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Celerity's Journal
March 31, 2026
Label: Island Records – ILPS-9329, Island Records – ILPS 9329
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1975
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Soul
Betty Davis - Nasty Gal (1975) rippin' raw funk from Miles Davis' ex muse/wife
Label: Island Records – ILPS-9329, Island Records – ILPS 9329
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1975
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Soul
March 31, 2026
related:
Naomi Klein on the importance of Avi Lewis becoming NDP leader
Departmental plans fuel concern over federal job, program cuts
Initiatives aimed at addressing climate change on the chopping block, advocates warn
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/union-budget-carney-public-service-department-plans-9.7133612
Federal programs aimed at addressing climate change are facing significant cuts as the government shifts to artificial intelligence (AI) and slashes thousands of jobs, according to recently released departmental plans. In its latest budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government said it would partly rely on AI to eliminate 40,000 public service jobs, bringing the federal workforce's growth in line with that of the general population.
Canada's two largest public service unions warn Canadians could see a decline in the quality of federal government services as a result. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) say they're alarmed by the staff reductions set out in departmental plans tabled late Friday.
"When you cut jobs, the workload doesn't go down. How are you going to continue maintaining a quality service to Canadians?" asked Alex Silas, PSAC's national executive vice-president. "That's the big piece that's missing out of this, and the big piece that the Carney government's not taking into consideration."
Silas also raised concerns about a "lack of transparency" by the government, saying the departmental plans are short on detail about how services will be delivered in the wake of significant job cuts. For example, Employment and Social Development Canada will have 15,629 fewer public servants in 2029 than it had last year. The department says it will be "leveraging artificial intelligence to automate internal processes and streamline operations," and plans to merge program delivery "to lower administrative costs."
Environmental programs winding down.......................
snip
related:
Carney’s Job Cuts Undermine Canada’s Position Against Trump
Austerity undermines the foundation for a fairer economy that is less dependent on the United States.
https://www.readthemaple.com/carneys-job-cuts-undermine-canadas-position-against-trump/
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently made international waves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, following his frank diagnosis of our current economic “rupture.” The weaponization of trade by “great powers,” (i.e., the United States) calls for rethinking our economic relationships, according to Carney. Back at home, however, his government is engaged in a brutal program of public service job cuts, issuing thousands of “workforce adjustment” notices to workers in the span of a year as part of their plan to ultimately axe more than 40,000 positions.
The number of workforce adjustment letters issued to federal public servants since early last year alone has been dizzying, leaving unions and their members with little sense of the full scale and implications of the planned cuts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the largest union in the federal public service, has launched a “workforce adjustment tracker” just to keep track of all the impacted workers. As of January 30, more than 11,800 PSAC members had received notice that their positions could be terminated. Moreover, these cuts are in addition to the 5,500 term employees who were not renewed last year.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the second largest union of federal public servants, has characterized the planned job cuts as a “generational rollback of public services” that are producing “Hunger Games-style anxiety” among its members. Instead of building an economy of resilience to meet the challenges of the economic “rupture,” the Carney Liberals are supercharging austerity and slashing the capacity of the federal public service.
Since it became clear in the 2025 budget that the government planned this devastating and scattershot series of cuts to the federal workforce, unions have been sounding the alarm about the negative impacts likely to be experienced by their members, but also the threat these cuts posed to services across the country. Behind the language of “efficiency” and “modernization,” they warned, were drastic reductions in service capacity and quality. Not just jobs, but whole programs were under threat. Each week it seems a new group of workers receives workforce adjustment notifications, indicating that reductions are planned for their department and their job may be terminated. The government’s plan for mass downsizing has therefore appeared as death by a thousand cuts.
snip
Canada: Avi Lewis Wins NDP Leadership Race In Historic Victory + Carney/Liberals to use AI to slash 40,000+ federal jobs
related:
Naomi Klein on the importance of Avi Lewis becoming NDP leader
Departmental plans fuel concern over federal job, program cuts
Initiatives aimed at addressing climate change on the chopping block, advocates warn
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/union-budget-carney-public-service-department-plans-9.7133612
Federal programs aimed at addressing climate change are facing significant cuts as the government shifts to artificial intelligence (AI) and slashes thousands of jobs, according to recently released departmental plans. In its latest budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government said it would partly rely on AI to eliminate 40,000 public service jobs, bringing the federal workforce's growth in line with that of the general population.
Canada's two largest public service unions warn Canadians could see a decline in the quality of federal government services as a result. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) say they're alarmed by the staff reductions set out in departmental plans tabled late Friday.
"When you cut jobs, the workload doesn't go down. How are you going to continue maintaining a quality service to Canadians?" asked Alex Silas, PSAC's national executive vice-president. "That's the big piece that's missing out of this, and the big piece that the Carney government's not taking into consideration."
Silas also raised concerns about a "lack of transparency" by the government, saying the departmental plans are short on detail about how services will be delivered in the wake of significant job cuts. For example, Employment and Social Development Canada will have 15,629 fewer public servants in 2029 than it had last year. The department says it will be "leveraging artificial intelligence to automate internal processes and streamline operations," and plans to merge program delivery "to lower administrative costs."
Environmental programs winding down.......................
snip
related:
Carney’s Job Cuts Undermine Canada’s Position Against Trump
Austerity undermines the foundation for a fairer economy that is less dependent on the United States.
https://www.readthemaple.com/carneys-job-cuts-undermine-canadas-position-against-trump/
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently made international waves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, following his frank diagnosis of our current economic “rupture.” The weaponization of trade by “great powers,” (i.e., the United States) calls for rethinking our economic relationships, according to Carney. Back at home, however, his government is engaged in a brutal program of public service job cuts, issuing thousands of “workforce adjustment” notices to workers in the span of a year as part of their plan to ultimately axe more than 40,000 positions.
The number of workforce adjustment letters issued to federal public servants since early last year alone has been dizzying, leaving unions and their members with little sense of the full scale and implications of the planned cuts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the largest union in the federal public service, has launched a “workforce adjustment tracker” just to keep track of all the impacted workers. As of January 30, more than 11,800 PSAC members had received notice that their positions could be terminated. Moreover, these cuts are in addition to the 5,500 term employees who were not renewed last year.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the second largest union of federal public servants, has characterized the planned job cuts as a “generational rollback of public services” that are producing “Hunger Games-style anxiety” among its members. Instead of building an economy of resilience to meet the challenges of the economic “rupture,” the Carney Liberals are supercharging austerity and slashing the capacity of the federal public service.
Since it became clear in the 2025 budget that the government planned this devastating and scattershot series of cuts to the federal workforce, unions have been sounding the alarm about the negative impacts likely to be experienced by their members, but also the threat these cuts posed to services across the country. Behind the language of “efficiency” and “modernization,” they warned, were drastic reductions in service capacity and quality. Not just jobs, but whole programs were under threat. Each week it seems a new group of workers receives workforce adjustment notifications, indicating that reductions are planned for their department and their job may be terminated. The government’s plan for mass downsizing has therefore appeared as death by a thousand cuts.
snip
March 31, 2026
related:
Naomi Klein on the importance of Avi Lewis becoming NDP leader
Departmental plans fuel concern over federal job, program cuts
Initiatives aimed at addressing climate change on the chopping block, advocates warn
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/union-budget-carney-public-service-department-plans-9.7133612
Federal programs aimed at addressing climate change are facing significant cuts as the government shifts to artificial intelligence (AI) and slashes thousands of jobs, according to recently released departmental plans. In its latest budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government said it would partly rely on AI to eliminate 40,000 public service jobs, bringing the federal workforce's growth in line with that of the general population.
Canada's two largest public service unions warn Canadians could see a decline in the quality of federal government services as a result. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) say they're alarmed by the staff reductions set out in departmental plans tabled late Friday.
"When you cut jobs, the workload doesn't go down. How are you going to continue maintaining a quality service to Canadians?" asked Alex Silas, PSAC's national executive vice-president. "That's the big piece that's missing out of this, and the big piece that the Carney government's not taking into consideration."
Silas also raised concerns about a "lack of transparency" by the government, saying the departmental plans are short on detail about how services will be delivered in the wake of significant job cuts. For example, Employment and Social Development Canada will have 15,629 fewer public servants in 2029 than it had last year. The department says it will be "leveraging artificial intelligence to automate internal processes and streamline operations," and plans to merge program delivery "to lower administrative costs."
Environmental programs winding down.......................
snip
related:
Carney’s Job Cuts Undermine Canada’s Position Against Trump
Austerity undermines the foundation for a fairer economy that is less dependent on the United States.
https://www.readthemaple.com/carneys-job-cuts-undermine-canadas-position-against-trump/
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently made international waves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, following his frank diagnosis of our current economic “rupture.” The weaponization of trade by “great powers,” (i.e., the United States) calls for rethinking our economic relationships, according to Carney. Back at home, however, his government is engaged in a brutal program of public service job cuts, issuing thousands of “workforce adjustment” notices to workers in the span of a year as part of their plan to ultimately axe more than 40,000 positions.
The number of workforce adjustment letters issued to federal public servants since early last year alone has been dizzying, leaving unions and their members with little sense of the full scale and implications of the planned cuts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the largest union in the federal public service, has launched a “workforce adjustment tracker” just to keep track of all the impacted workers. As of January 30, more than 11,800 PSAC members had received notice that their positions could be terminated. Moreover, these cuts are in addition to the 5,500 term employees who were not renewed last year.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the second largest union of federal public servants, has characterized the planned job cuts as a “generational rollback of public services” that are producing “Hunger Games-style anxiety” among its members. Instead of building an economy of resilience to meet the challenges of the economic “rupture,” the Carney Liberals are supercharging austerity and slashing the capacity of the federal public service.
Since it became clear in the 2025 budget that the government planned this devastating and scattershot series of cuts to the federal workforce, unions have been sounding the alarm about the negative impacts likely to be experienced by their members, but also the threat these cuts posed to services across the country. Behind the language of “efficiency” and “modernization,” they warned, were drastic reductions in service capacity and quality. Not just jobs, but whole programs were under threat. Each week it seems a new group of workers receives workforce adjustment notifications, indicating that reductions are planned for their department and their job may be terminated. The government’s plan for mass downsizing has therefore appeared as death by a thousand cuts.
snip
Canada: Avi Lewis Wins NDP Leadership Race In Historic Victory + Carney/Liberals to use AI to slash 40,000+ federal jobs
related:
Naomi Klein on the importance of Avi Lewis becoming NDP leader
Departmental plans fuel concern over federal job, program cuts
Initiatives aimed at addressing climate change on the chopping block, advocates warn
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/union-budget-carney-public-service-department-plans-9.7133612
Federal programs aimed at addressing climate change are facing significant cuts as the government shifts to artificial intelligence (AI) and slashes thousands of jobs, according to recently released departmental plans. In its latest budget, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government said it would partly rely on AI to eliminate 40,000 public service jobs, bringing the federal workforce's growth in line with that of the general population.
Canada's two largest public service unions warn Canadians could see a decline in the quality of federal government services as a result. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) say they're alarmed by the staff reductions set out in departmental plans tabled late Friday.
"When you cut jobs, the workload doesn't go down. How are you going to continue maintaining a quality service to Canadians?" asked Alex Silas, PSAC's national executive vice-president. "That's the big piece that's missing out of this, and the big piece that the Carney government's not taking into consideration."
Silas also raised concerns about a "lack of transparency" by the government, saying the departmental plans are short on detail about how services will be delivered in the wake of significant job cuts. For example, Employment and Social Development Canada will have 15,629 fewer public servants in 2029 than it had last year. The department says it will be "leveraging artificial intelligence to automate internal processes and streamline operations," and plans to merge program delivery "to lower administrative costs."
Environmental programs winding down.......................
snip
related:
Carney’s Job Cuts Undermine Canada’s Position Against Trump
Austerity undermines the foundation for a fairer economy that is less dependent on the United States.
https://www.readthemaple.com/carneys-job-cuts-undermine-canadas-position-against-trump/
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently made international waves at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, following his frank diagnosis of our current economic “rupture.” The weaponization of trade by “great powers,” (i.e., the United States) calls for rethinking our economic relationships, according to Carney. Back at home, however, his government is engaged in a brutal program of public service job cuts, issuing thousands of “workforce adjustment” notices to workers in the span of a year as part of their plan to ultimately axe more than 40,000 positions.
The number of workforce adjustment letters issued to federal public servants since early last year alone has been dizzying, leaving unions and their members with little sense of the full scale and implications of the planned cuts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the largest union in the federal public service, has launched a “workforce adjustment tracker” just to keep track of all the impacted workers. As of January 30, more than 11,800 PSAC members had received notice that their positions could be terminated. Moreover, these cuts are in addition to the 5,500 term employees who were not renewed last year.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the second largest union of federal public servants, has characterized the planned job cuts as a “generational rollback of public services” that are producing “Hunger Games-style anxiety” among its members. Instead of building an economy of resilience to meet the challenges of the economic “rupture,” the Carney Liberals are supercharging austerity and slashing the capacity of the federal public service.
Since it became clear in the 2025 budget that the government planned this devastating and scattershot series of cuts to the federal workforce, unions have been sounding the alarm about the negative impacts likely to be experienced by their members, but also the threat these cuts posed to services across the country. Behind the language of “efficiency” and “modernization,” they warned, were drastic reductions in service capacity and quality. Not just jobs, but whole programs were under threat. Each week it seems a new group of workers receives workforce adjustment notifications, indicating that reductions are planned for their department and their job may be terminated. The government’s plan for mass downsizing has therefore appeared as death by a thousand cuts.
snip
March 31, 2026
The Metropolitan Police has told BBC News that the teenage boy at the centre of the Scott Mills sexual offences investigation was under 16.
Mills was questioned in 2018 over the historical allegations of serious sexual offences, but the investigation - which began in 2016 - was closed in 2019 after the CPS deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
The allegations, first published in the Mirror, are reported to have happened between 1997 and 2000, police said.
On Monday, it was announced Mills had been sacked by the BBC over allegations related to his personal conduct. The BBC has not given any further details over the allegations and it is not clear what, if any, role the police investigation played in his sacking.
snip
Teenage boy at centre of BBC DJ Scott Mills sexual offences investigation was under 16, police say
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwykq2lqjw7oThe Metropolitan Police has told BBC News that the teenage boy at the centre of the Scott Mills sexual offences investigation was under 16.
Mills was questioned in 2018 over the historical allegations of serious sexual offences, but the investigation - which began in 2016 - was closed in 2019 after the CPS deemed there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
The allegations, first published in the Mirror, are reported to have happened between 1997 and 2000, police said.
On Monday, it was announced Mills had been sacked by the BBC over allegations related to his personal conduct. The BBC has not given any further details over the allegations and it is not clear what, if any, role the police investigation played in his sacking.
snip
March 30, 2026
Label: Zonophone – Z 7
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 18 Jul 1980
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Angelic Upstarts - Last Night Another Soldier (1980)
Label: Zonophone – Z 7
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 18 Jul 1980
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
March 30, 2026
Label: Elevator Music (4) – FLOOR19, Hut Recordings – 72435478073
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK & Europe
Released: 15 Sept 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock
Placebo - Special Needs (2003)
Label: Elevator Music (4) – FLOOR19, Hut Recordings – 72435478073
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo
Country: UK & Europe
Released: 15 Sept 2003
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock
March 30, 2026
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-life-with-ai-causing-human-brain-fry
Too many lines of code to analyze, armies of AI assistants to wrangle, and lengthy prompts to draft are among the laments by hard-core AI adopters.
Consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have dubbed the phenomenon "AI brain fry," a state of mental exhaustion stemming "from the excessive use or supervision of artificial intelligence tools, pushed beyond our cognitive limits."
The rise of AI agents that tend to computer tasks on demand has put users in the position of managing smart, fast digital workers rather than having to grind through jobs themselves.
"It's a brand-new kind of cognitive load," said Ben Wigler, co-founder of the start-up LoveMind AI. "You have to really babysit these models."
snip
Life with AI causing human brain 'fry'
Heavy users of artificial intelligence report being overwhelmed by trying to keep up with and on top of the technology designed to make their lives easier.https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260330-life-with-ai-causing-human-brain-fry
Too many lines of code to analyze, armies of AI assistants to wrangle, and lengthy prompts to draft are among the laments by hard-core AI adopters.
Consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have dubbed the phenomenon "AI brain fry," a state of mental exhaustion stemming "from the excessive use or supervision of artificial intelligence tools, pushed beyond our cognitive limits."
The rise of AI agents that tend to computer tasks on demand has put users in the position of managing smart, fast digital workers rather than having to grind through jobs themselves.
"It's a brand-new kind of cognitive load," said Ben Wigler, co-founder of the start-up LoveMind AI. "You have to really babysit these models."
snip
March 30, 2026
https://www.ms.now/liveblog/iran-us-war-trump-israel-news-3-30
snip
Iran live updates: Trump threatens to blow up Iranian energy sites if deal isn't reached 'shortly'
Oil prices continue to soar despite the U.S. president’s announcement that Iran would allow 20 more cargo ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.https://www.ms.now/liveblog/iran-us-war-trump-israel-news-3-30
What to know
President Donald Trump threatened to blow up Iran’s energy sites if the country does not agree to a deal with the U.S. “shortly,” in a Truth Social post this morning.
Iran has denied that it’s engaged in direct negotiations with the Trump administration, as the U.S. weighs whether to send ground troops into the country. Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey met over the weekend to discuss de-escalation strategies for the region.
Trump said he wants to “take the oil” in Iran and floated the possibility of seizing Kharg Island, which exports about 90% of the country’s oil, in an interview with the Financial Times.
Oil prices continue to soar, despite Trump’s announcement last night that Iran agreed to release 20 more cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passage.
President Donald Trump threatened to blow up Iran’s energy sites if the country does not agree to a deal with the U.S. “shortly,” in a Truth Social post this morning.
Iran has denied that it’s engaged in direct negotiations with the Trump administration, as the U.S. weighs whether to send ground troops into the country. Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey met over the weekend to discuss de-escalation strategies for the region.
Trump said he wants to “take the oil” in Iran and floated the possibility of seizing Kharg Island, which exports about 90% of the country’s oil, in an interview with the Financial Times.
Oil prices continue to soar, despite Trump’s announcement last night that Iran agreed to release 20 more cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passage.
snip
March 30, 2026
In Nebraska’s Senate race, a Trump-supporting, anti-abortion pastor is running as a Democrat. The state’s Democratic Party — which is backing an independent candidate — says he’s a Republican plant. And another Democratic primary candidate says she’s running just to stop him.
The unusual dynamic has roiled the Senate contest in deep-red Nebraska, turning into a high-stakes test of Democrats’ unconventional strategy — skipping their own primary to back independent Dan Osborn, in their effort to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. Osborn can run straight to the general election without facing a primary.
William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor from rural Nebraska, entered the Democratic primary just before the filing deadline in early March, upending a carefully coordinated plan by state Democrats to clear the field for Osborn. To oppose Forbes, another candidate, Cindy Burbank, also filed at the last minute on the Democratic primary ticket but has had her candidacy challenged by the state Republican Party and Nebraska’s Republican secretary of state.
In an interview with CNN, Forbes said he’s voted for President Donald Trump in multiple elections but denied being a Republican plant, insisting that he’s a lifelong Democrat. Asked repeatedly to name a Democrat he voted for, Forbes grew frustrated and said the party needed to return to the “morality” it represented under President John F. Kennedy.
snip
The Trump-voting pastor Democrats think could cost them a chance at a Nebraska Senate seat
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/30/politics/nebraska-senate-trump-pastorIn Nebraska’s Senate race, a Trump-supporting, anti-abortion pastor is running as a Democrat. The state’s Democratic Party — which is backing an independent candidate — says he’s a Republican plant. And another Democratic primary candidate says she’s running just to stop him.
The unusual dynamic has roiled the Senate contest in deep-red Nebraska, turning into a high-stakes test of Democrats’ unconventional strategy — skipping their own primary to back independent Dan Osborn, in their effort to defeat incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. Osborn can run straight to the general election without facing a primary.
William Forbes, a 79-year-old pastor from rural Nebraska, entered the Democratic primary just before the filing deadline in early March, upending a carefully coordinated plan by state Democrats to clear the field for Osborn. To oppose Forbes, another candidate, Cindy Burbank, also filed at the last minute on the Democratic primary ticket but has had her candidacy challenged by the state Republican Party and Nebraska’s Republican secretary of state.
In an interview with CNN, Forbes said he’s voted for President Donald Trump in multiple elections but denied being a Republican plant, insisting that he’s a lifelong Democrat. Asked repeatedly to name a Democrat he voted for, Forbes grew frustrated and said the party needed to return to the “morality” it represented under President John F. Kennedy.
snip
March 30, 2026
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/librarian-gobsmacked-school-ai-remove-books-5HjdWsc_2/
Senior staff at the secondary school in Greater Manchester used AI to earmark 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed "inappropriate". Among those pulled were Michelle Obama's autobiography and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. A freedom of expression charity claims the school asked an AI chatbot which books were not suitable for its pupils.
The school librarian said she was "gobsmacked" when she was told to remove any books that was "not written for children", had "themes that could be upsetting to children" and "constitute a safeguarding risk". And when she refused to ban these books, she was put under a 'safeguarding' investigation.
This led her to resign and get in contact with Index, on the condition the organisation protected her anonymity. Many of these books were initially removed in November 2025, when the purge first started. The school's headteacher first demanded the removal of Laura Bates' nonfiction title Men Who Hate Women, which is an exposé of incel culture.
The book, which was kept in a special section for older pupils, was thought to be inappropriate due to 'exposure of misogynistic beliefs'. An investigation into the librarian was soon launched and the library closed as a "temporary safeguarding measure". The staff member was accused of introducing "inappropriate books" into the school and reported to the council as a safeguarding risk.
snip
Librarian 'gobsmacked' after school uses AI to remove 200 books from shelves including Orwell's 1984 and Twilight
Senior staff at the secondary school in Greater Manchester used AI to earmark 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed "inappropriate"https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/librarian-gobsmacked-school-ai-remove-books-5HjdWsc_2/
Senior staff at the secondary school in Greater Manchester used AI to earmark 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed "inappropriate". Among those pulled were Michelle Obama's autobiography and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. A freedom of expression charity claims the school asked an AI chatbot which books were not suitable for its pupils.
The school librarian said she was "gobsmacked" when she was told to remove any books that was "not written for children", had "themes that could be upsetting to children" and "constitute a safeguarding risk". And when she refused to ban these books, she was put under a 'safeguarding' investigation.
This led her to resign and get in contact with Index, on the condition the organisation protected her anonymity. Many of these books were initially removed in November 2025, when the purge first started. The school's headteacher first demanded the removal of Laura Bates' nonfiction title Men Who Hate Women, which is an exposé of incel culture.
The book, which was kept in a special section for older pupils, was thought to be inappropriate due to 'exposure of misogynistic beliefs'. An investigation into the librarian was soon launched and the library closed as a "temporary safeguarding measure". The staff member was accused of introducing "inappropriate books" into the school and reported to the council as a safeguarding risk.
snip
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: London
Home country: US/UK/Sweden
Current location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member since: Sun Jul 1, 2018, 07:25 PM
Number of posts: 54,404