David Lidsky's Blog, page 295

Soros’s Open Society Foundations reiterate commitment to human rights

The foundations, founded by billionaire investor George Soros and now led by his son Alex Soros, have historically been one of the largest funders of human rights groups.

Despite years of internal turmoil and changes, Open Society Foundations (OSF) want those in the human rights sector to know their movements will still receive support from the organization, its president Binaifer Nowrojee said Tuesday.

The foundations, founded by billionaire investor George Soros and now led by one of his sons, Alex Soros, have historically been among the largest funders of human rights groups. But since 2021, they closed some of their programs and reduced their staff as part of a major internal reorganization.

In the process, many grantees and others in the human rights movement have waited anxiously to see where the chips would fall.

“A [reimagining] has taken place under the leadership of the new board chair at Open Society Foundations,” Nowrojee said, referring to Alex Soros.

“One of the reasons that we wanted to really reiterate in a large way, with balloons, et cetera, that we are still committed to human rights, is because of this fear that’s permeated with the changes that somehow Open Society Foundations is no longer going to be working on rights or equity or justice,” she said in advance of Human Rights Day, which the United Nations observes on Dec. 10.

Nowrojee offered few new details about OSF’s specific funding priorities, though earlier this year, the foundations committed $400 million toward green jobs and economic development.

Why olive oil girl is TikTok’s main character

TikTok user Megan Chacalos recalled a high school mishap involving an olive oil hair mask. What happened from there, you couldn’t make this up.

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the past few days, you’ve probably come across the viral olive oil story. If you haven’t, strap in.

Meta contractor dismissed threats to moderators from Ethiopia rebels

The case could have implications for how Meta works with content moderators globally.

A contractor hired by Facebook’s parent company Meta dismissed threats to content moderators by Ethiopian rebels angered by their work, according to new evidence filed in a case challenging the dismissal of dozens of moderators in Kenya.

How a Biden approval may unlock drilling in Alaska’s pristine arctic refuge

The sale of the oil and gas leases will be held on January 9.

The Biden administration has approved plans for a sale of oil and gas leases in Alaska that leaves open the door for drilling in a portion of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The sale will be held Jan. 9, less than two weeks before President Joe Biden leaves office. It will include a fraction of the land total that was available for bidding roughly four years ago in a sale held during the Trump administration.

President-elect Donald Trump pledged during his latest run for the White House to expand oil drilling in the U.S., and he’s pointed to the passage of a 2017 law that enabled Monday’s announcement as a highlight when it comes to Alaska policy.

The 2017 law mandated two lease sales by late 2024, but major oil companies sat out the first sale. The Biden administration reviewed the leasing program, and seven leases from the first sale ultimately were canceled.

‘I need to know what’s going to be the new app’: TikTok influencers are pitching other platforms to their followers as a ban looms

Late last week, a three-judge panel of the appeals court upheld the law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban.

“Do we think it’s actually gonna happen?” asks influencer Audrey Peters in a TikTok video posted on Saturday, shortly after news broke about an imminent TikTok ban in the U.S. As the clock ticks on the January 19 deadline, many creators like Peters are preparing for the worst. “Anyways, I still very much exist on another place that’s linked in my bio. If you wanna keep in touch, you know where to find me,” she adds.

4 browser-boosting ChatGPT Chrome extensions

Save time and work more efficiently with these AI-powered extensions for web searching, writing, summarizing, and beyond.

Plenty of people who use ChatGPT get stuff done by hopping between OpenAI’s chatbot and broader web-browsing sessions. But extensions that fuse ChatGPT right into Chrome have resulted in a peanut-butter-and-chocolate moment for AI and web browsing.

GoFundMe campaigns for suspected CEO shooter Luigi Mangione appear—and are quickly removed

According to GoFundMe’s site, you’re allowed to crowdfund for people who can’t afford their medical bills, but not for someone accused of a violent crime.

It didn’t take long after law enforcement officials named a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson for the campaigns to begin. People, angry with the state of healthcare in the U.S. or just looking to make a quick buck, quickly took to GoFundMe, saying they were raising money to support the suspect, though officials at the platform appeared to be moving quickly to remove them.

Rupert Murdoch’s bid to change his family trust is rejected

Rupert Murdoch’s proposed amendment would have blocked any interference by three of Lachlan’s siblings, who are more politically moderate.

A Nevada commissioner has rejected Rupert Murdoch’s bid to change his family trust to consolidate control of his media empire in the hands of his son Lachlan, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a sealed court document.

‘The smallest amount of power a person can go mad with’: The Muppet History fan page controversy, explained

One of the people associated with the account has apologized for making sexually inappropriate comments.

A vague apology from the social media account behind Jim Henson’s Muppet History fan page has unraveled one of the year’s most unexpected social media scandals.

HALEU is urgently needed for next-gen nuclear energy, says former SpaceX engineer

HALEU is uranium enriched to between 5% and 20%, which backers say has the potential to make new high-tech reactors more efficient.

Former SpaceX engineer Scott Nolan, CEO of startup General Matter, is on a mission to help end Russia’s monopoly on a type of more-enriched nuclear fuel by producing it at commercial scale in the United States and slashing its costs.