Alison Darcy | TED2025

• April 2025

Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs.

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• Psychology
• Communication
• AI
• Mental Health
• Society

About the speaker

Founder of Woebot Health

Published: September 15, 2016 (TheOnion.com)

SMYRNA, DE—Saying he needed to be transported to a tranquil, untroubled state of calmness pronto, local man Pete McCartin, 29, told reporters Thursday that a fresh-brewed mug of purportedly relaxation-promoting tea had better fucking work. “This shit better soothe the fuck out of me and quick,” said McCartin, adding that the box of Hungarian chamomile blossom and lemon myrtle tea was making some pretty lofty promises with its soft light-blue hues and lotus flowers plastered all over the place, so it sure as shit needed to step the fuck up and put his mind at ease. “I need to start feeling utterly blissful and placid as hell. I want all my cares melted away fucking yesterday. If I’m not fully at peace by the time I finish sipping this cup, I’m going to be so goddamn pissed.” At press time, a scowling McCartin was steeping a second teabag in his mug in an effort to get the feelings of serenity and quietude to hurry the fuck up.

“Wisdom is nothing but a preparation of the soul, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life.” Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) German Writer

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

The Five of Wands A day ruled by the Lord of Strife is bound to have its inherent problems. This card brings restriction, limitation, frustration and annoyance with it. Often these problems will be experienced in the workplace, and they sometimes indicate that we feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks that we need to get through.Expect this day to be one in which even minor things create their own difficulties and obstacles. First and foremost, we all need to take our senses of humour to work with us!! It’s probably also useful to regard a Five of Wands day as a ‘bad attitude’ day. That could as easily be our own as anyone else’s, as well!So, having wrapped yourself up in your sense of humour, study the workload in front of you, and leave all the things you know will drive you mad till the atmosphere is better. Try to pick out tasks that you will enjoy. That way if they frustrate you, at least you’ll enjoy the bits before and afterwards!Assess your own attitude carefully and try to dispel any nagging negativity. Isolate anything that looks like it is an inner conflict brewing, and write it down to address soon (they all tend to come to the surface on this day).Also assess the mood of those people you come into contact with, and avoid any who seem to be having the same sort of bad attitude day as you!! That should minimise the conflict you meet.Finally, at the end of the day try hard to shed anything that you have picked up along the way. Use whatever method you find most effective to de-stress, in the hope that you’ll have a better day tomorrow!! By the way, the affirmation is designed to be hard to say – hopefully it’ll make you laugh!! Affirmation: “I meet conflict and obstacles with equanimity.”

(Angelpaths.com)

Moon Wobble Peaks June 13, 2025 Click here to see the Moon Wobble Chart  If this is useful to you please consider a contribution below: Contribute! *** General suggestions / observations *** • This cycle is based on empirical data meaning enough data was observed and recorded to make it possible to suggest attitudes and  reactions.  Keep in mind that we all have free will and thus results will vary from one individual to another. • The graph shows the energy high at the beginning of the cycle (not unlike any other astrological aspect) followed by a slow down before it gets strong and again this reflects years of tracking and noting feedback from our many students. • If you are making a decision during this time you might want to let it set for a day or two then check your decision again to see if it still makes sense. However, you can feel into the ebb and flow and find good times to work on self emotionally in both the low and high points. Impatience, emotion and acts without thinking are common. • With practice you can feel when the energy is there to help bring completion to tasks, goals and projects you may be working on. Aloha, The Prosperos

The Missing Watch

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long while, he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance. The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back to the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed. The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.” Author Unknown  AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

13 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

² Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

⁴ For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

⁵ Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

⁶ For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a military offensive that an official said would include the “conquest of the Gaza Strip” and moving the enclave’s remaining population to the south “for their protection”. The plan was unanimously approved by the ministers.

Issued on: 05/05/2025 – 10:40

By: FR ANCE 24

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to expand military operations in Gaza, including the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory and a new push for its residents to leave, an official said Monday.

The decision, made overnight, came hours after the military announced it was calling up tens of thousands of reservists to expand its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The plan will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection,” the official said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to promote” a proposal by US President Donald Trump for the voluntary departure of Gazans to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt, the source added.

READ MORETrump floats plan to ‘just clean out’ Gaza and resettle Palestinians in Jordan and Egypt

The cabinet – which includes Netanyahu and several Israeli ministers –“unanimously approved” the plan aimed at defeating Gaza’s Palestinian Islamist rulers Hamas and securing the return of hostages held in Gaza.

The official source said the plan included “powerful strikes against Hamas”, without specifying their nature.

On Sunday, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said the military was calling up “tens of thousands” of reservists to expand its war in Gaza.

READ MOREIsrael calls up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of Gaza offensive

The cabinet also approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution” in Gaza, under full Israeli blockade since March 2.

It said there was “currently enough food” in the territory, although humanitarian organisations and UN agencies have warned of the blockade’s dire consequences for Gaza’s 2.4 million people.

READ MOREGazans face starvation as Israel’s blockade enters third month

The cabinet “approved by a large majority the possibility of a humanitarian distribution, if necessary, to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities”, the official said.

Israel has intensified aerial bombardments and expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip since resuming its offensive in the Palestinian territory on March 18.

Israel says the blockade and intensified bombardments aim to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages held in Gaza.

Militants in the territory still hold 58 hostages seized in Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,535 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Published: May 5, 2025 (TheOnion.com)

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 31 U.S. children is diagnosed with ASD, also known as autism spectrum disorder. The Onion dispels the common myths surrounding autism.

MYTH: Autism is caused by vaccines.

FACT: There is no scientific evidence that the microchips inside vaccines are linked to autism.

MYTH: All autistic people are good at math.

FACT: All autistic people are good at Wave Race 64.

MYTH: Bad parenting causes autism.

FACT: Bad parenting causes people to believe that bad parenting causes autism.

MYTH: Only boys can be autistic.

FACT: Girls were given access to the spectrum in 1983.

MYTH: There weren’t autistic people in the past.

FACT: Who do you think categorized all the bugs? 

MYTH: All autistic people have a special skill.

FACT: Autistic people are often just as useless as the rest of us.

MYTH: Autistic people will use martial arts to kill my family.

FACT: The Accountant and The Accountant 2 are works of fiction.

MYTH: Some people with autism may never work.

FACT: That’s awesome, good for them.

MYTH: You should have been much, much nicer to your classmates with autism growing up.

FACT: This one checks out, actually.