Celebrating or Legislating?
The homosexual issue has been remarkably polarizing since the last quarter. The Catholic Church has been at the forefront with a ruling approved by the Pope allowing homosexual couples to be blessed, igniting a storm of controversy. This resulted in a clarification almost equal in length to the original ruling as well as exemptions for particularly incensed regions, such as Africa. Countries there have been moving to make the practice increasingly illegal. Uganda approved the death penalty last summer and other nations have sought to follow suit. In Burundi, conviction can lead to years in prison. Their President said, “If you want to attract a curse to the country, accept homosexuality” and, “stone them” while advocating for harsher penalties.
On the other side of the spectrum is Greece. Their legislature just enshrined gay marriage as law along with adoption rights for same-sex couples. While well behind other members of the EU, it is the first Orthodox Christian nation to do so. The change passed in spite of vigorous opposition from the church. The Church of England is also poised for a squabble over the issue. Prominent figures are pushing for acceptance though the church has maintained that marriage is between one man and one woman up until this time.
Could Politics be Worse?
Yes, it could. Ever feel like you voted for a crook? So do the people of New Zealand. A member of parliament (MP) resigned citing mental health issues and stress after instances of shoplifting were reported from ritzy shops in multiple cities. Surely truth is stranger than fiction. The allegations come as a double blow to ESG and DEI as the MP represented the Green Party as the first Iranian refugee to ever be elected.
Worse and worse. Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition party in South Korea, was asked for his autograph. Was he handed a pen? No, he was stabbed in the neck. He has since recovered, though emergency surgery was necessary to repair a major artery. Bribery allegations have plagued the past and future presidential hopeful which he claims are politically motivated, as the attack turned out to be.
In Ecuador, Fernando Villaviencio was running for president. Departing a rally in the capital, Quito, his entourage was attacked. Nine were injured in an eruption of gunfire and Fernando perished from multiple head wounds. His party’s offices were ravaged the same day. He was campaigning on an anti-corruption platform and the violence was attributed to the powerful drug cartels whose operations may have been placed in jeopardy.
Oil and Influence
The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) find themselves with somewhat divergent opinions. The IEA predicts demand will peak worldwide by 2030 while OPEC maintains this will occur a decade later. The IEA also forecasts less growth in 2024 than OPEC, their views diverge by 1 million barrels a day. Demand, while increasing, has been hit by economic woe in China and recessions in Japan and the United Kingdom. OPEC has imposed cuts on its members to stabilize prices though some members have been reluctant, or have refused, to cooperate. Angola is quitting the organization outright to pursue increased output. In addition, most of the predicted growth worldwide will be in nations outside of OPEC such as the United States. This will be an interesting scenario as the Organization seeks to maintain both its profits and its influence.
No Escape
At least not for Maxim Kuzminov. The 28 year old helicopter pilot notably defected from Russia in August of 2023. The transport pilot, after becoming disillusioned with the so-called “special military operation,” coordinated an escape plan with Ukrainian intelligence which included the emigration of his family and himself complete with new identities and a substantial cash payment. In exchange he flew his craft and its valuable cargo of fighter jet parts across the border and surrendered. Two other unwilling Russians were also onboard and died trying to escape after the helicopter landed. Maxim subsequently decided not to stay in Ukraine, instead moving to Spain under a false identity. Some allege he did not “lay low” but began socializing frequently. On February 13, 2024 he was confronted by two men in a parking garage, shot multiple times and run over by his attackers as they escaped in his car. He was found dead at the scene. The vehicle was later discovered burned and abandoned. Russian intelligence is widely believed to be behind the killing as Maxim was sentenced to death in absentia as a traitor.
Above, Beyond and Inadequate
How can companies stop their AI chatbots from going the extra mile? If entertainment rather than actual service is the goal, let’s hope they can’t. A customer of DPD, a delivery service in the UK, recorded his remarkable experience. After failing to get any information on his parcel, or even a number for customer service, the customer asked DPD’s AI powered chatbot to tell him a joke. When it did, he then requested a poem about a useless chatbot. It willingly complied, calling itself “a waste of time,” “a customer’s worst nightmare,” and concluded with its own termination at which “everyone rejoiced.” “Finally, they could get the help they needed, from a real person who knew what they were doing.” It also used foul language when prompted and disparaged the company. DPD quickly removed the tool from their website and blamed the malfunction on a recent update.
“Prebunking”
The year 2024 will be packed with important elections. Influential nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, Mexico, Ukraine, South Korea, and many others will be heading to the polls. The European Union’s parliament is also up for election. With widely divergent viewpoints set to face off, many lament the spread of “mis-information” and fear its impact. Scarier still are some of the proposed solutions.
Google is lending its weight to these efforts through a division called Jigsaw which, “explores threats to open societies.” Not all of the tools it offers are insidious, though some amount to automated censorship. According to Reuters, the most effective tool it will be rolling out for elections is called “prebunking,” debunking or disproving certain ideas in advance. They will utilize a massive ad campaign, the ads will be followed by short quizzes to ensure users understood the message. While you might wonder who is going to sit still for a quiz, let alone watch an advertisement, the approach has proved remarkably successful in trials.
NATO Expands
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded in 1949 in the aftermath of World War II. Founded with 12 members, the bloc has expanded to include 31 nations and is currently set to add one more. Sweden applied for membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but acceptance was held up by Turkey and Hungary. A great deal of political pressure was applied by other members to secure Sweden’s approval. Sweden also committed to a number of bilateral deals, such as arms sales to Turkey which had been previously blocked for humanitarian reasons. Finland, which began the application process at the same time, was accepted far more rapidly.
