#Blatant Pre-programming

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Three AI insights for hard-charging, future-oriented smartypantses

MERE HOURS REMAIN for the Kickstarter for the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There’s also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

Living in the age of AI hype makes demands on all of us to come up with smartypants prognostications about how AI is about to change everything forever, and wow, it's pretty amazing, huh?

AI pitchmen don't make it easy. They like to pile on the cognitive dissonance and demand that we all somehow resolve it. This is a thing cult leaders do, too – tell blatant and obvious lies to their followers. When a cult follower repeats the lie to others, they are demonstrating their loyalty, both to the leader and to themselves.

Over and over, the claims of AI pitchmen turn out to be blatant lies. This has been the case since at least the age of the Mechanical Turk, the 18th chess-playing automaton that was actually just a chess player crammed into the base of an elaborate puppet that was exhibited as an autonomous, intelligent robot.

The most prominent Mechanical Turk huckster is Elon Musk, who habitually, blatantly and repeatedly lies about AI. He's been promising "full self driving" Telsas in "one to two years" for more than a decade. Periodically, he'll "demonstrate" a car that's in full-self driving mode – which then turns out to be canned, recorded demo:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-video-promoting-self-driving-was-staged-engineer-testifies-2023-01-17/

Musk even trotted an autonomous, humanoid robot on-stage at an investor presentation, failing to mention that this mechanical marvel was just a person in a robot suit:

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/elon-musk-tesla-robot-optimus-ai

Now, Musk has announced that his junk-science neural interface company, Neuralink, has made the leap to implanting neural interface chips in a human brain. As Joan Westenberg writes, the press have repeated this claim as presumptively true, despite its wild implausibility:

https://joanwestenberg.com/blog/elon-musk-lies

Neuralink, after all, is a company notorious for mutilating primates in pursuit of showy, meaningless demos:

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-pcrm-neuralink-monkey-deaths/

I'm perfectly willing to believe that Musk would risk someone else's life to help him with this nonsense, because he doesn't see other people as real and deserving of compassion or empathy. But he's also profoundly lazy and is accustomed to a world that unquestioningly swallows his most outlandish pronouncements, so Occam's Razor dictates that the most likely explanation here is that he just made it up.

The odds that there's a human being beta-testing Musk's neural interface with the only brain they will ever have aren't zero. But I give it the same odds as the Raelians' claim to have cloned a human being:

https://edition.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/03/cf.opinion.rael/

The human-in-a-robot-suit gambit is everywhere in AI hype. Cruise, GM's disgraced "robot taxi" company, had 1.5 remote operators for every one of the cars on the road. They used AI to replace a single, low-waged driver with 1.5 high-waged, specialized technicians. Truly, it was a marvel.

Globalization is key to maintaining the guy-in-a-robot-suit phenomenon. Globalization gives AI pitchmen access to millions of low-waged workers who can pretend to be software programs, allowing us to pretend to have transcended the capitalism's exploitation trap. This is also a very old pattern – just a couple decades after the Mechanical Turk toured Europe, Thomas Jefferson returned from the continent with the dumbwaiter. Jefferson refined and installed these marvels, announcing to his dinner guests that they allowed him to replace his "servants" (that is, his slaves). Dumbwaiters don't replace slaves, of course – they just keep them out of sight:

https://www.stuartmcmillen.com/blog/behind-the-dumbwaiter/

So much AI turns out to be low-waged people in a call center in the Global South pretending to be robots that Indian techies have a joke about it: "AI stands for 'absent Indian'":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

A reader wrote to me this week. They're a multi-decade veteran of Amazon who had a fascinating tale about the launch of Amazon Go, the "fully automated" Amazon retail outlets that let you wander around, pick up goods and walk out again, while AI-enabled cameras totted up the goods in your basket and charged your card for them.

According to this reader, the AI cameras didn't work any better than Tesla's full-self driving mode, and had to be backstopped by a minimum of three camera operators in an Indian call center, "so that there could be a quorum system for deciding on a customer's activity – three autopilots good, two autopilots bad."

Amazon got a ton of press from the launch of the Amazon Go stores. A lot of it was very favorable, of course: Mister Market is insatiably horny for firing human beings and replacing them with robots, so any announcement that you've got a human-replacing robot is a surefire way to make Line Go Up. But there was also plenty of critical press about this – pieces that took Amazon to task for replacing human beings with robots.

What was missing from the criticism? Articles that said that Amazon was probably lying about its robots, that it had replaced low-waged clerks in the USA with even-lower-waged camera-jockeys in India.

Which is a shame, because that criticism would have hit Amazon where it hurts, right there in the ole Line Go Up. Amazon's stock price boost off the back of the Amazon Go announcements represented the market's bet that Amazon would evert out of cyberspace and fill all of our physical retail corridors with monopolistic robot stores, moated with IP that prevented other retailers from similarly slashing their wage bills. That unbridgeable moat would guarantee Amazon generations of monopoly rents, which it would share with any shareholders who piled into the stock at that moment.

See the difference? Criticize Amazon for its devastatingly effective automation and you help Amazon sell stock to suckers, which makes Amazon executives richer. Criticize Amazon for lying about its automation, and you clobber the personal net worth of the executives who spun up this lie, because their portfolios are full of Amazon stock:

https://sts-news.medium.com/youre-doing-it-wrong-notes-on-criticism-and-technology-hype-18b08b4307e5

Amazon Go didn't go. The hundreds of Amazon Go stores we were promised never materialized. There's an embarrassing rump of 25 of these things still around, which will doubtless be quietly shuttered in the years to come. But Amazon Go wasn't a failure. It allowed its architects to pocket massive capital gains on the way to building generational wealth and establishing a new permanent aristocracy of habitual bullshitters dressed up as high-tech wizards.

"Wizard" is the right word for it. The high-tech sector pretends to be science fiction, but it's usually fantasy. For a generation, America's largest tech firms peddled the dream of imminently establishing colonies on distant worlds or even traveling to other solar systems, something that is still so far in our future that it might well never come to pass:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/09/astrobezzle/#send-robots-instead

During the Space Age, we got the same kind of performative bullshit. On The Well David Gans mentioned hearing a promo on SiriusXM for a radio show with "the first AI co-host." To this, Craig L Maudlin replied, "Reminds me of fins on automobiles."

Yup, that's exactly it. An AI radio co-host is to artificial intelligence as a Cadillac Eldorado Biaritz tail-fin is to interstellar rocketry.

Back the Kickstarter for the audiobook of The Bezzle here!

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/31/neural-interface-beta-tester/#tailfins

[threepandas]

Your Biggest Fan: Part 2

-Villian Yandere Izuku-

Did you know his Hero~ was blacklisted at twenty-six different agencies, for publicly calling them out on Quirkist policies they refused to change? The most recent was for blatant mutation Quirk discrimination. The lead hero not only ignored it! He PARTICIPATED! She blasted it EVERYWHERE~

He's going to lose his license.

There are entire CITIES where she's not welcome. Agencies that won't answer her calls. Step after stubborn step, ever forward, as she stands the only thing between the SUFFERING, the WEAK, and the endless SEWAGE that spews and spews their hate! Ah~♡

She's so COOL~♡

Her costume's super practical, you know? She got it designed over seas! You can really see the western influences! They like focus on protection first, THEN Quirk. Instead of the other way around! Not like the Japanese. We also focus on marketability when designing, where as she went into a tax funded Heroics system for her education.

It makes her look INTIMIDATING. Foreign. Vaguely militaristic. Ha ha! As though that's not what Heros ARE! What they have BECOME! But not Her~ oh no, no no no, SHE took their tools and made KINDNESS out of it!

Safe parks to play in! Eco-friendly lighting for roads at night! Donating time and money to old pre-quirk cultural heritage sites. So she can help preserve history and traditions! Because before Quirks? We were still PEOPLE. Our past is IMPORTANT.

Community and kindness, mercy and... and...!

He whines. Squirms in his chair. So cool! SO COOL~♡!

It's so hard to keep his hands to himself. To keep them respectful. He shouldn't-! He CAN'T-! But... ah~ look at how REGAL she looks! And in THIS photo? She looks so soft and kind? Giving a speech to kids~ He wishes it was him. He would listen for HOURS. It'd be amazing.

He bet he could ask SO many questions! And... and she'd answer ALL of them! She'd be so happy to have an active listener. Someone engaged. Attentive. He'd remember ALL her talking points and ask after each one~ They'd talk for HOURS. P-probably get thirsty. She notice the time.

Go "ah, look at the time, Izuku-chan! It's been so long! Getting so LATE! But I still want to talk to you! We should get dinner." And he'd say YES, of course!

He can't resist anymore. The thoughts, his fantasy, too much to endure. His eyes flick from photo to photo. Not enough, not yet, but soon... so they WILL be. He'll get MORE. Right now... right now he needs... ah! There. Graduation. Formal dress.

He can pretend it's a date~♡

All dressed up, just... just to meet HIM! He can barely breath at the thought. The audacity of it. She would NEVER. B..But he could dream, right? No one needs to know. What he IMAGINES. What he thinks about as his hands unbuckle his belt, drag his pants down and open wide.

As he TOUCHES.

Runs hands across his skin, up under his shirt and vest, down and across where he wants it most, like he's EXPLORING. Like he's someone else. Someone with gentle, powerful, hands. His back arches, hips lift, but he refuses to stop his teasing. He wants to be rough. Would want HER to be rough.

She would refuse him.

He... he just KNOWS she would. Would tell him everyone else has been rough enough. Their first time should be gentle~♡ Ah~

She would grind the tip until he couldn't STAND it, just like he is. Listen to him babble and beg. Hips bucking in her grip. Begging her to let him WORSHIP her. To slide to his knees between her legs and never come out. Use his tounge and his fingers to make HER feel good. Make her MELT. Over and over, forever~

Just the thought of it has him spilling into the fist of his hand. All but milking himself dry. It's not enough. His body rides the aftershocks of pleasure and still... drinking in HER, plastered up all around his desk, brought up on his screen, it's not ENOUGH.

He needs audio. Videos. Enough for that high end deep fake program he had made. He... he could make her say ANYTHING. The thought sends a sharp, shuddering, jolt of pleasure through him. He could have SO MANY videos of their dates and... and intimate moments and casual conversations! All before he gets the courage up to TALK to her!

It's perfect~♡

Like a scrapbook of their lives to come! W-well, a FANTASY scrap book... Cool as she is? Busy as she is? She probably doesn't even have TIME to date. And what could a deku like him even OFFER? But... but ah~♡

He can DREAM can't he?

Look out for her, like she looks out for everyone else?

He's her number one FAN! They didn't talk for very long... but he can already TELL. He IS. She's the BEST. And she's gonna be his number one too~

[catbountry]

Look, I know the Deltarune fandom has collectively decided that pre-Big Shot era Spamton is called "Addispam," but for interpersonal characterization reasons, I write the Addisons calling Spamton "Spamison." By putting the "Spam" in his name right up front as a prefix, it serves to further alienate Spamton from them. They want to remind him that he is not like them; he is a short, janky prototype, an old guy using tactics from a pre-commercial Internet that are much slower and easier to get around than banner ads and pop-ups. He is an inferior version of themselves and they make sure that he isn't allowed to forget it. His tactics are so disliked by internet users that his unsolicited emails are labeled "spam" by a bunch of nerdy users that think quoting Monty Python is peak humor (this was very common in nerd circles in the 90's and early 2000's; trust me, I was there and I was doing it). Perhaps "Spamison" suggests that he be called "Addispam" just to feel a little bit more included, to feel like he could be one of the Addisons, only for the Addisons to ignore this suggestion unless they want favors from him.

Spamton hoarding money to make Pipis nests or just straight-up eating it comes from him having experienced a time where, for years, he did his job and making money wasn't a thing he even thought about until he was forced to flee from a decommissioned ARPANET to NSFNET, which was still a government program but with more private interests involved, and then flee AGAIN to the increasingly commercialized World Wide Web. Having money means that his home won't be abandoned or destroyed. It means he won't go hungry or sleep out in the cold alone. He was never cut out to be a salesman. He actually really sucks at it, no matter how much he tries, and has to resort to outright, blatant scams, preying on the most gullible users out there and barely scraping by as spam filters become more and more common for email clients. Being a Big Shot provided stability, safety, and having so much money meant that he could indulge in its excesses and the power it brought, going completely go to his head and giving him a massive ego because now he is important and famous and people want to be around him. And then when the phone calls stopped, he was rudderless, unable to pick up on anything useful to keep from going bankrupt almost immediately. Money allowed him to thrive, and he needs money in order to barely survive.

There's definitely a lot more of this I'd like to properly explore that I haven't even mentioned. But the idea of him having had to uproot his entire existence, twice, just to be able to find a home that wouldn't be destroyed, is something I haven't seen anybody else expand upon. He's in his 40's and didn't have an actual childhood, instead just being created fully formed as The Email Guy, and going from that, to Spamison, to Big Shot Spamton, to the glitchy, dumpster-dwelling Spamton G. Spamton we've all come to know and love.

Also I like the idea of him always having been short to really give him that short man syndrome that later goes into a full-blown Napoleon complex and serves as yet another reason for him to resent the Addisons. They treat him like a young, exploitable intern despite the fact that Spamton is nearly two decades their senior based on the fact that he's so much shorter than them, he has eight fingers instead of ten, and he's inexperienced in sales, the thing that the Addisons were created for. Indignity upon indignity.

TL;DR:

[fictitiousponies]

A and G:))

A- Anecdote; You're in a wacky childhood anecdote competition against church puppet nationals and (insert any Phil Northern anecdote here), what story are you using? When I was a kid, in the summer time we had this thing called Park Camp, basically it was a day camp at a local park where you'd spend the day just hanging out with kids your age and playing around while being watched by older teens from the program (I assume there must have been an adult or two there as well), but there were a ton of these programs around the city and once a week instead of our park, ALL the camps would meet up at a much larger park in the city and merge for the day. We'd also have lip sync competitions where we'd choreograph a dance/performance to a popular song and compete against the other camps. It was really fun, but I remember one year as we were sort of aging out of the camp a bit, the counselors didn't give a fuck and stopped watching us and we had a crab apple fight and I got hit in the throat and had to go home. My mom was very mad. G- Glass Closet; What pre-coming out moments most made you go 👀🏳️‍🌈? (either at the time or looking back now if you weren't there at the time) I genuinely never assumed they were gay, I was actually surprised when they both came out as gay. I thought they were both bi as they had said as much a million years ago on formspring(I had seen those and the dailybooth posts), and I just sort of assumed they weren't comfortable with it being Big Public Info after they got so popular. I remember thinking 'oh its nice they are getting more comfortable' when Dan started joking about Evan Peters, the Haru pillow being a thing, the line in the diss track, and then of course the ending to Trying To Live My Truth. Phil always commenting on how attractive guys were. 'he looked like thor! he looked like zack efron!' esc stuff as well, but I do think Dan was a bit more blatant looking back just because of the jokes he made closer to him being ready to come out.

Give me a letter and I'll answer!

[manorpunk]

I just remembered something I worked on several years ago. Most of the notes were on paper journals that have since been lost, sadly, but I’m going to write what I remember because it’s basically manorpunk from before I had a name for it. So with that said, I present:

Allen Staanke’s Haunted Maidbot Mansion

The year is 2069, and the much-loathed tech mogul (and blatant Elon Musk parody) Allen Staanke has died. A motley crew of investigators arrive at the fortress-mansion where Staanke had secluded himself for the past few years, looking to uncover the dark secrets behind Staanke’s legacy:

Justin Case

The everyman. He’s sent there by the records management company where he works for boring paperwork reasons - ensuring best practices in maintaining the conditions of any company-relevant documentation of etc etc, you get the idea. Justin was specifically chosen for the job because he’s pretty standard and close to the vest and therefore the least likely to get wrapped up in the aura of Staanke’s bullshit.

Carolus von Zuckerberg-Lorraine

Lord-Mayor of Silicon Valley who demanded to be included. A superficial charmer but self-conscious of his reputation as a venal failson, he sees this as an opportunity to be seen doing his job on a high-profile incident.

Bees!

Popular nonbinary pastelcore influencer known for their large cotton-candy pink afro and endless sparkly-eyed enthusiasm. Obviously, they’re there to get pumped up numbies with a dank exclusive. The exclamation mark is in fact part of their name.

Sacramento Rose

Private investigator who refuses to disclose who she’s working for. Although nobody can tell her expression beneath her sunglasses and black face mask, you can safely assume she has a steely-eyed stare and stony frown at all times.

Guy I Never Got Around to Naming

Security officer with the Fine Young Citizens, the world’s top provider for all your paramilitary and para-militarized police needs. Dies mysteriously to kick off the plot.

Once everyone is inside the fortress-mansion, a pre-recorded message starts to play on the TV screens where a pre-recorded Staanke talks about chasing his “bold vision” for the future of humanity and implores the visitors to spend a few days “seeing what he’s created” before they judge him. As soon as the message ends, blast doors slam shut around the entire perimeter of the building and a powerful jammer starts blocking all communication with the outside world.

While everyone is still coming to grips with what just happened, they are suddenly met by a fleet of semi-autonomous maidbots. The maidbots say that everything will be fine, please do not worry, and in the meantime let us tend to your every need. Obviously there would be a cast of named maidbots - the head maid, the sleepy one, the motherly one, and so on (and yes obviously there are boybot maids). Things go “normally” from there for a bit, some character development - Sacramento immediately distrusts the maids, probably tries to hack them or something. Come to think of it, maybe there should be a hacker/engineer type in the main cast. Anyway, Carolus immediately gets lost in the maid sauce and decides to take it easy while they wait. Bees! immediately starts taking selfies with the maids. Justin gets some uncanny valley-type vibes from the attention and is the only/one of the only people who actually tries to get some work done, though the maids act shifty when asked anything about Staanke’s research documents.

Then things take a serious turn into act 2 when they wake up the next morning and find Unnamed Security Guard dead in his bed. We get all the usual beats - exploring nooks and crannies, uncovering research, maybe a fight scene, definitely maidbot sex - and the gang begins to unveil the truth.

So there’s some kind of law or regulation around the programming of androids/robots that’s designed to prevent the singularity from happening. Hard limits on their ‘emotions’ or something like that, or having to stick to pre-approved ‘personality suites’ which allow only minor modifications. Three Laws type stuff. Whatever it is, it relates to the like… how much robots are able to respond to ‘emotions,’ as well as some kind of like default ‘general knowledge suite’ to keep them from spreading misinformation.

Allen Staanke was working on (i.e. made other people work on) an experimental AI system that would allow you to control the bot’s personality by seeding it with certain ideas and images to directly influence the AI’s personality development. Since Staanke is a thinly-veiled Elon Musk parody, the entire reason he’s doing all this is to create robots that will worship him and uncritically accept his myopic worldview. On his first attempt, though, a programming oversight caused the robot’s personality to be seeded with the Torment Nexus, creating the yandere maidbot who killed Staanke and has also been attacking the visitors.

Then the protagonist fixes her with the power of love, or something, I didn’t really have anything definite for the ending. Damn, this sounds like fun. Why’d I ever stop working on it?

[bitterarcs]

Pretty sure I have this in my rules ( look at me being too lazy to just read them over ), but I don't tag specific things that may be too violent or 'upsetting' etc. I have the strong opinion that violent themes come with the territory. I think a lot of people tend to be distracted, or choose to focus, on the pretty characters and whimsy of the world. It's likely easier with characters that are not affiliated with ShinRa, y'know the hero types, however it's their suffering and trials which led them down a path of the good as opposed to that of the evil. The overarching message is that ShinRa is evil, but a lot of people just gloss over that. Sure, there were good or decent people with honorable intentions in the SOLDIER program, however soldiers are soldiers. I won't go into detail about that facet as I'm trying to get to my main point. While I do think every member of the Turks had their different motives and moralities to join such a department, I also believe that every member is malicious, at the very least bad, and most certainly evil. Evil is too often depicted as black and white when really, it comes in shades of grey.

If someone makes an argument about how this Turk character was actually good but chose to be part of the Turks for xyz reason, I'll hear it out. At least in my depiction and how Reno views all his comrades, they are bad at varying degrees. Why wouldn't they be? They're the equivalent of soldiers carrying out black ops — trained to the highest capacity in a wide range of skillsets, taking on discreet missions, doing the things no one else wants to do, cleaning up messes, carrying secrets, and YOU KNOW . . kidnapping, murder, interrogations, torture, and you can only imagine the rest. This is why I have such a bone to pick with AC. It really paints the remainder of ShinRa as clowns, more so with Reno and Rude.

There's no doubt they'd keep their heads down while as they try to build ShinRa back up, but they wouldn't be knocking back drinks with Cloud and the gang for shits and giggles. The very fact that they're too friendly is just bleh. There's the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but AC makes it seem like an episode of some cheesy action flick where enemies and friends hold hands as one. I'm more inclined to think that Tifa and all of em would want nothing to do with the Turks knowing the kind of shit they're into, and they wouldn't even know the entire picture.

POINT IS, the Turks are ruthless. Some more than others know to have a personality outside of work and enjoy life, but the work they do is intense. As fun as Reno can be, I don't play him like a clown 100%. When he acts the fool, it's to lift someone's spirits or it's an act. He's a proficient killer and perhaps unlike other Turks with dubious morals, Reno loves his job and is quite evil for it. I also depict Rude as equally loving his job and being just as evil but not so blatant about it. The other Turks have their own reasons and moral compasses, but Reno chooses to see them as like minded.

Also evil corporations are only made possible by the evil people who work for them and make their goals realities. Hojo and the ol' Pres weren't the only malicious people.

[pheadrus]

nude photography is actually very interesting bc the lack of sensuality in so much of it so blatant bc the human body is Right There and it’s still .. nothing, a screen, a fulfilment of a porn culture’s pre-programmed Hot Image, no level of black and white, blurring, HD, being at the beach will save you from your lack of fucking sensuality!!!

[plethoraworldatlas]

On October 26th, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board (IWDCB) approved allocating over $140,000 to private contractors for aerial gunning, trapping, and snaring wolves in Idaho. The decision was made with no opportunity for comment or public review.

Trevor C. Walch, operator of the Nevada-based Predator Control Corporation, presented three of the five hunting proposals and is poised to be the primary beneficiary of three of the contracts to be executed by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, totaling over $100,000. His extensive record of violating wildlife laws has been uncovered since the meeting. In Nevada, this record includes selling furs without a license and trapping practices that the Nevada Chief Game Warden labeled “blatant illegal behavior.” Walch left an elk calf and other animals in traps for over ten days to die of dehydration and starvation. In Wyoming, Walch has been investigated for unlawful aerial hunting over federal lands.

...

Game Management Units 48 and 49 are home to the Wood River Wolf Project, which has been successfully working directly with ranchers, sheep herders, and community members in Blaine County since 2008 to promote coexistence with wolves and prevent livestock losses. The 2023 field season concluded in October, resulted in zero confirmed sheep losses to wolves amongst the 24,000 sheep in the 1,200 sq km (about half the area of Yosemite National Park) project area. The project regularly documents the lowest sheep losses to wolves in Idaho’s wolf range. Yet now, the state has targeted wolves in the Wood River Wolf Project’s area to be exterminated without cause.

Ranchers currently managing sheep in the Project Area were not notified of this decision. Since being notified of these proposals after the meeting, the Flat Top Sheep Company owners have withdrawn from the scheme and Lava Lake Land & Livestock’s owner and President Brian Bean has denounced the effort for its wasteful spending and risk of harm to the public. Bean points out that pack disruption through partial lethal control will likely cause more, not fewer, wolf conflicts with livestock as individual survivors; especially as inexperienced juveniles, spread across the landscape and no longer subject to pack social discipline, turn to killing livestock for survival.

“The collective expense of these wolf depredation mitigation programs exceeds the total value of livestock killed, statewide, in Idaho. Much of that expense is borne by Idaho taxpayers — for no good reason,” says Bean.

“Nonlethal deterrents work. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, year after year, to kill wolves — at this point, often pre-emptively and without evidence that wolves have actually killed livestock — says a lot about Idaho politics, about the Idaho State Legislature, about Idaho politicians generally and about the Idaho Wolf Livestock Depredation Control Board itself which only funds killing wolves with nothing allocated to nonlethal depredation mitigation. Is this good governance and program administration? Emphatically not. Rather, it’s expensive, wasteful, vindictive, and immoral,” states Bean, concluding, “It’s also, unfortunately, very much today’s Idaho.”  

“The Wood River Wolf Pack in Blaine County is among those targeted by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, yet wolves here have the best record of living beside tens of thousands of sheep peacefully for 16 straight years. This year, ranchers in our project area reported no loss of sheep to the Wood River wolves with over 24,000 sheep present during the 2023 grazing season, making it one of the most successful years on record,” says Suzanne Asha Stone, IWCN Director. “By targeting this population of research wolves that are proving that nonlethal methods are more effective in protecting livestock than randomly killing wolves and other native carnivores, the state of Idaho is blatantly refusing to coexist with any wolves. Period.”

“These wolves live on our public lands that belong to all Americans,” she adds. “Our local community doesn’t want the state to kill our wolves. By enriching biodiversity and helping protect against catastrophic disease in elk and deer, they make essential contributions to a healthy ecosystem.”

“The Wolf Depredation Control Board’s decision to funnel more state money into private hands to kill wolves is just further evidence that the state will stop at nothing to get rid of the species,” says Talasi Brooks of Western Watersheds Project, an Idaho-based nonprofit. “It’s an affront to science-based wildlife management and a terrible waste of more than thirty years of work to bring wolves back.”

[dreamingdarklyblog]

Process Breakdown

hypnoticpresence

It's not boring to me. I may not be writing professionally, but I still enjoy hearing about the creative process. Please consider me a vote for more of a breakdown and thank you so much for sharing what you have.

Well let's see...

Today I was working on a post for the Nerdy Girl Next Door set. And I got permission from @sweetn0vato use her photos last month. I just haven't gotten around to using any yet. She has a great, cute, girl next door look and wears glasses. Which, is pretty stereotypical but sells "nerdy girl" pretty well.

So I figured I should find one of her photos that would work. Usually choosing a photo is a lot broader job, I've got a "Gallery" of potential shots set up with 30 of so images per page, somewhat loosely sorted. So I can tab through them and try to find something that jumps out at me with a good idea. In this case the gallery is a lot smaller. @sweetn0va is very hot, but most of the things she posts are gifs or videos, and quite lower resolution. There's not a whole lot of photos that will work.

Here's what I found parsing through her media. Made some notes for your guys sake with my thoughts. I wasn't sure what kind of post I wanted to make, aside from the general theme. Go with a blank look, her being programmed over a facetime call? I like the outdoor shot, she looks gorgeous, but I don't think it really sells the mind control angle well. I could try and shoehorn it in... But there are better options.

In the end I opted for the "schoolgirl" outfit. I felt it leaned into the "girl next door" fantasy best. For a different theme I probably would have picked the one above it, or the top left if I wanted a blank look.

Next step is setting up the page, applying a watermark, and making some word bubbles. I usually get them started, then apply some styles I have pre-configured for different character "tones". I'm sure it's obvious, but I tend towards a default of blue and green. Blue being for the "male" voice, and green being female. I also make heavy use of pink when there's more than 1 female, or when it's a clearly ditzy/bimbo voice. It's a blatant sexist stereotype, but I find it's a good way to quickly communicate more about the scene without having to "Say" it.

Once the styles are applied I re-arrange and resize the bubbles to fit, and start really "Writing". Usually I have only the general outline of where I want the scene to go. Where it starts, where it ends, maybe a beat or two in the middle if a good line pops into my head, but mostly I just write a line and then move on to the next one. I very often find that the dialogue just doesn't flow in the direction that I wanted it to, and have to make adjustments to the intended "Story".

Probably less than half actually end where I originally intended. The rest change on me as the characters voices develop on the page, and they take a different direction. This one changed a fair bit on me, as I'd intended one idea, but instead it drifted into sort of a trigger play direction.

Anyway. This page is now finished, but not published on the discord yet. I sent it to @sweetn0va for final approval, before showing it to anyone else ;). If you want to see it before it makes it to the tumblr (at current page that will be about... 3 months) you know where to sign up for the Patreon ;)

[originalleftist]

Some good news and bad news re Gaza:

First the bad news: the pier constructed by the US military to bring in aid will be permanently dismantled.

While I do not agree with this action, some context needs to be provided here, to counter the inevitable propaganda accusing Biden of supporting Palestinian Genocide.

As the article below notes, the pier was always temporary (though I do believe part of reconstructing Gaza should be the construction of permanent harbour facilities), it has been unfortunately frequently out of operation because of unexpectedly bad weather, most of the aid delivered has ended up sitting on the beach, not distributed due to "security concerns" (we can argue ad nauseum over whether Hamas or the Netanyahu Government/the IDF is more to blame for that), and finally, the World Food Program has suspended delivers since June 9th, when the IDF conducted its hostage rescue raid "pending a full security review.".

Note: this is NOT, so far as I can tell, due to the conspiracy theory that the pier was used in that operation, which the US had denied and even Al Jazeera grudgingly admitted is false (the same Al Jazeera article I read said the WFP suspended deliveries because some of its warehouses were hit by rockets).

Now the good news: the Biden Administration has announced additional sanctions of illegal West Bank settlements:

To quote the above article:

"The US has stepped up efforts to target violent Israeli settlers, adding new individuals and organisations to a growing sanctions list and warning banks to check transactions link to all Israeli "outposts" in the occupied West Bank.

The new sanctions cover the far-right group Lehava, already listed by the UK, and two founding members of Tsav9, a campaign group that blocked aid from reaching Gaza. The new measures also target outposts, suggesting the Biden administration is prepared to take at least some steps to confront Israel's creeping land grab in the West Bank.

One of the outposts targeted was set up by a regional council, implying that branches of the Israeli state are potentially no longer off limits, when it comes to sanctions."

Of course, many "Pro-Palestinian" organizations will say it isn't enough. Some want sanctions against the Netanyahu government, as discussed in the article, which I think is not without merit, and probably will happen if things continue on their current course. Some want an end to all military aid (including the Iron Dome, which protects civilians from rocket strikes) or, in extreme cases, they want nothing less than the sanctioning of everyone in or associated with Israel and/or Jews (ie collective punishment). Biden is, obviously, not going to do that.

The problem is, Biden now risks the frequent fate of a moderate trying to take nuanced, measured positions: condemnation by hardliners on both sides. These sanctions won't stop the screaming of "Genocide Joe" from Pro-Palestinian protesters... but they will likely make some supporters of Israel more inclined to back Trump. Lehava has already apparently responded by saying "Biden's measures won't deter us - we'll continue to act fearlessly to save Israel's daughters, much to the dismay of Biden and Israel's other enemies" (I don't have a source for that quote, a relation sent it to me by email). If true, they are not only calling the President of the United States an enemy Israel, but appear to be insinuating that he supports and desires attacks on Israeli women (this claim to be defending the nation's "daughters" from predation by foreigners is incidentally textbook fascist rhetoric, and you can find it in fascist/racist movements all over the world).

Of course, the truth is that Joe Biden is neither an enemy of Israel nor a supporter of Palestinian genocide. He is a moderate who supports a two-state solution, an Israeli and a Palestinian state, and a ceasefire between them. He has in general emphasized support for the Israeli state, especially after the atrocities of October 7th, he has continued to do so in the face of much opposition both internationally and from within his own party, and it is likely only the persistent refusal of the Netanyahu government to reign in extremist elements, and its attempts to undermine Biden and his efforts, that have pushed him to these actions.

Trump, meanwhile, is being presented as a friend to both Israel and Palestinians, but he is neither. Trump's loyalties are for sale and his actions often impulsive, and he will support one party or the other to the extent that it benefits his perceived interest to do so, but he is ultimately deeply racist against both Palestinians and Jews. His signature policies include a Muslim ban, while his Thanksgiving dinner guests included noted anti-semite Kanye West, and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, a man who has called for the execution of all non-Christians in the US, including (his words) "perfidious Jews". Trump's ex-wife also claimed he kept a copy of Hitler's Mein Kampf by their bedside.

A Biden presidency is the best chance for peace. A Trump presidency means war to the death- which is why extremists on both sides want him.

[mandalhoerian]

( ANTIBIOSIS )

PAIRING: Anakin Skywalker x OC

SHIP TROPES: bitch4brat, haters to friends, the hero x random npc/side character he picked instead of the princess, villainess x male lead she corrupted

WARNINGS/TAGS: terminal illness, recreational drug use, medicinal drug use, disability (cybernetics), chronic pain, medical horror, past grooming and teacher-student relationship, themes of death, anakin skywalker in general

TIMELINE: pre-aotc - aotc (~24-23 BBY)

READ ON AO3 ! | KA'TRACYN VIZSLA TAG !

The young Margrave Ka'tracyn Vizsla leads a life of isolation and tranquility in her sanctuary, tending to her gardens and keeping to her research. Having tossed all the heavy work of politics on the shoulders of her poor uncle, she doesn't shy away from indulging in the luxury of a leisurely lifestyle, surrounded by the only staff she tolerates and won't kick off the premises of her manor within a day: droids. It's a very well-known fact that Duchess Satine Kryze's bias is the only crutch holding her up as the head of House Vizsla, otherwise, the old warrior tradition of her house dictates she'd have been forsaken for being unfit for the title long ago. The lack of the Way and its teachings amongst the New Mandalorians have allowed her to slip through the cracks of her ancestors' ideals. Frustration and disapproval of her incompetence and blatant favoritism of her adoptive aunt have led to a bad reputation being cemented in Lady Vizsla's name by the public. The more traditional of Mandalorians have nicknamed her Arasuum after the old god of sloth and laziness in the Mandalorian religion. It's also a derogatory word meaning idle, lazy, spoiled, complacent - all words one would use to describe someone who's never experienced hardship nor conflict in their life. Which was true, of course, along with the more widespread title used for her by those with more political power and sway: the Villainess of Concordia. Ungrateful, selfish, callous, cold, aloof, and overall ill-equipped to lead anyone. Pre Vizsla deserves her position is the most common sentiment to be found surrounding the young aristocrat. It's routine. Life isn't bad, actually, if a little predictable, and Katra wouldn't have it any other way. She doesn't mind being villified as long as it keeps unwanted attention at bay. It's boring, admittedly, but safe.  So of course, it doesn't last. Her former sponsor in the Republic Futures Program, Padmé Amidala, suddenly calls in a favor, commissioning her to testify against the Military Creation Act in the Supreme Court of the Galactic Senate in legislative debates as an expert planetologist.  Unfortunately for Katra, her belief that nothing will prevent a war from breaking out is the least of her worries. Her ship gets hijacked, stranding her in the Outer Rim territories, making her one of the many scientists who conveniently couldn't make it in time to show up for the senator in her time of need. The rescue soon comes in the form of Anakin Skywalker, who is tasked with escorting her to Coruscant per Senator Amidala's request, kickstarting a chain of events that eventually ends with him assigned as her security detail for the foreseeable future.  Turns out, it's a collaboration far from harmonious; Katra is not a fan of The Jedi Order, and Anakin definitely isn't thrilled to babysit a snobby, privileged, entitled shut-in for his first solo assignment either. 

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5

[womeninthemedia]

Television

Since the invention of the television, children have formed a paramount relationship with what shines through the silver screen. The media that has been created for children for decades long has been what created generations alike, and it has formed a sense of culture that can only be understood if the same media has been ingested. As Hollywood grew more and more popular, it was understood that television shows and productions were able to reach children better than movies could have. The short 30-minute episodes kept the children entertained, all while making them crave more from the story that was unwrapped in the previous showing. This never-ending cycle was proven still relevant as we entered the 21st century, with new and exciting television channels and shows that kept children forever entertained. After the rise of Nickelodeon in the 90s, a popular television program that was created for a children-only audience, producers saw no end in sight for the creation of new and exciting shows for the viewers of the world. My generation’s shows included iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and countless others that bonded everyone who chose to tune in. The shows included light-hearted comedy and funny jokes that made us forget about the school day we just had, or the several pre-teen struggles that seemed to be never ending. The shows allowed us to disconnect for a while, and genuinely laugh out loud. Though as we grew up, it started to become obvious who the producers of our shows actually were, and what their playful jokes in the past truly meant. The writer’s room at Nickelodeon was used as a place to hide insensitive, inappropriate, and misogynistic jokes within the child stars’ lines that they delivered to a child audience. The “adult jokes for children’s media” phenomenon is extremely surfaced for the level of insensitive jokes that were made on the writer’s behalf, which we now know reflected some of their personal interests that got some incarcerated for after all. While the examples of this behavior are infinite, it is important to outline the most vile one in order to paint the picture for you, the viewer. 

Zoey 101 

In an early episode of the popular hit television show “Zoey 101”, an adolescent Jamie Lynn Spears and her friend starred in an episode that entailed her cast mate struggling to open a “goo pop”, which would later be seen being shot at Spears’ face. The “goo”, which was strategically placed by the prop crew in order to drip down her face in an obviously sexually-charged way, implied a certain sex act that went over millions of children’s heads when watching the scene. The scene has been described as “traumatizing” by one of the cast members, and no one could ever understand why that scene was just so important for the plot of the episode. Not one viewer questioned the show’s motive behind the episode, which would allow the writers and producers at Nickelodeon to continue their sexualized jokes that were “intended” for children only, and no one else. So many things can be written about this one scene, and it feels like there can never be enough said in order to prove just how disgusting this joke was. The blatant sexism and pedophilia that the writers felt as though they could get away with showing to young and impressionable children is astronomical, though a larger problem lies within the actor’s who were forced to continue with the scene and their lines. The producers at Nickelodeon exposed a young Jamie Lynn Spears to unsolicited sexual connotations that can be looked back on by the whole world, something that she will never get back. These patterns cause self-esteem issues that become embedded in girls’ minds, teaching them that the only way they can appeal to an audience is if they are heavily sexualized, not for their talent. 

[cosmicangel888]

When All Know ~ Nothing is Done ~ 5D

And when God says 'Sit Down' ......

You sit the Fuck down.

Those that have been doing all they can to take me out, other light workers that merely speak truth, not stepping in any ones lane but merely bringing truth, higher vibrational liberation for all humanity - it is a thing that GOD, after 2 years of graceful and gracious offering of course correction - and still the coven, black magic, underground bullies simply will not let up;

God is not got the finger all over what ever plots, plans, and schemes are underway for the next round of 'lets take em' out'

That is pre-meditated murder dear ones, and bet that authorities and the Heavens are all over every single person that thinks they play God, thinks they can re-write the destiny of someone that has done nothing but bring peace, truth, healing;

The blaspheme, the games, the hiding of my own monies, tactics to erase me from being here within communities and my family, and signatures beings used that are not my own, slight of hand, a ton of money being paid to silence and hide what is nothing but malice, harm, delinquency, thievery, and crime. 

I have my human rights to be single, divorced, and living a safe, healthy, balanced life that is not wrapped up in psychological, mental, spiritual, vibrational warfare for control, dominance, and immature games of power and abuse of power with resources, time, energy, and stories that are truth or not truth - all for the insecurity and power that one wants over another - 

I have my spiritual rights to be fully who I am and speak on such - I am a healer, I know who I am and what I offer and am fully guided by Source, the evolutionary programs and all that is spirit - that is my right to teach, write, offer and be my best - and I will not stop, cease, or play small simply because it forces those that live in lack, imbalance, corruption uncomfortable - this is what we are calling out and clearing - 

We have been politely and with compassion, offering unconditional care, tolerance, healing for such beings that care for nothing, not even their own lives, than to continue such scams, plots, on that one person that had over come 4 attempts through vibrational occult crime, and other manners through which Source, advised 1000s of times to stop - the protection, the care, the resolve was far greater than your plots, plans, and magic - and yet the stupidity and malice and blatant disregard for life, Source, and our planet - we will ascend - and it will be with and of the ones that speak vibrational love, truth, and oneness -

How far has such gone for this to be ok?

My life has been literal hell for over 6 years and putting in 24/7 to the healing of our collective, while trying to manifest and navigate my own soul journey, through sickness, and family loss, and disease, and all the while not 1 person ever being by my side and not only that; they know and study me to see when I am feeling weak and down and load up on the magic - to see if they can get me done any quicker to get their bidding pay off -

The karma that every person is piling on their own lineage, their children, their own next life, this life, will be the most horrible - for that is the intention of who, what, how they interact in the grace that has been Gods only offering - and still they seek to harm and take me out - these are real things dear lighted ones and what I have to live with in my field every day - how do you process people wanting to take you out on a daily basis - does any one think about this?

Why is it that a divine feminine has to be 'ok' with years, years of delays for a basic human right - tactics of schemes to play God over another - and when a DF says NO - its over - why is that not taken the 1st time - yet they have a double standard right to play sick, corrupt games with others lives to get their way - how is that ok?

The great and grave imbalances of our systems, communities due to non-healing - and what damage done on those lost before my speaking on my experience and what damages, lives lost, before me - there is great need for change -

If people were to look further - there will blatant nefarious and curious dysfunctions, unanswerable questions, obvious monies that thread back to many, regardless of what has been destroyed or jimmied or fixed - God Source will assure that the years and years of blatant discrimination harassment, abuse will be seen, known; and all monies of my business, my work, the veiling of my work, yet somehow, and somewhere the videos, the views, and many know of me, but I am surely not seeing the return of even a penny - while my life is being played by many, and controlling and those in the 'groupie' setting think that they have say, entitlement and right to even say anything on me or my life - that sat, were a part of the years of targeting, abuse, and sit and do nothing - and bring 0 truth -

Ascension Path Work: A Pocket Guide: Ross, Joanna: 9781546498599: Books - Amazon.ca

Ascension Path Work: A Pocket Guide: Ross, Joanna: 9781546498599: Books - Amazon.ca

AMAZON.CA

#calgary - there will be no cycles and no returns of any to any in any - look after your own life - stay out of my lane - I owe none and many many knew, were involved and none did anything - corruption - good luck with your health and life - while I did nothing to any of you - but want my human rights to be me. May all your greed be worth the hate, and harm, torment you placed and what life and karma you walk into next - good luck.

Does anyone think about what a high functioning genius feels in such attempts and knowing it - and why I KNOW GOD - does anyone care? Have we become this numb to the abhorrence of reality and our human collective and nothing seems to be anything unless it hits your own home, or family, or door step -

While I have been homeless for 21 months due to the shady, nefarious, and callous acts of groups, gangs, of ignorant selfishly wounded people all they think about is the money they will get when false insurance, or life policies or bidding from betting on my demise, or hiding inheritances, stories, and monies that were all along my own - and how I was hidden to make ensured their stories of me not being there and anywhere would match - while doppleganger half truths try to make sense of wisdoms, informations, they have no clue about and sell it off as their own -

Big hysterics out in the open, this karmic is delusional about blocking you

Get 10% off Shine Jewelry Line launch with code welcome or by following this link: https://shinebyastraea.com/discount/welcome✨✨✨ Hello soul

YOUTUBE

Does anyone care?

Living on the kindness of my friends, family, airbnb's and having to sleep every night knowing there are energies constantly stalking, watching, spying, sending and trying to shapeshift to get into my dreams, consciousness and take in any way they can - like they are literal vampires on steroids - all they care about it corruption and being paid by it - why.....because I bring truth for liberating humanity into ascension and care to help those also abused and call those out on their corruption #calgary -

I hope all can sleep at night while so many judged me, and think any are entitled to whatever and however God blesses - you have no clue what I live through every day - none care and none will ever know - all they care about is the money and why God is now in the drivers seat - as God said;

I have to constantly live in motion, keeping all my person information under wraps, and be 10- steps ahead at all times, and never let up my light, and prayers - how is that 'relaxing' and being 'privaledge' like those that judge and spell cast me while they living off of my monies and partying while laughing, spitting on my name -

The covert narcists, sociopaths, and coven leaders that fool entire communities simply because there are threaded few in the systems that will do anything by being paid to cover their corruption and crimes - while the innocent are struggling to survive - Does anyone care? Black magic will do nothing but destroy and destruct all -

'How would you even have a chance with underground secret groups, with over 50 people involved at various levels of the community infrastructure that have corrupted every level of your desire to live freely in your own existence ' ~ Spirit

So its ok when you are numb, dumb, and don't speak out and they can use you, manipulate you, steal your ideas, energy, light, for their needs and as soon as you leave, or break away - look out - targeting and more spell work, sex orgies for root work and whatever other sick ploy to stay in your energy is played - does any person see, or care how troubling this is and how normalized we are and have been - abuse and harassment is - discrimination -

I will take charges on all involved - the most torturous experience and all they care about is clutching into you for whatever may and may not come your way, or bully you because you don't fit unless you have money -= sick sick vampires - and I will call it - when you choose to not heal and continue the sick toxic games of dangerous spell casting, stalking, spying, crossing every human right - it is now in Gods hands for every spiritual court has spoken, and legal courts that will -

No amount of money will allow for further and degrading work on the innocent -

What earth are you manifesting - makes no sense - I hope all that have been involved - I hope you can sleep at night knowing the stories you will leave on this earth for when you do return, and the children that walk behind you carrying your karma that you were too arrogant and too selfish to take account for and make right - none will be missed and I simply feel so very sad at this entire last 10 years

All names will be known, shown, and seen;

Share my videos' share my work, and know, any person being paid, in any way to suppress harm, attempted murder is accomplice - and all have sealed their fate in faking signatures, and lying to the public about who I am and all false stories, and narratives, when all I have done is speak truth - 

I am a chosen one,  I am the daughter of God  I am of Holy blood and light,  I have my birthright and I will not silence - 

My work is my work;

No permissions, no approvals, no agreements, to and with any - no discussions were ever had in any way - no inferences of any kind, no apologies, no monies, not even 1 penny - and yet my channel has not grown by even 5 over 6 years of daily devoted promotions on the only light work offered of its kind - and yet 100's of stories, narratives of how I am 'crazy' and not of sound mind' and yet my signature, my life, my authority being slowly taken out of my own rights -

When you choose to do spell work to harm any - pre-meditated harm, murder, and fooling with peoples car, children and intentions to brain wash and mentally harm the innocent to make false stories fly - accomplice to what is all corrupt and fraud, and theft.

How is this ok? And every day I walk looking and feeling my life is no longer what it use to be - I have been forever changed; my teams saying I should not have made it through what I did - and so too all those involved have to live with your choices when truth is truth, what is not yours, is not yours ~ truth is the only way through

Every person involved - every person, paid off, silenced, spies, spell casters - the ones paying, the ones taking, the ones hacking, the cult-orgies, and every person involved - all is being called judgment - God is now in charge. 2 years were given - none not 1 apology and not 1 penny of such stolen and thievery and false fake deceit and how is this uplifting the community - how is any involved spiritual leaders and those to look up to?

Every part of my life has been affected and what black magic, the manipulation, and corruption of the mind, body, soul is the only outcome for such stories - and how is your health, living in the care free with abundance going to even be possible when black magic, interfering with such force, control, dominance be anywhere near normal with manipulations done - mind is not balanced or making good judgement and how is black magic ok even being an elixir of greater harm and damage -

May this be a global lesson - energy is energy - demons, entities, and spirits and poor mental health - all due to black magic and corruption - truth is the only way through - Spirit is calling it all

Any person that dictates harm, deceit, plans, plots to and of another is not a spiritualist, advocate or any one that cares about you - period. if you know, feel someone is not in your highest and best - TRUST IT.

Selfish people will do whatever for money, status, and title - the wounded - false spiritualists will and can use energy lower vibrational spell work to confuse and charm those that simply do not know due to unethical practices that are done over and over - over -

Those that are not mentally balanced - do not have sound mind and body for choices and yet - black magic doing even more harm and all those involved will be equally guilty for their part - there is no false, fake spirituality 'leader' that will fool spirit in such deeds -

Fooling others for money, by using spell work is a crime.

I will not silence-my human, spiritual rights have been damaged and harassed on every level. All are guilty.©

Like I was meant to be erased - and have another person, doppleganger take my place and all monies sit with the false, fake people on my work - yet none are vibrationally aligned, none even know anything about what I offer, and all any one cares about is taking, thieving, gossiping, judging, and cult-like mentality with 0 freedom, liberation, or human rights being observed;

Thank you God  Touch not my anointed.

Blessings 

Joanna

May all children be safe and know that all is love JoannaCosmicAngel@yahoo.com

DONATIONs; PayPal link here; paypal.me/JoannaLRoss

[thrown-away-opinions]

Artists when artists are copying & distributing art from companies for their own use and profit without paying them: 'Lol, theft removes the original, this doesn't. Copying art is not a crime! yo-ho yo-ho!' Artists when companies are copying & distribuying art from artists for their own use and profit: 'What! Collage is a crime! You wouldn't download a car!' Good to see that the God of Irony still has a job!

I was going to write something about this subject too, but I got hung up on that gofundme thing.

Up front, I think there is some legitimate complaints about artists not wanting their shit scraped and fed into an algorithm. That's not an unreasonable demand. Datamining is out of control on the internet. There needs to be way less of it.

But also... All this bitching and moaning about ethics and morality is hollow as fuck. The piracy thing right up front. How many scanlated manga or fan-subbed shows you think the average seething artist has read/watched? How many movies did they pirate? How many ads have they blocked? How many streaming service passwords shared? How many second-hand things have they purchased? How many college textbooks downloaded? How many programs have they cracked and used for years without ever paying a sub fee? How many little things have they shoplifted? How many immoral and unethical things they've done without ever making up for it?

Short version is blatant "rules for thee, but not for me!!" bullshit. It is an ethical nightmare that some programmers have in some way appropriated raw data from something made by someone else because they, the artists, deserve payment and royalties for their art being viewed in any way they don't approve of, even if it's just some ephemeral fragment of something they made once, did not license, did not copyright, did not commercialize in any way.

Every other artist and employee who worked on and produces all the shows and products and services doesn't deserve payment because... uhh.. because late stage capitalism or whatever!!

It's a double standard that doesn't hold up to a moment of scrutiny. Some of this hysterical bullshit would even be forgivable if it were just about not being happy about having their work used in a way they don't approve of. Instead, they had to go with this moronic, exaggerated ethics angle, they had to pool their money to try and get the US Government involved. All this constant wailing and gnashing about losing jobs and work when nothing has actually changed and no one is making 6 figures yearly on an AI Art patreon. No one is losing commissions to some now world famous prompt expert who charges even more money.

We've long accepted piracy as an unavoidable aspect of the digital age, but suddenly that's not okay because it might (but not actually) impact some freelancer/indie artist's ability to get work that they either aren't losing because of AI (remember that the global economy is falling apart), or they might lose jobs that they don't have, they aren't trained for and/or aren't pursuing anyways.

But you know what else is kinda fucked about all of it? Most of these artists wouldn't be where they are today without technology and software advancements. Do you have any idea how many artists would be fucking hopeless without all the custom photoshop and CSP brushes they downloaded for free (and never credited the creator)? Do you know how fucked these people would be without all the built in color correction settings and filters and gradient maps? They can't even imagine drawing in procreate without all the built-in tools for correcting their sloppy-ass linework. There's SO MANY successful and highly paid webtoon comics out there that wouldn't be where they are today without the CSP asset store allowing them to drop in 3d background assets and pre-set pose and hand guides.

These whiny fucks are up to their eyeballs in technology that props up their entire profession/hobby, but they are screaming at the top of their lungs because someone downloaded a booru or scraped pinterest to feed into an AI Training algorithm.

tl;dr - They're a bunch of immoral hypocrites who badly want to dress up their impotent outrage as some kind of meaningful, ethical catastrophe.

[infiniteglitterfall]

TL;DR: (1) Those are not the only risks of a second Trump term. (2) All these posts that act like Biden personally flies out to commit genocide in his free time, so the two parties are basically the same, are pure psy-op. (3) And aggressive fucking reminder that Trump's term came with a literal and VERY HIGH death toll.

Yeah yeah yeah, I'm sure every president has a death toll to his name. But when Trump got elected, I realized he was going to have an incredibly obvious, blatant, massive death toll in the U.S. alone. And he really, REALLY did.

Anon is really lining up the straw men:

The US hasn't sold white phosphorus to Israel at any point during this war. (And it's weird that people keep framing it as "sending" arms to Israel. Like it's a care package or something.)

Yes, it must have at some point, because the Washington Post figured out from the evidence that Israel was using white phosphorus made in 1989 and 1992. Israel was last recorded using it in 2004. I'm just saying, all of that is a really massive window.

It's been ten months and there's still no evidence that Israel used white phosphorus as a weapon in Gaza. It's consistently used all over the world to mark locations and provide cover, because you can use it with a direction and altitude that keeps it away from civilians even over inhabited areas.

Trump has, in fact, been very clear that he wants Israel to "finish Gaza off," and has also talked about "giving" Ukraine to Russia;

Trump separated 5,000 children from their families, and lost track entirely of a lot of them. As of last year, Biden had reunited 2,900 of them with their families.

Biden is not separating thousands more immigrating children from their parents, as Trump did, or keeping them in refrigerated cells, as Trump did.

Yes, the system still sucks, and as conservatives love to point out, it sucked before Trump too. But there's a reason that people were fucking horrified when Trump intentionally escalated everything bad about it and added lots of his own touches.

And nobody can protect marriage rights if people attack them the right way. The Trump-stacked Supreme Court has already overturned the case that marriage rights were based on.

(Trump also let Texas ban emergency contraceptives. Iowa has stopped paying for Plan B for survivors of sexual assault through its Crime Victim Compensation Program. And Idaho bars “abortion-related activities” in school-based clinics, which prohibits health clinics at public schools, including higher education institutions, from dispensing emergency contraceptives, except in cases of rape.

Also, it really seems like "gay marriage" above being used dismissively here as a stand-in for what Trump will do to the LGBTQ community in general, which is a genuine fucking problem.)

But I'm going to go ahead and address all of this in good faith anyway, in the hopes that the others in the thread care. Or at least that someone cares.

So: Okay, but how many people are looking not only at how bad things were during each term for them, but also how bad things were for multiple different marginalized groups?

Trump WAS garbage for Muslims! And he was real fucking bold about it, too. He was also garbage for Latinx immigrants. He was also garbage for trans and queer and intersex people. He was also garbage for reproductive rights, and bodily autonomy in general. I could go on and on.

Just looking at ONE of those groups:

No matter how great the straight allies I know are, none of them have any idea how bad things are for LGBTQIA+ people right now unless I spell it out for them.

Much less how much of that comes directly from the far right politicians and Christian Nationalists that Trump thrived on and seriously emboldened.

There are 23 states right NOW where trans youth can't get healthcare. Not with the permission of their parents, their doctors, their therapists, not if they had the permission of everyone in their county ffs.

All of those states impose professional or legal penalties on health care practitioners who still provide minors with gender-affirming care.

In six states, it's a felony.

A fucking felony.

And, of course, all of these laws have special exceptions that let them continue forcing hormones, surgery, and other treatments on intersex children and infants.

This has also had a big impact on trans adult access to care. Many clinics that used to help trans people have closed, because these laws meant losing too many clients that it was no longer legal for them to treat.

Trump supports all of this. During his term, he let health insurance companies refuse to cover transgender care.

There is absolutely no fucking way he won't intentionally make it much worse. He has already shown that he rules by making sudden decisions and declarations. He ended trans people serving in the military with a damn tweet.

My "brother from another mother" had his bottom surgery, which had been scheduled for months, canceled out of nowhere because North Carolina's state health insurance stopped covering it.

He almost killed himself.

Anyone who knows anything about trans people knows that this is what happens. There is a direct, and very SHORT, line between "you cannot transition" and "you want to die."

39% of trans youth ages 13-17 live in states that deny them access to gender-affirming care. Which means they're intentionally being forced to go through the wrong puberty.

There are currently eight states where K-12 school faculty and staff are now LEGALLY REQUIRED to out trans kids to their parents.

And five more where state law encourages forced outing of trans youth, but doesn't require it.

In Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Montana, sex is now defined by what you were assigned at birth.

Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee ban students and staff in K-12 schools from using the bathroom that doesn't match your birth certificate.

(In Tennessee schools, trans people can still use single-user bathrooms. But if a student, parent, or employee sees you in a multi-user school bathroom or other facility, they can sue you.)

In Alabama, North Dakota, and Mississippi, students, faculty, and staff, from kindergarten through higher education, must use only the facilities consistent with their biological sex. This is also the case for adults in some, but not all, government buildings.

That includes prisons and juvenile detention facilities. Which is exceptionally bad for TGNC people. As Miss Major can tell you.

In Mississippi and Louisiana, it also includes public college dorms.

In Mississippi, it also includes domestic violence shelters.

In Florida and Utah, it also includes buildings “owned or leased by the state, a state agency, or a political subdivision," meaning county or municipal governments.

That means the ban applies to bathrooms and facilities in airports, public parks, and much more.

Utah is the only one of these states that makes an exception for trans people who have had surgery and legally changed the gender on their birth certificate. However, they are also one of the states that has made it extremely difficult to change the gender marker on your birth certificate.

And if you're asked to leave the bathroom and refuse, you can be charged with trespassing and go to jail.

Where you will, if you're trans, be placed in the wrong jail.

In Arkansas the law only applies to K-12 public and charter schools, not colleges.

But they make up for it with the penalties:

Any individual teachers, principals, or superintendents who allow a transgender student to use a bathroom or facility consistent with their gender identity are subject to fines of a minimum of $1,000 per occurrence.

These are fines of the school staff personally, not of the school district. Parents and guardians can also sue the school district over violations.

Idaho's law is temporarily blocked and going through appeals. Because it was EXTRAORDINARILY bold.

It allowed students to sue schools if they encounter a transgender person in a school multi-user restroom, changing facility, or sleeping quarter (i.e., on an overnight school trip).

If a student wins the lawsuit, they can receive $5,000 per occurrence, as well as additional monetary damages, attorney’s fees, and more.

And although that one is currently blocked, Idaho did pass a law this year that just went into effect in July. It defines gender and sex as being the same, unchangeable under any circumstances, and based on whether your body "should" be able to produce sperm or eggs. It goes on and on and on, basically trying to rule trans people out of existence.

I just.

I could go on for hours. Trump literally tried a coup. Christian Nationalists and white supremacists, including Trump, are actual fucking fascists. And their need to control the bodies of marginalized people is the biggest tell that they're fascists.

Stop pretending that there's no difference between them.

one of the most annoying thing about these us libs is how they think everyone else forgot trump has been president before, so we know how he acted as one and have material evidence of what he did and did not do, and how it compares materially to biden and other presidents, and they all suck, but then they act like trump rounded up millions of middle class whites into camps and nuked the moon as the singular most evil man in human history and biden the saviour gave everyone rights (camps are now good when dems are imprisoning migrants ig) and trump is going to do it again and do genocide worse in gaza somehow (it's okay when dems are sending 2000 lbs bombs and white phosphorus bc uh (checks notes) they are protecting us gay marriage from the gop), just zero care for the us empire's victims while basing their politics on ya dystopia fantasy where they are the main victim and hero

LITERALLY THIS 😭😭😭 one of my Iraqi mutuals and I were literally talking about how things were shitty during trumps presidency and during biden’s presidency and will be shitty again no matter who gets elected

[rinledraws]

More Tieria Erde thoughts because I am hyperfixating so much and I need to get these out:

- I love the irony of his name being “Earth Earth” when he dislikes going to Earth and vastly prefers staying in space.

- For a long four years, he was the only Gundam Meister that team CB had, which blows my mind a little bit. 

- (I really like CB’s uniform designs good job Tieria good job)

- I find Mileina’s kiddy crush on him so cute.  Soooo cute.  I don’t ship them at all, but it’s such an adorable ‘first crush’ thing on her part, and on his part Tieria’s just so consistently kind to her.  And it makes so much sense because (1) who wouldn’t crush on post-character-development!Tieria come on, and (2) for most of her stay in CB, he’s been the only meister on-board, so.  Also, I find the blatant favoritism hilarious--he’s the only one who gets well-wishes from the bridge!  (It’s what he deserves, truly.)

- Setsuna-Tieria is my absolute G00 brOTP; their development was wonderful.  S1E19 was so good, and then Setsuna volunteering to be Tieria’s backup in S2E08 made me happy.  And let’s not even get started on the movie. :D

- (Somewhere inside me is another 500+ words on Tieria + Lockon/Neil, but I can’t get them out because it hurts bro it hurts why did things have to go that way whyyy)

- When S2 of the anime ended, I was like, “Wait, so is Tieria now...god?  Is he the closest thing to a god that G00!universe has?” Ahahahahahaha.

- Speaking of the anime ending--for all that I found it a good ending, pre-movie I was kinda of two minds about it, because I wanted him to stay “the most human Innovade ever” that he was for most of the season/show, and remain a meister with the rest of team CB as their adventures continue.  They’re his family-- why does he have to leave them?? The movie helped assuage those feelings with the implication that he regularly interacts with them even as a disembodied computer program (that laptop with his face hahahahaha)-- and then he has to go and leave them again 😟. (I just really wanted CB!fam to stay together, you know? 🥺)