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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 Friday September 19, 2025 20:10
Labour Sinks to Lowest Ever Poll Rating ? as Andy Burnham Fuels Starmer Challenge Rumours Fri Sep 19, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
Labour has sunk to its lowest ever poll rating as Andy Burnham fuels rumours he is preparing to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership by refusing to commit to serving a full term as Greater Manchester Mayor.
The post Labour Sinks to Lowest Ever Poll Rating ? as Andy Burnham Fuels Starmer Challenge Rumours appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Oxford and Cambridge Drop Out of Top Three in University Rankings Because of ?Misguided Attempts at ... Fri Sep 19, 2025 15:00 | Will Jones
Oxford and Cambridge universities have?failed to get into the top three in the Times's prestigious annual university ranking for the first time, with experts blaming "misguided attempts at equality".
The post Oxford and Cambridge Drop Out of Top Three in University Rankings Because of “Misguided Attempts at Equality” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Jeremy Corbyn?s New Hard Left Party Descends into Chaos as Zarah Sultana Says She?s Been ?Frozen Out... Fri Sep 19, 2025 13:16 | Will Jones
Jeremy Corbyn's new hard Left party has been plunged into chaos as his co-founder Zarah Sultana claimed she had been "frozen out" from the "sexist boys' club" and Corbyn threatened her with legal action.
The post Jeremy Corbyn’s New Hard Left Party Descends into Chaos as Zarah Sultana Says She’s Been “Frozen Out” of “Sexist Boys’ Club” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Sadiq Khan?s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don?t Cut Car Use Fri Sep 19, 2025 11:00 | Will Jones
Sadiq Khan?s officials suppressed taxpayer-funded research that showed low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) do not reduce car use after the London Mayor spent five years baselessly claiming LTNs are good for the planet.
The post Sadiq Khan’s Officials Suppressed Report Showing LTNs Don’t Cut Car Use appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Europe?s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered Fri Sep 19, 2025 09:00 | Tilak Doshi
The delusional EU believes it can wield carbon tariffs as weapons. But its grandiloquent Net Zero scheme is destined to collapse under the weight of the bloc's utter economic irrelevance, says Tilak Doshi.
The post Europe’s Days of Carbon Colonialism are Numbered appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
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Transparency International Ireland & The World Bank
I was reminded of last weeks Phoenix while listening to the Irish head of Transparency International on Morning Ireland's business news section this morning. He was angelically critiquing companies here who may, (be forced to...) slip their standards abroad.
The Phoenix had an interesting article on this Irish Chapter of Transparency International (TI), on TI internationally, and on their links with the World Bank and curious unwillingness to demand Wolfowitz's resignation...
(as it is not available online, I post this article in the public interest.)
 © Steve Bell 2007 IRISH WORTHIES SOFT ON WOLFOWITZ
A relentless stream of high minded statements from the Irish chapter of Transparency International (TI) in recent months have berated Irish business and politicians, at home and abroad, about their low standards in combating corruption. Yet on the global corruption issue of the moment - the scandal of World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz and his girl friend, Shaha Riza - TI has declined to go along with the worldwide demands for his resignation. This is unsurprising given the links between the World Bank and TI internationally.
TI Ireland’s chief executive, John Devitt, a former press officer with the British Embassy in Dublin, lectured the Irish government last week for their Ethics Bill amendment and he has also criticised government, state officials and Irish business on anti-corruption measures, political funding rules and so on. TI Ireland’s board and advisory council is
composed of the great and the good, including Eithne Fitzgerald, former Labour minister, Niamh Brennan (Mrs
Michael McDowell), Sir Garret Fitzgerald and Irish Times journalist, Paul Cullen as well as various financiers and right
wing economists. And Mary Robinson, naturally, has agreed to serve on its advisory council.
TI claims to exist to root out corruption in the third World and in the West but has a decidedly prowestern,
corporate tone and orientation in its policies. TI International has extensive links to the World Bank via its leading personnel and has been financially sponsored by the bank (see The Phoenix, 17/12/04).
While world opinion, including many US newspapers, railed against Wolfowitz in the last few weeks, demanding that he resign, TI has failed to join the chorus. Last week a cofounder of TI, Frank Vogl, expressed concern at the “very serious situation” over Wolfowitz but went no further than saying, “it needs to be resolved in a clear transparent manner”. Vogl is still a director of TI International and he is also a former press officer for the World Bank.
In March, Wolfowitz made a significant appointment when he selected former Nigerian education minister Obiageli Ezekwesili as vice-president of the World Bank for the African region. It may or may not surprise readers to know
that Ezekweseli is a founding member of Transparency International. In its review of activities for 2006, TI selected their “five top picks” from the international media to illustrate how corruption was a global theme with a glowing article on the anti-corruption drive by Wolfowitz top of the list.
In another anodyne comment on Wolfowitz recently, TI referred to “serious errors of judgment and a breakdown in the
system for conflicts of interest (that) have occurred” in a long statement that did not even mention Wolfowitz by name, much less call for his resignation. And no comment of any sort on Wolfowitz has been forthcoming from the Irish chapter.
With watchdogs like this, those individuals in Irish and international big business who wish to pull fast ones at home and abroad can sleep easily.
What the article doesn't mention, only infer, is how front groups like the TI, fail every time, to denounce the elephant-in-the-room of corruption, namely - the briberization process - as described by Stiglitz* (the World Bank’s former Chief Economist). But then again, the TI are an integral part of it...
*
The Globalizer Who Came In From the Cold
http://www.gregpalast.com/the-globalizer-who-came-in-fr...-cold
....Each nation’s economy is individually analyzed, then, says Stiglitz, the Bank hands every minister the same exact four-step program.
Step One is Privatization - which Stiglitz said could more accurately be called, ‘Briberization.’ Rather than object to the sell-offs of state industries, he said national leaders - using the World Bank’s demands to silence local critics - happily flogged their electricity and water companies. “You could see their eyes widen” at the prospect of 10% commissions paid to Swiss bank accounts for simply shaving a few billion off the sale price of national assets.....
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Friday May 11, 2007 09:15
by Tech1.0
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Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2Hello there,
TI Ireland have published a response to the Phoenix article published on 7 May (please see below). For your information, the head of TI Ireland did not appear on Morning Ireland on 11 May, this was Jermyn Brooks Head of TI's Private Sector Programme. It is also worth pointing out that TI does not advocate the privatisation of public assets as a matter of policy - indeed in many cases, it simply fuels the phenomenon.
All the best,
John
Response to Phoenix Magazine Article on Transparency International - 16 May 2007
Dear Sir,
I write to comment on your entertaining but misleading piece titled “Irish worthies soft on Wolfowitz” from 7 May 2006. As your readers may be aware Transparency International does not undertake investigations, name names or comment on individual cases. Rather, our focus is on long-term solutions addressing systemic problems in the public and private sectors. Your readers may also be aware that it is not our organisation’s policy to call for the resignation of individual public officials or representatives. Furthermore, TI Ireland does not undertake international advocacy unless it is in coordination with the Secretariat or other TI chapters.
Instead TI works with, rather than against, government, business, civil society and international organisations (including the United Nations and the World Bank) to build capacity, design strategies and implement policies aimed at preventing bribery and other forms of corruption in business and government.
Since its foundation in 1993, TI has been hugely successful in placing corruption on the public agenda worldwide. It has helped to formulate codes, laws and international conventions designed to prevent corruption and consistently promoted the role of civil society and a free media in advancing public accountability. These achievements are underpinned by research, education and public information programmes led by a team of 60 staff and volunteers in Berlin and around 90 autonomous chapters worldwide.
TI Ireland was established in 2004. It has one member of staff, a small team of volunteers and an annual budget of around €50,000. Its membership, Board and Advisory Council include individuals from across the political spectrum with a background in government, business and civil society. Serving and former members include Tom Arnold of Concern, Noeleen Hartigan of Amnesty International, Valerie Bresnihan former Chair of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, former Ombudsman Kevin Murphy, and former SIPTU president Des Geraghty.
TI Ireland has never received funding from the World Bank. TI has received relatively little financial support from the same organisation. In 2005 the Bank contributed €1,178 to TI Secretariat compared to €150,000 provided by Irish Aid that same year (the latest available figures). While TI’s founder and current chair of its Advisory Council, Peter Eigen served as the World Bank’s director for East Africa until his retirement in 1991, no serving member of staff at TI Secretariat and only one serving director of TI (out of twelve) have been employees of the World Bank. TI’s and TI Ireland’s financial statements and annual reports are publicly available and can be downloaded at www.transparency.org and www.transparency.ie.
Sincerely,
John
John Devitt
Chief Executive
Transparency International Ireland
In times of uncertainty, brush up on the history and take a view.
Money markets have been in distress for several months now. Corrupt practices via a rumour mill is the latest concern.......
Be alert.....hope your investments are in sound accounts.....
Michelle