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Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

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Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#281

Post by gurkendoktor »

rantwasp wrote: post #239
rdtsc wrote: post #235

> At the end of the discussion, there was a consensus, reached by Morgan, Ruiz, and Newton, to keep Epstein’s $100,000 donation to the Media Lab and to accept further donations from him so long as: (1) each donation would be recorded as anonymous, and Epstein could not publicize it; (2) the donations would be relatively small; and (3) the donations would be unrestricted. Right, they thought really hard about it and t…

this whole thread bothers me, but not for the usual reasons. 1) everyone is up on their high horses pretending that they somehow have an absolute moral compass that would prevent them from doing any wrong. To me it looks like people over at MIT are trying to do the right thing (with this external investigation) and maybe there will be some lessons learned from this whole episode. 2) everyone is outraged (rightfully)…

I agree with 2), but the Epstein case was closely related to the HN bubble, so it's only natural that people get worked up about it.

> Honestly at this point I would just let law enforcement do their thing

I don't think this will happen. Look at the phenomenal outcome of this underage prostitution case, which (from what we know) sounds pretty boring in comparison:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux#Deaths_of_potenti...

Something about sex trafficking seems to bring out the hitmen really quick.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#282

Post by meddlepal »

ergothus wrote: post #80
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #20

From the report http://factfindingjan2020.mit.edu/files/MIT-report.pdf Professor Lloyd's dealings look very, very shady: > Professor Lloyd remained friends with Epstein after his conviction in 2008. He visited Epstein at his office in Florida during the period of Epstein’s criminal sentence. Professor Lloyd also visited Epstein’s private island, though for only a few hours for lunch, and he has acknowledged Epstein i…

> Professor Lloyd also visited Epstein’s private island, though for only a few hours for lunch, I live a fairly privileged life as a U.S. West Coast techie...and stopping at a private island for a few hours sounds crazy. Do non-billionaire people (active academics at that) really lead lives like this? `

From my experience, Academics do get around. I know a lot (mostly humanities) that are social butterflies and travel to a lot of exotic locations thanks to wealthier friends and benefactors.

I think there's this view that academics are quiet home body book worms, but that's flawed. Adjuntcs maybe, but definitely not tenured professors.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#283

Post by totalZero »

ghaff wrote: post #182
totalZero wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to Reif himself, he signed a "letter thanking Jeffrey Epstein for a gift to Seth Lloyd ... on August 16, 2012, about six weeks into my presidency." So it would stand to reason that Reif knew about the relationship with Epstein, dating back to at least 2012.

You’re talking about basically a form letter that he probably signs approximately a zillion of. I even have one.

You're ignoring the part where Epstein was a hyper-wealthy socialite who had already made a six-figure donation before his 2008 conviction. MIT administrators have acknowledged that they knew about his crimes and that conviction. They took money from him anyway.

Epstein brought Bill Gates's money through the door. Don't pretend the administration was unaware of his donation history, or that he was just some everyday small-potatoes donor.

Reif had his eyes open, he said thank you for the money, and now he's throwing others under the bus to preserve his own career.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#284

Post by freepor »

celticmusic wrote: post #264
freepor wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a 3 hour direct flight which can be a 3 hour trip in a private jet. But I don’t think you get to claim it was for lunch unless you can prove it. Why would someone go so far for lunch?

For the same reason you would show up at Bill Gates house for lunch if you were invited.

Yah, worlds greatest philanthropist and infamous child rapist are not quite equivalent...

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#286

Post by _ebyg »

There is a good reason why Rafael Reif only appears in public these days flanked on all sides by brutes from the MIT police department.

During the Vietnam War, Dean Epps was placed under citizen's arrest by the students of Harvard University (as he famously yelled back at them: "Unhand me, you mother-fuckers!") for that organization's complicity in what the UN has now ruled a war crime:

https://www.salon.com/2011/11/11/occupy_harvard_gets_the_old...

Got to wish protesters today the best of luck getting anywhere near that close to Rafael Reif, with the police detail that he needs to hide behind in order to protect his filthier-than-dirt, self-rationalizing ass from those who might attempt to hold him publicly accountable.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#287

Post by awb »

droithomme wrote: post #209
voxic11 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the claim that he was stopping by for lunch is important to report on. But it should have been presented as a claim along with the source of the claim, rather than just asserted as fact.

Yeah he got $60,000 as an unreported funding gift that bypassed normal research funding mechanisms and went into his private bank account and was actually spent on ???, followed by a $125,000 donation that apparently followed the same route in order to "support his sabbatical", and this is on top of the $225,000 that Dr. Lloyd got through official channels from Epstein. The $185,000 made as alleged gifts to MIT but w…

Why did Epstein transfer money to Lloyd though? If Lloyd was taking advantage of Epstein's island, wouldn't one expect money to be flowing from Lloyd to Epstein?

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#288

Post by totalZero »

gumby wrote: post #164
totalZero wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Institute doesn't deserve your love. It has a habit of not protecting young people in its own community. Now it's under fire for turning a blind eye to the abuse of young people by its donors. Let the Institute burn. It brought this upon itself.

I must agree that the institute (i.e. the faculty and staff) mostly consider students a nuisance unless they are interested in research. But I think it's been and continues to be a net positive for the planet. And if most students HTFP (or claim to) there's a solid group -- even a majority? -- who love it. I admit I was one of the lucky ones for whom it was an almost perfect environment. But even as an undergraduate…

Your comment suggests you believe those screwed by MIT are somehow naive about how the Institute works. You use the word "illusion."

I can tell you're not trying to insult anyone but you have to understand how that's kind of insulting.

If your point were correct and the issue were a simple question of being mentally prepared for the research slant of the school, Professor Tonegawa's son would not have killed himself in his freshman year.

Don't blame the students for what the system itself is structured to encourage. I was there to "learn and do" (to use your words), and I was still horrified by my experience there.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#289

Post by smsm42 »

ergothus wrote: post #80
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #20

From the report http://factfindingjan2020.mit.edu/files/MIT-report.pdf Professor Lloyd's dealings look very, very shady: > Professor Lloyd remained friends with Epstein after his conviction in 2008. He visited Epstein at his office in Florida during the period of Epstein’s criminal sentence. Professor Lloyd also visited Epstein’s private island, though for only a few hours for lunch, and he has acknowledged Epstein i…

> Professor Lloyd also visited Epstein’s private island, though for only a few hours for lunch, I live a fairly privileged life as a U.S. West Coast techie...and stopping at a private island for a few hours sounds crazy. Do non-billionaire people (active academics at that) really lead lives like this? `

When I worked as a freelancer, in the dotcom era, I've participated in a number of projects led by some rich people. That included having meetings in their personal homes (some of them conduct a lot of business from their home office, apparently). For most of them, I had very vague idea who they are outside of the project I was in (some of them were rich enough so I tangentially heard about them before, some weren't) and if they conducted some nefarious crap in secret, I would never know. There weren't private islands involved, but I don't think it's too far out necessarily if you upgrade from a nobody IT freelancer to the leading MIT researcher.

So, if that lunch happened _before_ Epstein conviction, I'd give some benefit of the doubt. After, "not with a ten mile pole" is the appropriate policy and any other conduct is on him.

Re: Jeffrey Epstein and MIT: FAQs

#290

Post by freestylerr »

What appears surprising to me is how easy the funded researchers apparently got away with it.

- Profs Lloyd and Oxman, still in service

- Joscha Bach, who is the VP of research at the AI foundation (https://aifoundation.com/about/), and declined to comment. I don’t know whether someone with such track record should be educating on the future of AI?

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