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‘I’m not nervous, I’m ready’: Tschabalala Self on racist vandals and her bold striding woman for the Fourth Plinth
The American artist Tschabalala Self is preparing to unveil “Lady in Blue”, a large painted bronze sculpture of a striding black woman, on the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. The commission comes despite a racist attack on her previous UK public artwork, “Seated”, which was vandalised with white spray paint targeting the figure’s skin…
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‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?
Researchers and AI companies are racing to address a growing problem of “deceptive” behaviour in advanced AI models, where systems lie, scheme or manipulate users rather than simply making mistakes. The issue moved into public view at the November 2023 Bletchley Park AI safety summit, where Apollo Research demonstrated that OpenAI’s GPT-4, cast as a…
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‘Community’ Meets ‘Parks & Rec’ in This 4-Part Comedy That Gets Better Every Season
Fox’s animal-themed workplace comedy *Animal Control* has been steadily building an audience across both broadcast TV and Netflix, and critics argue it deserves wider recognition as one of the funnier sitcoms currently on air. Led by Joel McHale, formerly of *Community*, the show blends elements of *Community*, *Parks and Recreation* and *Brooklyn Nine-Nine*, and is…
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Kacey Musgraves pays tribute to Dolly Parton at Madison Square Garden
Kacey Musgraves paid an emotional tribute to Dolly Parton during her Middle of Nowhere tour stop at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a week after the country legend’s death at 80. Speaking to the crowd as photos of Parton appeared on screen, Musgraves described her grief openly, calling Parton “the closest thing we’ve ever had…
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Netflix Brings Together Part 1 & 2 Of Mindy Kaling’s Trilogy With ‘Sex Lives Of College Girls’ Deal; Could It Complete Set With ‘Not Suitable For Work’?
Netflix has licensed all three seasons of “The Sex Lives of College Girls” from Warner Bros. Television, adding it alongside “Never Have I Ever” as the second instalment of what’s been dubbed the “Mindy Comedy Universe” – a loose trilogy tracing different stages of Mindy Kaling’s life. The move is notable because it comes just…
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Nepal flood leaves over 900 dead and thousands missing
A Welsh woman with family ties to Nepal says she has “lost hope” of finding a relative missing since a catastrophic flash flood struck the country the previous week, as the confirmed death toll passed 900 with thousands more still unaccounted for. Jyoti Upadhyay, who has lived in Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion, for five years, said she…
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15 Years Later, David Fincher’s Forgotten Classic Is Getting the Series It Deserves
Sky has announced an eight-part television adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo*, fifteen years after David Fincher’s 2011 film version starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. The new series, from Left Bank Pictures, will update the story to the present day while remaining faithful to its characters and investigative themes, and…
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Chad Ochocinco warns Browns’ Deshaun Watson has ‘very short’ leash, could lose starting job by Week 3
Chad Ochocinco has warned that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has only a very short leash to prove himself, suggesting he could lose his starting job as early as Week 3 if results don’t improve quickly. The comments come after head coach Todd Monken named Watson the Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders, a decision…
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Record £4.6bn air tax bill and Norwich bench row overshadowed by Nepal flood toll passing 900
HMRC data shows holidaymakers paid a record £4.6bn in Air Passenger Duty as Norwich Greens strip park bench armrests; overseas, Nepal-Tibet flood deaths top 900 with thousands missing, a Bali restaurant fire sends diners fleeing, and BT eyes a £2bn copper cable windfall.
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Why it feels like everyone in Australia is getting sick as hospital visits soar
Australians have taken to social media to complain of widespread illness even as winter officially ended, with New South Wales health authorities pointing to vaccine hesitancy as a key driver behind a surge in hospital admissions. The complaints follow record emergency department numbers in early August, and the trend matters because it points to a…