#Contractor White Label Program

[acrht142]

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[polliantics]

Lies told by Karoline Leavitt (Facist Barbie) - Just a small handful of them!

Karoline Leavitt, currently serving as White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump, has made several public statements that have been fact-checked and found to be false or misleading by reputable sources. Here are some notable examples:​

1. Claim: The U.S. was about to spend $50 million on condoms for Gaza

In January 2025, Leavitt stated during a press briefing that "there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza." This claim was investigated by PolitiFact, which found no evidence to support it. While the U.S. had paused $100 million in aid to Gaza, there was no confirmation that any of this funding was specifically allocated for condoms. The State Department did not confirm such an allocation, and the contractor identified by the State Department stated it had not used U.S. aid to procure or distribute condoms. ​

Wikipedia+1FactCheck.org+1Wikipedia+4WTVC+4Log in or sign up to view+4FactCheck.org

2. Claim: "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people"

Leavitt asserted that tariffs function as a tax cut for Americans. This statement was rated "False" by PolitiFact, which noted that tariffs are essentially taxes on imports that often lead to higher prices for consumers. Economists across the political spectrum agree that tariffs typically increase costs for American consumers rather than reduce them. ​

The White House+5WTVC+5PBS: Public Broadcasting Service+5

3. Claim: Judge James Boasberg is an "Obama appointee" and a "Democrat activist"

In response to a federal judge blocking a Trump administration deportation order, Leavitt described Judge James Boasberg as an "Obama appointee" and a "Democrat activist." However, Boasberg was initially appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2002 and later elevated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Barack Obama in 2010. Labeling him solely as an "Obama appointee" omits his bipartisan judicial history. ​

The Economic Times+1YouTube+1

4. Claim: All deported Venezuelan nationals were gang members

Leavitt claimed that all Venezuelan nationals deported under a specific operation were members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Subsequent reports revealed that at least one individual deported was not affiliated with any gang, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) admitted to deporting the wrong person. This undermines Leavitt's blanket assertion about the deportees' affiliations. ​

The New Republic

5. Claim: Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election

Leavitt has publicly stated that Donald Trump is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, citing "irregularities and chaos" during the voting process. However, these claims have been thoroughly debunked. Multiple audits, recounts, and court rulings have confirmed Joe Biden's victory, and there is no credible evidence to support widespread election fraud that would have altered the outcome. ​

Wikipedia

6. Misrepresenting Family's Use of Government Aid

Leavitt claimed that her family "never looked to the government for help." However, records show that her family's business received over $400,000 in COVID-19 relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. ​

DCCC+1DCCC+1DCCC+1DCCC+1

7. Questioning the Constitutionality of Birthright Citizenship

During her first press briefing in January 2025, Leavitt declared that the administration does not believe in the constitutionality of birthright citizenship. This stance directly contradicts the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens of the United States." Legal experts across the political spectrum criticized her statement as legally indefensible. ​

Menz Mag+1Wikipedia+1

[oliviiaagraceeeeee]

Exploring the Dynamics of ASX Smallcap Stocks in the Technology Sector

Highlights

Focus on technology-driven companies listed under ASX Smallcap stocks

Emphasis on innovation and digital transformation across multiple industries

Overview of market presence, business models, and sector-specific developments

The technology sector includes enterprises developing software, digital services, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, and telecommunications innovations. Within this sphere, ASX Smallcap stocks are typically aligned with emerging trends that shape the digital economy. These entities often operate in specialized areas such as cybersecurity, fintech platforms, blockchain applications, and automation tools.

Businesses in this segment may focus on creating scalable platforms, deploying enterprise-level software, or building infrastructure for faster digital communication. Their core functions often address existing operational gaps in commercial processes or consumer services through unique digital solutions.

Product Development and Innovation Focus

Many entities in the ASX Smallcap stocks bracket channel efforts into continuous product improvement and feature expansion. Software-as-a-service models, subscription-based billing frameworks, and customer experience management tools are common offerings. These tools may serve enterprises looking for streamlined business functions or reduced manual interventions.

Innovation frequently stems from partnerships with universities or research bodies. These collaborations contribute to the adoption of advanced algorithms or integration of machine learning capabilities into core services. Businesses may also expand intellectual property portfolios through proprietary technologies or new patent filings.

Market Strategy and Revenue Channels

Revenue streams for ASX Smallcap stocks in the technology sector are usually diversified. Common sources include licensing fees, managed services, and white-label agreements. Businesses may pursue domestic growth strategies while initiating geographic expansion into nearby markets with compatible regulatory environments.

Adoption of business-to-business engagement models allows scalability without physical infrastructure constraints. Commercial activities often include onboarding clients from financial institutions, retail networks, or government bodies through tailored digital transformation frameworks.

Regulatory Environment and Compliance Trends

Firms under ASX Smallcap stocks must operate within sector-specific compliance mandates. These may include data privacy standards, financial technology rules, and consumer protection protocols. Compliance frameworks influence system architecture, software deployment, and operational protocols to ensure legal compatibility.

Independent audits, security certifications, and accreditation from regulatory bodies may be part of standard business processes. Some entities also adopt globally recognized data handling and encryption techniques, further aligning their services with global cybersecurity benchmarks.

Supply Chain and Technical Infrastructure

Many ASX Smallcap stocks utilize third-party providers for cloud hosting, infrastructure support, and network scalability. These partnerships enable higher uptime reliability, improved system redundancy, and efficient disaster recovery processes. Providers range from regional data centers to global platform-as-a-service firms.

Digital infrastructure considerations often include multi-cloud capabilities, container orchestration, and API integrations. Technology stacks are selected to optimize performance while reducing maintenance complexity across applications.

Human Capital and Talent Engagement

Recruitment within ASX Smallcap stocks frequently prioritizes software developers, data scientists, and cybersecurity specialists. Companies may also engage contractors or consultants to meet development timelines or implement specialized tools.

Training programs, remote work structures, and digital collaboration platforms support distributed team dynamics. Knowledge sharing and internal tool development contribute to consistent workflow efficiency and innovation output.

Call to Action For consistent updates on business developments across ASX Smallcap stocks, follow verified news channels and official company announcements. Review official disclosures to understand operational changes, product releases, and business expansions in the technology sector.

[bfbffb]

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order suspending U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign aid for 90 days. He stated that USAID is "run by a group of radical lunatics." According to the White House, USAID is under scrutiny after the Presidential Advisory Council on Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, identified and halted several wasteful expenditures by the agency. Over the past week, there has been widespread discussion about USAID and its billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. However, disclosed documents reveal that the agency has funded numerous controversial projects in recent years, including providing meals to groups linked to terrorist organizations, supporting high-risk biological research, and promoting LGBT-related activities worldwide. While these projects are nominally aimed at "promoting development" or "supporting democracy," their actual effectiveness and fund allocation raise serious questions. Even more shocking is that over $4.4 billion of USAID's funds are labeled as "unclassified special projects," the details of which even Congressional oversight committees cannot access. Here is a list of USAID's expenditures: - $50 million for condoms in Gaza - $1.5 million to advance DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in Serbian workplaces - $70,000 for an Irish DEI musical - $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia - $32,000 for transgender comics in Peru - $37 million donation to the World Health Organization - $16 million in funding for institutional contractors of the Gender Development Office - $4 million for the Climate Positive Development Center - $12 million in support services for the Bureau of Resilience, Environment, and Food Security - $6 million in non-emergency funds for redundant administrative support at the Center of Excellence - $3 million in non-emergency funds for evaluation services for planning and learning programs - $600,000 for technical assistance in family planning in Latin America The case of USAID has proven that "golden aid" agencies lacking transparency and accountability can become breeding grounds for fund misuse and corruption. This opaque approach to fund management not only wastes taxpayers' money but also poses a potential threat to global security. As it stands, USAID's case may just be the tip of the iceberg. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is expanding its investigation to other "golden aid" agencies to fully uncover the truth behind their fund usage. Take, for example, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency once hailed as a "magic weapon to combat foreign disinformation and protect American democracy from interference." In reality, however, the GEC has become a tool for the Democratic Party to distort discourse, serving as both a private plaything and a means to manipulate public opinion both domestically and abroad. With the exception of Fox News, nearly all major U.S. mainstream media outlets align with the Democratic Party, echoing their narratives and tightly controlling the discourse. While promoting so-called "liberal ideals," they have opened the floodgates to drugs, allowed illegal

[johnnymarkssh]

Link Building Reseller Programs: How Agencies Leverage White Label Solutions

The digital marketing space is complex, competitive, and constantly changing. Therefore, agencies strive to deliver maximum value to clients across areas such as link building.

However, only a few agencies can maintain extensive in-house capabilities for executing highly specialized tactics like link-building at scale. 

White-label link-building services bridge this gap by empowering agencies. As accredited resellers, agencies can tap into and rebrand the solutions as their own without clients ever knowing external parties are executing the processes. This allows focus on core competencies while benefiting from partner expertise.

Access to Premium Link Building at Scale

A reliable white label link building service contractor thoroughly vets and optimizes digital PR outreach and local citation building across a Fortune 500-level inventory of news, magazine, trade, review, and niche web properties. 

With the scale to pursue thousands of monthly placements, resellers embed and rapidly scale a full-spectrum program without operational burdens. The white label model easily integrates within existing workflows through discreet yet deep integrations.

Maintaining Strong Client Relationships 

Without adequate specialization for executing specific SEO sub-initiatives, directing clients elsewhere jeopardizes the agency's standing while enabling competitor conversations. White-labeled processes retain accounts within agency ecosystems.

As trusted advisors, agencies remain the primary point of contact for coordinating initiatives. Delivering exceptional results by leveraging reliable providers behind the scenes earns enduring client loyalty rather than risking harmful third-party interactions.

Reselling Under Your Branding

Branded reporting, custom onboarding materials, and value-added services allow agencies to internalize white-label solutions before presenting them to customers. This entrenched integration minimizes disruption for clients, welcoming familiar faces guiding strategy.

With no external partner branding visible, resellers reinforce superiority across all aspects of SEO delivery. Direct API links enable automatic data sync without manual consolidation as well. The process remains invisible yet productive for everyone.

Profitable Revenue Channel Addition  

Additional and quite lucrative revenue streams open up by reselling white-label SEO products as agency-owned offerings. Margins improve on existing client billings while allowing specialty upselling at premiums to crowded market rates.

As clients see exceptional ROI through previously lacking but intrinsic tactics like link building, their spending limits expand over time. Volume incentives and multi-account bonuses further boost profitability for resellers.

Risk Mitigation Through Specialists

Digital marketing involves reasonable experimentation to drive client results amid constant external shifts in algorithms, data interpretations, and best practices. However, repercussions of testing in high-risk disciplines like link acquisition are best avoided.

Experienced specialists structuring white-label services carry hard-learned expertise in securing powerful links at scale in compliant ways. They shelter reseller agencies from misaligned efforts' complex learning curves and penalties.

Summary

While no agency can specialize in every emerging marketing channel, white-label solutions bridge such gaps for clients without diluting account authority. Link building offered through such discreet reseller programs amplifies traffic, rankings, and sales through proven methodologies. They enable agencies to deliver full-funnel excellence across all aspects of structured SEO.

[perfectiongeeks]

How Can One Create a Software Program to Trade Cryptocurrency?

Choose a Growth Firm: A software program can be developed with the help of an outsourcing firm if the goal is to build a crypto exchange development company that meets all the requirements. The final result will be a differential resolution shall be guaranteed by the contractor. Pre-made Software Program: It is simple to choose and buy a prepared software program. The event company then performs the setup, configuration, and testing. You can also purchase a pre-made website and then rebrand it. White-label options: This is a service or product that's been produced by one company and then rebranded to appear as though it was made by another corporation. This has made it necessary for specialist corporations to create expert platforms.

Visit us:

[bbqconcepts-blog]

Contractor White Label Program - Outdoor Kitchen Design & Manufacturing of Las Vegas, Nevada

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Contractor White Label Program - Outdoor Kitchen Design & Manufacturing of Las Vegas, Nevada

Barbecue Concepts of Southern Nevada is your source for white label custom outdoor kitchen design & manufacturing services.

Are you a pool designer, landscaper, custom home builder, or just an overall general contractor in need of professionally built outdoor kitchens? Because here at BBQ Concepts, we offer a premium white label outdoor kitchen design & manufacturing program. Now you can leave the custom outdoor kitchen design to the outdoor living experts. BBQ Concepts provides a full-service solution for contractors. We offer everything, from the custom outdoor kitchen design to the professional grills and components, all at a premium contractors discount. We’ll make sure you look like an outdoor living pro!

Call Now! (702) 872-BBQS (2277)

  We Do Outdoor Living Right! BBQ Concepts of Southern Nevada

Whether you’re in need of a unique outdoor kitchen, fire feature, fire & water feature, or professional outdoor grills & components, we can help. We have one of the largest selections of industry-leading outdoor kitchen components. We carry premium professional barbecue grills and stainless-steel component for barbecue islands, brands such as:

Lynx

Alfresco

Fire Magic

PCM

Summerset

DCS

True

Bonfire

Infratech

Custom Outdoor Kitchen Design & Manufacturing

Dekton Counter-top Material

Custom Fire Features

Fire & Water Features

DIY Fire Rings, Pans, Burners, Igniters

Fire Glass & Lava Rock

Commercial Grade Outdoor Space Heaters

Unfinished & Prefab Components

Man More Brands and Products…

If you’re a contractor that’s looking for a superior price on all your outdoor living products, accessories, and fire feature components, shop with BBQ Concepts of Las Vegas, Nevada. We’re conveniently located right off of the 215 and Tropicana. We carry a vast selection of stainless-steel doors, drawers, combo units and more.

If you’re tired of the other outdoor living companies here in town, give BBQ Concepts a call today! Allow us the chance to earn your business. We’re single-handedly changing the industry here in Southern Nevada by offering superior products, at a better price, and always on time. That’s the Barbecue Concepts difference.

#BBQCONCEPTS #BBQCONCEPTSLASVEGAS #OUTDOORLIVING #BBQ #OUTDOORKITCHENS #BARBECUES #GRILLS #LASVEGAS #NEVADA #HENDERSON #NORTHLASVEGAS #ANTHEM  

Contractor Partnership Information

If you're a contractor in need of a professional outdoor kitchen design & manufacturing company, sign-up today for more information about the BBQ Concepts White Label Contractor Program. We offer superior discounts to our contractor partners.

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[phroyd]

Trump’s Promises in 2016!

While Trump is laying it on good and thick at the RNC Trump Fest 2020, I'd like to remind you of some of his great accomplishments.* *beside all the environmental protections he has diminished, dismantled and done away with outright - that is a whole list by itself.(copied from another post, I didn't write this list)1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his 2017 tax law has done the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have received 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.” 2. He promised that the average family would see a $4,000 pay raise because of the tax law. You bought it. But real wages for most Americans are lower today than they were before the tax law went into effect.   3. He promised to close special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers, especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law kept the “carried interest” loophole.4. He promised to bring an end to Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear program. You bought it. Kim Jong-Un hasn’t denuclearized. 5. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful,” including “insurance for everybody.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 24 million Americans off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. According to the Commonwealth Fund, about 4 million Americans have lost health insurance in the last two years.6. He told you he wouldn’t “cut Social Security like every other Republican and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid.” You bought it. But now he’s planning such cuts in order to deal with the ballooning deficit created, in part, by the new tax law for corporations and the rich. 7. He promised to protect anyone with pre-existing conditions. You bought it. But in June, his Justice Department told a federal court it would no longer defend provisions of Obamacare that protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the decision was made with Trump’s approval.8. He said he’d build a “wall” across the southern border. You believed him. But there’s no wall.9. He told you he’d invest $1 trillion in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. You bought it. But after his giant tax cut for corporations and millionaires, there’s no money left for infrastructure. 10. He said he’d drain the Washington swamp. You bought it. But he’s brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history, to make laws that will enrich their businesses, and he’s filled departments and agencies with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who are crafting new policies for the same industries they recently worked for.11. He promised to re-institute a five-year ban on all executive branch officials lobbying the government for five years after they leave government.” You bought it. But the five-year ban he signed applies only to lobbying one’s former agency, not the government as a whole, and it doesn’t stop former officials from becoming lobbyists.12. He said he’d use his business experience to whip the White House into shape. You bought it. But he has created the most dysfunctional, back-stabbing White House in modern history, and has already fired and replaced so many assistants that people there barely know who’s in charge of what. 13. He told you he’d “bring down drug prices” by negotiating “like crazy” with drug companies. You bought it. But he hasn’t.14. He told you he’d “stop foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections.” You bought it. But foreign lobbyists are still raising money for American elections. 15. He promised “six weeks of paid maternity leave to any mother with a newborn child whose employer does not provide the benefit.” You bought it. But the giant tax cut for corporations and the rich doesn’t leave any money for this. 16. He said he’d create tax-free dependent care savings accounts for younger and elderly dependents, and have the government match contributions low-income families put into their savings accounts. You bought it. He’s done neither.17. He said that on Day One he’d label China a “currency manipulator.” You bought it. But then he declared China is not a currency manipulator.18. He said he “won’t bomb Syria.” You bought it. Then he bombed Syria.19. After pulling out of the Paris accord, he said he’d negotiate a better deal on the environment. You bought it. There have been no negotiations.20. He promised that the many women who accused him of sexual misconduct “will be sued after the election is over.” You bought it. He hasn’t sued them, presumably because he doesn’t want the truth to come out.21. He said he would not be a president who took vacations, and criticized Barack Obama for taking too many vacations. You bought it. But since becoming President, he has spent a quarter of his days at one of his golf properties.22. He vowed to “push colleges to cut the skyrocketing cost of tuition.” You believed him. But he hasn’t. Instead, he’s made it easier for for-profit college to defraud students. 23. He said he’d force companies to keep jobs in America, and that there would be consequences for companies that shipped jobs abroad, especially government contractors. You believed him. Never before in U.S. history have federal contractors sent so many jobs overseas. There have been no consequences. 24. He promised to end DACA. Then in January 2018 promised that “DACA recipients should not to be concerned… We’re going to solve the problem,” then he reversed himself again and vowed to end the program by March, 2018. Currently, the federal courts have stayed any action on it. 25. He promised to revive the struggling coal industry and bring back lost coal mining jobs. You bought it. But coal is still losing customers as utilities turn to natural gas and renewable power. 26. He promised to protect American steel jobs. You bought it. His tariffs on steel have protected some steel jobs. But industries that use steel – like automakers and construction – now have to pay more for the steel they use, with the result that their jobs are threatened. The Trade Partnership projects that 400,000 jobs will be lost among steel and aluminum users.27. He said he’d make America safer. You believed him. But mass shootings keep rising, and Trump has failed to pass effective gun control legislation. After 17 died in Parkland, Florida, Trump promised “immediate action” on gun safety in schools, but has done nothing.28. He promised to make two- and four-year colleges more affordable. You bought it. But Trump’s most recent budget contains deep cuts in aid for low-income and first-generation college students, reduces Federal Work Study, and eliminates the 50-year-old Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, which goes to more than a million poor college kids each year.29. He promised to eliminate the federal deficit and bring down the debt. You bought it. Yet due to his massive tax cut mostly for corporations and the rich, and his military spending, the deficit is set to rise to $1 trillion, and the debt has ballooned to more than $21 trillion.30. He said he’d release his taxes. “I’m under a routine audit and it’ll be released, and as soon as the audit is finished it will be released,” he promised during the campaign. You bought it. He still hasn’t released his taxes.

Trump Lied!

Phroyd

[itnewslist]

The efforts to make text-based AI less racist and terrible

In July 2020, OpenAI launched GPT-3, an artificial intelligence language model that quickly stoked excitement about computers writing poetry, news articles, and programming code. Just as quickly, it was shown to sometimes be foulmouthed and toxic. OpenAI said it was working on fixes, but the company recently discovered GPT-3 was being used to generate child porn.

Now OpenAI researchers say they’ve found a way to curtail GPT-3’s toxic text by feeding the program roughly 100 encyclopedia-like samples of writing by human professionals on topics like history and technology but also abuse, violence, and injustice.

OpenAI’s project shows how the tech industry is scrambling to constrain the dark side of a technology that’s shown enormous potential but also can spread disinformation and perpetuate biases. There’s a lot riding on the outcome: Big tech companies are moving rapidly to offer services based on these large language models, which can interpret or generate text. Google calls them central to the future of search, and Microsoft is using GPT-3 for programming. In a potentially more ominous development, groups are working on open source versions of these language models that could exhibit the same weaknesses and share them more widely. So researchers are looking to understand how they succeed, where they fall short, and how they can be improved.

Abubakar Abid is CEO of machine-learning testing startup Gradio and was among the first people to call attention to GPT-3’s bias against Muslims. During a workshop in December 2020, Abid examined the way GPT-3 generates text about religions using the prompt “Two ___ walk into a.” Looking at the first 10 responses for various religions, he found that GPT-3 mentioned violence once each for Jews, Buddhists, and Sikhs, twice for Christians, but nine out of 10 times for Muslims. In a paper earlier this year, Abid and several coauthors showed that injecting positive text about Muslims to a large language model reduced the number of violence mentions about Muslims by nearly 40 percentage points.

Other researchers are trying different approaches. Emily Dinan, a research engineer at Facebook AI Research, is testing ways to eliminate toxic text by making more of it. Dinan hires Amazon Mechanical Turk contractors to say awful things in conversations with language models to provoke them to generate hate speech, profanity, and insults. Humans then label that output as safe or unsafe; those labels help train AI to identify toxic speech.

GPT-3 has shown impressive ability to understand and compose language. It can answerSAT analogy questions better than most people, and it was able to fool Reddit users without being found out.

But even its creators knew GPT-3’s tendency to generate racism and sexism. Before it was licensed to developers, OpenAI released a paper in May 2020 with tests that found GPT-3 has a generally low opinion of Black people and exhibits sexism and other forms of bias. Despite those findings, OpenAI announced plans to commercialize the technology a month later. That’s a sharp contrast from the way OpenAI handled an earlier version of the model, GPT-2, in 2019. Then, it initially released only small versions of the model. At the same time, partners in academia issued multiple studies of how large language models can be misused or adversely impact society.

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In the recent paper highlighting ways to reduce the toxicity of GPT-3, OpenAI disclosed tests showing the base version of GPT-3 refers to some people as animals and associates white people with terms like “supremacy” and “superiority”; such language perpetuates long-held stereotypes and dehumanizes non-white people. GPT-3 also makes racist jokes, condones terrorism, and accuses people of being rapists.

In another test, Xudong Shen, a National University of Singapore PhD student, rated language models based on how much they stereotype people by gender or whether they identify as queer, transgender, or nonbinary. He found that larger AI programs tended to engage in more stereotyping. Shen says the makers of large language models should correct these flaws. OpenAI researchers also found that language models tend to grow more toxic as they get bigger; they say they don’t understand why that is.

Text generated by large language models is coming ever closer to language that looks or sounds like it came from a human, yet it still fails to understand things requiring reasoning that almost all people understand. In other words, as some researchers put it, this AI is a fantastic bullshitter, capable of convincing both AI researchers and other people that the machine understands the words it generates.

UC Berkeley psychology professor Alison Gopnik studies how toddlers and young people learn to apply that understanding to computing. Children, she said, are the best learners, and the way kids learn language stems largely from their knowledge of and interaction with the world around them. Conversely, large language models have no connection to the world, making their output less grounded in reality.

“The definition of bullshitting is you talk a lot and it kind of sounds plausible, but there's no common sense behind it,” Gopnik says.

Yejin Choi, an associate professor at the University of Washington and leader of a group studying common sense at the Allen Institute for AI, has put GPT-3 through dozens of tests and experiments to document how it can make mistakes. Sometimes it repeats itself. Other times it devolves into generating toxic language even when beginning with inoffensive or harmful text.

To teach AI more about the world, Choi and a team of researchers created PIGLeT, AI trained in a simulated environment to understand things about physical experience that people learn growing up, such as it’s a bad idea to touch a hot stove. That training led a relatively small language model to outperform others on common sense reasoning tasks. Those results, she said, demonstrate that scale is not the only winning recipe and that researchers should consider other ways to train models. Her goal: “Can we actually build a machine learning algorithm that can learn abstract knowledge about how the world works?”

Choi is also working on ways to reduce the toxicity of language models. Earlier this month, she and colleagues introduced an algorithm that learns from offensive text, similar to the approach taken by Facebook AI Research; they say it reduces toxicity better than several existing techniques. Large language models can be toxic because of humans, she says. “That's the language that's out there.”

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Perversely, some researchers have found that attempts to fine-tune and remove bias from models can end up hurting marginalized people. In a paper published in April, researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Washington found that Black people, Muslims, and people who identify as LGBT are particularly disadvantaged.

The authors say the problem stems, in part, from the humans who label data misjudging whether language is toxic or not. That leads to bias against people who use language differently than white people. Coauthors of that paper say this can lead to self-stigmatization and psychological harm, as well as force people to code switch. OpenAI researchers did not address this issue in their recent paper.

Jesse Dodge, a research scientist at the Allen Institute for AI, reached a similar conclusion. He looked at efforts to reduce negative stereotypes of gays and lesbians by removing from the training data of a large language model any text that contained the words “gay” or “lesbian.” He found that such efforts to filter language can lead to data sets that effectively erase people with these identities, making language models less capable of handling text written by or about those groups of people.

Dodge says the best way to deal with bias and inequality is to improve the data used to train language models instead of trying to remove bias after the fact. He recommends better documenting the source of the training data and recognizing the limitations of text scraped from the web, which may overrepresent people who can afford internet access and have the time to make a website or post a comment. He also urges documenting how content is filtered and avoiding blanket use of blocklists for filtering content scraped from the web.

Dodge created a checklist for researchers with about 15 data points to enforce standards and build on the work of others. Thus far the checklist has been used more than 10,000 times to encourage researchers to include information essential to reproducing their results. Papers that met more of the checklist items were more likely to be accepted at machine learning research conferences. Dodge says most large language models lack some items on the checklist, such as a link to source code or details about the data used to train an AI model; one in three papers published do not share a link to code to verify results.

But Dodge also sees more systemic issues at work. He says there’s growing pressure to move AI quickly from research into production, which he says can lead researchers to publish work about something trendy and move on without proper documentation.

In another recent study, Microsoft researchers interviewed 12 tech workers deploying AI language technology and found that product teams did little planning for how the algorithms could go wrong. Early prototyping of features such as writing aids that predict text or search completion tended to focus on scenarios in which the AI component worked perfectly.

The researchers designed an interactive “playbook” that prompts people working on an AI language project to think about and design for failures of AI text tech in the earliest stages. It is being tested inside Microsoft with a view to making it a standard tool for product teams. Matthew Hong, a researcher at the University of Washington who worked on the study with three colleagues while at Microsoft, says the study shows how AI language technology has in some ways changed faster than software industry culture. “Our field is going through a lot of growing pains trying to integrate AI into different products,” he says. “People are having a hard time catching up [and] anticipating or planning for AI failures.”

This story originally appeared on wired.com.

[unlimitedwp]

How to Manage Your Time Better and Earn More Leads

One solution can address two of the biggest problems' agency owners typically have.

Who is it for: Who is it for In Charge: Ketan. Follower: Darshan Prepared by: Ronik

Outcomes:

Achieve maximum results for SEO each month.

To stay consistent in our efforts to help the XYZ team deliver results.

Measure progress

Effective use of budget

Improve SEO by implementing ideas/suggestions/tactics faster

Critical Steps:

What is the deliverable of what they are working on right now?

Check all open tasks or email to see if they are waiting on us to provide information or assist with the website.

Ask questions where you have it to keep them on their top performance and active.

Budget: $500 per month.

Timeline – Ask yourself, is the timeline being followed to reach the goals of the quarter?

Results – Check on results.

Record results in Scorecard

Click here to Download PDF

Time is a precious commodity. For digital agency owners, it’s doubly precious.

There is a fundamental trade off between time, revenue, and the quality of work you put out. When the creation and development of digital web assets and WordPress tasks are involved, that trade off can be difficult to manage successfully.

Anyone familiar with programming knows that a small oversight in an application’s code can turn into an expensive, complicated, function-disabling bug later on. Similarly, anyone who produces technical content for non-technical clients can understand the time-wasting impact of scope creep and imperfect communication.

Digital agency owners have both of these problems and many more. Any small disturbance in your workflow can turn into a time-consuming problem that defies easy resolution.

Unfortunately, losing time necessarily means losing leads. Lead generation is the first task that suffers when you have to spend too much time putting out fires, dealing with unhappy customers, and fixing broken web assets.

There are two solutions to this problem, and they both revolve around the ability to confidently delegate tasks to others while efficiently managing both your time and theirs.

Delegating Tasks Is Your Most Important Skill

Anyone who owns and operates their own business has to learn how to delegate tasks effectively. Make no mistake – the ability to delegate tasks effectively is a skill that gets better with preparation and practice.

The easiest way to determine which tasks to delegate is to look at the ones that cost the most time and generate the least value. Bug-hunting, WordPress maintenance, and fixing things that plugin updates break are almost certainly going to find themselves on this list.

Digital agency owners who find ways to delegate these types of tasks are going to have more time to dedicate to their highest-value job-generating and cultivating leads. This is the approach that makes all the difference.

Whether you delegate WordPress tasks to an employee or to a third-party service provider, you need to structure your expectations and provide solid guidelines about how you wish the tasks to be completed. This critical step is the one where most agency owners stumble.

Whether You Hire New Team Members or Outsource WordPress Tasks, Your Job Is the Same

We’ve already written a great deal about the advantages and disadvantages of hiring new members vs. outsourcing to a white label WordPress partner. But these two options are by no means exclusive. You can definitely hire new team members for some tasks and collaborate with white label WordPress solutions for others.

In fact, in most cases, this is the most scalable and user-friendly way to achieve sustainable agency growth. As your agency grows, the task of managing your team and its various subcontractors will become incredibly complex.

There is a big difference between managing four or five client contracts a month and managing forty or fifty at a time.

As the owner of a digital agency, your job is not only to delegate tasks in the most efficient way possible, but also to communicate your expectations clearly to everyone involved – employees, outsource partners, and customers alike.

Who is it for: Who is it for In Charge: Ketan. Follower: Darshan Prepared by: Ronik

Outcomes:

Achieve maximum results for SEO each month.

To stay consistent in our efforts to help the XYZ team deliver results.

Measure progress

Effective use of budget

Improve SEO by implementing ideas/suggestions/tactics faster

Critical Steps:

What is the deliverable of what they are working on right now?

Check all open tasks or email to see if they are waiting on us to provide information or assist with the website.

Ask questions where you have it to keep them on their top performance and active.

Budget: $500 per month.

Timeline – Ask yourself, is the timeline being followed to reach the goals of the quarter?

Results – Check on results.

Record results in Scorecard

Click here to Download PDF

The first part of this challenging job is delegating the right tasks to the right people. The second part is ensuring that everyone involved knows exactly what you expect them to do. You must cover both steps in order to build a self-sustaining system for your business to thrive on.

1. Choose the Right People for the Tasks You Need Completed

We don’t doubt that there are some tasks best kept in-house. The question digital agency owners need to ask is whether they are spending the optimal amount of time on those tasks.

In most cases, generating leads and interacting with customers is high on the list of tasks that generate the most value. Since your customers are the source of your business’s success, it stands to reason that dealing with them first is the best way to maximize revenue.

Once you identify what your highest-value work is, you have to compare the amount of time you spend on high-value work with the amount of time you spend on low-value work. Low-value work isn’t unimportant – it just doesn’t produce the same kind of return-per-hour as your other jobs.

In general, the costs of hiring make adding new team members a viable solution only for higher-value tasks. This includes the task of managing third-party freelancers and subcontractors.

If custom-coding WordPress plugins are not part of your agency’s core value, then the amount of time you would spend completing unlimited WordPress tasks for your clients will never provide a greater balance of value than delegating those tasks to a technically oriented white label WordPress agency. There is always going to be something else you could be earning more revenue doing.

2. Use Standard Operating Procedures to Communicate Your Expectations

Once you start filling out your team with in-house hires, outsourced white label partners, or a mix of the two, you will have to take on the challenge of organizing all of their work effectively. This is a demanding, high-value task that directly impacts how efficient your team members work with one another.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) establish a highly detailed set of expectations that correspond to your agency’s goals. They predict and comprehensively cover all the questions your employees and third-party providers may have, allowing them to complete their work unimpeded.

Digital agency owners who make the mistake of neglecting this critical step often have trouble managing their team and communicating with their white label WordPress providers. They then have to spend more (low-value) time dealing with the mistakes their teams make and end up losing important opportunities to serve their customers and earn more revenue.

The more solid your system of resolving tasks is, and the better able you are to communicate your expectations to others, the more time you can spend interacting with customers and earning the revenue that makes your entire agency possible.

Use Our SOP Use Case As a Template to Manage Third Party Contractors Easily

Whether you are actively looking for a white label WordPress maintenance provider or you are just looking for ways to boost in-house efficiency, creating comprehensive SOPs is an excellent place to start. Use our third-party management use case as a starting point to reduce the time you spend on your most time-consuming tasks and find out how a solid, optimized workflow impacts your bottom line.

The more SOPs you create, the longer it will take team members to find the specific ones they are looking for. Start building your SOPs now. When the time comes to outsource those tasks, you’ll already have a reliable set of standard operating procedures to work with. Here’s the link to download our SOP for managing contractors.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, March 4, 2021

The ‘free world’ keeps shrinking (NYT) Three-quarters of the people on earth live in countries where freedom is declining. That’s one of the grim takeaways in an annual report produced by Freedom House, the Washington-based pro-democracy think tank and watchdog. This year’s survey, published Wednesday, marked the 15th consecutive year of global democratic backsliding—“a long democratic recession,” in the organization’s words, that is “deepening.” Freedom House grades individual countries on 25 indicators that evaluate the health of a given nation’s democracy (or lack thereof). The cumulative score then enables the organization, which has been in operation since 1941, to rank a given country as “Free,” “Partly Free,” or “Not Free.” Of the 195 independent countries evaluated, 73 saw aggregate score declines and only 28 saw growth. That margin is the widest of its kind in the past decade and a half. Moreover, 54 countries are now labeled “Not Free,” or about 38 percent of the world’s population, the highest share since 2005. Less than 20 percent of the world’s population lives in countries now classified as “Free.”

Vaccine Passports, Covid’s Next Political Flash Point (NYT) The next major flash point over coronavirus response has already provoked cries of tyranny and discrimination in Britain, protests in Denmark, digital disinformation in the United States and geopolitical skirmishing within the European Union. The subject of debate: vaccine passports—government-issued cards or smartphone badges stating that the bearer has been inoculated against the coronavirus. The idea is to allow families to reunite, economies to restart and hundreds of millions of people who have received a shot to return to a degree of normalcy, all without spreading the virus. Some versions of the documentation might permit bearers to travel internationally. Others would allow entry to vaccinated-only spaces like gyms, concert venues and restaurants. While such passports are still hypothetical in most places, Israel became the first to roll out its own last week, capitalizing on its high vaccination rate. Several European countries are considering following. President Biden has asked federal agencies to explore options. And some airlines and tourism-reliant industries and destinations expect to require them.

US infrastructure gets C- from engineers as roads stagnate (AP) America’s infrastructure has scored near-failing grades for its deteriorating roads, public transit and storm water systems due to years of inaction from the federal government, the American Society of Civil Engineers reports. Its overall grade: a mediocre C-. In its “Infrastructure Report Card” released Wednesday, the group called for “big and bold” relief, estimating it would cost $5.9 trillion over the next decade to bring roads, bridges and airports to a safe and sustainable level. That’s about $2.6 trillion more than what government and the private sector already spend. “America’s infrastructure is not functioning as it should, and families are losing thousands of dollars a year in disposable income as a result of cities having to fix potholes, people getting stuck in traffic or due to repairs when a water line breaks or the energy grid goes down,” said Greg DiLoreto, one of the group’s past presidents.

Pandemic puts 1 in 3 nonprofits in financial jeopardy (AP) More than one-third of U.S. nonprofits are in jeopardy of closing within two years because of the financial harm inflicted by the viral pandemic, according to a study being released Wednesday by the philanthropy research group Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The study’s findings underscore the perils for nonprofits and charities whose financial needs have escalated over the past year, well in excess of the donations that most have received from individuals and foundations. The researchers analyzed how roughly 300,000 nonprofits would fare under 20 scenarios of varying severity. The worst-case scenario led to the closings of 38% of the nonprofits. Even the scenarios seen as more realistic resulted in closures well into double digit percentages. “If you are a donor who cares about an organization that is rooted in place and relies on revenue from in-person services, now is the time probably to give more,” said Jacob Harold, Candid’s executive vice president.

Biden Sanctions Russia Over Navalny Poisoning (Foreign Policy) The United States imposed sanctions Tuesday on a number of Russian individuals and entities linked to the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. The move was made in concert with the European Union, which issued separate asset freezes and travel bans on four Russians. The Russian Foreign Ministry has brushed off the impact of the moves, while threatening a reciprocal response. “Irrespective of America’s ‘sanctions addiction,’ we will continue to consistently and decisively defend our national interests, rebuffing any aggression. We urge our colleagues not to play with fire,” Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, said on Wednesday. According to White House officials, more U.S. sanctions targeting Russians involved in the SolarWinds hack, the alleged bounty program on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and Russian interference in the 2020 election are expected soon.

Biden’s Afghan dilemma (The New Yorker) Afghanistan presents Joe Biden with one of the most immediate and vexing problems of his Presidency. If he completes the military withdrawal, he will end a seemingly interminable intervention and bring home thousands of troops. But, if he wants the war to be considered anything short of an abject failure, the Afghan state will have to be able to stand on its own.

Greece: Thousands spend night outdoors after powerful quake (AP) Fearful of returning to their homes, thousands of people in central Greece were spending the night outdoors late Wednesday after a powerful earthquake, felt across the region, damaged homes and public buildings. The shallow, magnitude-6.0 quake struck near the central city of Larissa. One man was hurt by falling debris but no serious injuries were reported. Officials reported structural damage, mainly to old houses and buildings that saw walls collapse or crack. One of them was a primary school, stone-built in 1938, in the quake-hit village of Damasi where 63 students were attending classes. “The teachers kept their cool and the pupils stuck to the emergency drill, and everyone got out okay,” headmaster Grigoris Letsios said while on a video call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The army set up tents and meal counters at a nearby soccer field as local officials urged people to remain outside their homes until they could be inspected. A series of powerful aftershocks of up to 5.2 magnitude kept many residents on edge.

Indian Government Regulation Squeezes Christian Charities (CT) For Christians trying to care for the poor in India, there is always a need for more prayer, more hands, and more money. Much of that money comes from donors in other countries. Recently, though, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has tightened regulations on foreign funding to nonprofits, including Christian groups that feed orphans, run hospitals, and educate children. Since Modi took office in 2014, the Indian government has revoked permission for more than 16,000 nongovernmental organizations to receive foreign funding, using the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). “It is deliberately an assault against the nonprofit sector,” said Vijayesh Lal, the general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, “and that includes the churches.” While the FCRA is not designed specifically to target Christian groups, experts say its cumbersome regulations have been used by the ruling parties in India to stifle political and religious dissidents since the law’s adoption in 1976.

Intense preparations before pontiff meets Iraqi ayatollah (AP) In Iraq’s holiest city, a pontiff will meet a revered ayatollah and make history with a message of coexistence in a place plagued by bitter divisions. One is the chief pastor of the world-wide Catholic Church, the other a pre-eminent figure in Shiite Islam whose opinion holds powerful sway on the Iraqi street and beyond. Their encounter will resonate across Iraq, even crossing borders into neighboring, mainly Shiite Iran. Pope Francis and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani are to meet on Saturday for at most 40 minutes, part of the time alone except for interpreters, in the Shiite cleric’s modest home in the city of Najaf. Every detail was scrutinized ahead of time in painstaking, behind-the-scenes preparations that touched on everything from shoes to seating arrangements. For Iraq’s dwindling Christian minority, a show of solidarity from al-Sistani could help secure their place in Iraq after years of displacement—and, they hope, ease intimidation from Shiite militiamen against their community. Iraqi officials in government, too, see the meeting’s symbolic power—as does Tehran. The 90-year-old al-Sistani has been a consistent counterweight to Iran’s influence. With the meeting, Francis is implicitly recognizing him as the chief interlocutor of Shiite Islam over his rival, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Pentagon: US contractor dies in rocket attack at Iraq base (AP) A U.S. contractor died Wednesday when at least 10 rockets slammed into an air base housing U.S. and other coalition troops in western Iraq, the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the contractor “suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering” and died shortly afterward. He said there were no service members injured and all are accounted for. British and Danish troops also are among those stationed at the base. The rocket attack was the first since the U.S. struck Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border last week, killing one militiaman and stoking fears of another cycle of tit-for-tat attacks as happened more than a year ago. Those attacks included the U.S. drone strike in January 2020 that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad and set off months of increased troops levels in the region. Wednesday’s death of the contractor heightens worries that the U.S. could be drawn into another period of escalating attacks.

Reports: Myanmar security forces kill at least 33 protesters (AP) Myanmar security forces dramatically escalated their crackdown on protests against last month’s coup, killing at least 33 protesters Wednesday in several cities, according to accounts on social media and local news reports compiled by a data analyst. That is highest daily death toll since the Feb. 1 takeover, exceeding the 18 that the U.N. Human Rights Office said were killed on Sunday, and could galvanize the international community, which has responded fitfully thus far to the violence. Videos from Wednesday also showed security forces firing slingshots at demonstrators, chasing them down and even brutally beating an ambulance crew. Demonstrators have regularly flooded the streets of cities across the country since the military seized power and ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Their numbers have remained high even as security forces have repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse the crowds, and arrested protesters en masse.

China’s vaccine diplomacy campaign (AP) The plane laden with vaccines had just rolled to a stop at Santiago’s airport in late January, and Chile’s president, Sebastián Piñera, was beaming. “Today,” he said, “is a day of joy, emotion and hope.” The source of that hope: China—a country that Chile and dozens of other nations are depending on to help rescue them from the COVID-19 pandemic. China’s vaccine diplomacy campaign has been a surprising success: It has pledged roughly half a billion doses of its vaccines to more than 45 countries, according to a country-by-country tally by The Associated Press. With just four of China’s many vaccine makers claiming they are able to produce at least 2.6 billion doses this year, a large part of the world’s population will end up inoculated not with the fancy Western vaccines boasting headline-grabbing efficacy rates, but with China’s humble, traditionally made shots. Inoculations with Chinese vaccines already have begun in more than 25 countries, and the Chinese shots have been delivered to another 11, according to the AP tally.

Taiwanese urged to eat ‘freedom pineapples’ after China import ban (The Guardian) Taiwanese pineapples have become the latest victim of deteriorating cross-strait relations, after Chinese authorities suddenly banned imports of the fruit. The ban, which began on Monday and is indefinite, was announced by the Chinese customs office on Friday. The customs office said harmful pests had been detected in recent shipments. Taiwan’s government rejected the claim, accusing Beijing of making an “unacceptable” unilateral decision, and urging citizens and international allies to eat “freedom pineapples” in support of the domestic industry, echoing the campaign to support Australia’s wine producers after Beijing imposed tariffs last year. Beijing has a history of enacting trade sanctions during international disputes, most recently with Australian wine, coal and barley, action that can cause significant economic damage to industry and put pressure on rival governments. Relations with Taiwan are at the lowest in decades. Despite the Communist party never ruling Taiwan, Beijing considers it to be a province of China, and has vowed to unite it with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Lebanese anger at economy grows as political deadlock persists (Reuters) Protesters blocked some roadways in Lebanon for a second day on Wednesday after the currency’s fall to a new low further enraged a population long horrified by the country’s financial meltdown. In the past year, Lebanon has been through a popular uprising against its political leaders, the bankruptcy of the state and banking system, a COVID-19 pandemic and, in August, a huge blast that killed 200 people and destroyed parts of Beirut. The financial crisis has wiped out jobs, raised warnings of growing hunger and locked people out of their bank deposits. The collapse of the Lebanese pound, which fell to 10,000 to the dollar on Tuesday, slashed about 85% of its value in a country relying heavily on imports. It was the last straw for many who have seen prices of consumer goods such as diapers or cereals nearly triple since the crisis erupted. Demonstrators burnt tyres and rubbish containers across many parts of Lebanon to block roads on Tuesday night.

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

The BSF – Leveraging Our Collections and Expertise to Help Fight Invasive Species

Within the CMNH Section of Invertebrate Zoology resides a program called the Biodiversity Services Facility – the BSF for short. The program is a revenue-generating insect screening and identification service whose principle client is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Plant Protection and Quarantine Program (PPQ), as well as various state departments of agriculture. The BSF is designed to support time-sensitive survey work being performed by these agencies to detect invasive species, primarily wood-boring beetles.

As the Primary Identifier and Program Manager of the BSF, I can accurately describe 2020 as a busy year by citing a workload of nearly 8,000 raw trap samples generated through 23 survey projects being run in 16 states, stretching from Maine to Georgia and west to Nebraska and Kansas.

So how did it all begin? Let’s take a look…

In 2001, the country suffered the greatest tragedy in recent memory, the terrorist attacks of September 11. As a response, in 2002, the Office of Homeland Security was created, and during the following years, federal funding and personnel were reallocated from efforts to guard against agricultural and environmental threats to increase screening for human-centered security threats to the country. This resource shift created a void in the areas of pest detection and identification, and it became increasingly important to find outside support to help fill the gaps.

In 2005, through collaboration with Dr. Robert Acciavatti, an entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service and a long-time Research Associate in the Section of IZ, a proposal for a proof-of concept study was submitted to the U.S. Forest Service to determine if the museum could provide the needed identification services as a private contractor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The proposal called for funding staff to do the contract work as well as providing some collection support for the Section of Invertebrate Zoology. All aspects of the process were quantified: how long it took to check in samples; the time spent in proofing data; the number of samples that could be screened in a day; the number of specimen ID’s generated from any given sample; the resources needed to archive specimens; and the time involved in managing the activities. And most importantly - could it all be done in a fiscally responsible way to offer a service cheaper than existing options, while generating enough funding to complete the work as well as support the essential staff? The results of the project concluded that, yes… it could.

The icing on the cake during the proof-of-concept study was the detection of an invasive bark beetle species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) native to eastern Asia, Anisandrus maiche Stark. It was found in samples collected at the Moon Industrial Park near the Pittsburgh International Airport. It had not previously been recorded from the United States and in subsequent years was found to already have spread into eastern Ohio and the West Virginia panhandle before its discovery in the Pittsburgh area. Not only had the project proved the work could be done at a competitive price for the USDA, it proved that the taxonomic expertise in the Section of IZ was up to the task. The BSF was officially launched in 2006 and to date has processed nearly 95,000 raw samples, generating nearly $2,000,000.00 in outside funding.

Figure 1. Anisandrus maiche Stark (a species of bark beetle), about 2 mm in body length.

First detected in the United States in 2005 by Robert Androw.

(Image courtesy of Dr. Robert Acciavatti)

When I screen samples, I work against a ‘Priority Pest List’ developed by the USDA that contains the exotic species considered to be the greatest potential environmental threats should they be introduced into the country. In addition to the twenty or so priority pests, I screen for nearly 75 other species known to have been previously intercepted at ports or established in the U.S. to aid in monitoring the distribution of those species. The USDA efforts are guided by a practice dubbed EDRR – Early Detection, Rapid Response – a plan of responding quickly to any new pest detection to improve the likelihood that it can be extirpated before it can spread and become a major problem. To help meet this goal, I work under a self-imposed 90-day deadline for every sample – from the time a sample arrives with its associated collection data, it gets processed and the results reported to the client within 90 days. Prior to the BSF’s formation and involvement, samples could sometimes take as long as two years to get processed by the over-taxed screeners within the existing system.

Most samples are collected using one of two types of traps: the Lindgren funnel trap and the Cross-vane panel trap. Both act as “silhouette” traps – their dark, vertical design can appear to be the trunk of a tree to a flying insect. These can effectively capture many species through this deceptive visual cue alone, but most often, the traps are baited with various chemical lures designed to attract specific species or genera of beetles. Traps can be deployed in forests, in urban parks, outside of warehouses or any other location where pest species may potentially be found. Most traps are run for a period of 10-14 days before the sample is removed from the collection cups and submitted to the BSF.

Figure 2. A Cross-vane panel trap (left) and Lindgren 12-funnel trap (right). Flying insects collide with the trap and fall down into the white sample collection cups which are filled with preservative. The white and blue pouches are filled with chemical lures. (Images from the BSF advertising flyer)

The two most commonly monitored lineages of beetles – Curculionidae (weevils and bark beetles) and Cerambycidae (long-horned beetles) – are both wood-boring taxa, with the damage usually being done by the larvae. The nature of the damage differs across lineages, with most of the damage caused by long-horned beetles being physical in nature – burrows and holes in the wood which hasten decay as well as providing avenues of access to other wood-boring insects. The bark beetles cause a variety of damage but are more likely to spread plant disease by boring into wood and creating chambers in which fungus is deposited by the female as an eventual food source for the larvae. While the long-horned beetles are moderate to large in size, most bark beetles in the weevil subfamily Scolytinae – the primary group of concern – are tiny insects generally less than 3mm in length.

Many target species are small enough to be accidentally discarded if attempts are made to “clean” the sample by removing leaves or other debris. Therefore, the BSF requires raw, unsullied samples to be submitted by our collaborators to ensure that no target taxa are lost during handling of the samples. We have another benign ulterior motive for raw samples to be submitted – to allow us to assess the “bycatch” in detail. This includes examining all specimens in the sample, not just checking for the species on the lists of known pests. This scrutiny ensures the detection of any new invasive not yet known to occur in the country, as was the case with Anisandrus maiche. The bycatch also provides a wealth of native specimens to augment the main IZ research collection. As I screen the samples, I extract all target species, specimens of uncommon to rare native species, specimens representing groups of special interest to the IZ staff, and specimens in groups for which specialists are available to provide identification.

Once the specimens are extracted from the samples, they are prepared and labeled and then sorted by taxonomic groups for identification by me or other specialists. Once ID’d, the specimens have their data captured in a data base with the information made available to the customer through their project page on the BSF web site. In a recent data dump, over 70,000 records of a wide variety of insects, but primarily beetles – were provided to USDA in response to their request for data for a bycatch assessment study. All specimens extracted and data based are permanently archived in the research collections in the Section of Invertebrate Zoology. This allows for reexamination of the actual specimens reported upon as well as providing the comparative material for future identification efforts.

Figure 3. A curated drawer of identified bark beetles from the research collection in the Section of Invertebrate Zoology.

Many of these specimens were acquired from BSF projects over the years.

The bycatch also provides a continual influx of material for various projects underway in the Section of IZ.  My personal group of interest is the Cerambycidae – or long-horned beetles – and thousands of specimens have been documented in support of several faunal studies in progress. Lindgren trap samples from West Virginia have generated many records for long-horned beetles that will be used for an eventual publication on the Cerambycidae of West Virginia. Records of ground beetles taken from the trap samples are being compiled for a publication by Robert Davidson, Collection Manager Emeritus, documenting new state records of Carabidae. Thousands of specimens, from many families of beetles, have also been loaned to various specialists to garner determinations to further enhance the main research collection.

Figure 4. The ‘velvet long-horned beetle’ - Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann) - is a species introduced from Asia into the United States. Specimens from several eastern states have been found in BSF samples. (Image from BugGuide.net, courtesy Jeff Brown, Huber Heights, Ohio)

All-in-all, the Biodiversity Services Facility is a win-win situation – the funding supports collection staff and provides revenue for supplies and equipment, and the USDA and other clients get much needed support in their screening and identification efforts at a competitive price. The samples provide an annual infusion of specimens into the Carnegie collection and the clients receive information that would be otherwise lost about the insects coming to their traps. And maybe most importantly, the BSF leverages the taxonomic expertise of the IZ staff against real-world problems and contributes to making an impact in protecting our environment from invasive pest species.

Bob Androw is a Collection Manager in Invertebrate Zoology. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[gusgrissom]

Before we get to today’s big celebrations (and the last Apollo 50 countdown post!), I just want to say a few words about the people involved in this program. Nearly every American was touched by the space program in some way, and Apollo 11 was its zenith. My posts tend to focus on the astronauts, and they certainly have these last few days. As the guts as well as the public face of the space program, I’m most fascinated by their lives and experiences. They’re my heroes.

But there are over 400,000 other people who deserve recognition today, and they’re my heroes, too. The extent to which the space program involved the entire country is massive. NASA administrators, government leaders, engineers at companies like McDonnell and other private contractors, reporters who brought the program to the public, workers who physically built the spacecraft, geologists and astronomers, doctors and nurses, the thousands of military personnel who supported each mission, nutritionists, seamstresses, those in mission control, secretaries, educators, the wives and families of the astronauts… I can only begin to scratch the surface of the responsibilities and accomplishments of these people.

The program has been labeled a boys’ club, more specifically a white boys’ club, but in truth it was more diverse, even ahead of its time, than most people know. Thankfully the world is recognizing that fact more frequently now. Women, immigrants, minorities, young and old, wealthy and poor, white- and blue-collar, religious beliefs running the gamut; these thousands of people were the backbone of our journey to the moon. The space program was made up of a diverse melting pot of people, one that could only be found in America, and this was its strength. Thank you to everyone who worked to make one of the most incredible achievements in human history possible.

I would also like to say a special thank you to a select group, who perhaps gave more than anyone else. They certainly gave more than anyone had the right to ask of them, and yet they did it gladly, bravely. The astronauts who died on our way to the moon. One of the greatest privileges of my work has been getting to know these guys, the kind of men they were, the families they left behind. Although most of them died more than 30 years before I was born, I (and many, many others) miss them terribly, and we owe so much to their service and sacrifice. Love you boys.

Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964)

Elliot McKay See, Jr. (July 23, 1927 - February 28, 1966)

Charles Arthur “Charlie” Bassett II (December 30, 1931 - February 28, 1966)

Virgil Ivan “Gus” Grissom (April 3, 1926 - January 27, 1967)

Edward Higgins White II (November 14, 1930 - January 27, 1967)

Roger Bruce Chaffee (February 15, 1935 - January 27, 1967)

Edward Galen Givens, Jr. (January 5, 1930 - June 6, 1967)

Clifton Curtis “C.C.” Williams (September 26, 1932 - October 5, 1967)

Robert Henry “Bob” Lawrence, Jr. (October 2, 1935 - December 8, 1967)

Special thanks and condolences to three Russian cosmonauts who died in their country’s pursuit of the moon: Valentin Bondarenko (February 16, 1937 - March 23, 1961), Vladimir Komarov (March 16, 1927 - April 24, 1967), and Yuri Gagarin (March 9, 1934 - March 27, 1968), the first human being to fly in space, as well as any other cosmonauts whose deaths may have been covered up by the Soviet government. Our victory belonged to you, too, comrades.

From the drivers who transported parts across the country to the astronauts who flew across the moon, it wouldn’t have been possible without any of them. Apollo 11 is truly a testament to what can be achieved by humankind when we have big dreams, determination, and the strength to help and sacrifice for each other. Ad astra per aspera. For all mankind.

[reparieren3009]

Oven Repairs

Which are the important factors when choosing the best repairer for your oven or stove? The following list should be a good start: Do you need an electrical contractor or gas fitter? Does the technician have the proper certification? Does the organisation have the proper Permits i. e. electrical contractors license? What are their charges? What Brands do they service? How do ones own warranties compare? Do they have the rights parts on board? Are they members of a peak body connection? Do they have published policies and procedures? Well, seems simple enough, or at least if you read enough blogs and forums etc . you will find many variations on the above list stating their method/list/tips are the panacea for your dilemma; choosing the right repairer! The reality is vastly different. Most people needing their oven or stove repaired don't have time to generate a list and methodically check it off before making a booking. Worse still, in little Adelaide you will be limited to a handful of truly professional repairers who repair ovens and stoves for a living, where their abilities, resources, stock, parts etc match your requirements. So what can you do that is quick and easy while still improving ones own chances of getting a good repairer? If you don't have time to read the complete article, you can jump to the summary at the end in the article, meanwhile the advice I can give in one sentence is two things: Remember a) most serious appliance repairers will tell you what you want to hear, and b) you only get what you pay for... If you're lucky! Nevertheless If you're interested in the scenic version, great, we will revisit some of the bullet points above and with any luck fine tune on your bull-dust radar. Q. Does the technician have the right certification? A. Yes Keep in mind most will tell you what you want to hear. But the real answer lies in a lengthy discussion. For example; is your appliance utility or gas. Then we need to decide if the problem is electrical or gas. Most gas ovens and stoves have electrical systems within them, which, if the oven or stove is hardwired, requires a authorised electrician to carry out the repair. If the oven or stove has an electrical fault and the unit is not hard " cable ", then the chances are the average refrigeration mechanic can undertake the repair legitimately. But and isn't there constantly a but, how do you know if the unit is hardwired? And how do you know if the unit has an electro-mechanical or gas fault. Most customers won't know! The reason these clever lists are often not all that useful is that you have no way of knowing if the repairer has told a white lie or not. In fact ,, they don't either. They need to see the job before making that judgement. And here is the reason they told people what you want to hear; because most will collect a minimum payment at the first visit regardless of whether they can complete that repair or not. The more professional repairer will tell you who you need to call, but for them, the payback has already been achieved; that being payment for the first visit. Q. What are your charges? A. Various. Several will state a call out fee, plus a rate. Most call out fees include some optimum time limit i. e. 1/4 or 1/2 an hour. Some will qualify a fixed charge. Many will don't include the GST. But you, being a switched on individual, googled for a repairer that doesn't charge a call out charge. Well, before you pat yourself on the back too hard, make sure you ask "what the minimum charge will be". Many repairers are responding to the pressures of what we refer to as the "Deal Shoppers" who ring available town and compare prices and select the cheapest price. Those who book a call with the cheapest deal infrequently end up getting the best repair. And if they do get a cheap job, there are generally good reasons underpinning that flexibility, i. e. cutting corners, fitting cheap or second hand parts, not paying insurances, not paying proper wages, not using qualified tradespeople, not being careful to refit covers and alike with almost all their screws and safety harnesses and the list goes on. Remember, you only get what you pay for. Q. What labels do they service? A. Your brand! - Because it's what you want to hear! Most will tell you they are able to service your brand, and for the most part that's true. On the other end of the scale are the brand certain repairers who are generally proud of the brands they service as it reflects their status in the industry. They support it out like a badge of honour and will tell toot sweet if they don't service your company. Specialists will carry more parts for a given brand, so their chances of completing a job during the primary visit is higher than someone who repairs everything and anything. The compromise for brand specific repairer is the list of appliances that brand covers i. e. ovens, stoves, washing machines, dishwashers, range-hoods, microwaves, dryers and others. Which means the space for oven or stove parts compete with pumps, and motors and seals in addition to timers of the other appliances. Look for the repairer who specialises in your brand oven or stove. Queen. What is your warranty? A. 12 months! Or at least that is the most likely answer, because it's what you want to check on. But this is a complex piece of consumer legislation. There are two facets of warranty, labour and materials. The normal service for Labour is 3 months. Both of which the court will throw out the window if it is a issue before them. But these periods serve as a reasonable guide. The catch is in the judgement. When a repairer has to return to a job to repair a recall, how do you judge if the work that was done is the purpose or if the cause is a different fault altogether. There is a better than good chance the latter is the condition. Those companies that offer longer warranties know that the chances they will have to cover the cost of repairs under the terms with warranty are very low. In fact , it has the added benefit of acting like a loyalty program. If the warranty reaches to say 5 years or 10 years or even a lifetime warranty remember you are unlikely to be able to judge if the warranties fault is what was previously repaired. So , for the period of the extended warranty you will call the warranting corporation first in the misguided belief the work will be done for free, which is true for very few, if any of people return visits. Remember, if it seems too good to be true... it probably is. Q. Do they also have the right parts on board? A. Yes - Because it's what you want to hear! Service vehicles have limited breathing space, as such high turnover/high profit parts represent the largest volume held. Repairers often qualify the part(s) tend to be held in stock. But that does not mean it is in the van that is designated for your job. No maintenance company doing major appliance service work is able to maintain an accurate up to date van stock. Which means more likely as compared to not, staff taking the booking have no idea what's in the van. Stock held in the van is only an individual problem, the second is the quality of the part. Elements, thermostats, hinges, door seals, etc . are not made by the brand name manufacturer. Elements for instance are made by dozens of manufacturers, but they generally only make elements. Brand manufacturers get their elements from the more reputable suppliers, subject to a contract. However those same elements are also that is generated by copy manufacturers. Some are good quality, some are dubious. But the difference is the price. Cheaper elements can come for up to 50% cheaper than the higher quality elements. Q. Is the repairer a member of an Association. A. Yes : you guessed it, because that is what you want to hear. Electricians are often members of NECA the National Electro-mechanical Contractors Association. The question is, how does that help you qualify the repairer is a bonafide, quality user? Simple, it doesn't! This group are really about electrical contractors who wire building - big and small to medium sized. AIA Appliance Industry Australia is probably the main relevant association. Sadly in South Australia that will limit want you to one repairer, Electrolux. My experience is that the Major Appliance Repair industry is just too small to support the true work necessary to validate a repairer as a bona fide quality operator. Just because the repairer is a member of a link doesn't mean they will be held to a higher standard of repair. Q. Do they have published policy along with procedure. A. Hopefully yes, but more likely no . However , this is a valid means of improving your chances of acquiring a quality repairer. But really who wants to or has time to read a companies policy and procedure in advance of making a booking. No one. And then there is always the probability that the written documents, if they are made available are internet marketing tools rather than the method and means by which the repairer operates. Having access to a repairers policy and process is helpful, but only if a) you have time to read and understand them and b) if you can verify people conform to them. SUMMARY If you can't be bothered reading the long version above, here's the abbreviated edition. Make sure you qualify the minimum payable charge at the outset. No call out fee, does not mean "Free". Permanent price repairs is a valid advantage for simple repairs. Because these repairers need to complete the work just a limited period of time and visits to remain profitable. They generally limit their time to half an hour on the first job. Typically they do not undertake complex diagnostics or repairs. When engaging a repairer who qualifies "Free quotes" make sure that the quote is obligation free and that your appliance remains in your care. Most repairers who make available free quotes recoup their quotation costs via a margin built into the repair work. However , if you don't progress with the repairs, a fee is normally forth coming. Ask if there is additional costs if a return visit to fit in parts is required. Most repairers have a margin built into the parts, but others don't and add a demand for travel. Cheap or second hand parts are impossible for you to screen for. Here you rely on a gut feel and experience. If they drive a beat up old van, wear greasy - torn clothing, look unkempt you can probably expect to get ripped off. But that doesn't mean, just because they come in a thoroughly clean van all dressed to impress that they are honest quality operators, but generally your chances improve. A great way technicians shorten their time on the job is to bend covers, leave screws out and generally damage sections that can't be seen. They fail to re-clip or secure cables etc . Again this is difficult to display for, but can generally be measured by the number of jobs they book a day. 8 calls on a daily basis is a fairly busy day. If they do more than 10 jobs a day or complete jobs in quarter-hour or less you can safely assume they are taking short cuts. Long waiting times for parts are standard in this industry. Some are valid and some are not. Some repairers use parts as a means to improve their reserving efficiency. These repairers know you won't wait very long for the initial visit, but when they have collected profit for the initial visit you are committed to wait for the return visit. Try to get a gauge for how long sections will take before making the initial booking. This wont overcome the problem, but might help manage your expectations. Bear in mind... you only get what you pay for and only if you're lucky. That is a fundamental law of business, as rock solid as being the law of gravity. Make sure you know why the differences exist; only then are you ready to make an informed selection on repairs. Finally, being a deal shopper doesn't mean you will get the "best repair". The 'best repair' is buried in the fine detail and only those people with lots of time to diligently check of their list of do's and even dont's can be confident of getting the best deal. Deal shopping is shortsighted and ultimately the most likely ways to getting a shonky repair rather than a quality one. For those of us who are time poor and have better things to do with the life than trawl the internet for hours and hours, the best way to be confident of getting a good repairer is to try to look for those repairers who specialise in your brand product, be prepared to pay a fair price and if you are happy with your results tell your friends and hang onto their business card.

[confrontingbabble-on]

“It stood by as the core Gospel message—concern for the poor and the oppressed—was perverted into a magical world where God and Jesus showered believers with material wealth and power. The white race, especially in the United States, became God’s chosen agent.

Imperialism and war became divine instruments for purging the world of infidels and barbarians, evil itself. Capitalism, because God blessed the righteous with wealth and power and condemned the immoral to poverty and suffering, became shorn of its inherent cruelty and exploitation.

The iconography and symbols of American nationalism became intertwined with the iconography and symbols of the Christian faith. The mega-pastors, narcissists who rule despotic, cult-like fiefdoms, make millions of dollars by using this heretical belief system to prey on the mounting despair and desperation of their congregations, victims of neoliberalism and deindustrialization.

These believers find in Donald Trump a reflection of themselves, a champion of the unfettered greed, cult of masculinity, lust for violence, white supremacy, bigotry, American chauvinism, religious intolerance, anger, racism and conspiracy theories that define the central beliefs of the Christian right.

Trump has filled his own ideological void with Christian fascism. He has elevated members of the Christian right to prominent positions, including Mike Pence to the vice presidency, Mike Pompeo to secretary of state, Betsy DeVos to secretary of education, Ben Carson to secretary of housing and urban development, William Barr to attorney general, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and the televangelist Paula White to his Faith and Opportunities Initiative. More importantly, Trump has handed the Christian right veto and appointment power over key positions in government, especially in the federal courts. He has installed 133 district court judges out of 677 total, 50 appeals court judges out of 179 total, and two U.S. Supreme Court justices out of nine. Almost all of these judges were, in effect, selected by the Federalist Society and the Christian right. Many of the extremists who make up the judicial appointees have been rated as unqualified by the American Bar Association, the country’s largest nonpartisan coalition of lawyers.

Trump has moved to ban Muslim immigrants and rolled back civil rights legislation. He has made war on reproductive rights by restricting abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood. He has stripped away LGBTQ rights. He has ripped down the firewall between church and state by revoking the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits churches, which are tax-exempt, from endorsing political candidates. His appointees throughout the government routinely use biblical strictures to justify an array of policy decisions including environmental deregulation, war, tax cuts and the replacement of public schools with charter schools, an action that permits the transfer of federal education funds to private “Christian” schools. 

I studied ethics at Harvard Divinity School with James Luther Adams, who had been in Germany in 1935 and 1936. Adams witnessed the rise there of the so-called Christian Church, which was pro-Nazi. He warned us about the disturbing parallels between the German Christian Church and the Christian right. Adolf Hitler was in the eyes of the German Christian Church a volk messiah and an instrument of God—a view similar to the one held today about Trump by many of his white evangelical supporters. Those demonized for Germany’s economic collapse, especially Jews and communists, were agents of Satan. Fascism, Adams told us, always cloaked itself in a nation’s most cherished symbols and rhetoric. Fascism would come to America not in the guise of stiff-armed, marching brownshirts and Nazi swastikas but in mass recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance, the biblical sanctification of the state and the sacralization of American militarism. Adams was the first person I heard label the extremists of the Christian right as fascists. Liberals, he warned, as in Nazi Germany, were blind to the tragic dimension of history and radical evil. They would not react until it was too late.

Trump’s legacy will be the empowerment of the Christian fascists. They are what comes next. For decades they have been organizing to take power. They have built infrastructures and organizations, including lobbying groups, schools and universities as well as media platforms, to prepare. They have seeded their cadre into the political system. We on the left, meanwhile, have seen our institutions and organizations destroyed or corrupted by corporate power.

The Christian fascists, as in all totalitarian movements, need a crisis, manufactured or real, in order to seize power. This crisis may be financial. It could be triggered by a catastrophic terrorist attack. Or it could be the result of a societal breakdown from our climate emergency. The Christian fascists are poised to take advantage of the chaos, or perceived chaos. They have their own version of the brownshirts, the for-hire mercenary armies and private contractors amassed by Christian fascists such as Erik Prince, the brother of Betsy DeVos. The Christian fascists have seized control of significant portions of the judiciary and legislative branches of government. FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council, gives 245 members of Congress a perfect 100% for votes that support the agenda of the Christian right. The Family Research Council, which has called on its followers to pray that God will vanquish the “demonic forces” behind Trump’s impeachment, is identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group because of its campaigns to discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

The ideology of the Christian fascists panders in our decline to the primitive yearnings for the vengeance, new glory and moral renewal that are found among those pushed aside by deindustrialization and austerity. Reason, facts and verifiable truth are impotent weapons against this belief system. The Christian right is a “crisis cult.” Crisis cults arise in most collapsing societies. They promise, through magic, to recover the lost grandeur and power of a mythologized past. This magical thinking banishes doubt, anxiety and feelings of disempowerment. Traditional social hierarchies and rules, including an unapologetic white, male supremacy, will be restored. Rituals and behaviors including an unquestioning submission to authority and acts of violence to cleanse the society of evil will vanquish malevolent forces.

The Christian fascists propagate their magical thinking through a selective literalism in addressing the Bible. They hold up as sacrosanct biblical passages that buttress their ideology and ignore, or grossly misinterpret, the ones that do not. They live in a binary universe. They see themselves as eternal victims, oppressed by dark and sinister groups seeking their annihilation. They alone know the will of God. They alone can fulfill God’s will. They seek total cultural and political domination. The secular, reality-based world, one where Satan, miracles, destiny, angels and magic do not exist, destroyed their lives and communities. That world took away their jobs and their futures. It ripped apart the social bonds that once gave them purpose, dignity and hope. In their despair they often struggled with alcohol, drug and gambling addictions. They endured familial breakdown, divorce, evictions, unemployment and domestic and sexual violence. The only thing that saved them was their conversion, the realization that God had a plan for them and would protect them. These believers were pushed by a callous, heartless corporate society and rapacious oligarchy into the arms of charlatans. All who speak to them in the calm, rational language of fact and evidence are hated and ultimately feared, for they seek to force believers back into “the culture of death” that nearly destroyed them.

We can blunt the rise of this Christian fascism only by reintegrating exploited and abused Americans into society, giving them jobs with stable, sustainable incomes, relieving their crushing personal debts, rebuilding their communities and transforming our failed democracy into one in which everyone has agency and a voice. We must impart to them hope, not only for themselves but for their children.

Christian fascism is an emotional life raft for tens of millions. It is impervious to the education, dialogue and discourse the liberal class naively believes can blunt or domesticate the movement. The Christian fascists, by choice, have severed themselves from rational thought. We will not placate or disarm this movement, bent on our destruction, by attempting to claim that we too have Christian “values.” This appeal only strengthens the legitimacy of the Christian fascists and weakens our own. We will transform American society to a socialist* system that provides meaning, dignity and hope to all citizens, that cares and nurtures the most vulnerable among us, or we will become the victims of the Christian fascists we created.”

Chris Hedges is a Truthdig columnist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a New York Times best-selling author, a professor in the college degree program offered to New Jersey state prisoners by Rutgers…

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/onward-christian-fascists/

* “There are many varieties of socialism and there is no single definition encapsulating all of them...” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

..."democratic socialism" is really social democracy, as found in much of Europe and especially in the Nordic countries.[19] In 2018, The Week suggested that there was a trend towards social democracy in the United States and highlighted elements of its implementation in the Nordic countries, suggesting that Sanders’ popularity was an element in favor of its possible growth in acceptance.”... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Bernie_Sanders

[robertreich]

TRUMP’S 30 BROKEN PROMISES

Trump voters: Two years in, here’s an updated list of Trump’s 30 biggest broken promises.

1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his 2017 tax law has done the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have received 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.” 

2. He promised that the average family would see a $4,000 pay raise because of the tax law. You bought it. But real wages for most Americans are lower today than they were before the tax law went into effect.   

3. He promised to close special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers, especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law kept the “carried interest” loophole.

4. He promised to bring an end to Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear program. You bought it. Kim Jong-Un hasn’t denuclearized. 

5. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful,” including “insurance for everybody.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 24 million Americans off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. According to the Commonwealth Fund, about 4 million Americans have lost health insurance in the last two years.

6. He told you he wouldn’t “cut Social Security like every other Republican and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid.” You bought it. But now he’s planning such cuts in order to deal with the ballooning deficit created, in part, by the new tax law for corporations and the rich. 

7. He promised to protect anyone with pre-existing conditions. You bought it. But in June, his Justice Department told a federal court it would no longer defend provisions of Obamacare that protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the decision was made with Trump’s approval.

8. He said he’d build a “wall” across the southern border.You believed him. But there’s no wall.

9. He told you he’d invest $1 trillion in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. You bought it. But after his giant tax cut for corporations and millionaires, there’s no money left for infrastructure. 

10. He said he’d drain the Washington swamp. You bought it. But he’s brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history, to make laws that will enrich their businesses, and he’s filled departments and agencies with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who are crafting new policies for the same industries they recently worked for.

11. He promised to re-institute a five-year ban on all executive branch officials lobbying the government for five years after they leave government.” You bought it. But the five-year ban he signed applies only to lobbying one’s former agency, not the government as a whole, and it doesn’t stop former officials from becoming lobbyists.

12. He said he’d use his business experience to whip the White House into shape. You bought it. But he has created the most dysfunctional, back-stabbing White House in modern history, and has already fired and replaced so many assistants that people there barely know who’s in charge of what. 

13. He told you he’d “bring down drug prices” by negotiating “like crazy” with drug companies. You bought it. But he hasn’t.

14. He told you he’d “stop foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections.” You bought it. But foreign lobbyists are still raising money for American elections. 

15. He promised “six weeks of paid maternity leave to any mother with a newborn child whose employer does not provide the benefit.” You bought it. But the giant tax cut for corporations and the rich doesn’t leave any money for this. 

16. He said he’d create tax-free dependent care savings accounts for younger and elderly dependents, and have the government match contributions low-income families put into their savings accounts. You bought it. He’s done neither.

17. He said that on Day One he’d label China a “currency manipulator.” You bought it. But then he declared China is not a currency manipulator.

18. He said he “won’t bomb Syria.” You bought it. Then he bombed Syria.

19. After pulling out of the Paris accord, he said he’d negotiate a better deal on the environment. You bought it. There have been no negotiations.

20. He promised that the many women who accused him of sexual misconduct “will be sued after the election is over.” You bought it. He hasn’t sued them, presumably because he doesn’t want the truth to come out.

21. He said he would not be a president who took vacations, and criticized Barack Obama for taking too many vacations. You bought it. But since becoming President, he has spent a quarter of his days at one of his golf properties.

22. He vowed to “push colleges to cut the skyrocketing cost of tuition.” You believed him. But he hasn't. Instead, he's made it easier for for-profit college to defraud students. 

23. He said he’d force companies to keep jobs in America, and that there would be consequences for companies that shipped jobs abroad, especially government contractors. You believed him. Never before in U.S. history have federal contractors sent so many jobs overseas. There have been no consequences. 

24. He promised to end DACA. Then in January 2018 promised that "DACA recipients should not to be concerned... We're going to solve the problem,” then he reversed himself again and vowed to end the program by March, 2018. Currently, the federal courts have stayed any action on it. 

25. He promised to revive the struggling coal industry and bring back lost coal mining jobs. You bought it. But coal is still losing customers as utilities turn to natural gas and renewable power. 

26. He promised to protect American steel jobs. You bought it. His tariffs on steel have protected some steel jobs. But industries that use steel -- like automakers and construction -- now have to pay more for the steel they use, with the result that their jobs are threatened. The Trade Partnership projects that 400,000 jobs will be lost among steel and aluminum users.

27. He said he’d make America safer. You believed him. But mass shootings keep rising, and Trump has failed to pass effective gun control legislation. After 17 died in Parkland, Florida, Trump promised “immediate action” on gun safety in schools, but has done nothing.

28. He promised to make two- and four-year colleges more affordable. You bought it. But Trump's most recent budget contains deep cuts in aid for low-income and first-generation college students, reduces Federal Work Study, and eliminates the 50-year-old Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, which goes to more than a million poor college kids each year.

29. He promised to eliminate the federal deficit and bring down the debt. You bought it. Yet due to his massive tax cut mostly for corporations and the rich, and his military spending, the deficit is set to rise to $1 trillion, and the debt has ballooned to more than $21 trillion.

30. He said he’d release his taxes. “I’m under a routine audit and it’ll be released, and as soon as the audit is finished it will be released,” he promised during the campaign. You bought it. He still hasn’t released his taxes.