The Full Belmonte, 11/19/2023
Colombia to Sterilize Pablo Escobar’s ‘Cocaine Hippos’
The drug kingpin brought four hippos to his estate in the 1980s. Officials estimate that about 170 now roam Colombia, and say the population must be controlled to protect the country’s ecosystem.
“When the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993, most of the animals he had imported as pets — zebras, giraffes, kangaroos and rhinoceroses — died or were transferred to zoos.
But not his four hippopotamuses. They thrived. Perhaps a little too well.
Officials estimate that about 170 hippos, descended from Mr. Escobar’s original herd, now roam Colombia, and the population could grow to 1,000 by 2035, posing a serious threat to the country’s ecosystem.
This month, after years of debate about what to do with the voracious herbivores, Colombian officials announced a plan to sterilize some, possibly euthanize others and relocate some to sanctuaries in other countries. On Friday, one official said that four hippos — two adult females and two juvenile males — had already been surgically sterilized….” Read more at New York Times
Scientists Find First Evidence That Groups of Apes Cooperate
Some bonobos are challenging the notion that humans are the only primates capable of group-to-group alliances.
Tribes of hunter-gatherers regularly come together for communal hunts or to form large-scale alliances. Villages and towns give rise to nations. Networks of trade span the planet.
Human cooperation is so striking that anthropologists have long considered it a hallmark of our species. They have speculated that it emerged thanks to the evolution of our powerful brains, which enable us to use language, establish cultural traditions and perform other complex behaviors.
But a new study, published in Science on Thursday, throws that uniqueness into doubt. It turns out that two groups of apes in Africa have regularly mingled and cooperated with each other for years….” Read more at New York Times
Local newspaper wipeout accelerates
Data: Adapted from Medill Local News Initiative. (Includes newspapers, public broadcasting outlets, ethnic media outlets and digital sites that cover local news.) Map: Simran Parwani/Axios
“The decline of local newspapers accelerated so rapidly in 2023 that analysts now believe the U.S. will have lost one-third of the newspapers it had in 2005 by the end of next year — rather than in 2025, as originally predicted.
Why it matters: Most communities that lose a local newspaper don't get a replacement, even online, Axios media trends expert Sara Fischer reports.
By the numbers: Roughly 6,000 newspapers are left in America, down from 8,891 in 2005, according to a report this week from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.
The report's authors argue that the local news gap ‘poses a far-reaching crisis for our democracy as it simultaneously struggles with political polarization, a lack of civic engagement and the proliferation of misinformation.’
Of the papers that survive, a majority (4,792) publish weekly, not daily.
What's happening: Over the past two years, newspapers continued to vanish at an average rate of more than two per week, leaving 204 U.S. counties, or 6.4%, without any local news outlet.
Roughly half of all U.S. counties (1,562) are now only served with one remaining local news source — typically a weekly newspaper.
The report's co-authors — Penelope Muse Abernathy, a visiting professor at Medill, and Sarah Stonbely, director of Medill's State of Local News Project — estimate that 228 of those counties, or roughly 7% of all U.S. counties, are at high risk of losing their last remaining local news outlet.
The intrigue: Hedge funds that bought up big chunks of the newspaper industry in recent decades have pulled back.
Those companies bought hundreds of newspapers, seeking to squeeze extra profits from them at the margins as they declined.
But several industry shifts in the past year, including a dramatic advertising slowdown, have forced the funds to dump papers quicker than they expected.
Ironically, newspapers are increasingly being sold back to family-owned newspaper chains, if they aren't shuttered. But those groups aren't nearly as profitable as the major family-owned newspaper firms of the 1990s.” [Axios]
How Sam got sacked
Mira Murati — then OpenAI CTO, now interim CEO — and Sam Altman at OpenAI DevDay in San Francisco on Nov. 6. Photo: Barbara Ortutay/AP
“Sam Altman got a text Thursday night from one of OpenAI's co-founders. By noon yesterday, the CEO had been fired, Axios' Ina Fried writes.
Why it matters: In terms of excitement and copycats, ChatGPT — OpenAI's signature platform — is AI's iPhone. So as observers noted, this is as shocking and disruptive as if Apple had fired Steve Jobs after he launched the iPhone.
It was a legit surprise, and the real board-Altman dynamics remain a mystery.
The big picture: Altman has been the leading face and voice of AI with Congress and governments around world — the human embodiment of the most powerful technology ever.
Axios' Ryan Heath on LinkedIn
Greg Brockman — OpenAI's president, who left the company later Friday in solidarity with Altman — posted his version (reposted by Altman) of how the sacking went down:
- Last night, Sam got a text from Ilya asking to talk at noon Friday. Sam joined a Google Meet and the whole board, except Greg, was there. Ilya told Sam he was being fired and that the news was going out very soon.
- At 12:19pm, Greg got a text from Ilya asking for a quick call. At 12:23pm, Ilya sent a Google Meet link. Greg was told that he was being removed from the board (but was vital to the company and would retain his role) and that Sam had been fired. Around the same time, OpenAI published a blog post.
- As far as we know, the management team was made aware of this shortly after, other than Mira who found out the night prior. The outpouring of support has been really nice; thank you, but please don't spend any time being concerned. We will be fine. Greater things coming soon.” [Axios]
Open AI structure as of June 28 (still posted this morning). Screenshot: OpenAI
Microsoft was blindsided
Sam Altman, then CEO, speaks at OpenAI DevDay in San Francisco on Nov. 6. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
“Microsoft, which has invested billions in OpenAI, learned that OpenAI was ousting CEO Sam Altman just a minute before the news was shared with the world, Axios' Ina Fried reports.
Why it matters: Microsoft is ChatGPT maker OpenAI's closest partner and has deeply tied its fortunes to the AI startup. OpenAI relies on Microsoft for funding as well as its cloud services.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a blog post: ‘We have a long-term agreement with OpenAI with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product roadmap; and remain committed to our partnership, and to [interim CEO Mira Murati] and the team.” [Axios]
X revolt grows
“Coordinated ad boycotts against social media companies rarely last long, Axios media trends expert Sara Fischer writes.
What makes the spreading revolt against X different is that advertisers like Apple aren't suspending ads as a result of a coordinated boycott, but rather unilaterally to protect their own reputations.
Those decisions make it much harder for advertisers to return quickly.
The latest: A growing list of X's biggest advertisers are pulling out — leaving the company's ad business in limbo — after owner Elon Musk backed an antisemitic conspiracy theory on the platform. Civil rights groups have reported a rise in antisemitism and hate speech on the platform.
Companies ditching the platform include Apple, IBM, Disney, Comcast/NBCUniversal, Lions Gate Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, Axios' Shauneen Miranda reports.
The European Union's executive branch said yesterday that it's pausing advertising on X and other social media platforms, in part because of a surge in hate speech.
The bottom line: After more than a year of complaints about Musk's stewardship of the former Twitter, there's now a true existential threat to X as the global town square.
This is a fight to define what Twitter is and its financial viability — putting the iconic enterprise at real risk.” [Axios]
AI gives lawyers body cam boost
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
“A new tool that uses artificial intelligence to quickly sift through thousands of videos is helping defense attorneys comb through mountains of police body cam footage, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.
Why it matters: Police departments nationwide now require officers to wear body cams that capture their interactions with the public — and take videos that have been used to prove or disprove police misconduct.
What's happening: JusticeText, a company founded by two University of Chicago undergraduates, has developed technology that uses generative AI to help overworked public defenders and defense attorneys quickly get through all that video footage.
The company's software allows attorneys to quickly review transcripts of body cam footage, as well as interrogation videos and jail phone calls.
About 40 public defender offices — including the Harris County (Texas) defender's office in Houston — also use JusticeText, an Axios review found.
State of play: Police departments have spent more than $100 million on body cams in recent years, thanks to state and federal grants.
That figure is expected to increase as more states and cities pass laws requiring police officers to wear body cams.” [Axios]
America's ghost towns
Data: Axios research, including Geotab and Forgotten Places. Map: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals
“Thousands of abandoned ‘ghost’ towns are scattered across the U.S. Many are no more than memories — but a few hundred still have free-standing structures or museums you can visit, Axios' Tory Lysik writes.
This map shows ghost towns confirmed to have some sort of building ruins.
Bodie, Calif., is an abandoned gold mining town turned state historic park. Visitors can see the old church, mining museum and 100+ original buildings.
Capitol City, Colo., is a remote town near Telluride that was created in the hopes of making it the state capital. Now all that's left is a post office.
America may have many more yet-undiscovered ghost towns across.
Kansas alone was once estimated to have thousands.” [Axios]
Retrofitting for pets
Data: National Association of Realtors. Chart: Axios Visuals
“Pet owners are increasingly eager to cater their homes to pups, cats and other companion animals.
Nearly 1 in 5 recent homebuyers say they factored in proximity to parks and the vet when picking a neighborhood, Axios' Sami Sparber writes from National Association of Realtors data.
Searches for "pet bedroom" on Pinterest rose 132% from October 2022 to October 2023.
Cast in point: Artie, a goldendoodle in Willmar, Minn., has a ‘dood cave’ stocked with toys, family photos, a ball pit and a tunnel, owner Britta Diem tells Axios.
A Chicago dog oasis. Photo: Kipnis Architecture + Planning
Clients often bring typed-out lists that include pet showers or built-ins to conceal food and water bowls, says Nathan Kipnis, founder of Kipnis Architecture + Planning, based in Chicago and Boulder.” [Axios]
Taylor Swift fan dies at the Eras Rio tour amid heat wave. Mayor calls for water for next shows
“Taylor Swift is speaking out, saying she is devastated after learning that a woman died at her Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro Friday night during an excessive heat warning.
A 23-year-old died at the show, according to the show's Brazilian organizers.
‘I can't believe I'm writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show,’ Swift posted in an Instagram message several hours after the show. ‘I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this. There's very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young. I'm not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.’
The cause of death for Ana Clara Benevides Machado has not been announced, however local media reports from Brazil said she suffered cardiac arrest. The city’s mayor has demanded changes before Swift’s final two shows on Saturday and Sunday.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes said the ‘loss of a young woman’s life ... is unacceptable,’ in a post on X, formerly Twitter. He said that he has ordered that the show producers add water distribution points, open access to the show earlier to provide access to shade and add ambulances.
There is an excessive heat wave warning in Rio. On Tuesday, the heat index — both temperature and humidity — hit 137 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday, the highest index ever recorded there. Today the temperature is set to hit 102 and feel like 113, according to Accuweather.
At one point during Friday night's show in Rio, Swift paused to make sure fans were getting water.
‘There's people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back,’ she said during the Evermore set, pointing to a floor section of the crowd. ‘So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?’
During her 10-minute version of "All Too Well" she threw a bottle of water to a fan while singing.” [USA Today]