🔅 A.I. Miners Strike Copper Gold in Zambia
Gambia's FGM Ban Lives to Fight Another Day
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Silicon Valley's A.I. Miners Strike Copper Gold in Zambia 🤖⛏️💰
Peering into their screens in California, data crunchers at KoBold Metals watched a subterranean fortune come into focus. No, they weren't playing Minecraft – they were using complex A.I. to uncover a massive copper lode in Zambia.
The find, likely the largest copper discovery in over a decade, could yield billions of dollars worth of the metal crucial for everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. It's a game-changer for KoBold, a company backed by tech titans like Bill Gates and Sam Altman, as they aim to revolutionize how we find critical metals.
Turns out, the tech industry needs a gargantuan increase in raw materials like copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel to keep growing. And with the U.S. and China clashing over access to these minerals, the geopolitical stakes are high.
KoBold's secret sauce is a massive database called TerraShed that combines everything from yellowing paper maps to high-tech radar readings, allowing them to create 3D models of what lies beneath.
But will Zambians benefit from this high-tech treasure hunt? That's the billion-dollar question. Despite a century of mining, Zambia remains one of the world's least-developed countries. KoBold says it aims to uplift local communities, but given the type of mine they plan to dig, it's unclear how many locals will get hired.
For the U.S. government, though, the benefits are crystal clear. "We are the American beachhead in Africa," says KoBold's director for government affairs. The Biden administration is even partially underwriting a $2.3 billion railway to help ship the copper to the U.S.
Will KoBold's A.I.-powered approach usher in a new era of sustainable mining that benefits both investors and local communities? Or will it be another case of Silicon Valley disruption leaving others behind? Stay tuned – the race for the world's battery metals is just getting started. 🏁
Gambia's FGM Ban Lives to Fight Another Day
Well, folks, it looks like Gambia's parliament just gave a big thumbs down to a bill that would have brought back female genital mutilation (FGM).
The bill divided families, villages, and even parliament itself. But in the end, lawmakers voted against all the clauses in the proposed law.
The mastermind behind this proposal, Almaneh Gibba, claimed he was just trying to uphold cultural and religious traditions. And for a while there, it looked like Gambia might become the first country to pull a U-turn on its FGM ban.
But after some public hearings, parliament decided to stick with the ban.
Fatou Baldeh, an anti-FGM activist said she was relieved but also a little disappointed that they even considered the bill in the first place.
So, there you have it, folks. Gambia's keeping its FGM ban, proving that sometimes, progress isn't just a one-way street – it's more like a roundabout where you might go in circles for a bit, but eventually, you find the right exit.
Lions Make a Splash: The Ultimate Feline Swimming Challenge
There's a new swimming champion in town, and he's got four paws and a mane. Well, three paws, to be precise.
Meet Jacob and Tibu, two lion brothers who just set the world record for the longest lion swim ever recorded. These feline Olympians paddled their way across the Kazinga Channel in Uganda, covering 1.5 kilometers. And get this - Jacob did it with only three legs! Talk about a paw-erful performance.
Turns out, these boys were on a mission to find some lionesses. Apparently, the dating scene in Queen Elizabeth National Park is tougher than a Tinder dry spell. With twice as many males as females in the area, these lions decided to take matters into their own paws.
But this wasn't just a casual dip in the pool. The Kazinga Channel is basically the lion version of "Jaws" meets "Jumanji," teeming with crocodiles and hippos.
And let's not forget about Jacob, our three-legged wonder. This guy's life story reads like a lion Hollywood movie:
- Caught in a snare? Check.
- Lost a leg? Been there, done that.
- Family poisoned? Survived that too.
- Gored by a buffalo? Just another Tuesday.
Yet here he is, swimming across croc-infested waters like it's no big deal. If that doesn't motivate you to hit the gym, I don't know what will.
Food for Thought
“Slander by the stream will be heard by the frogs."
— Mozambican Proverb