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☆ Parcel delivery firm faces PR nightmare after AI-powered chatbot cusses and mocks the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bot used inappropriate language in a customer support exchange and criticized the company. AdvertisementParcel delivery firm DPD have replaced their customer service chat with an AI robot thing. pic.twitter.com/aq4wDitvQW — Chris Bakke (@ChrisJBakke) December 17, 2023The AI element supplements human customer service, a DPD spokesperson told Business Insider. The spokesperson told BI: "We are aware of this and can confirm that it is from a customer service chatbot. In addition to human customer service, we have operated an AI element within the chat successfully for a number of years.

Persons: —, chatbot, Ashley Beauchamp, ingle Organizations: Service, BBC, Business, ust Locations: uman

☆ Suspect in Colorado supermarket massacre enters insanity plea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Keith Coffman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man cries at the site of a shooting at King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. March 24, 2021. One of the victims was initially shot and wounded in the back, then slain as he tried to crawl away. The shooting spree ended when a police officer shot Alissa in the leg, leading the gunman to surrender. The murder case against Alissa stalled after he underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in late 2021. An insanity plea relates to a defendant’s mental status at the time of the alleged crime.

Persons: Alyson McClaran, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, Ingrid Bakke, Alissa, Sarah Cantu, ” Cantu, Cantu, Bakke, ”, Keith Coffman, Steve Gorman, Bill Berkrot Organizations: King, REUTERS, Rights DENVER, Ruger, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Boulder , Colorado, U.S, Colorado, Boulder District, Boulder, Denver

☆ New RSV protections for infants hit cost, insurance hurdles in U.S. rollout
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Angelica Peebles | In Angelicapeebles | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two new immunizations promise to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus – if people can find them. Providers are scrambling to offer Pfizer's vaccine, Abrysvo, to pregnant patients and Sanofi's monoclonal antibody, Beyfortus, to babies. Until now, the only preventative treatment was another monoclonal antibody called Synagis that's given once a month during RSV season, which generally runs from fall through spring. Sanofi's Beyfortus is a monoclonal antibody that's given directly to babies and provides them with immediate protection. "I know that [RSV]'s a threat to little babies, and so to have an opportunity to prevent illness in the first place is really exciting."

Persons: Michael Chamberlin, hasn't, we're, Chamberlin, that's, Erin Bakke, Graham Organizations: Pediatric Associates Locations: Carmel, Cincinnati , Ohio

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A judge ruled Friday that the man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in a 2021 rampage is mentally competent to stand trial. Judge Ingrid Bakke ruled that Alissa, who has schizophrenia, is able to understand court proceedings and contribute to his own defense. Bakke presided over a hearing last week to consider an August determination by experts at a state mental hospital that Alissa was competent after previous evaluations found otherwise. He was admitted to the state hospital in December 2021. Mental competency does not mean he’s been cured.

Persons: —, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, Judge Ingrid Bakke, Alissa, Bakke, Loandra Torres, Torres, medicate, Soopers Organizations: Employees Locations: BOULDER, Colo, Colorado, Boulder, Denver

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, suspect of the King Soopers grocery store shooting, appears in a Boulder County District courtroom at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. May 25, 2021. Still, the judge asked that Alissa remain in the custody of the state hospital where he has been confined for the past two years. Bakke agreed with prosecutors that Alissa, 24, stands a better chance of avoiding regression if he stays hospitalized than if he were returned to jail to await trial. That testimony marked the first indication of a motive for the shooting offered in the case in open court. Authorities said the murder weapon in the Boulder attack, a Ruger AR-556 pistol that resembles a semi-automatic rifle, was purchased by Alissa six days before the grocery store shooting spree.

Persons: Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, King, Matthew Jonas, Ingrid Bakke, Alissa, Bakke, Kathryn Herold, Loandra Torres, fidgety, Keith Coffman, Steve Gorman, Matthew Lewis, Chris Reese Organizations: Boulder County Justice Center, REUTERS, Colorado Mental Health, The Colorado Department of Human Services, Authorities, Ruger, Thomson Locations: Boulder County, Boulder, Boulder , Colorado, U.S, Colorado, Denver, Atlanta

☆ Opinion: The Supreme Court rewrites American society once again
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Opinion Cnn Contributors | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

But learning the facts - that affirmative action is critical for fostering equal access and opportunity in our academic institutions -cemented my belief that affirmative action is necessary if we want to create an equitable nation. The court’s decision Thursday is consistent with its view that race-based preferences should and would have a limited shelf life. Jon Wang, who revealed himself as a plaintiff in this Supreme Court case, was rejected by Harvard but was accepted at and is now attending Georgia Tech. Affirmative action enabled my ability to experience different ways of thinking and to form the lasting friendships I have made. Affirmative action has been a tool used by many countries to ensure underrepresented communities are included in areas they normally are not.

Persons: who’d, Tan, ”, Ana Fernandez, Richard Kahlenberg, Peniel Joseph, Peniel Joseph Kelvin Ma, Kelvin Ma, retrenchment, Bakke, Shelby, Holder, John F, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Peniel, Joseph, Barbara Jordan, “, ” Lanhee Chen, Bollinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, Lanhee Chen Lanhee J . Chen, J, Chen, David, Diane Steffy, Romney, Ryan, Roxanne Jones, Andrew Johnson, Jones, WURD, Richard Sander, –, Richard Sander Fiona Harrison, Jeff Yang, Ed Blum’s, Jon Wang, Michael Wang, Williams, Jian Li, Bruce, Hudson Yang, Natasha Warikoo, Ketanji Brown Jackson, ” Natasha Warikoo Alonso Nichols, John Roberts, Brayden Rothe, Biden, can’t, Joe Biden, Brayden Rothe Patrick O'Leary, Pell Organizations: CNN, Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard, Harvard College, Cuban, American Council, Education, Wellesley College, Renaissance Studies, Black, Tufts University, Blacks, Ivy League, Federalist Society, John Birch Society, Trump, Democratic Party, GOP, Center, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Racial Justice, University of North, University of North Carolina Chapel, Public Policy, Hoover Institution, California State, Republican, Democratic, White, Fair, Supreme, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, The University of California, UCLA, University of California, UC, Georgia Tech, Department of Education, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Princeton University, Institute for, Digital Intelligence, Harvard University, College, Social Sciences, of Sociology, Equity, University of Minnesota Locations: today’s, Philippines, Taiwan, Los Angeles, Portland, White, American, United States, West Linn , Oregon, Cuban American, Miami, Havana, Cuba, Miami , Florida, America, Austin, University of North Carolina, California, lockstep, Berkeley, Asian America, Florida, Texas

☆ Opinion | The Supreme Court Turns ‘Equal Protection’ Upside Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The bureau was an obvious and essential measure to remedy at least some of the harm that slavery inflicted on Black Americans. The focus on diversity was an orchestrated compromise meant to win over the court’s key swing justice, Lewis Powell. By limiting it to a hard-to-define concept like diversity, the court opened the door to endless challenges. Why only racial diversity and not religious or political diversity? The word is not a “trendy slogan,” as Justice Jackson wrote in her dissent.

Persons: it’s, Sotomayor, Lyndon Johnson, Allan Bakke, Davis, Bakke, Lewis Powell, Jackson, ” Organizations: Americans, Howard University, University of California Locations: Freedmen’s, American

Here is an explanation of the policies commonly known as affirmative action, their history and the possible consequences of the court's decision. In the context of higher education, affirmative action typically refers to admissions policies aimed at increasing the number of Black, Hispanic and other minority students on campus. Schools also employ recruitment programs and scholarship opportunities intended to boost diversity, but the Supreme Court litigation was focused on admissions. The Supreme Court decided two cases brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a group headed by Edward Blum, a conservative legal strategist who has spent years fighting affirmative action. HOW HAS THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN THE PAST?

Persons: Jonathan Drake, Edward Blum, Bakke, Lewis Powell, Powell, Blum, Joseph Ax, Will Dunham, Colleen Jenkins, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: University of North, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Colleges, Schools, National Association for College, Fair, Asian, University of California, Civil, University of, University of Texas, University of Michigan, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill , North Carolina, U.S, Arizona , California, Florida , Idaho , Michigan , Nebraska , New Hampshire , Oklahoma, Washington, New York

In the context of higher education, affirmative action typically refers to admissions policies aimed at increasing the number of Black, Hispanic and other minority students on campus. The goal of race-conscious admissions policies is to increase student diversity in order to enhance the educational experience for all students. Schools also employ recruitment programs and scholarship opportunities intended to boost diversity, but the Supreme Court litigation was focused on admissions. The Supreme Court decided two cases brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a group headed by Edward Blum, a conservative legal strategist who has spent years fighting affirmative action. HOW HAS THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN THE PAST?

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Edward Blum, Bakke, Lewis Powell, Powell, Blum, Joseph Ax, Will Dunham, Colleen Jenkins, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United States, Harvard University, University of North, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Colleges, Schools, National Association for College, Fair, Asian, University of California, Civil, University of, University of Texas, University of Michigan, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Washington , U.S, Arizona , California, Florida , Idaho , Michigan , Nebraska , New Hampshire , Oklahoma, Washington, New York

“The Harvard and UNC admissions programs cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause. We have never permitted admissions programs to work in that way, and we will not do so today,” Roberts wrote. During oral arguments, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar stressed the unique interests of the military and argued that race-based admissions programs further the nation’s compelling interest of diversity. Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said the decision will still not end the legal fight over college admissions. The Supreme Court stepped in to consider the case before it was heard by a federal appeals court.

Persons: John Roberts, “, ” Roberts, Clarence Thomas, ”, ” Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, ” Sotomayor, Sotomayor, Martin Luther King, Jackson, “ ‘, Roberts, Elizabeth Prelogar, ” Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, ” Trump, Mike Pence, ” Pence, Chuck Schumer, Laura Coates, Steve Vladeck, ” Vladeck, ” Long, SSFA, Loretta C, Biggs, ” Biggs, SFFA, Cameron T, Norris, Harvard “, Prelogar, Lewis F, Powell Jr Organizations: CNN, Harvard, University of North, UNC, Supreme, GOP, Republican, America, Truth, New York Democrat, University of Texas School of Law, Asian, Fair, Court, Middle, Middle District of, University, US, University of California, Bakke Locations: University of North Carolina, Independence, United States, Lower, Middle District, Middle District of North Carolina

☆ Great Books Can Heal Our Divided Campuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Andrew Delbanco | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fifty years ago, Allan Bakke, a white military veteran with a solid academic record, was turned down for medical school at the University of California, Davis. Bakke filed suit, claiming that when the university set aside 16 seats for racial minorities, it violated his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment. Eventually the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the quota unconstitutional and ordered that he be admitted.

Persons: Allan Bakke, Davis, Bakke Organizations: University of California, U.S, Supreme

☆ You hate your job but you love working from home: You're in remote-work handcuffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There are many unhappy remote workers who wish they could quit and get another remote job. The golden handcuffs phenomenon is an obvious parallel, Denise Rousseau, a professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business, told Insider. "If you're remaining in a job for purely extrinsic reasons — your working conditions are hard to replace — you're going to have more stress." In March 2022, roughly 20% of job listings on LinkedIn offered remote work; last month, such listings dwindled to 10%. David Bakke works from home in Georgia and said that while he doesn't "completely hate" his position, he'd quit if he could find another remote job.

☆ Elon Musk says it's a 'good sign' that the founder of his first acquisition as Twitter owner is a 'notorious' trashposter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk often tweets out old memes and enjoys trolling people. And as one user pointed out its founder is "a notorious shitposter," Musk said it was "a good sign." If you've had a look at Elon Musk's tweets, you'll know that he's a big fan of posting fairly dated, and sometimes conspiratorial, memes. "Only fitting that Twitter's first acquisition in the Elon era is a company run by a notorious shitposter," Austen Allred, a tech founder, tweeted Tuesday night in reference to Laskie's founder, Chris Bakke. "I regard that as a good sign :)," Musk replied at around 1.a.m PT.

☆ Twitter's parent company, X, has bought a recruitment startup in its first acquisition since Elon Musk's takeover, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter is buying a job recruitment tool called Laskie in its first acquisition under Elon Musk. That's according to reports from Bloomberg and Axios on Tuesday. Musk has long sought to create a so-called "everything app," which he has dubbed "X." Twitter's parent company X Corp just made its first deal under Elon Musk by acquiring a talent recruitment tool Laskie, according to numerous reports, including from Bloomberg and Axios. Bakke previously sold a technology startup Interviewed, which speeds up hiring for employers, to online job listings website Indeed in 2017.

☆ A Fantastical Art Gallery Masquerading as a Suburban Garage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Alice Newell-Hanson | Jared Soares | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ON A QUIET residential street in Arlington, Va., one garage is not like the others. Clad in white corrugated steel, the structure is tall and thin with a sharply peaked roof, suggesting a giant pencil poking up through the earth. At the center of the spread are a pair of ornately dimpled pastel-glazed earthenware vases by the French ceramist Saraï Delfendahl, each the size and silhouette of a baby elephant’s foot. A chubby-armed sky blue ceramic chandelier by the New York-based artist Braxton Congrove hangs from the ceiling. The 12 unique place settings feature, among other items, an orange tumbler with three spiky legs by the New York-based artist and tableware designer Grace Whiteside and a clay oyster plate inlaid with shells by the ceramist Michele Mirisola of Brooklyn.

☆ Freya the Walrus: Norway unveils sculpture of euthanized walrus in Oslo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The artist behind a sculpture of a walrus that was controversially euthanized over public safety concerns says she hopes her creation becomes a “three-dimensional history lesson” after it was unveiled in Norway’s capital Oslo. The life-sized bronze statue shows Freya the walrus curled up on her side close to the water’s edge. She hopes it will serve as a “three-dimensional history lesson.”The statue of Freya was unveiled on Saturday in Oslo. She believes that Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries should have dealt with the situation in a more ethical manner. Previously, the directorate told CNN that it was considering multiple solutions, including relocating Freya out of the fjord.

☆ Remote Jobs Going Back to the Office, Outsourcing to Cheaper Workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Finding a remote job is getting more and more difficult. That's because competition for remote work in the US remains fierce, the number of job postings are on the decline, and some of the remote jobs that remain are being outsourced overseas. Companies are moving remote jobs overseasSome companies are embracing remote work, but not in the US. Instead, they're outsourcing jobs overseas and saving on labor costs. For Americans who are eager to snag that remote job, it's not all doom and gloom.

☆ An employee reportedly asked to go remote. Her CEO says he outsourced her job to India instead and saved 40% on labor costs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CEO Johnny Taylor Jr. told WSJ he outsourced an employee's job after she requested it be remote. Hiring someone in India saved the company around 40% in labor costs, he told the Journal. Since the pandemic, some tech companies have hired remote workers overseas, sometimes amid layoffs. Some tech companies have already turned to overseas labor, including in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Insider's Aki Ito reported. The year before, 17% of job postings offered remote work.

☆ Billy McFarland, a year out of prison, says Fyre Festival II is 'finally happening'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Billy McFarland, creator of the failed Fyre Festival, teased a possible resurgence of the event. In a tweet Sunday, McFarland asked Twitter users why they should be invited to "Fyre Festival II." "Fyre Festival II is finally happening," McFarland said in a tweet on Sunday. McFarland hasn't revealed any further details about a potential follow-up to Fyre Festival, and didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for additional comment ahead of publication. It can't be tomorrow, it can't be in four months, but there's going to be PYRT fest," McFarland told the "Full Send" podcast hosts.

March 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether colleges can continue to consider race as part of their admissions decisions, a practice commonly known as affirmative action. Schools also employ recruitment programs and scholarship opportunities intended to boost diversity, but the Supreme Court litigation is focused on admissions. HOW HAS THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN THE PAST? The court has largely upheld race-conscious admissions for decades, though not without limits. A decision banning affirmative action would force elite colleges to revamp their policies and search for new ways to ensure diversity.

☆ Colorado supermarket shooting suspect remains unfit for trial, judge says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BOULDER, Colo. — A man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket nearly two years ago remains mentally incompetent to stand trial, a judge said Friday. Bakke said the latest report from the hospital finding Alissa incompetent also said he has a “reasonable likelihood” of reaching competency, an outlook also expressed in previous reports. Concerns about Alissa’s mental health were raised by his defense immediately after the March 2021 shooting. Competency is a different legal issue than a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, which involves whether someone’s mental health prevented them from understanding right from wrong when a crime was committed. They said Alissa passed a background check to legally buy a Ruger AR-556 pistol six days before the shooting.

The court confronts this divisive issue four months after its major rulings curtailing abortion rights and widening gun rights. The court's 6-3 conservative majority is expected to be sympathetic toward the challenges to Harvard and UNC. The cases give the court an opportunity to overturn its prior rulings allowing race-conscious admissions policies. Blum's group said UNC discriminates against white and Asian American applicants and Harvard discriminates against Asian American applicants. UNC said there is a difference between a racist policy like segregation that separates people based on race and race-conscious policies that bring students together.

According to Harvard, around 40% of U.S. colleges and universities consider race in some fashion in admissions. The Supreme Court has been upheld such policies, most recently in a 2016 ruling involving a white woman who sued after the University of Texas rejected her. Ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could require the court to overturn its 2016 ruling and earlier decisions. 'DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION'The lawsuits accused UNC of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants and Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Harvard's use of race was "meaningful" and not "impermissibly extensive" because it prevented diversity from plummeting.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the two cases on Monday, with rulings due by the end of June. Blum's goal is for the Supreme Court to overturn its own precedents allowing race as a factor in admissions. Blum raised more than $8 million from 2015 to 2020 for Students for Fair Admissions, most going to covering legal fees. No Students for Fair Admissions members served as plaintiffs or testified in court in the Harvard and UNC cases as the group lost in lower courts. The Supreme Court in January agreed to hear appeals backed by Blum in both cases.

☆ Companiile de asigurări din Moldova, sprijinite în tranziţia către supravegherea prudenţială
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-07 | by ( ) capital.market.md time to read: +2 min

Obiectivul instruirilor a fost de a pregăti asigurătorii pentru tranziţia către supravegherea prudenţială, prevăzută de noul proiect de lege privind activitatea de asigurare/reasigurare. Totodată, implementarea supravegherii prudenţiale în domeniul asigurărilor reprezintă şi o cerinţă a Directivei UE Solvabilitate II. Tot în cadrul atelierului a fost prezentată şi Instrucţiunea de întocmire a Raportului ORSA, elaborată de către experţii FSTA. În perspectivă, experţii FSTA vor sprijini CNPF şi la elaborarea unui model de raport ORSA, care ar putea fi utilizat de către entităţile raportoare. Evenimentul de instruire reprezintă o continuare a activităţilor sprijinite de FSTA pentru alinierea sectorului de asigurări din Republica Moldova la practicile şi normele internaţionale.

Persons: Holly Bakke, Discuţiile Organizations: Comisia Locations: Moldova, Statelor Unite ale Americii, UE, Republica Moldova

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