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Ferguson writes an editorial about the Greek financial crisis in The Financial Times.

Yes, it is quite possible that, in this weekend’s theatre-of-the-absurd referendum, the Greek people may vote “No” to a programme that is no longer available, and that this (despite their prime minister’s protestations to the contrary) may ultimately lead to their departure from the European monetary union. But as recently as the 1970s we would have had to worry about much nastier scenarios. There would have been a real communist left, poised to proclaim the dictatorship of the proletariat. And there would have been a real military right, ready to crush the left by imposing martial law. Neither of these things is now conceivable.

Politically, most of the world has never been more boring. Instead of the alarms and excursions of the past, we now have technocrats versus populists. Any violence is verbal and the technocrats nearly always win. Even in the US, despite what you might glean from television news, the real story of our time is the decline of violence. With their cities far safer than they were in the 1970s and 1980s, Americans can peacefully ponder such questions as: “Can a man become a woman?” (Yes.) And “Can a white woman become a black woman?” (No.) Will a civil war ever be fought over same-sex marriage? It seems unlikely. Does a president risk assassination by reforming healthcare? I think not.

13 Jul, 2015

Writes two blog posts

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Abdulazeez writes two Islam-themes blog posts, the only posts on his blog. In the first, A Prison Called Dunya, Abdulazeez uses the hypothetical example of a prisoner who is told he would be given a test that would either take him out of his earthly prison—or send him into a more restrictive environment.

I would imagine that any sane person would devote their time to mastering the information on the study guide and stay patient with their studies, only giving time for the other things around to keep themselves focused on passing the exam. They would do this because they know and have been told that they will be rewarded with pleasures that they have never seen. [This life is a test] designed to separate the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of Hellfire.

The second, Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men, uses the example of blind men who feel an elephant but can’t quite tell what the creature is. He says Muslims have a similar understanding of the earliest companions of the Prophet Muhammad, who he says were not like priests living in monasteries is not true, but were actually a mayor of a town, governor of a state, or leader of an army at the frontlines.

We ask Allah to make us follow their path. To give us a complete understanding of the message of Islam, and the strength the live by this knowledge, and to know what role we need to play to establish Islam in the world.

16 Jul, 2015

‘The trolls are winning the battle’

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In an article for The Washington Post, Pao says trolls are winning the “battle for the internet”. She says that, while at Reddit, she and several colleagues, were targeted with harassing messages, attempts to post her private information online and death threats.

I have just endured one of the largest trolling attacks in history. And I have just been blessed with the most astonishing human responses to that attack…Balancing free expression with privacy and the protection of participants has always been a challenge for open-content platforms on the Internet. But that balancing act is getting harder. The trolls are winning.

The foundations of the Internet were laid on free expression, but the founders just did not understand how effective their creation would be for the coordination and amplification of harassing behavior. Or that the users who were the biggest bullies would be rewarded with attention for their behavior. Or that young people would come to see this bullying as the norm — as something to emulate in an effort to one-up each other…

No one has figured out the best place to draw the line between bad and ugly — or whether that line can support a viable business model. So it’s left to all of us to figure it out, to call out abuse when we see it. As the trolls on Reddit grew louder and more harassing in recent weeks, another group of users became more vocal. First a few sent positive messages. Then a few more. Soon, I was receiving hundreds of messages a day, and at one point thousands. These messages were thoughtful, well-written and heartfelt…As the threats became really violent, people ended their messages with “stay safe.” Eventually, users started responding on Reddit itself, using accurate information and supportive messages to fight back against the trolls. In the battle for the Internet, the power of humanity to overcome hate gives me hope. I’m rooting for the humans over the trolls. I know we can win.

19 Jul, 2015

‘I don’t need to be lectured’

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In an article for USA Today, Trump says that his words on McCain have been distorted by the media, and criticizes McCain and Sanders for “covering up” the Veterans Affairs Scandal:

Thanks to McCain and his Senate colleague Bernie Sanders, their legislation to cover up the VA scandal, in which 1,000+ veterans died waiting for medical care, made sure no one has been punished, charged, jailed, fined or held responsible. McCain has abandoned our veterans. I will fight for them. The reality is that John McCain the politician has made America less safe, sent our brave soldiers into wrong-headed foreign adventures, covered up for President Obama with the VA scandal and has spent most of his time in the Senate pushing amnesty. He would rather protect the Iraqi border than Arizona’s. He even voted for the Iran Nuclear Review Act of 2015, which allows Obama, who McCain lost to in a record defeat, to push his dangerous Iran nuclear agreement through the Senate without a supermajority of votes.

A number of my competitors for the Republican nomination have no business running for president. I do not need to be lectured by any of them. Many are failed politicians or people who would be unable to succeed in the private sector. Some, however, I have great respect for.

He also says that he was as co-chairman of the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission, which built a Veterans memorial, and that he financed and served as the grand marshal of the 1995 Nation’s Day Parade, which honored over 25,000 veterans.

28 Jul, 2015

Exploitative nature of filmmaking

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Fukunaga comments on need to protect the people he has worked with:

Films of this nature have the potential to affect not only the lives of the viewers, but also the lives of the participants of the production. As a filmmaker, I am aware that I am not in the public service; my first job is to be a storyteller. However, the subjects of some of my films have blurred the lines between this tenet and the intrinsic responsibility to protect the people I have worked with and come to care for, a responsibility born from the inherently exploitative nature of filmmaking. Both Sin Nombre and Beasts of No Nation tread on real and current sociopolitical subject matters. In order to tell the stories authentically, I had to cast real people, street kids, often without parental support or guidance, as well as former combatants and a whole cadre of non-professionals.

The result is far more impactful, but the participants have very little concept about how their lives are about to be changed by the production and the attention that comes following a film’s release. A film can be an incredible opportunity for a young actor, but it can also be a once in a lifetime anomaly. The concentrated focus of attention and, sometimes, modest monetary gain are short-lived and often leave the subjects awash in confusion and depressed once it’s over. I don’t think any filmmaker is responsible for every person who took part in their stories—no more than journalists are—but they should be as giving as possible and paternal and accessible once everything is over. There is an ethical obligation to give back, sometimes in time, sometimes in money, but more than anything, in preparation.

12 Aug, 2015

Voting rights defense

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President Obama writes letter to New York Times saying voting rights must be vigorously defended. The Times published the letter in response to an article in its Sunday magazine last month describing efforts to undercut or dismantle the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Obama:

These efforts are not a sign that we have moved past the shameful history that led to the Voting Rights Act. Too often, they are rooted in that history. They remind us that progress does not come easy, but that it must be vigorously defended and built upon for ourselves and future generations.