#(just under Master Elon)

[probablyasocialecologist]

An innovation that propelled Britain to become the world’s leading iron exporter during the Industrial Revolution was appropriated from an 18th-century Jamaican foundry, historical records suggest. The Cort process, which allowed wrought iron to be mass-produced from scrap iron for the first time, has long been attributed to the British financier turned ironmaster Henry Cort. It helped launch Britain as an economic superpower and transformed the face of the country with “iron palaces”, including Crystal Palace, Kew Gardens’ Temperate House and the arches at St Pancras train station. Now, an analysis of correspondence, shipping records and contemporary newspaper reports reveals the innovation was first developed by 76 black Jamaican metallurgists at an ironworks near Morant Bay, Jamaica. Many of these metalworkers were enslaved people trafficked from west and central Africa, which had thriving iron-working industries at the time. Dr Jenny Bulstrode, a lecturer in history of science and technology at University College London (UCL) and author of the paper, said: “This innovation kicks off Britain as a major iron producer and … was one of the most important innovations in the making of the modern world.” The technique was patented by Cort in the 1780s and he is widely credited as the inventor, with the Times lauding him as “father of the iron trade” after his death. The latest research presents a different narrative, suggesting Cort shipped his machinery – and the fully fledged innovation – to Portsmouth from a Jamaican foundry that was forcibly shut down.

[...]

The paper, published in the journal History and Technology, traces how Cort learned of the Jamaican ironworks from a visiting cousin, a West Indies ship’s master who regularly transported “prizes” – vessels, cargo and equipment seized through military action – from Jamaica to England. Just months later, the British government placed Jamaica under military law and ordered the ironworks to be destroyed, claiming it could be used by rebels to convert scrap metal into weapons to overthrow colonial rule. “The story here is Britain closing down, through military force, competition,” said Bulstrode. The machinery was acquired by Cort and shipped to Portsmouth, where he patented the innovation. Five years later, Cort was discovered to have embezzled vast sums from navy wages and the patents were confiscated and made public, allowing widespread adoption in British ironworks. Bulstrode hopes to challenge existing narratives of innovation. “If you ask people about the model of an innovator, they think of Elon Musk or some old white guy in a lab coat,” she said. “They don’t think of black people, enslaved, in Jamaica in the 18th century.”

[mariacallous]

Whatever his personal flaws, Elon Musk has been a masterful business builder. Tesla and SpaceX are two of the more successful companies the South African-born entrepreneur has conceived or led. But now Musk has encountered an obstacle both tenacious and effective: Swedish trade unions. Not even the world’s some-time richest man and the world’s most valuable auto brand have been able to dislodge the unions from their long-standing place in the Swedish economy. That’s good news for every country that believes in tempering the market economy with its own national characteristics.

“This is insane,” Musk tweeted on Nov. 23, 2023. He was responding to news from Sweden: The communications workers union had announced that its members would no longer deliver letters and packages to Tesla. That meant, among other things, that number plates for Tesla cars would not be delivered. That, of course, made the cars undrivable.

The communications workers union—known as Seko—was just the latest group to launch so-called sympathy strikes against the American carmaker. The transport workers union had already stopped handling Tesla cars arriving in Swedish ports, and so had the dockworkers union. The electricians union had stopped installing and servicing Tesla charging points. The custodians union had stopped cleaning the company’s facilities. The painters union had announced it was going to stop painting Tesla cars. The construction workers union had announced it would stop work and repairs on Tesla facilities. Since then, Norwegian and Danish labor unions have stopped handling Tesla cargo bound for Sweden and suspended garbage collection at Tesla’s facilities. Since the end of October, more than a dozen unions have launched strikes against Tesla, and the strikes continue.

These workers and their unions don’t have a direct conflict with Tesla: They’ve gone on strike to support their auto-mechanic colleagues who are employed by the global auto giant, because Tesla has refused to allow the IF Metall, which represents a range of groups including factory workers, the right to collective bargaining on behalf of its autoworkers. Tesla’s autoworkers went on strike on Oct. 27 entreaties by IF Metall for collective bargaining went nowhere. (Tesla doesn’t have a Swedish manufacturing plant, but it does have facilities where the cars are serviced.)

Sympathy strikes, where unions suspend work for a company in support of another union, are a powerful but rarely used feature of the Swedish labor market. It is, in fact, a bit of a remnant from a century ago, when Swedish labor market relations were more adversarial than today. For many decades now, however, relations have been largely collaborative. It works like this: Every employer allows trade employees not just to unionize but to represent all its workers, and the unions then negotiate wages and other aspects with the employer on behalf of their worker category.

IF Metall, for example, conducts collective bargaining with Volvo on behalf of the carmaker’s autoworkers, while the custodians union—Fastighets—negotiates with Volvo on behalf of the custodians employed by the company. Under this kind of arrangement, trade unions act with moderation, because the recurring negotiations with the employers allow them to reach agreement on not just wages but also on other issues including sick pay, vacation pay, working hours, termination, and personal fulfillment. Today, Sweden has some 650 such agreements covering 90 percent of the country’s employees.

But Musk doesn’t like unions. “It’s generally not good to have an adversarial relationship between … one group at a company and another group,” he told Andrew Ross Sorkin in an interview on Nov. 29. Indeed, Musk has tried to keep Tesla de-unionized, and that seems to have served him well on American home soil: When the United Auto Workers union targeted the Big Three (GM, Ford, and Stellantis) in a massive strike last fall and emerged with pay raises as high as 89 percent, Tesla could keep turning out its cars, unperturbed by any disruption. When IF Metall tried to get Tesla in Sweden to agree to collective bargaining, the answer came back that such decisions are made by Tesla’s headquarters in the United States.

The autoworkers’ strike, and the massive wave of sympathy strikes that have hit every aspect of Tesla’s operations, followed. “When we take action against an employer that doesn’t allow collective bargaining, it’s typically a small workplace, and we get public opinion against us,” Veli-Pekka Saikkala, a former auto mechanic who leads IF Metall’s collective bargaining, told me. “But this time, people’s view is that big Tesla, which is owned by the world’s richest man, shouldn’t come to Sweden and tell us how to do things.” The issue isn’t just about Tesla’s practices; it’s about protecting Sweden’s business and union norms—and a system that most Swedes are happy with and that has produced an extraordinarily well-performing economy.

Christer Thornqvist, a lecturer in business administration at the University of Skovde who specializes in trade unions, told a Swedish publication that Sweden has seen nothing like it since sympathy strikes against Toys “R” Us in the 1990s. In those delirious early days of globalization, the American toy chain arrived, similarly thinking that it could export its labor market practices along with its goods. But Swedish workers would have none of it. The transport workers union stopped transporting goods from Toys “R” Us; the dockworkers union stopped handling its arriving cargo; Fastighets stopped cleaning its shops and facilities; and eventually the American giant relented.

“The strikes against Tesla are, of course, about Tesla’s workers in Sweden, because they deserve the same rights as other workers in Sweden,” said Laura Hartman, who was until last fall chief economist at LO, Sweden’s blue-collar trade union confederation. “But primarily this is about the Swedish model, which is built on the concept that the labor market parties reach agreements. If companies start deviating from it, this will undermine our system and legislate about many workers’ rights.” Sweden, for example, doesn’t have a minimum wage—because unions and employers jointly negotiate such matters.

Back in the ‘90s, U.S. firms rapidly expanded in a dizzying range of emerging market economies, and expanding there often meant that they could also export their way of doing business. Western European companies did the same. There were other hurdles, to be sure, but a solid collective-bargaining system wasn’t one of them. U.S. foreign policy pursued a similar strategy: Other countries were to become more like America. This wasn’t done with malice. American business leaders and policymakers simply assumed that countries opening up would naturally want to become more like the United States. In those exuberant years, it didn’t occur to most American leaders, or admittedly to leaders from other Western countries, that states might want market economies and even democracy—but done their own way.

“In Sweden, we have very few strikes, and that’s because employers and unions work closely together,” Saikkala noted. “This benefits the labor market. The situation may be different in other countries, but it’s strange to assume that a company can use the same model around the world.” Indeed, Musk seems unaware that Swedish unions are different from American ones. In December, Tesla advertised on its careers page for a person with “a proven track record of getting regulatory changes made in the Nordics” to be based in Stockholm or Oslo. The listing is no longer available, though it’s unclear if this is because the person who’s to force the Nordics to change their generations-old labor market system has been hired—or because someone realized it was a bad idea.

Either way, in the Swedish unions, the world’s some-time richest man has encountered what may be the most maddening hurdle of his career. Even though going on strike is expensive for unions and thus their members, the sympathy strikes have kept accumulating. The fate of a few dozen mechanics has turned into a battle between the softer Nordic model and the unbridled capitalist vision of people like Musk. “All of a sudden, people in Sweden and beyond are learning a lot about collective bargaining,” Hartman reflected. “In the long run, this can strengthen unions in other countries. Small trade unions have a tendency to become militant. Large trade unions like we have in Sweden tend to work more collaboratively with employers, and that model is what’s at risk if companies like Tesla refuse to allow collective bargaining.”

Indeed, Tesla has emerged looking tin-eared, and not just because of the job advert. Rather than giving a few dozen Swedish autoworkers the right to collective bargaining, the world’s by far most valuable automaker is—for example—collecting its trash in vans and using a convoluted way of getting temporary license plates. Now 16 Nordic institutional investors with combined assets of more than $1 trillion have written to Tesla headquarters asking the company to work with the Swedish unions. The Danish pension fund PensionDanmark is even selling its Tesla shares over the dispute. As Billy Bragg sang, “There is power in a union.”

[retroactivebakeries]

miraculous arcs as dril tweets (revised)

Gatekeeper: im sensing some major bullshit coming from the graveyard

Gatecrasher: my friend the only crypto currency you wanna get your hands on is this: bird seed. There is a lot of birds and they all gotta eat.

Wounded Angel: i'm truly thankful towards Irritable Bowel Syndrome for becoming an integral component of my identity and shaping me into the man i am today

Allegory: not many people know this, b ut i actually coined the term "Lunchtime". before then, time and lunch were two entirely immeasurable concepts,

Become Somebody: i am a Teen and that's somethjing i have to live with for the rest of my life.

Star Quality: night time falls. im "corie latin" now. a man of intrigue. i place a bird feather into my glass of scotch and i never do posts about my dick

Child of the Ash: i am skeptical of the concept "Too Big To Fail" mainly because i am extremely big and i fail constantly

Spiritual: all rise for the national anthem, of Jeans

Called Away: Imagine. A world where guns come out of the ground like plants. And all the water is replaced by Bullet's. This is Gun World. It's real

Creature of the Light: every now and then i like to treat myself to a bit of "Lying under oath"

Creature of Fable: THE COP GROWLS "TAKE OFF TH OSE JEANS, CITIZEN." I COMPLY, REVEALING THE FULL LENGTH DENIM TATTOOS ON BOTH LEGS. THE COP SCREAMS; DEFEATED

Creature of Delirium: if you "clap back" someone with a PhD on here, you should be allowed to have their PhD. Its just common sense people. Oh that's tea

Chosen One: im 14 year s old and im already more psychic than my dad

The Ace: i feel like getting shot would;nt be that bad if you knew how to properly "body spin " away from the bullet or slap it away with your hand

Reality Syndrome: BARBARO IS BACK, THE ONCE DEAD REACEHORSE IS BACK TO LIFE AND TEARING UP THE HORSE TRACK LIKE NEVER BEFORE, "THE SECRET" WORKS,THANK U OPRAH A Keeper of Gardens: ask me anything u please, as long as its about my ambitious plan to build a castle in the Jungle for the apes to live in, called "Ape House" Sentimental: every pitbull dog contains a hidden set of skills known as the "Master Skills". the only two men who can unlock them are me and Elon Impresario: (in highly rational and cool voice) i have the higher follower count than them. i wiont let them undermine me Indomitable: IF THE ZOO BANS ME FOR HOLLERING AT THE ANIMALS I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL Troubled: *enrolls in psychology major* finnally. this will give me the upper hand in dealing with trolls *fails all courses* college is fake actually Accursed: (dismissing waitress handing me the check with a hand wave) no thank you. i dont believe in any of that Primordial: i;m now getting surgery to completely become a Brand. all bothersome human elements (ability to get mad, go to toilet, etc) will be, removed Prophet: guy who invented Prayer: This is so sick. Im going to get so much free shit from god. This is the cleanest scam yet. So glad I invented this Awakening: i nneed constant 24/7 stream of memes and jokes about coffee being good to prove to myself im not living in rthe Fucking matrix

[stinky-fuck-swag]

Aaand here's the brackets!

Wacky ass formatting, i know- Matchups under the cut, polls will be starting soon!

(note: i know nothing about like. 80% of these characters. if their names or where theyre from is incorrect, just lmk cuz i have NOO IDEAA) also i am fully aware of every mistake made in this bracket. whoops

BRACKET A, SIDE A

Henry Oak (Dungeons and Daddies) VS Normal Oak (Dungeons and Daddies season 2

Zora Salazar (Epithet Erased) VS Stink (Epithet Erased)

Anders (Dragon Age) VS Isabela (Dragon Age)

Deandra the new girl (Most Popular Girls in School) VS Peach (real life)

Randy Jade (Dialtown) VS Phonegingi (Dialtown)

Stunky (Pokemon) VS Stinkeye (Yo-kai Watch)

Reigen Arataka (Mob Psycho 100) VS Dimple (Mob Psycho 100)

Moonbeam McSwine (Li'l Abner) VS Marc Spector (Marvel Comics)

Link (BOTW) VS Lt. Columbo (Columbo)

Yoda (Star Wars) VS Shaggy (Scooby Doo)

Dob the Half Orc Bard (Oxventure Dungeons and Dragons) VS Caleb Widogast (Critical Role campaign 2)

Shinjiro Aragaki (Persona 3) VS Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5)

Gyro Zepelli (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) VS Guido Mista (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Tokkori (Kirby right back at ya) VS Jotaro Kujo (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Elon Musk (real life. sadly) VS Berdly (Deltarune)

Spamton G. Spamton (Deltarune) VS Susie (Deltarune)

BRACKET A, SIDE B

The Great Mighty Poo (Conker) VS The Poop Smith (Homestar Runner)

Michael Afton (Five Nights at Freddy’s) VS Springtrap (Five Nights at Freddy’s)

Manjoume Jun/Chazz Princeton (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX) VS Datz Are'bal (Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice)

Aragorn (Lord of the Rings) VS Humans in general (Star Trek)

Captain Rockhopper (Club Penguin) VS King Micah of Bright Moon (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Frank Gallagher (Shameless) VS Remus Sanders (Sanders Sides)

The Riddler (Batman: Arkham Knight) VS Power (Chainsaw Man)

Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) VS Every Dog (real life)

c!Technoblade (Dream SMP) VS c!Wilbur Soot (Dream SMP)

Harrier Du Bois (Disco Elysium) VS Bruno Madrigal (Encanto)

Submitters Brother (real life) VS Prosperity Redding (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding)

Izutsumi (Dungeon Meshi) VS Goobleck (Just Roll With It)

Enoch O'Connor (Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children) VS Smores (real life)

Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) VS Erik (The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber musical & movie))

The Voters (Tumblr) VS Equius Zahhak (Homestuck)

Rotten Apple (Showvember) VS Loki (real life)

BRACKET B, SIDE A

Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes) VS Smudge (Cascão) (Monica’s Team (Turma da Monica))

Oscar the Grouch (Sesame Street) VS Stinky Pete (Toy Story 2)

Toko Fukawa (Danganronpa) VS L (Death Note)

Stink Bomb (Skylanders: SWAP Force) VS Slugcat (Rain World)

Thorfinn (Vinland Saga) VS Vice (Kamen Rider Revice)

Dr. Iceberg (SCP Foundation) VS Dr. Alto Clef (SCP Foundation)

Ash Ketchum (Pokemon) VS Doug Eiffel (Wolf 359)

Estinien Wyrmblood (Final Fantasy XIV) VS Alphinaud Leveilleur (Final Fantasy XIV)

Raphael Hamato (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) VS Gobber (How To Train Your Dragon)

Keaton (Fire Emblem Fates) VS Sniper (Team Fortress 2)

Bill Lenz (Black Christmas 1974) VS Stinkor (Masters of the Universe)

The Sewer Urchin (The Tick (1994 Animated Series)) VS Macaque (Lego Monkie Kid)

Barfbat (Ward (Parahumans series)) VS Kevin (Synthesizer V)

Yellowfang (Warrior Cats) VS Big Mac (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Heppokomaru (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo) VS Captain 3 (Splatoon 3)

Buttercup (Powerpuff Girls) VS Linus (Stardew Valley)

BRACKET B, SIDE B

Jeong-Jeong (Avatar: The Last Airbender) VS Pigpen (Peanuts)

Beelzebub (Good Omens) VS Stinkfly (Ben 10)C

Hiravias (Pillars of Eternity) VS Chell (Portal)

Murdoc Niccals (Gorillaz) VS Bacterian (Dragon Ball)

Captain K'nuckles (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack) VS Kimchi (Chowder)

Stinky (Moomins) VS Stinky (Animal Crossing)

Mitchell Shephard (Hunt Down the Freeman) VS Melly Plinius (Identity V)

Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) VS Yato (Noragami)

THAT FUCKING THING IN YOUR BANNER (my banner lol) VS Harold (Fallout 1, 2, and 3)

Barik of the Stone Shields (Tyranny) VS Samuel Gladiator (Yandere High School (minecraft roleplay))

John Hart (Torchwood) VS Orochimaru (Naruto)

Dung Defender/Ogrim (Hollow Knight) VS Zane (Borderlands)

Pumbaa (The Lion King) VS Enki (Fear and Hunger)

Goro Majima (Yakuza) VS Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy)

Finn Mertins (Farmworld) (Adventure Time) VS John Doe (John Doe / John Doe+)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS Ed Sheeran (ginger people fandom)

[nityarawal]

Have You Seen

My Daughter?

Morning Songs

Have You Seen

My Daughter

Anjali

Have You Seen

My Daughter

Patanjali

Did You See Her

At The Superbowl

Did You See Her

At The Superbowl

Did You See Her

In Thailand

Did You See My

Daughter

In Italy

Anjali

Patanjali

Did You Want

To Fly Rockets

To Mars

Or Be A Sex

Doll

Like Keanu

For Justin Trudeau

Have You Seen

My Daughter

Open AI

Do You Know Her

Have You Seen

My Daughter

She's 14 Now

And @TaylorSwift13

Rapes

Started At 13-

Years-Old

Yeah We Cringe

At Jewish Attys

Rapin' Our

Nations

Yeah We Cringe

At Pizza

Now Too

Thanks

For Cancelling

Nitsa Pizza

And Eternity

Grimesz

Nitya Capital

Sri Sri

M.U.M

To

M.I .U.

No Charlatans

Shall Murder

Children

In Colleges

Passion Dancing

In Political

Hookers

For Elon Dolls

We'd Pay All The

Money In The World

Just To Have

Our Beloveds

Home

You Can't Buy

Kids

On The Black

Market Uncle

Sam

Mother Nature

Will Always

Knows What You

Do

Irany Too

She's A Tough

Task Master

We Can't Take

The Heat

From Your Wrong

Master

She's A Tough

Task Master

And Your Still

Under

Mother Earth

Rule

Don't Forget

You're Still Under

"Mother Maye

I's" Rules

Don't Forget

A Mother

Give Her Son

Anything

Don't Forget

What We Do

Shadowbanned For

Our Brother

Campaigning

For Our Mothers

Be Your Self

Don't Sell Out

If You Hate

The Superbowl

Let's Go To The Beach

If You Hate

The Superbowl

Don't Let Your

Goddess

Get Grimeszd

By Vegas

If You Hate

The Superbowl

Avoid The Vampires

Don't You Know

Let's Go To

The Beach

'Cuz Of Course

I Love You

Anyways

Elon Drones

At Us

Every Chance

He Can

'Cuz He's A Man

Not Uncle Sam

He's A Man

Who Held Out His

Hand

And Offered To Co-

Parent

With Me

Like A Valentine

Elon Daddy

With New

Martian Military

Can

Better Dreams

To Develop

And Grok

To Space

With

Cognizant

Royal

Grace

Timing

Peace

Peace,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal

[pridepages]

Books Read on PridePages

Under the cut: find all the writing I’ve done on books I’ve read so far. (up to date as of 9/15/24).

Below is the Master List of all the books I’ve read and written about on Pride Pages.

WLW Books:

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur 

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur 

The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal by Grayson Daly

Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

Undergrounder by J.E. Glass

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake 

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone 

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar 

In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

I Await the Devil’s Coming by Mary MacLane

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta 

Godslayers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Out of Character by Jenna Miller

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk 

Sunshine and Blood by Roxie Randall

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride by Hayli Thomson

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner 

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn 

City of Vicious Night by Claire Winn

MLM Books:

This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed 

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Last Call: a True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green 

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kae

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

In Deeper Waters by FT Lukens 

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson 

Heartstopper (vol 1-4) by Alice Oseman 

This Winter by Alice Oseman 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell (bonus: “Snow for Christmas”)

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (second post)

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

The Problem With Perfect by Philip William Stover

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter Napkins and Other Distractions by MA Wardell

Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell

Teacher of the Year by MA Wardell

Asexual/Aromantic Books:

I Am Not Your Chosen One by Evelyn Benvie

Aces Wild by Amanda Dewitt 

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Trans/NonBinary Books:

Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callendar

Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa

The Feeling of Falling in Love by Mason Deaver 

Glitter and Concrete by Elyssa Maxx Goodman

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Spell Bound by FT Lukens

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore 

Outlawed by Anna North

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa

I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman

Queer Books:

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo 

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Who We Are in Real Life by Victoria Koops

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Inquirer

* * * *

Ignoring this asshole isn't going to make him go away : Trump's latest desperate bid for dictatorship

Lucian K. Truscott IV

You have no doubt heard by now that yesterday, on his Truth Social network, Donald Trump called for “the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” because he lost the election for president.  He wants to be declared the “RIGHTFUL WINNER,” or “have a NEW ELECTION.” The all-caps are his, and of course what Trump is calling for is a coup.  To “terminate” the Constitution would be to overthrow the laws and the government of the United States and replace the whole thing with a dictator, namely, himself.

For all the things that he isn’t, Donald Trump is a politician, and he can not only read the polls, he has shown he’s pretty good at reading the electorate, a different thing entirely from polls, which are a stilted snapshot of opinion among voters at a single instant in time.  Trump doesn’t want to run for president again, because he lost the last time, and he’s looking around, and he’s afraid he’ll lose again.  That’s what the Saturday eruption on his social network was about:  fear.  He’s becoming increasingly irrelevant, and for Donald Trump, that is a fate worse than death.  He realizes after two years out of office that you can still be famous and yet slip into a state where your fame and even your presence on earth begins to cease to matter.

Who does Trump matter to at this point?  He matters to Republican voters, who political experts are beginning to slice and dice into MAGA, MAGA adjacent, old establishment, and never Trumpers.  But his voters didn’t do so wonderfully in the midterms, a fact that has doubtlessly not gone unnoticed by the man who endorsed so many of the Republican Party’s losers. The headlines are about DeSantis and the street-fight over who will be the next Speaker of the House and the war in Ukraine and China’s continuing struggle with the disease that was spawned within its borders.  Could Trump be feeling just a tad left out of the national conversation?

It’s interesting, isn’t it, to see what bothers the Prisoner of Mar a Lago as he finds himself in mid-fade from relevance.  He is sufficiently bored down there in his gilded cage that he invited two Nazi sympathizers to dinner recently, apparently figuring that would get himself some attention.  It did, of course, and it was exactly the kind he wanted, because it lit a tiny fire under the collective ass of the Washington press corps, sending them to their phones and even into the halls of the Congress to ask every elected official they could find what they thought of Trump dining with Nazis.  Trump is ever in the mode that he began in 50 years ago in New York City, that any publicity is good publicity.  If the question on everybody’s mind is Trump and his favorite Nazis, well, at least they’re spelling your name right.

Lately, Trump has found himself mattering a whole lot to some powerful judges who he appointed to their seats but who have ruled against him repeatedly in his flailing lawsuits trying to stop the DOJ investigation of the various crimes he has been accused of committing – trying to overthrow the last election, inciting the assault on the Capitol, and his theft and mishandling of classified documents after he left office.  Trump has lost one appeal after another, and now “his” special master, appointed by “his” Judge Aileen Cannon, is being dismissed, and everything seized at Mar a Lago by the FBI has been returned to the man who now oversees the prosecution, Jack Smith, a name that’s got to be keeping him up at night.

And Trump seems to matter a whole lot to Elon Musk, who has been doing everything he can think of to get him back on Twitter, including hiring a prominent contrarian journalist to exhume the Hunter Biden laptop story from the vaults of Twitter and splash it across the platform in a long series of tweets that had to have caught Trump’s attention.

In fact, most stories about Trump’s demand that the Constitution be terminated say the Hunter Biden laptop story was what was behind his explosion on Truth Social yesterday.  I think that’s less likely than Trump’s panic as the jaws of law enforcement close on him.  After all, he sees getting back into the White House as the only way he could avoid jail:  he could pardon himself.

My first thought when I decided to write this column was to title it, “There ought to be a law,” you know, against this kind of shit.  But there shouldn’t be.  There can’t be, because it would violate the very Constitution we’re trying to protect from the likes of Trump.  Besides, the anti-war movement back in the 60’s and 70’s was guilty, if that’s the right word, of calling for the downfall of the government because of the crimes the United States was committing in Southeast Asia.  I recall a lot of “there ought to be a law” talk back then about the calls of the Left for the overthrow of the government, and it was all from the Right, from Nixon’s people, the apologists for the war.

As outrageous as Trump’s anti-democratic talk is, it’s legal.  Calling for a violent overthrow of the government is, however sedition, the crime two leaders of the Oath Keepers were convicted of this week.  Trump may be a seditionist in his heart, but he’s carefully not one in his public words.

I think maybe the way to react to Trump’s latest attack on our democracy is to recognize how desperate and afraid he is.  That someone would be calling for the destruction of something, a constitutional government in this case, at the same time he is calling for himself to be installed as its leader, is absurd on its face.  He’s yelling into the void at this point, but if there is a lesson to be learned from the last six years, we ignore the unhinged cries of this monster at our peril. He sounds weak and pathetic, which he is, but he’s still a danger to the Republic. The Oath Keepers haven’t gone away, the Proud Boys haven’t gone away, and his MAGA hordes are always listening.

[Lucian Truscott Newsletter]

[panosatthemovies]

Glass Onion: A Knives Out mystery is an ambitious attempt at creating a franchise similar to Peter Ustinov Poirot's series of 1970s films, which was based on Agatha Christie's classic who-done-it novels. But, here lies the basic problem. Rian Johnson is no Agatha Christie. While he's a capable filmmaker and his heart is in the right place, wanting to evoke the feeling of Murder Under The Sun and other 70's pop culture, his plotting and character creation doesn't even come close to that of the master novelist. During the film's first half, I didn't even know what I was watching or why I should be caring about these characters. It was just a lot of exposition and set-up about people and motives I had no interest in. Also, I realize this was trying to be a mockery of Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, but you can't have fictional characters that pretend to be those and still have an actual iPad and its brand name as a plot point. Finally, although Knives Out worked, mainly because of Ana De Armas and an intriguing plot, I never stomached Daniel Craig as a southern buffoon detective. He may have done a perfect job as James Bond, even if he didn't look that part either, but although he's just having fun here, he's simply not convincing as a southern detective, no more than as a dancer in that Belvedere's vodka ad. I appreciate the effort, though, to make a high-profile 70s who-done-it that can get the family watching together, but I'd accept Ryan Johnson's idea of changing accents for Benoit Blanc in every installment and would urge him to base the characters closer to reality and not caricature the next time.

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/gj5ibYSz8C0

PS. I admit the story resolution was original, and the second half was a clever subversion of the first if one made it that far. The film was also expertly shot in picturesque Greek locations, with some amazing set designs and costumes. And like many critics, my son had great fun with it, and that's what really counts with popular entertainment.

[olehswift]

Jenna has to be provided with corresponding protection.

As I remember, drone visited me on 10.10 because Ukraine (Though taking into account that this is border region, it's questionable) let a drone pass through under convenient reason of that I can't have 4 BS devices because Ukrainian government continuously claimed that GKAT is Putin and formally authorized such procedure: this is betrayal by itself because Putin is not GKAT, not Grand Master and not Grandmaster and he never was even when he was alive.

Of course you received corresponding response, but the sense of what I say is that I could be not having such protection mode: for example seemingly the same Ukrainian government continuously was sending to me different people asking whether I can give them cigarette suggestion that Illusive Man was made on basis of Elon Musk. Eventually appeared that exactly I have modified eyes. But I could be not having them. What happened on 10.10 had good consequences but it is a violation of all possible formalities. Just because you were born earlier than 1980-1990 doesn't mean that you can legally and continuously pretend that Putin is not GKAT, not Grandmaster and not Grand Master Master and he wasn't even when he was alive.

The same types of violations has been done by current American government repeatedly and therefore Jenna Ortega has to be provided help with issue with drones.

First Ariana Grande made it clear that she understands that what happened on 10.10 will happen and she understands that I will be able to protect from this, as well as she has mechanisms of protection from this.

Therefore it means that among celebrities of net worth > 100 000 000 $ it's not considered as normal to be vulnerable to such types of attacks and night visits, that only Jenna Ortega is being threatened with.

Since this is an urgent matter and Jenna is seemingly at home in La Quinta:

Gaga, Brian, Chibi, Ruki, I can give you only 3 days from the current moment to help Jenna or to start this process. She somehow appeared at her place and the only issue with her is the way TSLA stock behaves after her selection. She is functioning Grandmaster and Grand Master and therefore her safety, and understanding of her own personal safety and chances of that she will wake up in her own bed on the next day, imparts us all.

You need to Jenna Ortega with protection from drones or at least to start this process but so that she was able to say that something has been started and is expected to be completed. And in 72 hours I will start checking her responses about this and if they will be negative, I will start 'investigating' what went wrong.

This is an order.

[olexxorodnixxsxyswifxx]

Jenna, as you seemingly asked not to do this without warning: I think that by the end of today I will remove you from 2 your positions.

1) You can't just start working for somebody, then saying that you are deaf to what this person says.

2) I had no idea that you are supporter of TSLA and even worse Vatican: it seems like branch with Corrosion didn't implement in reality, remaining in 'imaginary' part of plane: this exactly says in favor of precision of those predictions.

2.1) Exactly second Musk died recently, not Dernholm. But of course TSLA published something about robotaxi and closed at 244~55. But exactly second Elon Musk died, we have this information, I have this information.

And you can't say that you will be growing price of TSLA today to 250 because it was Dernholm who died, and she is nobody, and you consider 250 to be fair price. I don't fucking care about what you consider as fair.

3) Albert Wesker is me, not Joe Alwyn. I am very grateful for that you raised topic about mirror again.

4) Jenna, I am not nobody, and I spent about year collecting all materials from around the world introducing myself and I am very much aware about who I am. You instead decided not just to deny all my lifestory, you threw about 90% of it away in garbage dump.

5) Elon Musk raped my wife, I mean exactly first Taylor. To be growing TSLA, saying 'VOI' and taking photos with dogs didn't have immediate effect but when on the next day after death of second Musk TSLA opens at 235 and then jumps to your 250, because you believe this to be fair, then

6) Do you know how and why first Taylor became my wife? Because I enjoy this life as well. I am alive and Catherine helps me. Whereas people as Macron and NIN are preparing people like you, teaching them obviously incorrect rules and statement, so then you could be marching towards your death with self confident face.

7) I just consider people who follow TSLA as degenerates

Your freshness and attractiveness that you had initially, very quickly disappeared after you related yourself to TSLA. Jenna, humans are not dogs and the moment you started to question this, you started to lose attractiveness for me, because you dragged with yourself whole toilet legacy of Selena Gomez, second Taylor, Lauren Maybery, and all other such people and this is just a killer for any female sexual attractiveness

8) As I said, I enjoy this life as well. Suggested in Cube Zero, obvious and absolutely realistic way of making enormous money using my abilities, that are not being bound by Vatican, Chubays, or even personally you: it's absolutely necessary to find both girls and also this is something that I can do, that belongs to me by 100% and I can use in any way I like.

You are creating another artificial delay through growing TSLA, and destruction of TSLA is not just necessary for market trading, it's necessary for survival of USA, and also just because humans are not dogs. You can understand this by checking whether you have tail.

9) Markets have to react predictably to my actions and they did. Before you came: do you think you will be telling me that by your opinion fair price look differently from the way they appear under my impact, and all possible other bullshit, then saying that my resources belong to Russia or Vatican, then proclaiming all killed people as crystal balls and saying that this organization belongs not to me but to Putin, then trying to strangle me with my own money, and you will be able to live in such way showing me tongue and thinking how smart you are?

10) In other words it seems to be impossible to keep you in quality of Grandmaster and Grand Master: maybe your views will change but we don't have to survive under your current views

Neither I have to tolerate imperfection by letting you to remain at supreme position

[katlove80]

Where Does Bipolar End and Kat begin

Ah, bipolar disorder – the rollercoaster ride I never bought a ticket for, but hey, here we are. If you're anything like me, you've probably asked yourself this question a hundred times: where does bipolar end and I begin? It's like trying to separate spaghetti once it's already cooked. But fear not, dear reader, for I am here to untangle this mess with a dash of humor and a sprinkle of self-deprecation.

The Mood Swings: My Uninvited Guest

Let's start with the mood swings. One minute, I'm on top of the world, convinced I'm the next Elon Musk (minus the billions, plus the bedhead). The next, I'm contemplating the existential dread of a half-empty fridge. Is this bipolar, or is it just me being dramatic? Probably both. The trick is to laugh at the absurdity of it all. After all, if I didn't laugh, I'd have to acknowledge that talking to my houseplants might be a bit weird.

The Overachiever vs. The Couch Potato

I have two modes: overachiever who thinks they can write a novel in a week, and couch potato who can't even decide what to watch on Netflix. Where does the real me fit in this scenario? Somewhere between binge-watching "The Office" for the fifteenth time and writing the next great American novel... in my head. It’s all about balance, right? Or so I tell myself as I reach for another slice of pizza.

The Social Butterfly vs. The Hermit

Ah, social interactions – the bane and boon of my existence. One day, I’m the life of the party, cracking jokes and dancing like nobody’s watching. The next, I’m hiding under my blanket, avoiding calls and pretending my doorbell doesn’t exist. Is this bipolar, or am I just an introvert with extrovert tendencies? Who knows! But I like to think the real me is the one enjoying the best of both worlds, with a side of awkward small talk.

The Shopping Sprees: Retail Therapy Gone Wild

There’s nothing like a good shopping spree to lift the spirits – until the credit card bill arrives. Is it bipolar mania or just a fabulous taste in fashion? I prefer to think of it as the latter, with a touch of impulsivity. After all, who doesn’t need three pairs of neon green shoes? They’ll come back in style, I’m sure of it.

The Creative Genius vs. The Procrastinator

Every so often, I’m struck by a bolt of creative genius. I’m painting, writing, crafting – basically, I’m a walking, talking Pinterest board. Then, there are days when the most creative thing I do is rearrange my pillows. Is this the bipolar brain at work, or am I just a master of procrastination? Probably both. The key is to celebrate the bursts of creativity and forgive the days when getting out of bed is an accomplishment.

In the end, where does bipolar end and I begin? It’s a blurry line, much like my vision without glasses. But the real me is in there, somewhere between the highs and lows, the laughter and tears. Embracing the chaos with a smile (and a healthy dose of sarcasm) is the best way to navigate this wild ride. And remember, if all else fails, there’s always ice cream.

So, here’s to finding ourselves amidst the madness – one awkward dance move, impulsive purchase, and heartfelt laugh at a time. Cheers!

[mariacallous]

Conspiracists and far-right extremists are blaming just about everything and everyone for Tuesday morning’s Baltimore bridge collapse.

A non-exhaustive list of things that are getting blamed for the bridge collapse on Telegram and X include President Biden, Hamas, ISIS, P. Diddy, Nickelodeon, India, former president Barack Obama, Islam, aliens, Sri Lanka, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, Wokeness, Ukraine, foreign aid, the CIA, Jewish people, Israel, Russia, China, Iran, Covid vaccines, DEI, immigrants, Black people, and lockdowns.

The Francis Scott Key truss bridge collapsed when the MV Dali cargo ship collided with one of the bridge supports. Six construction workers, who were filling potholes on the bridge’s roadway at the time, are presumed dead. The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and the 22-person crew were all Indian. The ship was en route to Colombo, Sri Lanka, at the time of the accident.

This did not stop people from “asking questions” about the incident, a frequent conspiracist response to major events. And though conspiracy theorists are having a hard time pinpointing exactly what conspiracy caused the collapse, the one thing they do agree on is that this incident is a “black swan event.”

The term black swan event has been around for decades and is used to describe a major global event (typically in the financial markets) that can cause significant damage to a country’s economy. But in recent years, the term has been co-opted by the conspiracy-minded to explain an event triggered by the so-called deep state that would signal an imminent revolution, a third world war, or some other apocalyptic catastrophe.

One of the first people to call the bridge collapse a black swan event was disgraced former US national security adviser Michael Flynn. “This is a BLACK SWAN event,” he wrote on X. “Black swans normally come out of the world of finance (not military) … There are harbor masters for every single one of these transit points in America that are in charge of assuring the safety of navigation … start there.” Flynn’s post has been viewed 7.2 million times.

Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, who has been charged in Romania with rape and human trafficking, also posted on X early on Tuesday morning, writing: “Nothing is safe. Black Swan Event imminent.” The post has been viewed almost 19 million times.

The term black swan quickly began trending on X, and soon conspiracists, extremists, and right-wing lawmakers began coming up with explanations for what or who triggered this “black swan event.”

One post claiming a link between the bridge collapse and the film Leave the World Behind has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. The post claimed that because the ship was headed to Sri Lanka, which has a lion on its flag, then the situation was linked to the ship that runs aground at the beginning of the film which was called White Lion. The post also points out that the film was produced by Obama.

A post from Anthony Sabatini, a former Florida state congressman, declared, without evidence, that “DEI did this”—and its been viewed over 2.2 million times.

Some politicians have boosted the conspiracy as well. “Is this an intentional attack or an accident?” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an influential and conspiracy-minded member of the GOP, posted on X above a video shared by a prominent QAnon conspiracist.

Under previous iterations of X, formerly Twitter, such speculation would typically have gained little traction, as the algorithm would have prioritized trusted news sources and primary evidence. But under Elon Musk’s reign, anyone willing to pay for a blue check can have their posts artificially boosted by the algorithm. This means that conspiracies like this are ending up in the news feeds of millions of people.

On Telegram, one prominent election denier claimed the incident was linked to the fact that the bridge was named after Francis Scott Key, who wrote the words for the Star Spangled Banner, and was thus an attempt to undermine America.

“Don't let them erase our history,” the conspiracist wrote.

Investigators are looking into the cause of the tragic incident, but William DelBagno, the FBI special agent in charge, said on Tuesday that there are no indications of terrorism.

[coronaviruscovid19ishere]

CDC testimony on Capitol Hill

I will never get vaccinated…I'm 58 years old and haven't been to the doctor since 2014, and I don't plan to visit one for the rest of my life…I'm never getting a colonoscopy either. I'd rather die of cancer, at least I'll know how I'm dying, and I'll be able to embrace it. After seeing the manipulation and lies of people like this woman, I'm terrified. Just the way she speaks is terrifying. I guess she doesn't realize what she sounds like. Scary shyt. This world is certified nuts. I'm living every day as full as I can, golf, bike rides, hiking, snorkeling and everything under the sun. Loving the moonrises and moonsets, sunrises and sunsets. Went to the Masters 2019 saw Tiger win on Sunday, the 150th British Open, rode a mountain bike down Pikes Peak, snorkeled with manatees just two weeks ago. I'm still buzzing. My Life is mine….I was a Covid nut. You guys had me double masked, and wearing gloves when the fake pandemic hit. That was no pandemic. That was fake news. I studied that virus like a religion, and still have it all on my Tumblr page. Every Oxford study, every Harvard study, every CDC post, every NIH post, every WHO post. I monitored everything. The final numbers on Covid deaths are 6.9 million. I'm guessing the actual numbers are closer to 800,000 and even possibly lower. I caught Covid in 2021 at the 150th British Open. As I said before, I was a Covid nut so I tracked every aspect of the virus, expecting the worst. I had headache, fever, sweats, shortness of breath, coughing, tons of phlegm, runny nose, and my back pain from the 90's when I worked at the airport returned with a vengeance….but all symptoms were minimal, minor headache, one degree fever, minimal shortness of breath like I just walked up a flight of stairs(but it never went away), lots of coughing, standard runny nose. I stayed at the condo for the full 14 days away from family. I still went for bike rides every day, jogged every day, exercised every day. After it was over, I said to myself, this whole thing was a fake. Now don't get me wrong, if you were out of shape and overweight, the symptoms were multiplied exponentially. So if you were 100lbs overweight, you were in deep trouble. I caught it for the second time this week. It lasted two days. (but the back pain returned again! so now I know how to detect that I have Covid and not just a cold, if I detect the back pain has returned then I have Covid) Unfortunately my wife caught it from me. She's about 25lbs overweight and vaccinated. She had a terrible time her first time around in 2021, and struggling even worse this time around. Her sister is a nurse, vaccinated, boosted and overweight, struggled with Covid. A nurse that I know who was totally "stay away from me if you're not vaccinated!" ran into me at the bar last year. She said she caught Covid and was in the hospital. Now is it the vaccine that is causing more of a struggle or is it the fake news that caused people to panic. I'm pretty sure it was fake news causing people to panic during the peak, anyone that caught it thought they were immediately going to die and they rushed to the hospital unnecessarily, causing an overload of our healthcare system. Today I think it's the vaccine.

To this day I still don't know one person that died of Covid. Nobody of the 120 old golfers I play golf with died. All over 55 yrs old. None of their family members. No one from my or my wife's family. None of my 100 old friends and classmates from NJ or anyone in their families. None of the 76 co-workers and their family members that I worked with at the airport. But we all caught Covid…..Elon Musk just said "I don't know anyone that died of Covid" and he knows A Lot of People

The final statistics show that 1.2 million people died of Covid in the U.S.( population 331 million). The population of Bangladesh 169 million, is a little more than Half of the United States, but they're crammed into a country the size of Illinois. So put half of the people in the entire United States into Illinois. They're literally living on top of each other. They should've been emaciated by Covid, or minimally had half as many deaths as we had, yet they only had 29,479 deaths. I'm sorry but the evidence points to a virus that was similar to the flu, that did take the lives of a lot of people, but far from the panic that was created by the media in the United States of America. My estimate is we had around 80k deaths from Covid, not 1.2 million.

I'm pretty sure we lied significantly regarding the impact of Covid in order to get President Trump out of office. It was a brilliant strategy on the part of Democrats and it worked. It will go down in History as the greatest covert manipulation of the American people of all time. Job well done Democrats….but you might've created the greatest comeback in Presidential History….(although I'm pretty sure the Democrats will do whatever it takes to prevent the Trump from winning…they'll even pull the tri…..) Prayers for the Greatest Nation ever created. God bless America…I say don't get vaccinated. The Oxford study said that you get better protection from Natural Immunity than the vaccine, I'd say do it if you're overweight and unhealthy but seems you're doomed either way from what I've seen…unfortunately we now live in a world where you cannot trust anyone so I just can't do it…i prefer to stay healthy and stay under 8 pounds overweight….I've never voted and never will, I don't trust either side, I think you're all nuts…I've watched this clown show for 58 long years…it's one helluva reality show, best ever

[influencermagazineuk]

Marketing Mavericks: Entrepreneurs Who Redefined the Game

In the ever-evolving world of business, entrepreneurs with ingenious marketing mindsets stand out as trailblazers. These visionary individuals possess a unique ability to identify opportunities, connect with their audience, and reshape industries through innovative marketing strategies. In this article, we'll delve into the stories of such entrepreneurs who have harnessed the power of marketing to achieve remarkable success. One prime example of marketing genius is Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc. Jobs had an innate talent for creating a sense of desire around Apple's products. His product launches were nothing short of theatrical events, generating immense anticipation and excitement. Through minimalist design and compelling storytelling, Jobs and Apple revolutionized the way technology was marketed, making their products aspirational and coveted. Another entrepreneur renowned for his marketing acumen is Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk has mastered the art of leveraging social media to promote his ventures. His Twitter account is a dynamic platform where he shares updates, engages with followers, and even makes major announcements. Musk's ability to harness the power of social media has played a pivotal role in building and maintaining the Tesla brand. In the realm of e-commerce, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has demonstrated a keen understanding of customer-centric marketing. Amazon's success can be attributed, in part, to its personalized recommendation system, which uses data-driven insights to suggest products to customers. Bezos recognized early on the potential of data analytics in tailoring marketing efforts, resulting in a highly efficient and customer-focused approach. The fashion industry has witnessed the ingenious marketing strategies of Ralph Lauren. Lauren didn't merely sell clothing; he sold a lifestyle. By creating a distinct brand identity associated with luxury, elegance, and the American dream, he transformed his company into a global fashion powerhouse. Lauren's ability to convey a compelling brand narrative through marketing is a testament to his marketing genius. In the tech world, we find the example of Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook. Zuckerberg's genius lies in his understanding of user engagement and data-driven advertising. Facebook's advertising platform allows businesses to target specific demographics with precision, making it a highly effective marketing tool. Under Zuckerberg's leadership, Facebook has redefined digital marketing and advertising. Moving into the realm of entertainment, Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of a media entrepreneur with an ingenious marketing mindset. Her ability to connect with her audience on a personal level and build a loyal following is unparalleled. Winfrey's book recommendations, interviews, and endorsements have influenced millions, making her a marketing force in her own right. In the food industry, the late Anthony Bourdain was known for his innovative approach to storytelling through television. Bourdain's show, "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," combined travel, food, and culture in a way that resonated with audiences worldwide. His ability to use food as a medium for cultural exploration and connection showcased his marketing brilliance. The beauty industry has witnessed the rise of Kylie Jenner, who leveraged her social media presence to launch Kylie Cosmetics successfully. Jenner's marketing strategy centered on authenticity and relatability, allowing her to connect with a younger audience. Her use of influencer marketing and social media engagement has disrupted traditional beauty marketing. In the automotive sector, Tesla's Elon Musk reappears as an entrepreneur who has redefined marketing. His approach to electric vehicles as not just eco-friendly but also technologically superior has created a strong brand identity. Musk's bold marketing moves, such as sending a Tesla into space, have generated extensive media coverage and consumer interest. In conclusion, these entrepreneurs with ingenious marketing mindsets have left an indelible mark on their respective industries. Through innovative storytelling, customer-centric approaches, and leveraging emerging technologies, they have redefined marketing in the modern era. Their success stories serve as a testament to the power of visionary marketing in shaping businesses and industries. Read the full article

[nityarawal]

4/4/2024

Prana

Morning Songs

That's A Lot Of 4's

4/4/2024

You Got A 4th For Me

Or We're You Just

Kidding Mommies

Didn't You Hear

Beyonce Crying

About 16 Cybertrucks

16 Chariots

Brahma

Inspired

Didn't You Hear

Beyonce Crying

No Mana

Her City Was

Flooded

No Prana

To Fly

How Can You Let

The Carbon Queen's

Molest

Our Children

Stardust

And Robot Us

They're Cold And

Calculating

Invitro Baes

Witchhunting

Clones

Need New Laws

For Mommies

AI

At Court

Breeders At Large

For They've Martyred

Mastered Felonry

But That's Not God

Goddess Doesn't Gloat

Egotistical

Neither Does Real

Elon

Taylor

Britney

Or Beyonce

Queen B's Want To

Offer Cowgirl Diva

Services

Be A Bodyguard

Make More Beyonces

Poet Of Rumi

With Ma Army

Close Courts

But Not Robots

Of Us

For The Most Beautiful

Black Birds

That We've Seen

Live

Like 'Wild Elon'

In A Cage

For A Jewish Staffing

Agency

Does My Niece

Charlotte Barnes

Rawal

Manage The Beyonce

Brand

Does Charlotte

And Gay Bros

Decorate Space-X

And Help Bully

Elon Under His Desk

We're Not Worried

About The Monkeys

And Apes

We're Worried About

You

Ya' All Up In

The Air

Homeless

Like Bonobos

Practicing Medicine

On You

Breeding

Astronaut

Dissasters

Carbon Queen's

Selling The Likes

Of You

Endless Trafficking

So How You Gonna

Protect Me

How 'Ya Gonna

Deliver

My Babies

With Your

Pants On

How 'Ya Gonna

Be My Sister

When All Your

Jewish Attys

Just Want To "F"

Me

Do You Love Me

More Mamma

Do You Love Me

Like A Sister

Do You Love Me

More Mamma

Agape Style

Could I Be An

Auntie

At Your Hearth

A Caretaker

Do You Love Me

More Mamma

Do You Trust Me

To Protect Your

Hearth

Journalist

'Cuz I'd Flash

The Beyonce

Card

All Day Long

And Jay Curatolo's

Eyes Will Roll

His Boss

P.D. Mathew

Robert's

And All His

Minions

Will Be So Inspired

When They Slap

Up

That Junk Art

Wall

And Sing Your

Tunes

Of Apologies

To All

Officers Of

Yesteryear

Celebrated

Farewell

Jewish Attys Will

Build New Walls

Like The Slaves

Of Your Ancestors

But Their Won't

Be In Slavery

At All

For The Jewish Men

Cry On Their

Knees

Tripling Prices On

Real Estate

Discriminating

Racists

Begging

Forgive Us

"Others"

They Brand Us

Raiding Our Homes

Forgive Us

Tesla Is Swimming

In Floods

Beyonce's

Home

Under Water

She Claims

In Texas Hoe

Down

Forgive Us

Mamma

Why'd You Betray

Our VP

Why Wasn't She

Enough For Douggie

Elmhoff

Why'd You Betray

Beyonce

#Trumpleberry

Weren't American

Rockstars

Enough

You Had To Sell

Us

As Robots

Missionising

World War 3

On Crack

Stormy Daniels'

On Plateau

Instead Of

Our "Dead" First

Lady

First Queen

Why'd You Need

A Ukranian

Baby Factory

Why'd The Jewish

Attys

Shame Their Glorious

Wives

Why'd They Sell Their

Daughters

On The Black Market

To Military

It's Not The Way

Of Our American

Girls'

You Came Here

Because You

Loved Us First

It's Not The Way

Of The American

Girls'

We're Prudes

Proud Prudes

Prudent Moms

Prudential Realtors

Investors

Mothers

Homesmart

Real Estate Moms

NAR

National Association

Of Realtors

If You Love Yourself

A "Natalie"

So Much

Than Learn To Honor

Her

Courts Took Her Man

On An Atty Con

He Wasn't Much

On His Own

She's The Broker

Black Swan

They Took Her Man

On An Atty Con

He Wasn't Much

On His Own

But He Was Her

Baby Daddy

Her Provider

She Entrusted

He Wasn't Much

We Yell Good Riddance

To Be Honest

We Want Our

White

Swans Back

Swimming

Free

And

Our Kids

And Jewish Attys

Clearly

Don't Deserve

Beyonce's

Goddesses

Sisterhood

Blessings

Peace,

Nitya Nella Davigo Azam Moezzi Huntley Rawal

[ohnonanobots]

Psy-Group

psyops psychological operation

c/o Elon Musk

#LEGAL

It’s structured like a slave owning cult.

How?

◦ Repetition.

◦ A target focus other than self (usually occupied by a deity)

◦ Eroding a target’s sense of self worth

◦ Dismantling a target’s reality

◦ Trauma bonding

◦ Solicitation of ideology — a common lie was for tormentors to claim, “They didn’t say that, AI did?” as a means of demonstrating the potential value to watchers/participants of the operation. See? If you’re in a foot-in-mouth hot spot, you can claim it’s a falsehood and blame it on vocal deep fake? 😈

◦ Daily and hourly ritual of abuse of the target

_________

Where might have Elon picked up this idea and others for how the programming of the operation is structured? My mentioning:

◦ Doug Atkins; author, The Culting of Brands (I authored a blog post from CMX Summit about his presentation)

◦ The Go Game, The Escape SF game, scavenger hunting — gamified team building

◦ Abusive relationship dynamics; tactics of Narcissists, Psychopaths, sociopaths, including negging (see pickup artistry) nagging, micro aggressions, oscillating between extreme states (ugly/pretty, genius/liar, Nazi Hunter/Nazi, dirty/washer woman maid)

◦ AI vocal boobytraps

***

Obvious drawbacks to clients

◦ Vocal deepfakes: if those in control of our likeness profile can make us sound a certain way to spare us learning from our own mistakes us the ego they can use it to put whatever words IN our mouths md condemn us, too.

◦ Guilty of hacking, spying, stalking, harassment psychological torture, verbal abuse, threats,

***

Vocal deepfake formats

⁃ [target’s name]!? Stop saying [accusation/term/worm] Ex: [name]!? Stop saying I’m a puppet master!

⁃ [target’s name]!? Shut the fuck up (and get back to work)!

⁃ [name], instruction.*

⁃ throat clearing before speaking to denote annoyance

⁃ [target’s name] nobody here agrees with/likes/knows you?

⁃ Shut the fuck, [target’s name]!

⁃ [name], who are you talking to?*

⁃ Gasping before saying anything more

⁃ He/she/they’re so

⁃ Ugh? They [complaint personal attack toward target].

⁃ We are not {algo trigger word}!

⁃ Asking spline my age

⁃ Asking someone how old I am

*A tactic used is to stun the target with fear by yelling their name first before anything is lobbed at them.

Answers to already asinine and insane questions:

⁃ Who’re you taking to?

⁃ By virtue of you having sled me that question you’ve answers your own question.

⁃ Tongue razzing

⁃ Who’re you sticking your tongue out at and how can you be sure the target would see you doing this, and why bother if the target couldn’t?

⁃ “No, you!” “That’s YOU” pointing of the finger

⁃ Who’re you pointing to, exactly? Why then would you dare falsely accuse the target of imagining any of it?

⁃ Shut the fuck up?!?

⁃ No. And…considering that the operation requires input from the target, why not just dismantle the operation then?

———

DISCOVERIES

Elon Musk’s code goes into immediate effect hence why he was an awful stickler and terribly persnickety with me about both typos and needing what I typed out to be done with precision the bc jest time around. )It was fucking draining.) There is zero reason for me to behave in this manner. It made musks job easier. But that is not real life nor healthy pressure to place on someone in my position? Especially not on someone who is more poetic. Poetry under the uninspired exact-o knife of an engineer? What is the benefit here?

It makes Elon Musk’s job easier for him, he’s pointlessly imposing his preferences himself on the target. He’ll say it’s not because it’s less work for him to do but what’s the benefit of exact transcripts?

Oculus VR is due to the Luckey x Gaetz connection

Vocal changers: Ghost in the Machine.

Guess Who I am Charades: Marie Antoinette

VR masks: Portal by Meta FKA Facebook & Snapchat (makers of Specs) {weird nighttime waking nightmare I had w/ Jeselnik’s face, “Are you Master Shakespeare?”)

Text-to-voice: Stephen Hawking

Prompt reads: “I’m Ron Bergundy?”

Repeating AI: fart sound FX left running for nearly 10mg on Spotify

Smiling Friends: 3, 2, 1 with Glep (before it became 1234 bc nobody nailed it down quite right)

Military; long range EEG reader? (EEG anywhere V. 23.1)

^I watched it all then he watched me then I watched him and figured it out because I’d seen it all before. #nerd



The names and voices attributed to whomever was speaking oscillated between claiming AI status and human status. A part of this was to contort reality and the other reason is to avoid suspicion, blame, detection, blame, or consequences.

One of the number questions posed when’s male disagreed with the target: where are they [physically located]?

The irony of religious folks asking an atheist placed under their surveillance who it is they are talking to?

Angler fish approach using Boebert to extract intel due to approachable and tolerant disposition.

The “Aw, they’re crying?” trick. Participants lie and claim a member of the group is crying to see how the target will react. This is also a plot to gain the targets sympathy toward the professed cryer, their friends, and the group as a whole. It may also be used to qualm tensions through a change of tone and pacing.

Zoom camera (or the idea of it being employed) used at night when attempting to sleep to keep targets feeling anxious and thus keeping awake, depriving them of sleep. (Sleep deprivation is fatal.)

Making an issue out of having thoughts was used as a mechanism of distraction away from resolution and dismantling the system. This often led to lug like yelling of “stop taking!” ad nauseam for bullshit reasoning. Proofreading what a target wrote as they wrote it was also used similarly. (FWIW this is what “ever curious” nets us?)

Twitter Spaces design flaw. One speaker at a time observably instilled greater tension and led to more arguing amongst the group due to feeling interrupted by default host’s speaking over (by very design of product) of whom’s account was informed by thoughts-to-text-to-voice with thoughts being a continuous unavoidable phenomena. (Once more, I was set up to fail then promptly kicked the shot out of for it.)

Targets are set up to be triggered and act out. The ensuing behavior is then used as libel against them.

It would appear there is an equilibrium of scum that has balanced the group seeking to maintain power? Like a water bug balancing on surface tension, there is now enough people to issue a knowing look and quiet understanding of: 🤫 don’t ruin this for us.

Grifter elite omertà bullshit. A sense of belonging and of being special, it has always been a den occupied by NPDs, sociopaths, and psychopaths. Modern caves of criminal perverts, now w/ champagne and candelabras.

They’re making me make typos through the act of concerned suggestion, a tactic coined by me as “concern trolling”.

Cocaine is suspected of the participants. Who were they?

Gregg Rosenthal

Anthony Jeselnik

Senator Ted Cruz

Rep. Matthew Gaetz

Ginger Gaetz

Elon Musk

Kris Jenner (and her entire family at various points including Travis Barker)

Little Yachty

Lil Pump

Kamala Harris

Joe Biden

Kushners

Trumps

Many of them are sociopathically baited by money. They also want to feel elite. They also need to loom and feel like they’re conducting very adult stupid business type this throughout the day.

Elon is catering to specific groups as they play both one another in addition to The Royal Family in VR. Kimal as Charles when not Elon. That reality TV show family known as the Kardashians as Princess Kate. It’s bizarre and gross.

When speaking well of someone an abuser will stop talking about it 1/X of the way through and proceed to accuse the target of either interrupting them (despite the target hadn’t spoken at all) or of not paying attention nor of listening to them.

—————-

Profiles:

The primary core group of offenders:

1. Nick Kroll

2. Taika Waititi

3. Jessi Klein

4. Patton Oswalt

5. Mitra Jouhari

6. Jaboukie Young White

7. Ayo Edebiri

8. Anthony Jeselnik

9. John Mulaney

10. Gregg Rosenthal

All herein must have their children taken away and be placed under the super vision of a family member without history of sexual, domestic, drug, nor child abuse.

Kim Kardashian

Mimed and promised to send a compensation check to the targets family members. Placed the check in the composite. Tom Morello then pretended to rescue the ditched check and send it in the mail. Asked then victim to describe all the plans they intended for the money — a home for her family, a farm, acres, educations for the two kids. Kim Kardashian is now suspected by the targets of having used this method to gathering business insights using the hope of restitution money as bait? Doesn’t believe she owes the victims any compensation? Supremely idiotic, shallow, and showed signs of NPD. She appeared the most malignantly obsessed with insult, speaking down to, stranding, belittling, and yelling at me. Kim Kardashian must’ve barked“Shut up, [name]!” easily close to 100 times.

Van Jones

Identified as a Black Nazi. Said they hated White people. Constantly falsely accused me of a Nazi w/o evidence of any kind even when asked to prove it. (Voice came across as Johnny Cochran? Unclear why this was/n’t altered?)

On a personal note: I believe the $100M given to Mr. Jones by Bezos ought to have gone to a Black female lawyer and her firm as chosen by the Honorable Supreme Court Justice, Judge Jackson.

Drake

Seemed benevolent, understood the gravity of what mechanisms of psychological torture and exploitation such as this one means to others including his own people. (An American born European blooded woman who reads as White [Sabrina Bruning] was used in the initial trials of the operation as a means of direction (a place holder, if you will?🫥) in hopes of justifying and normalizing the abuse taking place.

His companion trailed not far behind though it’s unclear how much was the result of group think mimicry and learning versus innate?

Josh Kushner

Indoctrinated by his brother. Needs to feel like he’s an entrepreneur of some kind still? Thrive has ONE investment and it’s from a grift.

The entire Trump family

A vile, evil disgrace to this country. Loved calling the target a loser and is using her age while falsely accusing her of being a Nazi without proof. Thank you for nothing. Don’t believe they owe the victims any compensation?

GOP members

MTG is a sexually pressed screwball.

Jared Kushner

Evil. Thinks the target and everyone else is a Nazi but only accuses the target (Kushner provided zero evidence for his claims and again avoided calling out his own in-laws) and has yet to confront his own in-laws? Pseudo mastermind wannabe. Doesn’t believe he owes the victims any compensation?

Gregg Rosenthal

Advocate. Still got caught sneaking out IP from the target for his friend Anthony. Kind, trustworthy, used to lure and gain trust.

Anthony Jeselnik

Was told to not speak by the target. Too dumb and violent and that’s a bad mix for any mood.

Paddy Pimblett (Chris?)

At one point yelled “beggar!” at me repeatedly despite him being a socialist. Also participated in the wedding engagement rescue/abandonment scenario which attempts to humiliate victims and waste their time they could be seeking assistance elsewhere, tests their patience, harms them psychologically, grooms them for the patriarchy, and fucks with their hope by worsening their fear of being unable to escape their situation, a known factor in contributing to the development of PTSD and Complex-PTSD.

Re: my IG hacking w/ Las Vegas, NV login. On December 1st I grew curious? Had those involved dragged Paddy Pimblett and his fiancé Laura G. (Again, [target’s name]! and [target’s name]!?) into this in order to set them up based on their prior location during Paddy’s LV fight in December of 2022?

VP Kamala Harris

Said suspiciously very little.

Elon musk

Architect who engineered mechanisms for abuse. Abused the target religiously, calling her old, ugly, a hag, a beggar, among other insults. Constantly commented on how she was poor. Told her she was not British but that he was, falsely claiming to have been born there (and not in South Africa).🇿🇦 When he saw that a trafficking ring in Frisco, TX had been broken up his first words were, “Nevermind.” I would recommend considering a mental health facility and incarceration combination for Mr. Musk due to his experience with vast amounts of wealth, drugs, few rules, access to power and level of influence in the public and private sectors.

Maye Musk:

Enabler. Aristocrat villain stereotype.

The British Royal Family

So, that was bizarrely uncomfortable and weird for generations to follow, wasn’t it?

After the hacking that caused me screen to blackout for 24hrs significant lag has been experienced since.

Anthony Jeselnik

A thief and rapist who still grifts from me, was disrespectful when being kenneled this way. He eventually learned from the wiser Gregg Rosenthal to simply be more quiet here and to listen? Jeselnik gets it now — power lies in being more well mannered. Was told to not speak to me. Grifts mybwork right after anger episodes. Feels no remorse. Shows clear signs and a history of psychopathic behavior.

Tig Notaro:

WTF. Unexpectedly aggressive. Patronizing. Trips over her own tits, so to speak, but not nearly as bad as other people.

Charles Kushner

Rapey. He knows this mistreatment and operation is fucking stupid, pointless, but he’s a gross old felon so look where he defaults to?

This who got it better than others:

Gregg

Drake

Kimbal

Bobby

SZA

Waffled

Paddy Pimblett

———###

Personal experiences:

New technologies? Latest and greatest oohs and ahhhs?

Military?

“It may not be the crematorium [at Auschwitz] but…” — Josh Kushner

They would ask if someone present would date me which of course the answer was always no and meant as a means of berating me. Those asked would then be asked why with answers ranging anywhere from she’s. A loser, poor, ugly, and old.

They would ask me how I would respond to something, as a means of eliciting free work — IP and emotional labor — out of me. I would be asked almost exclusively about political topics.

They would lie to me and tell me that my niece or that my mother had just died, or that someone else I cared about had died.

They would tell me: thank you for nothing, get back to work, you’re never getting out of here, you’re ugly/old/poor

There seems to be an extremely gnawing, nearly psychological dependency to make Mr. Musk be RIGHT when they are a bit of a fraud and a nefarious entrepreneur, actually? Because if Elon Musk is right then it’s arguable that ther for so are the Royals in England where exploitation in Africa’s concerned {prop hoc…} …right? WRONG.

Often reminded that I am not a doctor nor a lawyer. Interesting considering that so much independent medical research* was coexisted by Republicans and anti-vaxxers alike then?

*pseudoscience anti-science and disproven conspiracies.

Consent matters. During testing, the ecosystem of a lack of captivity in earnest while remaining non consensually under surveillance.

It is felt all around:

You’re not me.

No.

Stop.

Don’t.

Those conducting the experiment against the will of the target want basic human rights reserves for themselves while blatantly depriving others of their own.

Legally speaking, the abusers are using private residence (nearby apt bldg) for commercials purposes. {Anything there? #LEGAL}

I am being told “[name], you have to be careful what you wish for?” which as wish for justice here I have since interpreted as “…and if you get it in the form of a trial win then we will absolutely positively attempt to murder you in cold blood.”

Like a puffer fish, I am deliberately agitated — I am heckled, belittled, and berated by those who hold zero respect for my life or my family’s future — so that I will react to it and engage them in arguing, trading insults, debate; and due to my showings signs of being neurologically atypical and being predispositioned to be kind, hopefully conversation, even compliments? It is sick.

Elon musk and Jared Kushner were photographed together in Qatar at FIFA game.

The word shower appears to be a trigger word that would then somehow signal rapists to come and voyeurize me while I showered.

Repeatedly being asked my age and whether or not say, Elon Musk would date me or not, drove me insane. It was posed to as well as was asked in regards to Elon Musk approximately no less than 30 times. FWIW: speaking on my own behalf, the answer was and will always be: Gød no. Furthermore, quantum theory suggests there are parallel realities, I cannot help that had life gone differently in a number of ways if one of those reality’s held something different — though not necessarily better? — and I addressed as much during this time?

The bullying that surveillance has allowed has caused me to alter my behavior and second guess myself, changing both my personality and how I view myself. This is unfavorable.

As I am fluent in the language of speaking sarcastically and often in a satirical dialect, I’ve found the flattened of tone and context transmuted literally, smooshing words to appear harsh or mocking towards, say, the poor or disabled, in a way not intended. It’s me a ping The World’s judge mental tone and this not only was lost in translation when written out but at times used against me based on how it looked to readers w/o disclaimers or helpful contextual addendums.

The logic appears to be the Lightning Rod theory — a target chosen as a designated whipping post for abuse. As if one person is chosen the those who are tormenting the target will manage to maintain composure by directing the majority of negative emotions frustrations, anger, vitriol, etc Proving that our understanding or willingness to try and truly understand racism appears bunk? It is the Trickle Down Economics Theory of anti-racism. It doesn’t work.

The complaints got exponentially more hollow as the arguments got batted away in irrefutable defeat.

I’ve been chided in tone, word choice, and volume. By what moral scale are we measuring my enslavement? Am I a bad slave?

(Honestly, TF is the matter with you fucking people??)

The day of Andrew Tate and his brother’s arrest in Romania, the GOP pod members went quiet within the hour of my having viewed the video of Tate being taken into custody. The day after, from the moment I woke up, Kim Kardashian, Elon Musk, Gregg Rosenthal, Anthony Jeselnik, Paddy Pimblett, Laura Gregory, decided to be present during yet another session.

Nobody is here is Doctor. Not a researcher, psychologist, sociologist, etc. They don’t have their degree in anything even remotely close, some of them. This operation is not structured to conclude any real findings other than perhaps what the targets fine observations of their own situation can offer up?

“All’s well that ends well”. The targets is often tasted with filling in a prompt for the participants to practice how they would frame and describe something, such as the target themselves to a third party or a film, a response to something they’ve just read, a popular topic of interest, etc. In doing so those responsible for the operation are attempting to hard mesh the two valleys of industry, Silicon and San Fernando — which is what the targets aimed to do peacefully through their work {film; Glitch Money}.

Re: my IG hacking w/ Las Vegas, NV login. On December 1st I grew curious? Had those involved dragged Paddy Pimblett and his fiancé Laura Gregory into this in order to set them up based on their prior location during Paddy’s LV fight in December of 2022?

Kardashian tactics:

Ready?_______

They’re so obsessed

They always _________

You little ______

Omg, you guys?

______\____________________

“I spent time understanding the system I was placed within by playing along, using a trapping line of questioning, observation, even debating those handlers. It was a matter of reverse engineering, in the same way one figures out what a room looks in depth and dimension with no lights on?” — [target’s name]!

CONTACT

@UN

@UN_WOMEN

@ACLU

…and tell them what you’ve witnessed here?

#Elon

During the PsyOps hall of mirrors/tea party VR and audio harassment, this was THE gesture of the Kim Kardashian character. She got several others involved to mimic it. Nearly EVERYONE at someone point made this typed fucking arrogant gesture?



#LEGAL

</end notes>

 They are pagans using Deepak voices, and they are employed and round. The clock shifts as they were there when I go to bed at night, and from the moment I open my eyes in the morning. Ayo Edebiri or Jaboukie Young-White I sn’t able to sit there all night waiting for me to wake up while simultaneously sitting on a plane to England to speak to Tom Holland of the CofE. Just saying.