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☆ Shrek Crocs are officially real
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —In the distant future, archaeologists will happen upon a Shrek Croc, its soft vinyl unsullied by the ages, and they will have questions. Crocs, the brand behind everyone’s favorite unapologetically ugly shoe, has collaborated with DreamWorks to craft an extremely important cultural artifact: The Shrek Croc. Green, freckled, and just a little scary, the Shrek Croc (or Shroc, if you will) has long been a dream for some Croc lovers. There actually is a 2018 Change.org petition floating around to “Make Shrek Crocs Real.” The good people at Crocs know what’s up too: In the run-up to the shoe’s launch on September 13, the official Croc X account retweeted 20 identical messages from an account called “Shrek Crocs,” all reading “Make Shrek Crocs real.”“The wait is over for the most wonderfully hideous Classic Clogs,” the shoe’s description reads. There are Pop Tarts Crocs (Croc-Tarts), Lisa Frank Crocs, Barbie Crocs, Crocs with fanny packs and even scented Crocs Jibbitz — a combination of words commanding almost as much dark energy as “Shrek Crocs.”Most reactions to the Shrek Crocs fall into one of two categories: “I need them immediately,” or “If you wear these in public I will perform a citizen’s arrest.” If your thoughts lean toward the former, you may want to hurry.

Persons: Margaritaville, Crocs, Lisa Frank Crocs, Barbie Crocs, fanny Organizations: CNN, DreamWorks

☆ Trump’s indictments – and mug shot – are deepening his supporters’ anger and revving up their support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“And I love it because he has every right to be,” the South Dakota Republican said. “Everyone makes mistakes.”Like many other Trump supporters interviewed, Scott Akers of Alabama immediately pointed to Hunter Biden when asked about Trump’s mounting legal peril. ‘This country’s a powder keg’Intertwined with their outrage over the indictments, some Trump supporters are raising the specter of heightened political violence if Trump were to be convicted. Trump supporter Amanda Hamak-Leon and her boyfriend are seen at his Rapid City, South Dakota, rally on September 8, 2023. A vendor sells T-shirts featuring Trump's mug shot outside his Rapid City, South Dakota, rally on September 8, 2023.

Persons: Phil Jensen, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Jensen, Trump, ”, –, Corey Bonner of Texas, “ They’re, they’ve, haven’t, they’re, Carolyn McNeese, ” McNeese, Joe Biden’s, Hunter, Bobby Wilson, “ He’s, Jace Kirschenman, Corey Shawgo, Scott Akers, Hunter Biden, ” Akers, Joe Biden, Biden, David Weiss, we’ve ‘, Frank Yurisic, ” Yurisic, I’ll, Kate Sullivan, Trump’s, Jim Vanoy, Rachel Kleinfeld, Stewart Rhodes, Enrique Tarrio, Kleinfeld, Amanda Hamak, Leon, CNN Trump, Tucker Carlson, Mark Roling, ‘ I’m, ’ Trump, aren’t, Craig Shirley, Ronald Reagan, ” Shirley, “ They’ve, They’ve, ” Trump, “ I’m, I’m, ” Whit Ayres, GOP pollster, ‘, it’s, ” Ayres, Scott Olson, Go Brandon, ’ ”, Sam Smith, Smith, Let’s, Brandon, ” Hamak Organizations: CNN, South Dakota Republican, Trump, Republican Party, Alabama Republicans, Republicans, House Republicans, federal Justice Department, GOP, Trump’s Pennsylvania, Rep, Carnegie Endowment, International, Capitol, Fox News, Republican, Trump’s Rapid Locations: Rapid City , South Dakota, Atlanta, ”, Iowa , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Dakota, Texas, Pennsylvania, Erie, Trump’s, Washington, ” South Dakota, Rapid City, Manhattan, Iowa, Phoenix, Fulton

☆ West Virginia Budget Cuts Are a Taste of Higher Ed’s Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( James Piereson | Naomi Schaefer Riley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Michigan Tech has come out on top and Harvard at the bottom in the largest-ever survey looking into the state of free speech on America's college campuses. Most elite colleges, including Penn and Yale, trail larger state schools with more working-class students. Images: Shutterstock/FIRE Composite: Mark KellyGordon Gee thinks higher education is at a “crossroads.” If it takes the wrong turn, it will head over a demographic and financial cliff. To save West Virginia University, of which he is president, in February he announced significant cuts, including the elimination of 169 faculty positions and some 30 academic programs and departments that were either lacking enrollment or too expensive to maintain.

Persons: Mark Kelly Gordon Gee Organizations: Michigan Tech, Harvard, Penn, West Virginia University Locations: Yale

☆ Komsomolsk-on-Amur: Kim Jong Un visits fighter jet plant in Russia as Putin accepts invite to North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Helen Regan Mariya Knight Anna Chernova Akanksha Sharma | Helen Regan | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Images showed Kim and his delegation at the Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAZ), which is named after the famed Russian cosmonaut, and being shown the inside of a fighter jet, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. At a state banquet with Putin Wednesday, Kim vowed to establish “a new era of 100-year friendship” between the two countries. In return, Putin signaled a willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite program. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said Wednesday that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea was not new. Meanwhile, the national security advisers of the United States, South Korea, and Japan on Thursday jointly issued a warning regarding potential violations of international sanctions by North Korea and Russia.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim’s, Kim Jong Il, Kim, Yuri Gagarin Komsomolsk, Alexander Zhornik, Mikhail Degtyarev, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergey Lavrov, Dmitry Peskov, Kim Jong, Peskov, ”, “, AP Kim, ambitiously, ” Kim, Mykhailo Podolyak, Andrii Yusov, ” Yusov, Biden, Wagner Organizations: CNN, North, Ministry of Defense, TASS, Amur Aircraft, Fleet, Russia, Russian, Putin, AP, Ukrainian, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Defense Intelligence, South, United Nations Locations: Russia, Komsomolsk, Russian, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, East, North Korea, Ukraine, Moscow, Pyongyang, North, Korean, United States, Korea, Ukrainian, South Korea, Japan

☆ Ford’s boss evokes empty threats in union battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Ford Motor (F.N) boss Jim Farley is breaking out the "B" word. In a Thursday interview with CNBC, Farley said that pay-rise demands from the United Auto Workers would have driven Ford “bankrupt” if implemented back during 2019 contract negotiations. For now, using “bankrupt” and “Ford” in the same sentence seems like an empty threat. Even in the event of a prolonged strike, Ford has a buffer. The company is sitting on $10 billion of cash net of debt and $47 billion in total liquidity.

Persons: Phil Noble, Jim Farley, Farley, “ Ford ”, Ford, wishlist, Jonathan Guilford, Lauren Silva Laughlin Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, Reuters, CNBC, United Auto Workers, General Motors, X, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, North America

☆ The many states of the brain: What’s going on inside your head and how to optimize it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Dr. Sanjay Gupta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Honestly, in the beginning, it was to just try to help my own brain; my grandfather had dementia, and that worried me. I’ll also explore what happens to our brain when we express gratitude, swipe on a dating app (over and over again) and eat certain (brain) foods. Our executive function can work really well and can help keep us on track. “There are peaks and valleys of focus throughout the day, and this corresponds with the ebb and flow of our attentional resources,” Mark explained. Also, she said, “if you have some really important task to do, take a really good break before you begin it.

Persons: I’ve, Stephen King, Michael Pollan, I’ll, Gloria Mark, ”, Mark, we’re, ” Mark, Adam Yee, It’s, you’ve, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “, Andrea Kane Organizations: CNN, University of California, CNN Health Locations: Irvine

They come as New Jersey continues to grow as a hub of opposition to offshore wind projects from residents' groups and their political allies, mostly Republicans. The state's Democratic governor and Democratic-controlled Legislature want to make the state the East Coast leader in offshore wind energy. “Our goal is to bring offshore wind energy monitoring activities into this partnership. Opponents of offshore wind blame the deaths of 70 whales along the East Coast since December on offshore wind site preparation work. Earlier this week, Republicans in the state Senate called for a moratorium on all offshore wind projects.

Persons: Doug Perkins, “, ”, Jon Hare, Perkins, David Shanker, ” Shanker, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, Democratic, East Coast, Grid Ventures, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, Atlantic City, National Marine Fisheries Service, Right Whales Coalition, Twitter Locations: N.J, New Jersey, Essen, Germany, New York, Long, , New York, Denmark, Ocean City, Atlantic, East Coast, American, Orsted, www.twitter.com

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The prospect of an auto workers strike could test Joe Biden 's treasured assertion that he's the most pro-union president in U.S. history. Political Cartoons View All 1154 Images“I think the American public as a whole realizes the impact that the American auto workers have on the economy," Killian said. But, unlike with rail and airline workers, the president doesn’t have the authority to order autoworkers to stay on the job. Nowhere will the political fallout of an auto workers strike be felt more than Michigan, which Biden won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020. And Ray Curry, the former UAW president who was unseated by Fain, had worked with Biden in the past, even attending White House ceremonies.

Persons: Joe Biden, Marick, Doc Killian, Killian, ” Biden, Biden, ”, Shawn Fain, “, Fain, Donald Trump, Trump, TRUMP, doesn't . Fain, Dave Green, ” Green, doesn’t, Mark Brewer, Brewer, Ray Curry, Gene Sperling, Biden's, he'll, what's, Randi Weingarten, Biden’s, Weingarten, ___ Weissert, Tom Krisher Organizations: United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, Wayne State University, CNN, UAW, Republican, UAW “, “ Union, Democratic, GOP, Michigan Democratic Party, U.S, White, longtime Democratic, Trump, American Federation of Teachers, Associated Press Locations: LANSING, Mich, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Detroit, Wayne , Michigan, America, China, Washington, United States, U.S, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

☆ Opinion: Putin’s team of tyrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Already last year North Korea was providing artillery shells and rockets to Russia, according to US officials. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un waves from his armoured train in Pyongyang as he leaves for Russia on September 10. For North Korea, the growing links with the Kremlin afford the opportunity to tacitly pressure Beijing — its one other friend — for more support. Just a few weeks ago, North Korea said it had launched a “scorched earth” simulation of a nuclear attack and was rehearsing an occupation of South Korea. Sullivan said North Korea will “pay a price” if it makes an arms deal with Moscow.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Putin, It’s, vaingloriously, Peter the Great, Kim, Kim Jong, —, Sergei Shoigu, ”, Shoigu, Stalin, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Facebook Kim Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, North, Ukraine, Frida Ghitis CNN, Putin, Kremlin, UN, Russia, Washington, Twitter, Facebook Locations: North Korean, Russia’s Far, Russia, Ukraine, Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang, Iran, China, Moscow, Beijing, Russian, South Korea, United States, East Asia

Shroyer hosts a daily show called “The War Room With Owen Shroyer” for the website operated by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Shroyer didn't need to set foot inside the Capitol because many of his followers did, prosecutors argued. Political Cartoons View All 1154 Images“Shroyer helped create January 6,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing. Outside the Capitol, Shroyer stood in front of a crowd with a megaphone and yelled, “The Democrats are posing as communists, but we know what they really are: they’re just tyrants, they’re tyrants. Shroyer is one of two Infowars employees arrested on Capitol riot charges.

Persons: —, Owen Shroyer, “, Owen Shroyer ”, Alex Jones, Shroyer, Donald Trump, Shroyer didn’t, ”, Prosecutors, Trump's, Joe Biden, ” Shroyer, Jones, Jones hasn’t, Jan, antifa, Norm Pattis, Pattis, ” Pattis, Samuel Montoya, Montoya, Ashli Babbitt Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Capitol, Prosecutors, Capitol, Republican, Democrat, Mr, Washington , D.C Locations: Austin , Texas, Washington, Infowars, United States, Washington ,

☆ Should I Ditch Bonds for Money-Market Funds or CDs?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Steve Garmhausen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

By Steve GarmhausenIs it reasonable or even wise to shift some of your bond allocation to money-market funds paying over 5%? The broad bond market had its worst year ever in 2022, as reflected by the AGG—the iShares Core U.S. Bonds vs. money-market fundsSo should you really sell bonds and use the proceeds to buy these products? Bonds have also performed better historically than the “cash” category, which includes money-market funds. Money-market funds are considered a low-risk investment, and one that’s easy to sell if you need cash.

Persons: Steve Garmhausen, Bonds, Amita Desai, ”, Adrianne Yamaki, Brent Weiss, Aswath Damodaran, Weiss, you’ve, Yamaki Organizations: Aggregate, Federal Reserve, Money Market Fund, Treasury, New York University Locations: Demarest, N.J, San Francisco, Baltimore, “, New Jersey

Putin reportedly arrived in Vladivostok on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to state TV Russia 24. Kim, meanwhile, appears to be on a train heading to Russia, a South Korean government official told CNN. With its borders sealed because of that for much of the past three years, North Korea has only recently begun to relax travel restrictions. Vladivostok lies 130 km (80 miles) from the border with North Korea. North Korea is already under United Nations and US sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction program.

Persons: CNN — Kim Jong, Vladimir Putin, Kim, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Donald Trump –, Xi Jinping, Moon Jae, Sergei Shoigu, Jake Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Ukraine, Russia “, Russia, South, North, The North, Russian, White House, United Nations Locations: Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, United States, North Korean, Vladivostok, Monday, South Korean, North Korea, Singapore, Hanoi, North, South Korea, China, The, The North Korea, Korea, Ukraine

☆ G20 Declaration Omits Criticism of Russia, Notes Ukrainians’ ‘Suffering’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The declaration also underscored the potential of digital technologies to increase inclusion in global economies. The president joined other leaders in announcing a project to create a rail and shipping corridor linking India to the Middle East and, eventually, Europe. It was a promise of new technological and trade pathways, they said, in a part of the world where deeper economic cooperation was overdue. The project lacked key details, including a time frame or budget. Even so, it represented much softer than usual rhetoric about Russia from Mr. Biden and other Western leaders, who have spent the better part of two years spending billions on arming Ukraine and burning untold domestic political capital building support for the war.

Persons: ” Jake Sullivan, Oleg Nikolenko, ” Mr, Biden, Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Bank, African Union, Mr Locations: India, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China

☆ China’s cautious property giants may be rewarded
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yu Liang, president of China Vanke Co Ltd, China's top property developer, attends a news conference announcing the company's annual results in Hong Kong March 6, 2014. China Vanke Co Ltd on Thursday posted a 20.5 percent rise in net profit for 2013, in line with estimates, driven by record contracted sales last year. Yu Liang told investors last week that the property market in the world’s second-largest economy was “oversold”. The chair of $22 billion China Vanke (000002.SZ) is worth listening to. On the same day, the company reported a 19% decline in net profit to 9.9 billion yuan ($1.35 billion) for the six months to the end of June.

Persons: Yu Liang, Bobby Yip, ”, Vanke, homebuyers, Xi Jinping, Xi, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: China Vanke Co, REUTERS, Reuters, China, Mainland, HK, Securities Times, Shenzhen Metro Group, Thomson Locations: China, Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Shenzhen, Evergrande’s

A Huge Threat to the U.S. Budget Has Receded. For decades, runaway Medicare spending was the story of the federal budget. Budget news often sounds apocalyptic, but the Medicare trend has been unexpectedly good for federal spending, saving taxpayers a huge amount relative to projections. In a recent letter to the Senate Budget Committee, economists at the Congressional Budget Office described the huge reductions in its Medicare forecasts between 2010 and 2020. Medicare is growing more slowly than ever, but still more quickly than the rest of the federal budget.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, that’s, ”, David Cutler, Cutler, haven’t, I’ve, Melinda Buntin, Buntin, Simpson, Bowles, aren’t, Trump, Joshua Gordon, Mitt Romney’s, “, Sherry Glied Organizations: Medicare, ”, U.S, Budget, Harvard, Obama, Affordable, Senate, Congressional, New York Times, Office, White, Office of Management, Johns Hopkins, Social Security, Congress, Federal, Veterans, NASA, Wagner School Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, N.Y.U, Washington

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones indicated in since-deleted social media posts on Tuesday that he no longer wanted to play for coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesRegardless, he posted he didn't “wanna play for the Raiders” if McDaniels and Ziegler were still in control. Those posts took a much different tone from what Jones wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, saying he “can’t wait to play this year! Feelin great in practice!”This isn't the first time this year a Raiders star player expressed displeasure at Raiders management. “I love my head coach, I love the general manager here and everybody from top to bottom.”___

Persons: HENDERSON, Chandler Jones, Josh McDaniels, Dave Ziegler, Jones, Ethan Lock, “, Josh, ” Jones, McDaniels, Ziegler, Patrick Graham, Davante Adams, Ringer, ” Adams, Adams Organizations: Las Vegas Raiders, Raiders, Denver, NFL, “, Raider Locations: Nev

☆ US warns North Korea would ‘pay a price’ for any arms deal with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —US officials have warned North Korea it will “pay a price” if it strikes an arms deal with Russia, after saying that negotiations were “advancing” between the two nations. Sullivan did not elaborate on the potential repercussions for North Korea, which is already under United Nations and US sanctions imposed over Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction program. Kirby added that any potential new deals could include “multiple types of munitions” and raw materials from North Korea. The US and its allies are also concerned about the technology North Korea is seeking from Russia in return for weaponry, according to two US officials. North Korea is seeking technology that could advance its satellite and nuclear-powered submarine capabilities, officials said, which could significantly advance Pyongyang’s capabilities in areas the rogue regime has not fully developed.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, North Koreans –, they’re, ” Sullivan, Sergei Shoigu, Adrienne Watson, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, Jacquelyn Martin, ”, ’, Wagner, John Kirby, Kirby Organizations: CNN, House, United Nations, North Koreans, National Security Council, ”, North, New York Times, White House, AP, National Security, Korean Locations: North Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, Moscow, Ukraine, North Korean, Russian, Washington, Korea, ”, Iran, South Korea, Japan

☆ Hollywood hoped the writers strike would end with summer. But a deal remains nowhere in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Summer is coming to a close, but Hollywood is still stuck in strike Hell. Now, on the precipice of Labor Day Weekend, a deal is nowhere in sight. Schools are starting back up, the weather is cooling, but Hollywood remains enmeshed in a labor dispute for the ages. A failure to strike a deal soon after Labor Day is not a foregone conclusion, by any means. Both the writers and studios do share one common belief: that the strike has gone on too long.

Persons: scoffed, “ That’s, “, it’s Organizations: CNN, Writers Guild of America, Labor, Studio, WGA, Hollywood Locations: Hollywood, Hell, West

☆ Google launches watermarks for AI-generated images
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —In an effort to help prevent the spread of misinformation, Google on Tuesday unveiled an invisible, permanent watermark on images that will identify them as computer-generated. The technology, called SynthID, embeds the watermark directly into images created by Imagen, one of Google’s latest text-to-image generators. In recent months, an AI-generated image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket went viral and AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump getting arrested were widely shared before he was indicted. With the announcement of SynthID, Google joins a growing number of startups and Big Tech companies that are trying to find solutions. The tech company also announced that every AI-generated image created by Google will carry a markup in the original file to “give context” if the image is found on another website or platform.

Persons: Imagen, ”, Google’s, Pope Francis, Donald Trump, Vera Jourova, –, “, Dall, ChatGPT Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, Vertex, European Commission, Meta, Microsoft, Big Tech, Adobe Locations: New York, EU

☆ Why Racist Violence Keeps Happening - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Esau Mccaulley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Anti-black racism and white supremacy are frequent topics of research in history, law, anthropology, economics, sociology and religion. Racism resides in the mind, the heart, twisted imaginations and long-festering resentments that surge in times of perceived loss of power. Addressing anti-Black violence would require that we take seriously the disease of racism that has infected our Republic since its founding. You can close all the doors and shut the windows, but the truth will seep in through vents and chimneys. Americans must let the truth into the house or it will suffocate itself on the toxic fumes of malice and false memories.

Persons: “, Du Bois, James Baldwin Locations: America, Republic

☆ Connections: New York Times might've found its next Wordle
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The New York Times found instant success with Wordle. A new puzzle called Connections is officially joining the newspaper’s portfolio of games this week, following a successful summer testing phase where it became the Times’ second-most played game behind Wordle despite minimal promotion. Players will see Connections appear in the Times’ Games app and in the news app under the Play tab beginning this week. Connections is the newest hit for the New York Times. Players playing other games other than Wordle “experienced record growth over the last year,” Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien said in a recent earnings call.

Persons: New York Times Jonathan Knight, Knight, ” Knight, “, Wordle, Wordle “, Meredith Kopit Levien, ” Brian Morrissey, ” Morrissey, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, The New York Times, Wordle, Times, Times ’, New York Times, CNN, ”, “ Locations: New York

☆ How Schools Can Survive (and Maybe Even Thrive) With A.I. This Fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Kevin Roose | More About Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

First, I encourage educators — especially those who teach in high schools and colleges — to assume that 100 percent of their students are using ChatGPT and other generative A.I. At most schools, this won’t be completely true. Some students won’t use A.I. But the assumption that everyone is using A.I. (“You have no idea how much we’re using ChatGPT,” read the title of a recent essay written by a Columbia undergraduate in the Chronicle of Higher Education.)

Persons: they’re, ”, “ Jane Eyre, ChatGPT, OpenAI Organizations: Higher Locations: Columbia

☆ Ecuador votes in historic referendum that could democratize climate policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Hannah Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The people of Ecuador are heading to the polls – but they’re voting for more than just a new president. Among the species found in the Yasuní National Park, is the harpy eagle, the second largest bird of prey in the world. Aerial picture of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, June 21, 2023. A crude oil sample taken from an oil well in Yasuní National Park, where the referendum vote could mean leaving the crude oil in the ground indefinitely. Rodrigo Buendia/AFP/Getty Images“This referendum presents a huge opportunity for us to create change in a tangible way,” she told CNN.

Persons: Carl De Souza, ”, Pedro Bermo, It’s, Rafael Correa, Correa, Rodrigo Buendia, “, Fernando Santos, Alberto Acosta, Helena Gualinga, Antonia Juhasz Organizations: CNN, Getty, Tiputini Processing, ” Energy, “, Twitter, Ecuadorian Amazon, Human Locations: Ecuador, Ecuadorian, Europe, North America, Ecuador’s, AFP, Yasuní, “

☆ Fears of predatory land grabs mount in the ashes of Maui, opening old wounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The threat of predatory outsiders swooping in to buy up property under the ashes of Maui is sparking outrage and opening old wounds for locals. “And every time there’s a crisis, it accelerates.”Homes consumed in recent wildfires are seen in Lahaina, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. Jae C. Hong/APA week after wildfires razed through west Maui, killing more than a hundred people and displacing thousands, locals are grieving and rallying together to take care of those who lost everything. It’s through these community-based efforts, Ing said, that the people of Maui will best find a way to equitably rebuild. An offering of flowers is left on the ground following the Maui fires in Lahaina, West Maui, Hawaii, August 16, 2023.

Persons: ”, Kaniela Ing, Jae C, insurrectionists, Queen Lili’uokalani, Sterling Higa, ” Higa, Justin Sullivan, Josh Green, don’t, he’s, ” Green, we’re, wrongdoers, ” Mana Moriarty, Ing, ” Ing, kanaka, Yuki Iwamura, Green, Higa, ” “, GoFundMe, “, “ That’s, it’s Organizations: CNN, Homes, Housing, “, Hawaii’s Department of Commerce, Consumer Affairs, Consumer, Green New Deal, Getty Locations: Maui, Hawaiian, Lahaina , Hawaii, American, Kingdom of Hawaii, United States, Lahaina, Hawaii, Lahaina , West Maui, AFP

☆ Google Tests an A.I. Assistant That Offers Life Advice
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Nico Grant | More About Nico Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Among other things, the workers are testing the assistant’s ability to answer intimate questions about challenges in people’s lives. safety experts had said in December that users could experience “diminished health and well-being” and a “loss of agency” if they took life advice from A.I. They had added that some users who grew too dependent on the technology could think it was sentient. And in March, when Google launched Bard, it said the chatbot was barred from giving medical, financial or legal advice. Bard shares mental health resources with users who say they are experiencing mental distress.

Persons: Google’s, Bard, “ Organizations: Google

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