Latest news with #RayBradbury
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Journalist Caught Using AI After Publishing Summer Reading List Full of Made Up Books
A Chicago-based freelance journalist was caught using AI after two prominent newspapers published a summer reading list filled with mostly made-up titles and summaries. The Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer published an AI-generated "Summer Reading List for 2025" this month, syndicated by King Features Syndicate, a Hearst Corporation company, according to reporting by 404 Media. Of the list's 15 book recommendations, just five exist, including "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. Some of the made-up titles, credited to real writers, included "Tidewater Dreams" by prominent Chilean-American author Isabel Allende, "The Rainmakers" by Pulitzer-prize winning author Percival Everett, and "The Last Algorithm" by "The Martian" novelist Andy Weir. Ironically, "The Last Algorithm" is a real book available on Amazon, but, according to the book's sole review, it is also "AI created garbage." Freelance journalist Marco Buscaglia, who was hired to create a 64-page section, titled "Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer" for the syndicate company, took full responsibility for the list making it into the major newspapers. "Stupidly, and 100% on me, I just kind of republished this list that [an AI program] spit out," Buscaglia told the Sun-Times. "Usually, it's something I wouldn't do." "I mean, even if I'm not writing something, I'm at least making sure that I correctly source it and vet it and make sure it's all legitimate. And I definitely failed in that task," he continued. King Features wrote in a statement that Buscaglia violated a "strict policy" against using AI. As a result, it terminated its relationship with the freelance journalist. "We regret this incident and are working with the handful of publishing partners who acquired this supplement," a spokesman for King Features added, according to the Sun-Times. Originally published on Latin Times
Geek Tyrant
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Retro Trailer For The 1983 Film SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES — GeekTyrant
This week's retro trailer for for the 1983 dark fantsy film Something Wicked This Way Comes , which based on Ray Bradbury's novel of the same name. This is a movie that I loved as a kid! Set in a small, sleepy American town, the story follows two curious boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, whose lives are turned upside down when a mysterious carnival rolls in overnight. The carnival, led by the sinister Mr. Dark, promises to grant the townspeople their deepest desires, but at a terrifying cost. As strange and supernatural events unfold, Will's father, Charles, a weary and regretful librarian, must confront his own past and summon the courage to help the boys fight the growing evil. Mr. Dark preys on the vulnerabilities of the townsfolk, offering illusions of youth, love, or second chances, while secretly stealing their souls. As Will, Jim, and Charles uncover the carnival's sinister truth, the story builds to a suspenseful and emotional climax, where love, sacrifice, and the power of human will stand against darkness. With eerie visuals and poetic narration, the film delivers a great blend of horror and wonder.
Time Magazine
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Why I'm Resigning from Positions at the National Science Foundation and Library of Congress
Today, I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. Even as the White House threatens the foundational tenets of constitutional democracy and continues to slash funding for essential social services, it is tempting to hope that the public institutions charged with promoting and protecting knowledge will, nevertheless, soldier on with their mission. I did. Since January 2025, scientists and librarians, program officers and policy analysts at the National Science Foundation, the Library of Congress, and other federal offices and agencies have focused on their work, despite an increasingly hostile political environment. We've also seen civil servants fired and accused of not making the mark, vendors's contracts ignored, and grants and fellowships cancelled. Perseverance has its limits. The erosion of these institutions' integrity—and the growing realization that it is impossible of fulfill their missions in good faith—has made the cost of continuing untenable. This is why I must step away from my work with two federal institutions I care deeply about. In both these roles, over the past few years, I've been asked to serve on diverse bodies that offer guidance about how the Executive and Legislative branches can be stewards of knowledge and create structure to enable discovery, innovation, and ingenuity. In the instance of the National Science Board, this ideal has dissolved so gradually, yet so completely, that I barely noticed its absence until confronted with its hollow simulacrum. I have encountered increasing barriers to the exercise of honest counsel. These repeated obstacles of procedural circumvention, particularly insidious to those of us who have long advocated for more democratic and inclusive knowledge systems, represent not just personal frustration, but institutional regression. Freedom of expression is not merely an abstract principle, or even a constitutional right, but a practical necessity for meaningful advisory work. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, published as short stories in the late 1940s and as a novel in 1953, warned not only of the destruction of books, but of a society in which people had lost the desire to read them. The parallel today is not only the administration's effort to destroy and suppress knowledge, but also the institution's willingness to accept the cultivated irrelevance of it—a challenge that undermines any serious effort to conduct research, inform policy, or guide public institutions. The National Science Foundation (NSF)—established as an independent agency through the National Science Act of 1950 and marking its 75th anniversary this week— traces its roots to Vannevar Bush's landmark report, 'Science, the Endless Frontier,' addressed to President Harry S. Truman. But we might also see the establishment of this premier research institution as reflecting a response to fears depicted by Bradbury. The NSF can be understood not only as a catalyst of scientific promise for national purpose, but also as a guarded response to fears about centralized control over knowledge and thought, shaped by the dark shadows of the Third Reich and the emerging Red Scare. The NSF's investments have shaped some of the most transformative technologies of our time—from GPS to the internet —and supported vital research in the social and behavioral sciences that helps the nation understand itself and evaluate its progress toward its democratic ideals. So in 2024, I was honored to be appointed to the National Science Board, which is charged under 42 U.S. Code § 1863 with establishing the policies of the Foundation and providing oversight of its mission. But the meaning of oversight changed with the arrival of DOGE. That historical tension—between the promise of scientific freedom and the peril of political control—may now be resurfacing in troubling ways. Last month, when a National Science Board statement was released on occasion of the April 2025 resignation of Trump-appointed NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, it was done so without the participation or notice of all members of the Board. Last week, as the Board held its 494th meeting, I listened to NSF staff say that DOGE had by fiat the authority to give thumbs up or down to grant applications which had been systematically vetted by layers of subject matter experts. Our closed-to-the-public deliberations were observed by Zachary Terrell from the DOGE team. Through his Zoom screen, Terrell showed more interest in his water bottle and his cuticles than in the discussion. According to Nature Terrell, listed as a "consultant" in the NSF directory, had accessed the NSF awards system to block the dispersal of approved grants. The message I received was that the National Science Board had a role to play in name only. This episode reflects a deeper concern: the erosion of meaningful guidance. I was still free to discuss my concerns at the board meeting, but it was increasingly clear that it was just a performance without any impact. The advisory body had been transformed into a ceremonial assemblage. Consultation occurred without consequence. When grant applications are vetoed and whole organizations restructured, the freedom to speak becomes meaningless when disconnected from the possibility of being heard. All of this is threatened by the creeping normalization of authoritarian approaches to knowledge management and academic freedom. The National Science Board has not been disbanded like so many other statutorily established, independent agencies in the federal government. But preservation of form provides little consolation when function has been strategically neutralized, mirroring the backsliding that scholars have thoroughly documented: maintaining legitimacy for institutions that no longer honor their founding purposes. This hollowing out is not just about governance in the abstract, it has material consequences for which research questions get asked, which datasets get produced, which knowledge gets produced, and which perspectives shape our understanding of pressing societal challenges. It has consequences for the integrity of knowledge itself. The second institution from which I am departing is also demonstrating symptoms of democratic decay. In 2023, I was appointed by the Librarian of Congress to the Scholars Council, which advises the Kluge Chairs program, the Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanity, and other library programming intended to get ideas out of the stacks and into society by 'reinvigorat[ing] the interconnection between thought and action,' 'bridging the divide between knowledge and power,' and 'narrow[ing] the gap between thinkers and doers.' Last week, the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, was summarily dismissed via an email addressed to 'Carla' from a White House HR administrator. The Trump Administration claimed that she was fired for 'things she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.' It is true that Hayden was repeatedly on record as saying the Library should be for all Americans. And it is false that the Library, which is intended to hold all books published in the United States, lends books to children. The ouster of Hayden is part of a broader pattern of political targeting of women and Black public servants across the federal government. Dr. Carla Hayden was a leader in the digitization of libraries and a steadfast advocate for their public mission. Her dismissal signals more than a routine personnel shift—it reflects a deeper contest over who controls the curation and dissemination of knowledge in the digital age. That contest became even more apparent two days later, when the Trump Administration fired her direct report, Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights. Perlmutter's office had just released a report concluding that while generative AI poses novel challenges to copyright law, these could be addressed through voluntary licensing and market-based solutions—rather than statutory changes to the fair use doctrine. At a time when questions about AI and intellectual property are front of mind, the Library of Congress's oversight of the U.S. copyright system is more consequential than ever. The steady accumulation of procedural adjustments, each seemingly minor, stand to systematically and collectively alter the purpose and impact of our institutions. The dismissal of Hayden, who took the helm of the Library of Congress with a vow to extend its resources to all of us, represents not merely a personnel change but a statement about what kind of knowledge stewardship is deemed acceptable. To watch these changes unfold without naming them for what they are is to participate in a collective amnesia about how knowledge infrastructures shape power relations. Like the shopkeeper in an authoritarian society described by Vaclav Havel in his essay 'The Power of the Powerless,' who participates in his own oppression through small daily acts of complicity, like placing a party slogan in his window not out of conviction but out of habit. To remain on advisory boards that have been stripped of meaningful advisory function is to become that shopkeeper, to lend legitimacy to a process that has been systematically delegitimized. What then, is the responsible course of action? For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging. My resignation represents such a refusal, not a surrender of responsibility but an assertion of it. This is not to condemn those who remain. There is value in continued presence, in bearing witness, in working for reform from within. But there comes a point when presence itself becomes an endorsement, when working within the system becomes indistinguishable from working for it. In her Nobel lecture in 1993, the writer Toni Morrison observed: "Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge. Whether it is obscuring state language or the faux-language of mindless media; whether it is the proud but calcified language of the academy or the commodity driven language of science; whether it is the malign language of law-without-ethics, or language designed for the estrangement of minorities, hiding its racist plunder in its literary cheek—it must be rejected, altered and exposed." The aim of my resignation is to break free of powers that seek to limit knowledge and silence voice. To signal that certain boundary lines have been crossed. To insist that advisory roles must expand knowledge and be more than appendages to predetermined decisions. I follow political economist Albert O. Hirschman, in his seminal work Exit, Voice, and Loyalty, who offered a framework for understanding responses to institutional decline. Exit (leaving) and voice (speaking up) need not be mutually exclusive strategies. My resignations are both, an exit that amplifies the voice of others. By departing these advisory roles, I aim to speak more clearly in my own language about what they have become and what they ought to be. This is not an abandonment of loyalty to these institutions' missions, but rather, its highest expression.
Los Angeles Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Mailbag: Beware of the ‘wolves in sheep's clothing'
If you are a Huntington Beach resident who believes in unrestricted access to knowledge and protecting your freedom to make decisions for your own family, then vote 'yes' on Measure A to repeal the ordinance creating a children's book review board, and 'yes' on Measure B to ensure that any future efforts to outsource library operations to for-profit companies will require voter approval and a majority vote from City Council. This is a critical safeguard to maintain public oversight and the integrity of community libraries. The City Council believes that a 21-person politically appointed, children's book review board is more qualified than you to choose appropriate reading materials for your children. They are not. Accusations that there are 'pornographic' materials in the children's library section have served to divide the community and undermine public opinion about libraries, librarians and their supporters. The mayor handed out images from what they believe to be inappropriate library materials from a booth at this year's Easter celebration. Every accusation is a confession. These people are wolves in sheep's clothing. Do not let them deceive you. The review board, whose decisions are unappealable, has the authority to decide which materials belong in the library based on 'community standards' that have not yet been defined. Materials that enter or remain in the children's book section could eventually align with the review boards' political and religious beliefs. Will no votes ultimately enable indoctrination of young minds under the guise of 'protecting children?' Whatever happened with that MAGA commemorative library plaque? Is this nuclear 'attack on porn' simply helping City Council complete a MAGA agenda item designed to stifle 1st Amendment rights at taxpayer expense? A 'no' vote for either measure is a slippery slope toward government control of thought and information. Vote 'yes' on Measure A to protect parents' rights to maintain control of what their OWN children read, and 'yes' on Measure B to help ensure public libraries stay free and open to everyone. Judy MorrisHuntington Beach Monday I attended my first Huntington Beach City Council meeting, appropriately at the city library. It was quite an eye-opener, as more than 90 people signed up to address the council at the podium regarding Measures A and B. In a nutshell, a 'no' vote advocates for increasing the council's authority in deciding what books to have reviewed by the peer review board within the children's section, and to privatize the library altogether. Once upon a time such notions would only appear in dystopian novels or movies such as Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451' or George Orwell's '1984.' Yes, interesting ideas to conjecture and be entertained by, but surely not something that could really happen here. Do we not live within a democracy with constitutional rights guaranteeing freedom for the people to make their own choices regarding what to write, speak and read? The irony is that not that long ago, these values were most adamantly defended by American conservatives, the same people who bore a flag with a coiled snake emblazoned on the cloth, and the warning, 'Don't tread on me.' Do the advocates against Measures A and B, most of whom identify as conservatives, simply not know what they are doing? Ron TerranovaHuntington Beach As a former Orange County 'Teacher of the Year,' I taught for 40 years, addressing my school board many times. I advocated for school nurses, librarians and lower class sizes. I hoped my school board understood the reality of transmitting a crowded curriculum to more than 30 students every day, all day. In January 2025, Newport-Mesa School Board had the luxury of picking a qualified new board member and they looked forward to working with her. On merit, they selected Kirstin Walsh who has children in NMUSD, has volunteered in the schools for 13 years, is PTA President at Newport Harbor High, has held offices at the elementary and intermediate school PTAs. After carefully vetting four candidates, board members added Walsh to their ranks. DONE! Now, let's get to work, solving school problems. I'm sorry to say that members of our community collected signatures, forcing an election for NMUSD School Board, thus taking about $500,000 from Newport-Mesa's school budget. Their candidate was on the original list of those considered for the school board position, but was not selected. Walsh is the kind of board member I want on the dais when I speak. Parent volunteers, like Walsh, who spend years in our school halls and classrooms, understand the challenges and strengths of school life. I am saddened by the loss of half-a-million dollars from our slim school budget, used to fund an unnecessary election. I hope voters will make it right, and ensure that Kirstin Walsh continues in the position for which she was chosen, on merit. Carrie Luger SlaybackNewport Beach As the June 10 NMUSD Area 5 Special Election approaches, the saying, 'You are the company you keep,' rings true. Claims that Kirstin Walsh, Andrea McElroy's opponent, is a conservative or a non-partisan, don't align with her affiliations. In 2023, NMUSD's progressive majority voted to block schools from notifying parents about their child's gender dysphoria, risking student well-being. Conservative trustees, prioritizing safety, supported notification, but the majority prevailed. School board votes-on academics, safety and fiscal management reflect trustees' values, and the 2023 decision clearly revealed the progressive majority's values. Andrea McElroy champions parental rights and transparency. Walsh claims non-partisanship, yet her Instagram shows her campaigning with Democrats Carol Crane, Ashley Anderson (NMUSD Trustee) and Katrina Foley, vice chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Her campaign is heavily funded by the teacher's union, which endorsed Kamala Harris and the Women in Leadership PAC who advocate for 'leading the fight against conservatives.' This does not reflect conservative values. This election demands leadership for quality education and parental involvement. Walsh's 'non-partisan' label masks her affiliations. Voters deserve transparency. I'm voting for Andrea McElroy, whose values I trust. Lisa Ruggieri HinesNewport Beach As 17-year Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) Area 5 residents and parents, we've raised our children in Newport Beach, where they've thrived in our public schools. Area 5 has long elected conservative trustees who prioritize fiscal responsibility, parental rights and transparency. Taxpayers deserve a voice in this special election and we're voting for Andrea McElroy. Andrea, a business owner and mother, brings proven fiscal accountability and champions parental rights, demanding transparency between families and schools. She and her husband actively serve our community, earning trust from neighbors, educators and leaders like Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton. Her platform supports every child's unique path — arts, CTE, college — ensuring success in a safe, high-quality environment. Andrea, endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party and local police and fire associations, aligns with Area 5's conservative values. On June 10, vote Andrea McElroy — the only conservative in this election. She's a principled leader who will stand for our children and represent our community's values. Kate and Logan MaloufNewport Beach
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan History Museum opens in restored library building; ‘It tells the story … from the Ice Age to the 21st century'
Childhood memories came flooding back as area residents walked into the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie for the first time since the former library was closed in 1965 and was ultimately turned into a museum. 'I used to run up and down the stairs when I was a child,' Mary Whitlock Navulis, a Waukegan resident and native, said. 'The first thing I did when I walked in today was run down the stairs. It made me smile.' 'I remember sitting at those tables,' Tim Crowley said as he stood in the onetime Children's reading room — renamed the Bradbury Library — where author and city native Ray Bradbury developed his thirst for reading. Waukegan Historical Society President Lori Nerheim snipped a ribbon, opening the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie as more than 300 people watched Thursday at the northeast corner of Sheridan Road and Washington Street, repurposing a restored historic building. 'This will be a vibrant learning center for the community,' Nerheim said. 'It tells the story of Waukegan from the Ice Age to the 21st century. The Carnegie gallery has space for exhibits and events. The Bradbury room is restored to the way it was when Ray Bradbury was a boy.' Entering the Bradbury Room, three walls contain glass-encased bookshelves, and the fourth has a fireplace and other artifacts. Nerheim said the books once belonged to Bradbury. They were his private collection of volumes willed to the library upon his death in 2012. 'Everybody can look when the museum is open to the public,' she said. 'If you want to read the books, you'll have to make an appointment.' Entering the building from the ground level, visitors see the Bradbury Room on the left, the gallery and a larger room a few steps up, then they descend two levels to learn the history of the city. There is a restored staircase and a new elevator available. Jointly operated by the historical society and the Waukegan Park District, Anton Mathews, the president of the Park District Board of Commissioners, said the museum in downtown Waukegan will help spur development in the area. 'This is a symbol of resilience,' Mathews said. 'It will be a destination for people in downtown Waukegan.' Ty Rohrer, the Park District's cultural arts manager and a member of the historical society's board, was heavily involved in the project from its inception. He is ready for the next step. 'All the memories of working on the project are flooding back,' Rohrer said after the opening. 'It's the place to tell history's story. Ray Vukovich, a former member of both the Waukegan City Council and the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education, said he remembers how people wondered what would become of the building after the library moved to its present location. 'It came this close to being demolished,' he said, holding his thumb and fingers an inch apart. 'There was a deed restriction. It couldn't be sold to a developer.' The future of the building was long a topic of discussion. Seven years ago, Nerheim said the idea of restoring the Carnegie library and making it the home of the history museum gained traction. Already operating a history museum at the Haines House in Bower Park — it remains a museum with its own exhibits — Jay Lerner, the executive director of the Park District, said the restoration began to look real back then when an anonymous donor offered $5 million for the project. After the city of Waukegan sold the property to the Park District for $1 five years ago, Nerheim said Gunny Harboe, an architect specializing in restoring historic buildings, was hired. Plans were drawn. Meticulous attention was paid to the details of recreating the look it had when it was first opened in 1903. Mary Ross Cunningham, the vice chair of the Lake County Board, said the museum evokes memories of a place she brought her children when they were young. She lived on Market Street when she first arrived in Waukegan from an Alabama farm. 'We'd walk up the hill while I was pushing a stroller,' Cunningham said. 'I'd sit on the steps and read to my children. Now it's going to teach the young people where we all came from.' John Durbin said he remembers numerous bus trips to the library with his mother when he was 4 and 5. She was an avid reader. 'She read four or five books a week,' Durbin said. 'We came here a lot so she could restock.' Crowley said the library was walking distance from his home. He said he got a lot of books to read, with mysteries a favorite. 'I was an avid fan of Sherlock Holmes,' he said. 'It was a really old building then. There are a lot of memories here.' Sylvia England, a retired Waukegan school teacher and the founder of the African American Museum at England Manor in Waukegan, said she likes what she sees in the restored building. 'This is one more stop on the journey,' England said. 'This is something to be celebrated.'
