#source in the cnn link if anyone is interested

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

No one at UPenn would talk to CNN so they talked to a random 19 year old who wasn’t involved. Unfortunately for these bad-faith actors, the student had an informed opinion.

[elizabeths-dumbassery]

Articles and Posts on Feminine Rage

A collection of articles/blogs covering feminine rage, one of the many forms of a woman's anger.

I don't know everything about these sources, I won't pretend I will. I've featured links to the public `about me` pages in the titles above each article. Make your own opinions about each. And especially make your own opinion on the subject, I'm just sharing some stuff I find on a topic that I find interesting.

Basics by Becca

Psychology Today

The New York Times

JEWL Scholar

Pitt News

The Guardian

Post Magazine

CNN

Study Breaks Magazine

Medium

Good job! You scrolled to the end, feel free to reblog and share other works covering the topic. Videos, blog posts, studies. I'm open to seeing what others find on the topic!

[jeriafterdark]

On Doing Your Own Research in News and C-ent in General

Recently, a user on the bird app posted a PR-like guideline for the international audience to use when discussing ZZH's situation:

Here. It's pretty well written and keeps the points simple when talking about ZZH's situation. The user also cautions not to come out and attack anyone or start something over it, these are just points for rationale/short clarifications and conversations. It's currently available in English, Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, German, and Thai (probably more later).

I see the phrase "doing your/my own research" flying around a lot, and I realize that many people don't know how to do that. News has become increasingly harder to consume because many people are not trained or do not have time to consume media critically, and then it's easy to be fooled by some bad players. From someone who has extensive background in the research sciences, I would like to share some tips and thoughts on media & the Chinese entertainment industry (c-ent).

Table of Contents: How to keep yourself from getting fooled by controversial news

1. Follow the Money - western and c-ent

2. Cross Ref Facts

3. Verify Sources - who am I?

4. Read Primary Articles

5. The Case of a Certain Celebrity (ZZH)

Below the cut to keep reading:

1. Follow the Money

Every news source is invested in getting user views to generate income. Understanding the corporate interests that are invested in each news source will let you understand the limits of that source's perspective. For example, I often read The Washington Post, a renowned newspaper. To publish in this paper requires some form of notoriety/editing/fact checking, so I can rely on that. However, it is also owned by Amazon, so if it publishes things involved with Amazon or Amazon competitors, I will have to double check with some other source, see other perspectives. Why? Because it might have a vested interest in keeping Amazon happy, which might mean a bias towards it, etc.

-What about smaller news sources that don't have a clear money interest?

If we look only at social media accounts for news, it is much harder to see what their sources are and what motivates them. So for these, I would say simply make a note in your mind on what's happening, but don't go further than that. There's really no way for you to confirm until other larger outlets / the authorities do their own investigations.

Note on C-ent from someone who doesn't speak Mandarin:

Sadly, I have to rely on secondary accounts of news to see what's happening in c-ent. Even when topics on weibo/chinese media are posted with original sources, the machine translation/google translations often don't make too much sense? If you've tried this before, you'll know what I mean. You can still find out what source that news is coming from though.

Is it coming from the Chinese government? Yes? It's probably biased to keep the government's power absolute. Note it.

Or a melon/gossip account that gets paid to make up rumors? Yes? It's probably trying just to get views and $$$. Ignore.

Or is it from a solo/anti fan who is invested in spreading negative media? Yes? Ignore.

So in this case, I would use the best tactic: wait and see - watch many accounts and see what they say before you decide or say anything yourself. Ask questions, ask clarifications. DO NOT make judgments.

2. Cross referencing facts

If you see a particularly "hot" or scandalous topic flying around, I recommend checking other channels to see if it's also been reported on. Unfortunately, news nowadays happens very quickly with very little background checking, so the news outlets may just be copying each other. Normally, I'd check CNN/WaPo/New York Times/MSNBC/etc to see how it's reported. Then if you want to check another, more conservative perspective, you can check Fox News (I suppose), but I'd be very careful since they're not known for their fact-checking prowess.

C-ent note: since I don't speak Mandarin, I rely on a bunch of different sources on Twitter/Tumblr to translate and link news. This in itself is flawed because I am seeing it through the translators' eyes, so there's bound to be bias. However, it's still valuable because you can compare different accounts of what happened.

Did "A" translate this article to mean this?

Did "B" also say the same? If it's different, why? Are the two accounts antis or solos? CPFs? Neutral? If the news is translated the same, it's more likely to be real - but not confirmed yet so hold your horses.

All these questions are useful when consuming media via a third party. Again, if the news is too fresh like it's only been 1-3 days, it's probably highly biased. Only time will tell what really happened.

3. Verifying Sources

Who is writing the piece of media/news that you are reading? Is it from a professional source? From a well-known university, newspaper, journalist, or verified eyewitness/video? From a nonprofit organization?

Or is it from a random tumblr blog like mine? Haha, take what I say with a grain of salt as well because you don't know my identity, my vested interests, or anything about me. I can say that I am an older Asian American with progressive biases whose education was mostly in the biochemical sciences + digital art media. But there's no proof, and you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. I've just been trained for a long time to think critically in this way.

All your answers to these questions will tell you how much you can rely on that piece of media.

4. Read Primary Articles

As much as you can, read a *primary* article. What is primary? It means from the ORIGINAL source, the author. It could mean an actual statement from the victim, a verified eyewitness, or from government investigations. In both science and other news media, it is the most reliable thing to read the primary article. This is because I can read exactly what the author is saying and look at their sources directly. I can judge three things:

Tone - VERY important. if the article is written with inflammatory language like extreme words (righteous, traitor, treason, shame, betray, always, never, completely, "national dignity", notorious, infamous), then I already know to expect this article is highly biased and/or just parroting other accounts. It's trying to get a rise out of you, and trying to get you to share the article with more people + generate views and $$$.

Sources referenced + Evidence used - If the source is referencing another source, which references another source... etc, it's probably not reliable (and not a primary article). If the only evidence it uses is a photo, then... what? Am I to assume all the knowledge they provide is the real context for the photo? No. This primary article, then, is assumption-heavy.

Author's identity and biases - What does the author have to gain? Who are they? Is trashing a certain person/event beneficial to them in some way? For clicks/views?

5. An Example of a Certain Celebrity

For example, let's say a random twitter/weibo account starting talking about a certain celebrity visiting a supposedly controversial area-of-interest in a country whose history is fraught with controversy. They post a photo that holds almost no context and is not instantly recognizable for most people. The photo contains a person posing in front of cherry blossom trees, a Japanese-style building, and maybe some foreign signs and other tourists.

With no knowledge of this area, the average viewer may decide to trust what this random twitter/weibo user says. However, we know how to read these bits of news now---

Let's go through the steps:

1. Follow the money

Who posted this? We don't know? Let's ask, is it possible this is from a melon account, hired "reporter", with no prior professional standing and integrity in news media? Yes? Then I can be careful in reading their news. What if I don't know the language? Then wait. It will be translated by multiple people no doubt, compare those translations. If they same the same thing, then you can continue reading what they wrote. Keep a level-headed mind and slow down.

2/3. Cross reference the facts & verify sources

The random twitter/weibo user references the Chinese equivalent of wikipedia. I know that wikipedia can be edited by anyone, and thus contain misinformation, it's not the best source to cite. So this piece of evidence is already iffy. The twitter/weibo user then references national events from the historical record as part of their argument that the celebrity did something wrong. This is usually known and kept as fact in most ppl's minds. However, it's not really evidence of any wrong-doing because it's merely referencing history that is not directly related to the celebrity. Then I would think, wait. Why would this user try to rile me up and get me angry from older history? Ah, so I would share this news, get them views, get them clicks and likes, and make them $$$. Not only that, I would think, maybe they have an agenda against this certain celebrity? Already untrustworthy news source.

4. Tone/Identity/Bias

The tone of this news seems vague on purpose. Many accounts retweeted/relayed the information that he visited some shrine with some background and only gave a few pictures of a supposed remote area most people aren't familiar with. Why not use direct words? Why leave room for implication if it was really what happened? So that people can fill in the blanks with their own imaginations and assumptions? So they can feel righteous indignation that this celebrity is somehow unpatriotic and "offended the feelings of the nation"? Ah, so this news was written this way intentionally - to rile people up.

Identity and bias are harder to discern because I wouldn't know mandarin, I'd rely on translators to do that work. Then, because I would wait to see and judge the real events, it would come out that this account and many others were paid/hired accounts to spread misinformation and gain $$$ via the downfall of that celebrity.

It was a grand campaign of misinformation and disinformation to collectively shut down a competitor in the industry, to make the gossip accounts tons of $$$, and to flex on everyone that they can control the national consciousness with a few well-placed, well-timed, edited, misinformed photos and articles.

----------------

Quick note on feeling indignation about JP/CN history: I want to note that it's valid to feel offended and hurt about the history between Japan and China depending on who you are. It's normal, feel it. But don't let others take advantage of you and your feelings. They have their own agendas in making you feel this way. Wouldn't you be tired of being constantly called upon to feel outrage? I would.

-----------------

This got longer than I expected, but I hope it helps you when you consume your next bit of controversial news. Remember to slow down, wait, and see.

[emenerd]

If anyone is interested, here are some links to major news sources that are pretty reliable about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is relatively US-centric in terms of sources, cause that’s where I am, but here we go.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/24/world/russia-attacks-ukraine

Absolutely recommend, I don’t think this page is paywalled, but if you find an NYT article that is behind a paywall related to this, I have ten articles I can gift for other people to read as part of my sub and I am happy to. It is owned by the the New York Times Company which is publicly traded, and the research I’ve done on the chairman (A. G. Sulzberger) and CEO (Meredith Kopit Levien) seem pretty normal.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2022/feb/24/biden-ukraine-us-russia-invasion-latest-news-g7-leaders-updates

The Guardian one. Owned by the Guardian Media Group, which also runs the The Observer, and is funded by a trust in addition to subscribers and donations to help keep their news independent. The chairman is Neil Berkett who as above seems relatively normal.

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-24-22-intl/index.html

The CNN equivalent, it is owned by WarnerMedia which is owned by AT&T.

[startledstars]

"There’s a pattern of news stories where someone who is publicly “anti-covid” or “anti-vax” dies shortly after announcing their views." I have seen a few of those, but not many. Most of the posts on HCA are people that the original poster personally knew

Hello again,

This time, I’m gonna go in.

Did you take even 10 minutes of your time to watch the video of real doctors presenting to the FDA about the dangers of this vax? Have you seen the CNN clip just posted to this blog, stating that 74% of new Covid cases in an MA town are in fully vaxxed people? Did you even click the link the interview with the doctor analyzing blood samples?

That’s what baffles me about jab-happy pro-maskers and their schadenfreude: despite being too lazy to do their own research, and even too lazy to consider research other people put together for them, they are filled with pride. This is their extent of critical thinking- all the sources mentioned above are not worth investigating, but you’ll believe one random stranger with no medical degree who runs a Reddit thread that mocks people who have suffered hospitalization and death. Allegedly from Covid.

Did you know that a death is counted as a “Covid” death if a person tested positive at the time of death- regardless of co-morbities? Like, you could be 90 years old with three types of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, but if a PCR test with a cycle threshold of 35 or higher (do you know what cycle threshold means?) shows a positive result, your death is added to the covid numbers. Here’s the link (not that I expect you to actually check it. This is for others who are interested in doing real research.)

Also, I said that it seems you sent the message earlier to either provoke or embarrass me, and that I was open to correction if I misinterpreted your intent.

So, if you think I’m just some crazy conspiracy theorist worthy of the Herman-Cain award, why bother coming anonymously to my inbox? Clearly I can’t be reasoned with. Clearly, if I advocate that people (especially children) should be able to breathe freely in public, I deserve to suffer Covid hospitalization and/or death, and it would be a good thing. Why not just sit back and enjoy the show?

I say this a lot; sometimes I sound mad, but I’m not actually mad. This is one instance where speaking bluntly, even harshly, is the best approach, but I’m still not angry. Just responding appropriately. I gave this person the benefit of the doubt in the previous ask and still sincerely hope they can come around. Going forward, I will not entertain similar questions.

Good night and God bless anyone reading this who is willing to open their eyes to the truth.

[purplesurveys]

1183

survey by xflirtykaosx

Alphabetti Spaghetti (1/3)

And we will fall in love with shooting stars. - A

Have you ever seen an Aardvark? I don’t think so.

Were you ever abandoned in a public place as a child? Where? Abandoned is a pretty harsh word lol. My parents did like playing pranks on me and hide whenever I’d get distracted at the grocery or department store. They’d let me get nervous or even tear up for a bit until showing up again.

What accent do you have? I guess just your standard Filipino English accent that’s common among people who were able to take up English studies. I don’t really know how to describe it.

Is there someone in your family addicted to something? What is it? I don’t think so.

Have you ever been under general anaesthetic? What were you having done? I think so? When I had a tooth extraction done on me two years ago I was told I was going to be injected with anaesthesia, but I didn’t feel as if anything changed throughout the procedure. Either my dentist told me fake news lol or he’s just really good at his job for me to not notice anything.

How do you show the ones you love affection? It depends on the person. Around my friends, I know I’ve had taken a liking to them once I start getting especially talkative with them. For people I have even deeper relationships with, I like...buying them gifts, I guess. Getting them things that remind me of them. I would also bend over backwards to do nice deeds for them, like driving them to their destination even if I find it far.

Are you more passive or aggressive? I tend to be very passive aggressive in the way I deal with things.

Do you like the band Aha!? Not in particular.

Do you know anyone called Aidan? What are they like? Nope.

Ever heard of the band Ajax? No but I know that’s a brand of like cleaner or something. That’s close enough to ‘band’ haha.

Do you know anyone called Akash? I don’t either.

Do the sound of fire alarms scare you? They would obviously be scary if it rang for a real reason. Who wouldn’t freak out over a fire?

Do you live in America? If so, which state? If visited, where'd you go? No, and I’ve never visited either. I’d love to take a trip to cities like New York, New Orleans, Portland, and Chicago one of these days.

Have you ever had an ant infestation in your house? Only when there’s food left out accidentally.

Aora - did I spell that correctly? I don’t even know what you’re referring to, so I can’t tell you if you’ve spelled whatever it is right.

Do you have a preference in Apple? What type do you prefer? I don’t quite get this question - like a preference within Apple products? I mean, a phone and a laptop are essentials for me, and generally I do prefer having an iPhone and Macbook over other brands; but I can live without an iPad, an Apple Watch, iMac, Apple Pen, etc...if this is what you mean.

Are you an Aquarian? Is anyone in your family/your partner/best friend? ...You mean Aquarius? No. I don’t believe in astrology nor pay attention to zodiac signs either, so I wouldn’t be able to name Aquariuses that I know right off the bat.

Have you ever worn any type of armor? Which type? I don’t think I’ve ever had to, no.

Do you use the word ass a lot? Kinda, but it’s usually part of a longer word, i.e. asshole, asshat, deadass, etc.

Have you or your family had an attorney? What for? Not to my knowledge.

Is your car/family’s car an automatic gear or manual? Automatic.

Are you interested in aviation, piloting and aircrafts? Just the slightest bit. I would love to learn how to fly a plane, and I would be willing to pay for lessons. It’s just the type of activity that’s super hard to squeeze into an already-hectic schedule of mine.

What was the last award you recieved for? A academic distinction in college.

Axl Rose - like or dislike? Like, but I’m nowhere near a passionate fan. I just don’t have any reasons to actively dislike him.

Do you like air being spelt ayre or ayer in rap or hiphop or is it nasty? I don’t care.

Is the sky outside Azure? If not, what shade is it? No, it’s pitch black.

Belle amour (we've been here before). - B

Do you call anyone baby? Is it sweet or an overrated name for affection? Just my dogs. I find it sweet; it’s my preferred term of endearment if in a relationship.

Bby - does this shortened version bug you? No; my friends and I use this with each other.

Do you know what BC in terms of time stands for? Before Christ, but I prefer using BCE.

BDf - For or against? I don’t know what this is referring to.

Do you prefer beach breaks, city breaks or winter breaks? Why? Beach breaks. Winter break is an immediate cross-out since we don’t even have winter; and I already live and work in an urban area as it is. Beaches are my way to go if I want to escape life for a bit and completely unwind.

Do you spell out boyfriend properly or put bf in texts/online? I can use either depending on what I feel like typing out. It’s not that serious haha.

Do you know what bg is short for? Upon reading this question I immediately thought ‘background,’ but if this question had another meaning in mind I wouldn’t be aware of it.

Do you know anyone with the last name Bhays? No.

Have you ever been bird watching? What did you see? No, doesn’t sound like my kind of hobby.

Do you like Bjork? Not in particular, but just like the Axl Rose question I don’t have anything against her either.

What does this read: bk 2moz miss u lyk fk. Doesn't this text speak annoy? No one types like this anymore at least among people I know, but I imagine it would lowkey bother me a bit.

Do you like BMWs? They’re whatever. I don’t pay attention to cars much.

What is the nearest book to you called? How many times have you read it? There aren’t any books here up on the rooftop.

BnQ - gone there? What did you buy? Idk what that is.

Are you more brainy or brave? I wanna say brainy, if anything? I’m pretty jumpy lol.

Did you like the BSBs (Backstreet Boys) as a kid? How about now? No, I’m a little too young for that generation of artists and groups.

Burgers, Hot Dogs or Salads at a Barbecue? We don’t really practice ~barbecues~ here. But at Filipino parties I would usually flock to lumpia and fried chicken, hehe.

Do you have a Byro? No, because I also don’t know what that is.

Cold eyes and filthy lies all leave me petrified. - C

Do you have a Cactus (Cacti)? No, I don’t like plans.

Do you know what a CCTV is? Yes...?

How many CDs are in the room you are currently in? None where I am right now but I have all of Beyoncé’s albums save for Lemonade in my bedroom. I also have Paramore’s self-titled album and Hayley Williams’ Petals For Armor. My CD collection is about to experience a revival because of BTS, though. My plan to get all versions of all their albums is rock solid, lmao.

What's your favourite cereal brand? Cookie Crisps.

Do you like children's TV shows still? Which one(s)? I’ll revisit an episode or two of shows I watched as a kid at a given time for old times’ sake, but I don’t regularly watch children’s TV shows anymore. I haven’t for a very long time.

Cinnamon - Yum or Yuck? I’m actually kind of in the middle about it. I feel like too many desserts have been banking on cinnamon, so the taste of it can be a little tiring. It’s delicious if I haven’t had it for a while, though.

Do you know anyone with the initials and or name CJ? Quite the opposite; I know PLENTY of JCs, even my sister is one. I know one or two CJs but that’s it.

Have you ever met a self professed clairvoyant? What did they do/say? No.

Do you watch CNN News? What's your prefered news channel/show? I don’t tune into the channel but every once in a while I will encounter a CNN link on social media that I’d actually click on and read through. As for preferred news sources, I don’t have one as there are matters to criticize about 99% of them lol; but I am most likely to trust articles I from AP or Reuters. Just things you pick up as a journalism student. 

How many cousins do you have? I have 9 first cousins. I lose count by the time I try to go beyond that since I don’t even know all of my dad’s cousins, which makes it hard to track who my second cousins are.

Do you still draw with crayons? When was the last time you did? Drew what? I don’t remember anymore.

Do you know what a CSS feed is? What is it? I’m familiar with the term but never bothered to learn about what it is.

Do you like cycling/biking? What type of bike do you have? ...I don’t even know how to ride a bike.

Do you really like it, is it is it wicked. - D

What is the most dangerous animal you've petted/held? I can’t decide between snake or crocodile.

Do you like Death Metal? If so, which band(s)? I wouldn’t say I do.

Did you ever keep a diary/journal? I did a million attempts to keep a diary when I was younger, but I was never able to keep up with any of them and I ended up having 4598358395 notebooks with one or two entries each at most. Having a Tumblr page for surveys has so far been my most successful streak at keeping some type of journal.

Do you prefer small, medium, large or no dogs? I prefer all dogs.

Do you know what DP stands for in porn? Yes.

Have you ever dressed up as a celebrity for a party/Halloween? I went as my favorite female wrestler once. I wouldn’t strictly call her a celebrity, but she’s a very well-known personality in the wrestling industry so she’s popular in that right.

DS or Wii? Why? Wii. I was able to make more memories with it.

Does dust make you sneeze or cough? Sneeze, usually.

How many DVDs do you have all together? Idk, I don’t buy DVDs anymore.

Do you dye your hair regularly, sometimes or never? I’ve never done it.

Every love lies sometimes . . . - E

What's something you refuse to eat? Most fruits.

Don't you think the word ebb is so pretty? I’m neutral about it. I don’t use it a lot.

Do you like Chocolate Eclairs? I love eclairs in general haha. Chocolate eclairs in particular sound delicious.

Ever tried edible paper? Yeah, with the White Rabbit candy.

Eevee - pretty name or too Pokemon-y? Definitely very Pokemon-y. 

Do you sometimes mix up the spellings/meanings of affection and defection? Erm, no? They have completely different spellings and meanings, so I personally have never switched them up.

Do you have a big ego, low self esteem or somewhere in between? I think I’m somewhere in between. I’m insecure about some things about myself, but I don’t really put myself down 24/7. I feel like that would put such a strain on my mental health, which I certainly would never need.

What Element does your starsign fall under? I think earth? My co-workers were just discussing this last Friday, but I couldn’t really butt in since I can’t bring myself to care about astrology. I know they mentioned Taurus being an earth sign though.

Do you show your emotions easily and freely or hide them? Depends...I can do either depending on the situation.

What is your favourite form of entertainment? Korean reality shows are quickly becoming a favorite of mine at the moment. I also like compilation videos on YouTube.

What will they write on your epitaph? I’ve honestly hadn’t put much thought into this yet, and I don’t plan to anytime soon. It just seems like a super grave thing to think about lol.

Estimate/guess what number we are on now? Maybe 60s or 70s?

Do you know basic social etiquette? I mean etiquette will always differ per country or culture, so what is basic in other countries might not be here, and vice versa. I think it’s hard to measure.

Does your country use the Euro, Great British Pound, Dollar or other? Other.

Do you still get excited on Christmas Eve? Yes. Mostly for the free food and the opportunity to see relatives I really only ever see every December 24.

What animal/creature that is extinct do you wish wasn't? Those that went extinct from human activity.

What colour eyes do your parents have? Black/dark brown.

[brokenbuttonsmusic]

Laura Cantrell: Nashville-born, New York-based, Acclaimed Country Singer-Songwriter & DJ (& Kitty Wells Fanatic)

This post is a near- transcript of the Broken Buttons: Buried Treasure Music podcast (episode 2, side B). Here you’ll find the narration from the segment featuring the pioneering rock band Fanny, along with links, videos, photos and references for the episode.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Anchor or Mixcloud.

Music blog Stereogum used to have a running feature called “Quit Your Day Job” where they interviewed indie musicians about their current or former jobs. There was one with Marty and Drew from the band Blitzen Trapper. The two discussed being torn about walking away from teaching as their third album, Wild Mountain Nation, was starting to blow up. There was another where the lead singer of War on Drugs detailed some of the disgusting things he had to clean up while working as an apartment property manager. Mostly dead rats and clogged toilet stuff, but he did walk into an apartment that had been converted into a porno set. I remembered this discontinued “musician day job” feature while reading up on my next featured artist and it got me thinking. 

How many professional musicians do you think have a full time day job? How many juggle multiple side gigs and still manage to tour and put out records regularly? How many have really successful careers all while trying to make it as a musician? 

I don’t actually know. I did some research and there aren’t any reliable stats that I could find. There is a lot of anecdotal discussion on the topic. The consensus seems to be that most musicians are not getting by with music as their only, or even their primary source of income. I don’t think anyone is surprised by that. 

One Reddit user said less than 5% of musicians derive all or most of their income from music. He didn’t offer a source or anything, but he seemed very authoritative in his post. And then after a few more Google searches I lost interest and listened to more Laura Cantrell. 

Laura Cantrell’s story is what got me pondering how indie musicians go about juggling making art with the necessity of, you know, making a living to survive. In 2003, after two critically acclaimed albums, including a tour opening for Elvis Costello all across the United States and Europe, Cantrell was at a similar crossroads. Laura had risen to the position of Vice President of Equity Research at Bank of America in New York. Yes, you heard me right. Laura Cantrell was working as a corporate executive and touring with Elvis Costello at the same time. She actively worked on the road during the day and then performed for thousands of people each night.

Before we get further into what led up to this point and what came after, let’s hear a song from Laura Cantrell’s debut album, Not the Tremblin’ Kind. Here’s the title track.

That was Not the Tremblin’ Kind from Laura Cantrell’s first album back in the year 2000.

Laura grew up in Nashville. She played a little bit of piano and sang in the church choir, but did not get into performing music and playing out until her college years. As a teenager she worked at the Country Music Hall of Fame as a tour guide. This job, in addition to the influence of the diverse musical tastes of her parents, sparked an interest in traditional music, particularly classic country. She also became somewhat of an aficionado in this area. 

This love and knowledge of the early days of country music would help differentiate Laura as she honed her sound and selected her songs while developing as a performer down the road. Before that, however, it would make her an excellent college radio DJ and later an even more excellent DJ at WFMU, one of the best and longest running free-form radio stations in the country. Out of the New Jersey/New York area, WFMU is awesome to this day, with a wide array of programming where DJs still get to play whatever they want. 

Laura is my favorite kind of DJ, and the kind that has been dwindling in numbers since the rise of music downloads, which then gave way to streaming and endless algorithms. First off, she’s knows her stuff. She carefully curates each shows, and thoughtfully sequences each set within every episode. She packs in history, context and story to create something that transcends your typical weekend-afternoon-background-radio-soundtrack. I know this show is about under appreciated bands and artists, but Laura Cantrell’s contributions to radio deserve to be heard by more people. You can find her past WFMU shows, called The Radio Thrift Shop, archived on the WFMU website. You can hear her present day on her “States of Country” radio show on the Gimmie Country radio app, or on her SiriusXM George Harrison themed show “Dark House Radio,” on The Beatles station.

This concludes the part of the show where I babble my enthusiastic endorsement of Laura Cantrell’s past and present radio career.

Laura began playing music with others in college at Columbia University. Her jam pals included Andrew Webster, future member of Tsunami Bomb and Mac McCaughan, who would go on to form Superchunk and Portastatic + found Merge Records. The friends would call their band Bricks. A lo-fi, mostly apartment recording projects that played sporadic gigs over the years. 

Here’s the Brick’s song, The Girl with the Carrot Skin.

Living in New York, Laura began playing guitar and writing her own songs. She also plucked some choice classic country finds and incorporated them into her own performance catalog. One day she met a guy named John who asked her to sing on a song that would appear on his band’s next major label release for Elektra. 

That’s The Guitar from They Might Be Giant’s 1992 album, Apollo 18. John Flansburgh asked Laura to sing on that recording. It was the first time Laura recorded in a professional studio. John Flansburgh became a fan of Laura’s music and released her first recorded material as part of his Hello CD of the Month Club, an EP called The Hello Recordings in 1996. 

Let’s hear another Laura Cantrell song. This time one that she wrote with Amy Allison. From Laura Cantrell’s 2014 album, No Way There From Here, this is All the Girls are Complicated. 

That was Laura Cantrell with All the Girls Are Complicated from her last full length release, No Way There From Here. Actually, that was her last full album of new material, but Laura did release an album a few years back of her BBC recordings on John Peel’s radio show. That album is called At the BBC: On Air Performances and Recordings 2000-2005. 

I mentioned earlier that Peel was a big fan. Again, here’s John Peel’s full quote about Laura’s first album, Not the Tremblin’ Kind: "[It is] my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life.” Having the endorsement of the legendary English disc jockey was enough to give Cantrell wider exposer throughout the UK. She developed a loyal fanbase through regular appearances on Peel’s show, as well as US and European tours, including the opening slot for Elvis Costello. Which brings us back to Laura’s fork in the road. Before her third album, Laura decided to walk away from the corporate gig. She was excited to focus on music full time, but a little worried about walking away from the security of a successful career she liked and position she was good at.

From a spotlight CNN Business did on Cantrell in 2004:

“For several months until she finally quit, Cantrell balanced her day job with a growing schedule of rehearsals, gigs, recordings and publicity. On the day she appeared on the Conan O'Brien show she was at her desk until lunchtime.”

“And while life as a professional musician is a dream come true, Cantrell still looks back with fondness on more than a decade on Wall Street.”

“‘I came into Wall Street with a very typical kind of stereotype that it was all going to be people just obsessed with money. What I found was that there were just loads of interesting people who were a lot like myself, just doing it as a job and who had lives that were full of other things.’

‘So I miss some of the contact with people I met. Ironically it was a very supportive environment for me as an artist.’”

Laura’s first two albums were released on the the indie label Diesel Only, which was founded by her husband, Jeremey Tepper. Her third album was released by Matador Records, also an indie label, but with an impressive roster that included Liz Phair, Modest Mouse, Pavement and Sleater-Kinney. Released in 2005, Humming By the Flowered Vine continues Cantrell’s classic country sound, but with some evolved production and arrangements. Laura’s mastery as a song selector gets more and more impressive. This album includes a cover of a rare, unreleased Lucinda Williams song form 1975 called, “Letters.” 

In fact, Lucinda Williams herself was thoroughly impressed with Laura’s cover of “Letters.” She attributes the cover to bolstering her confidence to go back through her earlier material and look for her own buried treasures. 

From Blurt Magazine: 

“The inspiration for her journey through the past struck when she heard Laura Cantrell’s version of her song ‘Letters,’ which Williams wrote around 1975 and recorded on a demo but never officially released. Explains Williams, ‘She got a copy from a mutual friend and did a beautiful, really sweet version of it that made me think wow, she brought this early song back to life, maybe I should go back and review some of my old stuff. I’ve got all these tapes of old little songs, but I never thought they were good enough to do anything with.’”

You know you’re an ace at finding under appreciated gems when you surprise Lucinda Williams by helping her discover one of her own songs. Let’s hear Laura Cantrell’s version of Letters.

That was Laura Cantrell with Letters from her 2005 release Humming by the Flowered Vine.

In 2008, Laura returned with an EP called, Trains and Boats and Planes with 9 songs about… trains, and boats and planes. It’s very good and it includes a fun cover of New Order’s Love Vigilantes. 

Throughout this time, Laura continued her radio show. She also started a family and became co-owner and co-operator of Diesel Only Records. 

In this clip from an interview with Face Culture, you can really hear Laura’s passion for country music and its roots. She talks about the importance of country’s influence on rock n’ roll, and how each artist is inspired by something great that came before. 

And Laura continuously pays tribute to the greats that came before through her radio show and on her own records. In 2011, Laura released a tribute to Kitty Wells called “Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs of the Queen of Country Music.” The collection includes nine Kitty Wells covers and one original, the title track, Kitty Wells Dresses.

From the Washington Post:

Here’s Laura talking about the inspiration for the album. 

“Kitty wore very typical stage clothes for women who performed at barn dances and in early country music shows,” says Cantrell, a Nashville-born, New York-based country singer and host of an old-time music show on the legendary radio station WFMU.

“They were these frilly gingham dresses, non-threatening and cutesy. It became this uniform that all the women of the era wore, and I always thought it was a great metaphor for how you can underestimate the strength of the person or the value of the artist underneath.”

That was the song Kitty Wells Dresses from Laura Cantrell’s tribute album of the same name, released in 2011. Wells was the oldest living member of the Country Music Hall of Fame upon its release. She was also the first woman inducted into the hall. Cantrell met and talked to Kitty about her album. She said that Kitty asked which songs were selected and as Laura began calling them out, Kitty would sing each one. 

I’ve mentioned all of Laura’s past and present DJ efforts, all of which I’ll link to on my website, brokenbuttons.com. Laura also continues to release music. She had planned a host of special activities for the 20th anniversary of Not the Tremblin’ Kind, which had to be put on hold due to all things 2020. 

You can contribute to Laura’s IndigGoGo campaign to help fund her new digital singles collection that she’s already started releasing. The plan is to release six singles with an A and a B side, all working with different musicians and producers. I’d recommend the $50 Kitty Wells Dresses Pack, which gets you access to the digital singles as their released, a signed CD copy of both the singles collection and the Kitty Wells Dresses album, as well as a copy of Laura's essay on Kitty and Patsy Cline from the book "Rock and Roll Cage Match: Music's Greatest Rivalries"

Laura Cantrell is the rare performer whose work is deeply rooted in its original source material while still feeling fresh and exciting. Laura’s radio shows can be described the same way. A buried treasure unearthing buried treasure and taking the old and classic and making it new and lasting and so much sweeter. Laura Cantrell.

References and other stuff to check out:

Laura’s Indiegogo campaign for her digital singles series

The Radio Thrift Shop - Laura’s prior radio show. You can stream past episodes and check out her playlists

Gimmie Country, where Laura hosts her current show States of Country. New episodes air 3:00 Monday EST. Laura chats during the show with listeners in the app.

Darkhorse Radio on Sirius XM. Laura’s other show dedicated to George Harrison. New episodes air Thursday at 3:00.

John Peel wiki entry about Laura

TMBG wiki entry about Laura

A Wall Street journal feature on Laura

An NPR feature on Laura

A CNN Business Week feature on Laura

Stereogum archive of the Quit Your Day Job feature

[fouralignments]

me trying to incorporate some Jewish culture when I write for Peter and Erik: 👀 me remembering I was raised Roman Catholic and my mom tried to teach me anyone who wasn’t Christian was a bad person and I basically left the Christian faith as a whole and know Jack shit about anything else bc religion doesn’t really interest me: 🤡

I come from the Bible Belt and I can literally kick an empty beer can and hit seven mega-churches in my area. But I didn’t grow up religious, my mom went to church when she was younger, but stopped when she was older for the reason that you can be a good person without religion and my dad was more into Eastern Religion. The only church service that I remember going to was a pastor yelling at us with fire and brimstone.      

But getting back to your question as to how to do you incorporate Jewish Culture when that isn’t your own background? It really comes down to the phrase: “Write What You Know.” I often incorporate some of my own background and life experiences into my stories like for instance in Hanetz Hachamah,  as a young child I joined my parents in bed, which later would turn into watching the morning news or a TV show at night as I grew older or in Spring Flowers, Pietro’s racing thoughts are yes based off the ADHD friends that I grew up with; but my own experience with racing thoughts with my depression that took me to a very dark place. That’s one side of the the “Write What You Know.” 

The other side is acquiring knowledge, and it couldn’t be any easier with the internet and the many many sources out there at your finger tips.  However, Judaism is not a monolith there are regional differences, differences the branches and the level of observance and differ in views of various issues. There also a need to understand the history and the political climate of interwar Europe and Jewish history. 

Here are some sources that I use: 

Wikipedia: Its good to get a general overview of a concept, but there are some amazing links and sources. 

Jewish Tumblr  or Jumblr: Good for personal experiences

 My Jewish Learning: Great explanations for holidays, recipes, prayers both in Hebrew and in English; Torah study and apply to real world events; Jewish thought, questions; history; cuisine

Typing in Judaism and (Fill in the blank concept) into google 

Going on to your university library website and getting scholarly articles: good for history; biomedical ethical questions like Nazi data; general science questions; biology and genetics; post-humanism etc. 

Sometimes its just typing things into google and reading, again bringing it back to my own for  Hanetz Hachamah, I just types in Jewish bakeries in Paris and found there was a many of them in Rue des Rosiers and I went down the rabbit hole looking at the history of the place. 

CNN’s 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s documentary: Good overview of social-cultural-historical-economic of what happening in those decade. 

Don’t just take from one source when doing research. 

Research can be very fun if you allow it to be, its not a drag on your writing. In fact it can make your writing better and its not that hard to do with the internet, it can’t be any easier in this day and age 

[zobot257]

Propagana Callout: Tucker Carlson

Today I need to talk to anyone reading this about a matter of utmost seriousness: Propaganda.

Propaganda is something that I, as a writer, utterly despise. It's misleading, misinforming, blatantly biased sources of information meant to brainwash rather than to foster thought and further investigation. And it is all around us in this current election. More than ever we have an obligation to do research and investigate things ourselves, to stay properly informed.

I'm going to do something here, which is to show a written work I feel is very much Propaganda, and then explain how it uses fallacy, melodrama, and deception to mislead you. The piece I'm using as an example is linked below:

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-2020-election-biden-win-age-of-oligarcy

Please NOTE I'm picking this because it's an easy, obvious target, not because it's "conservative" or "liberal" or anything like that. Propaganda exists on both sides here, and in the modern age it's often harder to spot. If you want me to evaluate something from like CNN or some other obviously liberal news source as a counterpoint to this, feel free to suggest it.

With that in mind, let's begin.

Now, there's a number of things propaganda-laden about this piece. First of all, keep in mind that this is an OPINION piece. Opinion pieces are not subject to as rigid guidelines as anything intended to be presented as ACTUAL journalism. While you still can't say things to say, incite a riot, you can get away with a lot more than you could in a proper newspaper article that's meant to be an authoritarian source as long as you clearly label that it's only your opinion. So that means it's safe, right?

That's the thing here, it isn't.

The fact that it’s from Tucker Carlson, noted TV personality, gives it a sense of significance and weight (if only virtually) than an opinion piece written by any other John Doe. As much as I dislike the man, there are people who trust him and will take his word because of who he is and what he does. Because he's a person in the public eye who is supposed to report the news. So there are people who will read this and believe it wholeheartedly despite it being labeled an opinion piece, and also despite it not really giving any PROOF for his assertions. In fact that lack of any proof for his assertions, no citing of sources or indicators of what he’s saying beyond the article itself, is the first thing I’d say that flags it as propaganda for me. If you make a statement in a political arena you'd better be prepared to back it up. But the fact that it's an Opinion piece frees him from having to cite sources, while still banking on his name and fame to make it SEEM more authoritative than it really is.

Now let’s dissect some of his statements:

“We have no clue what Joe Biden actually thinks, or even if he's capable of thinking. He hasn't told us and no one's made him tell us for a full year.”

Joe Biden has literally gone the whole year campaigning on a platform. I can cite debates he’s participated in, things he’s vowed to do, and speeches he’s made. But Tucker Carlson implies he’s not “capable of thinking” and that “we have no clue what Joe Biden actually thinks”. The Bible says that “by their fruits shall we know them”. It’s pretty easy to see what Joe Biden is thinking by what he says and his history of actions, and he’s a public figure so those things are not mystified or hidden.

But Tucker Carlson in saying that sentence creates an illusion, without any proof, that Joe Biden has hidden motives, an agenda beyond his actions... or, and this is probably what he’s angling for, NO agenda at all, because he’s implied by the rest of the piece to be a shell of a man controlled by corporate interests.

(This is off-topic, but I’ll point out that Donald Trump is the first president to publicly own his own businesses and openly used his political status to PROFIT his own businesses, which I can cite a NUMBER of sources for. Ethics professors and safeguard monitors in and out of Washington DC have rang alarm bells about that being a dangerous conflict-of-interest.)

“What remains is a projection of sorts, a hologram designed to mimic the behavior of a non-threatening political candidate: "Relax, Joe Biden's here. He smiles a lot. Everything's fine." That's the message from the vapor candidate.”

This is another statement showing how Propaganda it is. It’s subtly condescending, while at the same time not condescending towards the people likely to READ it. Instead, it’s implying that “the other side”, those who support Biden for any reason, are easily manipulated and just want to feel safe. So anyone reading it who is on “the correct side” will generally feel reassured they made the right decision. They’re not easily tricked or suckered by ‘the vapor candidate”.

Another way you can tell it’s Propaganda is that it’s using mockery and derision for people who don’t fit their mold.

Propaganda uses Emotional Artifice to manipulate. It’s designed to make you Feel and Care without making you THINK. You can read this whole article without ever having to seriously question what it’s about. You don’t have to, but it’s designed to not be challenging.

Anyway, moving on, let's see the next thing Tucker Carlson says.

“Well, the first thing you should know is that the people behind Joe Biden aren't liberals. We've often incorrectly called them that. A liberal believes in the right of all Americans to speak freely, to make a living, to worship their God, to defend their own families, and to do all of that regardless of what political party they belong to or what race they happen to be born into or how far from midtown Manhattan they currently live.”

Another point that’s pretty Propaganda is this one right here. Defining terms without any basis for how they’re doing it. How does any reader KNOW this is “what a liberal is”, outside Tucker Carlson defining it? They may have outside knowledge, but that's never a guarantee. By setting up his definition for the reader, Tucker Carlson is setting up rules for how the rest of the article will go, while steering the reader towards his desired point of view.

While that in and of itself is not only a tactic used by Propaganda, it’s bad in this specific instance because of the end goal; which is to define a group without any input from the actual group itself. Think “The Noble Savage” being used to describe Native Americans as “those misguided creatures who only need the light of God to start Living and Acting Right" in earlier historical times. Creating an image of a people group without actually KNOWING the people group in question or accurately reflecting them.

Again, if Tucker Carlson gave any basis or rationale for his claims, it might not be Propaganda. But because he doesn’t, because he expects his word to exist only on it’s own in this article, then the article is the only thing he expects you to read, and to evaluate it on it’s own merits. That makes it Propaganda.

Writing to persuade is not a bad thing. Persuading people using manipulative and disingenuous statements IS.

Next point!

“A liberal believes in universal principles, fairly applied. And the funny thing is, all of that describes most of the 70 million people who just voted for Donald Trump this week.”

In the paragraph preceding this one, Tucker Carlson went on to define a Liberal as something fairly mild and inoffensive. Someone you could probably be friends with, right? Now he’s going on to explain how the people who voted for Biden are in fact NOT liberals, and how the TRUE liberals are all the Trump voters. See, if you’re reading this article, you’re clearly the ones who are mild and inoffensive. You haven’t done anything wrong, you’re the "good guys".

It’s an emotional appeal, and one done in bad faith as manipulative. A trap designed to flatter and comfort people without making them question the validity of what he’s doing. This is the sort of thing salespeople do to upsell customers. By convincing them that the more expensive product is the "smart buy".

“They have no interest in silencing the opposition on Facebook or anywhere else”

Take my words with a grain of salt. I’d rather you THINK about it and evaluate what I say rather than just believe me. But I will say in my personal experience alone this sentence does not describe people who voted for Trump OR Biden, and may be the most false statement Tucker Carlson puts into his whole piece here. EVERYONE uses Facebook for politics these days. I'm starting to get sick of it, and the fact that I've done it too is hypocrisy I need to tamp down.

Anyway, next bit of the opinion article to analyze:

“What you do know for certain is that the people behind Joe Biden are not like that at all. They don't believe in dissent. "You think one thing? I think another. That's OK." No, that's not them at all. They demand obedience to diversity, which is to say, legitimate differences between people is the last thing they want.”

Another good example of Propaganda is how it attacks others and wildly caricaturizes them. You see this in old war propaganda all the time. Look at how “the bad guys” are depicted in some of these old superman comic covers for a visual example:

https://sites.google.com/site/worldwar2comicbookpropaganda/home/superman

As much as I hate to defend Nazis in ANY context, at ALL, the “good guy” is obvious in these visual bits of art. The “bad guy” is drawn as a caricature that looks fairly ugly in a shriveled way more often than not, playing up racial stereotypes and looking unfortunate or angry, while the “good guy” looks generally happy and serene or at least stereotypically handsome to look at. Tucker Carlson is doing the same exact thing here, but with words instead of pictures. Demonizing “the other side” while explaining to his intended audience, his “side”, how they’re the sane and good ones. The "other side" is going to silence your voice, ignore the principle of live and let live, all in the name of "diversity" that isn't truly diverse.

Does he have evidence of this?

Maybe, but he doesn't present it anywhere in the article or even try. You have only this article to go by, and that means either you accept his argument at face value or reject it at face value. He's trying to scare you by presenting something no one really wants as what "the other side" is trying to do.

Propaganda almost never is used to try and convince people who aren’t already believers. It usually looks offensive or silly to people outside the “bubble”.

Instead it’s used to reinforce and manipulate the people who already generally agree with your message. Keeping them from thinking for themselves and replacing their thoughts with your own. Studies have shown a crude-yet-effective way to brainwash anyone is to just keep repeating a phrase over and over again to them while giving them positive reinforcement when they agree (or at least listen passively) while they get negative reinforcement for going against it or speaking up negatively. (Again, don't take my word for it, I encourage you to do research on this frankly horrifying concept.)

The same principle is applied in most forms of Propaganda. Constant repetition of similar messages designed to shut down independent thought or controversy. Next snippet!

“Now, if these seem like corporate values to you, then you're catching on to what's happening. The Joe Biden for President campaign is a purely corporate enterprise.”

Again this is off-topic, but I’ll point out that Donald Trump still holds a controlling interest in his own CORPORATION, and how huge a conflict of interest that is for a political official. IF Joe Biden is actually a corporate enterprise as Tucker Carlson is saying, at least he has the intelligence to keep it covered up.

Personally, I’d take competent evil over inept and stupid evil any day of the week.

But more importantly, again, this is a statement of serious allegations made without any PROOF given to back it up. It’s a statement expected to only be taken by its words alone. Remember my point about Propaganda not being used to convince OUTSIDERS.

Anyone who doesn’t already tune into Fox News would probably look at this statement and wonder where getting it from. Because they’re not the target audience. Propaganda exists primarily to reinforce believes that people already have and keep them from questioning or doubting them. This piece does that. Though I don't feel it does it very subtly, which is why I picked it to evaluate. It's easier to dissect something obvious than something artful.

Next up!

“It's the first one in American history to come this close to the presidency. If a multinational corporation decided to create a presidential candidate, he would be-“

Tucker Carlson, should I just start saying “Trump Towers, Trump Branded products, Trump’s Mar-a-largo resort...” and all the other things involved in Donald Trump’s MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION HE WANTS YOU TO BUY THINGS FROM?

“The first one in American history” is a blatant lie meant to cast shade on Biden. Again, to paraphrase from the Bible: "Remove the plank from your own eye before you remove the speck from your brother’s". I'm not quoting that perfectly but you get the point:

Hypocrisy.

Even if Tucker Carlson has a valid argument here, and Biden will be good for shady tech giants like Google (which I acknowledge may be a possibility), he’s making it seem like this is the first time we’ve had a President beholden to corporate interests. Even BEFORE Trump, it really wasn’t. I’d say it goes back to “Citizens United”, where corporations were ruled by the courts to have MORE rights than citizens, but it probably goes back before that and I just don’t know. (Just a reminder! Don't take my word for this! Read up on Citizens United and make your own opinions!)

Donald Trump is the first person to be President who is just OPEN about being beholden to Corporate interests. And if BIDEN is, it’s just a return to form, where the “form” is him outwardly appearing to be a just leader while inwardly being a puppet for them. Again, if Tucker Carlson has the slightest crumb of a point in his opinion piece here, it’s this. But he’s openly lying by saying that Biden’s the first to be beholden to corporate interests. It’s just that Biden is beholden to corporate interests he doesn’t WANT, while Trump wasn’t.

Next up, we hear Tucker Carlson talk about our next VeePee:

“They literally picked Kamala Harris as Biden's running mate, someone who can't even pronounce her own name”

Propaganda often uses mockery and derision to argue it’s points when it doesn’t actually have GOOD arguments. This is because people will laugh at the joke while not realizing it’s manipulating them.

I highly doubt Kamala Harris can’t pronounce her own name, but its presented here as a way to make her look stupid because Tucker Carlson can’t come up with any legitimate way to attack her.

And there ARE legitimate ways

There's so many legitimate ways to attack Kamala Harris.

But the purpose of this article isn't that. It's to educate on Propaganda. So let's move on!

Ooo, especially because now we get to my favorite part of the whole Opinion Piece next!

“Now, whatever you may think of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, they did it the traditional way. Each one of them had the support of actual voters. Living, breathing people loved them, believed in them, vested their hope in them, and, by the way, agreed with their ideas, which they articulated clearly.”

THIS is the beautiful part of the manipulation. The part where Tucker Carlson tries to convince us it’s NOT Propaganda. See, he’s clearly praising someone on “the other side”, so therefore he’s clearly unbiased and entirely nonpartisan. The reason why he’s using Bernie Sanders here? Bernie Sanders also has a following among “the other side” but is ENTIRELY SAFE TO PRAISE because he’s not up for election or reelection. People will forget this propaganda-filled shitty memo in a month.

Guaranteed.

But they’ll remember the message inside it if they buy into it. And this whole paragraph is designed to make you remember Tucker Carlson as “fair and unbiased” because clearly there are people on “the other side” that he “respects”. The reality of the situation is that Bernie Sanders can’t easily be used against Tucker Carlson’s intent, because he’s not up for election in any way that rocks the dang boat. So praising him here, regardless of if it’s sincere or not, doesn’t do anything that might risk having Tucker Carlson’s audience start to think or investigate in further detail.

They don’t have to, who needs to seriously think about Bernie Sanders if he’s not one of the options for president right now? Tucker Carlson may indeed respect that Bernie earned voters fairly. But that’s not the POINT of the paragraph. The subtext is that Bernie Sanders, unlike Joe Biden, earned things “fairly”. Therefore creating the illusion, or rather reinforcing the already present illusion, that Joe Biden did NOT win voters “Fairly” to his side.

Now if there’s been election fraud or not isn’t what this is about. What this memo is saying, OUTRIGHT, in this paragraph, is: “there’s no way legitimate voters would EVER vote for Joe Biden, so therefore his victory is invalid”

But it’s not saying that OUTRIGHT, because that statement is one far more people would disagree with.

Instead, it’s creating the illusion that Joe Biden is unlikable and a front for corporate interests and using Bernie Sanders as a counterpart to illustrate a “better” example of “the other side”, who just happens to not be challenging to Tucker Carlson or “his side” right now at all.

The truth is LIKELY that if Bernie was up for Election instead, Tucker Carlson would be arguing he was a socialist and never saying a word positive about him. I mean, I can’t PROVE that, which is why I said “likely”, but I really doubt Tucker Carlson would ever praise Bernie Sanders in any other context. Feel free to show me I'm wrong if I am.

This last bit is NOT my favorite part, because it’s so overdone as to be cliché. But it’s necessary for Tucker Carlson to end on, because this way his base gets to feel virtuous for agreeing with him. It’s what I call “The Literary Death of the Martyr”. Let’s read:

“It's insulting to say that Joseph R. Biden won this election, if that is what comes to pass. The tech companies will have won. The big banks will have won. The government of China, the media establishment, the permanent bureaucracy, the billionaire class -- they will have won, and not in the way that democracy promises. If a single person equaled a single vote, a coalition like that could never win anything. There aren't enough of them.

But as a group, they have something that Donald Trump's voters sadly do not have, and that is power. They have lots of power and they plan to wield that power, whether you like it or not. It's all starting to look a lot like oligarchy at this point. The people who believe they should have been in charge all along now may actually be in charge.

So what does that mean for the rest of us? Will corporate America declare victory and back off? Can we speak freely again? Will they take the boot from our necks? Can we have America back now that the Great Orange Emergency has passed? Well, the mandatory lying orders finally be lifted? ”

I hate the phrase “Virtue signaling” with all my heart and soul and mind. But if there was ever a place to use it, this would be it. The ending of Tucker Carlson’s opinion piece is basically a bid for sympathy. Not for Tucker Carlson, but for his BASE to feel sympathetic towards itself. Tucker Carlson is saying that the majority of the American public, which is clearly what all his readers are a part of, are now beholden and enslaved to the Special Interest Groups behind the Joe Biden regime. Tucker Carlson’s readers have “lost” and are now prostrate towards these powers who have usurped control of the United States by getting Joe Biden elected. It’s melodramatic prose and it’s only purpose is to make the reader feel victimized. Like they themselves are the martyr suffering for what is right while sipping their coffee and waking up after a leisurely morning where they slept in and never had to fear about Vikings breaking down the doors of their monasteries and sacking the place. The point I'm trying to make is that GENERALLY we as Americans do not have to worry about being violently assaulted in our own homes by Norse raiders. I THINK. If there have been Norse-related sackings and lootings and slaughters in America in the past 50 years I am ignorant about please let me know so I can start living in fear of the longboats once more.

But seriously, what Tucker Carlson is doing here is using melodrama as a way to give people a brief burst of emotional Righteous Indignation, to make them feel like they’re “in the right” and that “the bad guys have won”. When people feel like the victim, they can use that as justification to DO anything without it being wrong behavior.

It’s a way of getting otherwise good people to justify doing terrible things, and Tucker Carlson is using it here. That's about it. There's probably stuff I've missed in this Opinion Piece, but I think I've demonstrated how writing can be used to manipulate, mislead, and maneuver one's opinion. Please keep in mind that this was meant to be non-partisian. If you are cheering me on for picking on someone from “the other side” you're missing the point. I've got no malice towards conservatives or even Tucker Carlson in general, but I feel like so much more these days we are being manipulated and critical thinking skills are essential for anyone to navigate the news these days. If you disagree with anything I'm saying here or feel I've quoted Tucker Carlson out of context please feel free to let me know. I welcome controversy and expression of ideas over this, even if you decide to tell me I'm a partisian piece of trash. And if you want me to pick apart some clearly DEMOCRATIC propaganda, feel free to suggest some.

[makaris]

Holy fuck, the Iowa Caucus

Okay so I want to break this down, mostly as a way to help myself make sense of it all.  If this helps other folks understand the time line of events, all the better.  My ‘sources’ are scattered and random, as I’ve been absorbing most of this stuff through osmosis and it’s super hard nailing down the ‘best’ link to something, given how fast all this is moving.

I will arbitrarily start my rant here.

BUTTIGIEG BLOCKS CRITICAL DES MOINES POLL

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/02/iowa-poll-swiftly-spiked-after-buttigieg-campaign-issues-complaint

Shortly before the Iowa Caucus was to begin, the CNN/Des Moines poll was set to release. This is, apparently, a very important poll that a lot of the mainstream media (MSM) had already scheduled a lot of coverage for, as it would be a good indicator of the final state of things just before the election.  

Then, Buttigieg campaign blocks its release. Why?  Well, their campaign claimed that one of the pollsters may have not been giving out Buttigieg’s name while calling out.  Not for any nefarious reason, just what is basically an IT issue.  This alone isn’t really too bad.  And, in a vacuum, not really worth too much fuss over.  Like, I do think it’s a bit weird that CNN would let all that money/effort go to waste over a single campaigns minor complaint, but, still, whatever.

The fact that the poll ended up getting leaked and was very favorable to Bernie (and VERY unfavorable to Biden) is another small annoyance.  It would have probably helped get a bit of positive / surprise coverage shortly before the caucus.  But again, whatever.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/unreleased-final-iowa-poll-had-biden-in-fourth

Given what all ends up happening, it’s a just a prelude to some REAL hinky shit.

THAT FUCKING APP

So election day comes.  I and many others are tuned into various outlets.  We have the NYT and other vote trackers open, watching it all roll out.  Looks like it’s going good for Bernie.  Oh Boy!

Then, around 10PM, the numbers get pulled.  We’re told that some app that was being used to communicate the votes was messing up.  Numbers were going missing.  They aren’t adding up.  Tons of nonsense goes down.  

The company that created the app is a company called Shadow (yes, really), which is part of a larger group called Acronym.  It is staffed by ex Clinton staffers and other failures closely tied to the establishment, so the app being a POS should not be a surprise to anyone.  Oh, and the company accepted over $42k from Buttigieg’s campaign. 

https://www.truthorfiction.com/did-pete-buttigiegs-campaign-donate-42500-to-iowa-caucus-app-developer-shadow-inc/

It should be mentioned that this company and the people behind it will face no real repercussions.  Yeah ‘Shadow’ might go under, but and they might have temporarily lost a few contracts with the DNC.  But never underestimate how corrupt the democratic consultant class can be. They’ll be back to fuck some other shit up in no time.

Now, again, not trying to be conspiratorial here.  Maybe the vapid bougie fucks behind this had no ill intent.  Maybe their worst crime is being morons who did not test their software and accepted money unthinkingly.  But at the very least, their history as agents positioned against one of the front runners, and acceptance of money from one of the others, is a clear conflict of interest and should not have been allowed to happen.

Moving on.

BERNIE RELEASES INTERNAL NUMBERS, BUT BUTTIGIEG VICTORIOUS?

Sander’s campaign releases their internal numbers, showing they are leading by a solid 5 points.

https://twitter.com/reaIKevin/status/1224685920504504321/photo/2

The above is the best we had that night. 

Then, Buttigieg ended up reporting that he was ‘victorious’.  This is obviously misleading at best, as he’d have no way of really knowing that.  It was just blustering.  An attempt to get ahead of the chaos and create The Narrative.

I won’t go into it right now, as this post is going to be long.  But, in the end, the truth is not nearly as important as what people believe.  If Pete can successfully insert the idea that he is winning, enough people won’t question it that you’ll gain some converts, regardless of it being untrue.  Now, MSM would (surprisingly!) criticize him, a bit, but not nearly enough to make it a bad play, strategically.  Pete is dangerous, because he’s the kind of guy that can identify an opening like this, see how it will play out, and shameless act on it.

When he got called out on it (again, surprisingly), he would later claim that he was being just being poetic / flowery, and didn’t mean to say that they had come in 1st and won, which is what victorious means. Pete’s lying, of course, because he is a liar who lies.

We’re getting head of ourselves.  Let’s see what happens the next morning...

CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE

The party decides that they need to do a LOT of ‘quality control’, and it’s just too much to release all at once.  They need to do it small batches.  And the initial 62% they decide to first release excludes all the area’s where Bernie is doing the best.  

https://twitter.com/joules1971/status/1225057375540916226/photo/1

Hey look, Pete’s fucking winning now (if you exclude all the poorer, urban, or minority focused areas)!  The numbers aren’t in yet, but it fits The Narrative, so who cares!

From then, past initial 62% release up to the 80-something-% yesterday, we at least have some data.  We can look past the noise and see that Buttigieg’s claim to victory is NOT based on the popular vote. It turns out that, even with the releases being poised against him, Bernie is still leading in both the 1st and 2nd round of voting.  The only thing he did not take is the SDE count, so they are end up tied for Delegates.  What are SDE’s?  They’re State Delegate Equivalents.  I’m not going to claim to understand how it works, as it is extremely arcane, but an easier way to think about it is that Bernie won the popular vote, but Buttigieg won some Iowa-based electoral college. And even there, is only winning by a slim margin.

It is very important to stress that the delegates from Iowa BARELY MATTER.  They’re not why Iowa is significant.  The reason we care at all is winning Iowa means you get positive press, and a news cycle dedicated to you.  Most voters do not pay much attention, and will generally vote for whoever they perceive to be winning.  And who they perceive to be winning is generally based on what the media tells them. 

If the goal was to hurt whoever truly won the Iowa election, you would do exactly this.  You would you string along the release of info for as long as possible, so that either A) someone else gains the benefits of the election, based on misrepresenting, incomplete data OR B) folks stop paying attention.

Let’s stop and think.  A bunch of stuff has happened already.  Is it gross incompetence?  Or is there nefarious intent?  Both?  Does the DNC even deserve the benefit of the doubt, after all the shit that they are on the record pulling in 2016?  

Let’s assume incompetence for now, and see if it’s even still possible to think that later.  

The point is, Bernie was getting his (OUR) media cycle stolen, and Buttigieg is now starting to gain in the polls.

UH OH, MATH IS HARD!  

It starts coming out that the totals we were getting were incorrect. 

https://twitter.com/Harvard4Bernie/status/1225189173998411778

Bernie votes (and a few from Warren even!) were going to other candidates. Black Hawk County managed to break into the news cycle, but they were far from alone. 

https://twitter.com/MCulshawMaurer/status/1225198291140268033

https://twitter.com/crulge/status/1225185093091840002

https://twitter.com/Banalization/status/1225199174171451393

https://twitter.com/MikePrysner/status/1225229056519503872

Turns out TONS of counties were seeing major discrepancies.  And, for some reason, all these errors and miscalculations were seeming to only break against Bernie.  In some areas, all of Bernie's votes going to fucking Deval or Steyer, who otherwise had basically no support.  The only reason we found out is because of local leaders that were smart enough to keep there own numbers, were paying close attention, and caught it.  If they hadn’t, we would have never known.  Now that’s what I call ~~~QUALITY CONTROL~~~~<3

I goes without saying that the DNC’s numbers at this point are EXTREMELY SUSPECT, and Bernie’s numbers are starting to look like they might be closer to the truth.  However, even with this blatant idiocy / corruption (your pick), Bernie still has the popular vote. 

TOM PEREZ NEEDS TO RESIGN

That brings us to earlier today, 02/06.  97% of the votes are in.  Bernie is only down by 0.1 points in SDE’s, still will ahead in the popular vote, and we’re clearly going to win at this point.

https://twitter.com/micahuetricht/status/1225131303189852160

The remaining votes are coming from satellite locations, mostly minority groups.  These groups were pulled in by the Bernie campaign and with their support we would surely pull in that last 0.2 percent needed to win in EVERY metric.  There would be no way that the MSM or other campaigns could spin this.  Bernie Won!

Then, Tom Perez puts his foot down, sees Bernie Winning all these unfortunate, unforeseen issues, and decides it’s high time to pull the plug and start the whole thing over from the beginning.

https://twitter.com/TomPerez/status/1225468833458245632

Tom Perez, in case you don’t remember, has been in control of the DNC since 2017 but was an opponent of Sanders during the 2016, including him offering plans on how to best shiv Bernie that were discovered in the Podesta leaks.

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/4429

Notably, he helped engineer the narrative that Bernie could only connect with white liberals (ie the Bernie Bros myth), which has been something the Bernie campaign has been able to successfully push back on until it is now not only untrue, but the exact opposite of the truth.  POC are the back bone of Bernie’s campaign!

https://twitter.com/CANCEL_SAM/status/1225566817889980418

ANYWAY, Tom Perez, sleazeball he is, decided to wait until just before we had crossed the finish line to pull this stunt.  This is a pretty transparent attempt to delay the results (and the left’s victory!) as long as possible.  It also achieves the goal keeping Pete out front and able to boost his polling going into the next states.  Which is so far working for them, gaining 6-9 points just this week in NH.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/democratic_nomination_polls/

I don’t think anyone would be opposed to a recount, but there can be no reason to not release the last 3% (which they already had: (https://twitter.com/JennUWinn84/status/1225474355028746241).  It is overt, blatant corruption.

THE TAKE AWAY / WHAT DO WE DO?

- Don’t feel hopeless.  That’s what they want.

- It is super important that we not only win, but we need to win in CRUSHING numbers.  Because the DNC will pull every trick in the book to stop us, and we need to be ready.

- Paper. Fucking. Ballots.  You’re not a Luddite for wanting this.  It’s just the most practical, tamper-proof method. The app was a technocratic solution that was sold to the DNC, based on a problem they invented.

- More transparent oversight of our elections.   We invade South American countries due to electoral malfeasance with weaker pretenses then what just happened.

- Capitalists will always break fascist when confronted with the possibility of marginally higher taxes. ALWAYS.  For these reasons, If/When Bernie takes over the party, the DNC needs to be purged of EVERY LAST Reagan/Bush/Clinton era asset.  We don’t need them, they are not our allies, they will actively try to sabotage us, and for all these reasons and more unity with them is impossible.

- Do not play into the ‘VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO’ game.  It is not the time for that.  We are in the primary, and Bernie is the front runner.  The old arguments no longer apply, and no longer matter.

There are real fucking stakes here, and half/partial measures aren’t worth shit.  It doesn’t matter if YOU think you’re being principled by showing up to cast a vote for Bloomburg over Trump. Anyone other then Bernie will suppress the vote, full stop.  When people don’t vote, republicans win.  You will not be successful in holding poor / underprivileged people hostage and trying to activate them politically if all your promising them is the status quo, or wonky means tested BS.  

- We’re winning!...

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-primary-forecast/

... But pretend we’re losing!  We can’t get complacent.

Ok that’s enough.  I have idea if anyone will read all this as I have like... four...? Followers?  Sorry for my rant, but it’s time to get politically engaged!  

[conspiratortrue]

Coronavirus Conspiracy

Please notice the title is missing the word “theory” because this is not a conspiracy theory but conspiracy fact.

As you may know, I am a conspiracy theory analyst. I analyze the facts so that you can see factual information, as well as speculation, while allowing you to draw your own conclusions. So if I say there’s a legitimate conspiracy, you can take that to the bank.

Anywho, you aren’t reading this for my autobiography. You want to see the stem of assumed political corruption that caused me to draw this very drastic conclusion. Trust me when I say, it’s a fascinating story.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for four years you know that since Donald J. Trump became president he has been the subject of almost entirely unmitigated scrutiny by many media sources, including CNN, The Washington Post, New York Times; basically anyone who’s not affiliated with Fox News.

Now I don’t advocate for President Trump, and I don’t advocate against him either. I design everything I say and do here and elsewhere in an effort to be completely and without question a nonpartisan source of valuable information that you can count on.

Now that said, you don’t have to be an analyst to see the obvious lack of balance in the media, you do, however, have to think critically on every topic. You must be capable of questioning your own morals and beliefs as well as the motives of those people in charge, and the people telling you things about the people in charge. And once you’ve done that it helps to get a second opinion. Because no matter how many iq points you think you have, they can’t trump perspective. So I recommend you find someone with the exact opposite perspective (who’s also capable of critical thinking) and sit down with them whenever possible, try to understand their views, and try to help them understand your views, all through civilized conversation. The only enemy of the modern man is the lack of knowledge. But moving onward

Ordinarily I would cite my sources but I feel like most of you have probably seen one of these articles. The articles I’m referring to are the ones claiming that the Obama administration informed the Trump administration that the US was not prepared to handle a pandemic. Now I could take this as an opportunity to cite a thousand conspiracy theories. But I will have to restrain myself because now it’s getting VERY interesting.

But as the allegations stand, many want to bring charges of criminal negligence against Trump, calls for impeachment as well as calls for an investigation. Unfortunately those will probably have to wait, social distancing and all. But I can’t wait to see what those would yield.

So what’s really going on?

Technically the Obama administration was responsible for training the Trump administration before his inauguration in order to prepare them for a possible threat that required massive federal action, like an influenza outbreak. In the table-top scenario they played out, they warned the new administration that they might have to deal with ventilator shortages, as well as shortages of other medical supplies. This is a mandatory exercise. They could have chosen anything, they specifically chose a viral outbreak. Which links into A LOT of conspiracy theories. But I’ll skip those for now.

What’s really interesting is the last pandemic we had, which was way more recent than I had previously thought. Do you remember what it was? 2009, Swine Flu. The WHO named it a pandemic very early on, and received a lot of criticism for it. After that they changed a lot of procedures for determining pandemics.

But what’s so interesting about the Swine Flu pandemic? It had happened the first year of Obama’s presidency. The Obama administration conducted an investigation into the national preparedness for a viral outbreak (not sure when that was performed) but after that investigation yielded interesting results, specifically the lack of medical supplies to combat a pandemic, citing ventilators as well.

So based off of this information the question should be asked, why did the Obama administration not take any steps to increase pandemic preparedness?? And why isn’t the media asking that question?

If the Obama administration knew that we were not prepared for a pandemic of this magnitude, and did absolutely nothing to prepare for it, then they are guilty of the exact same crime that Donald Trump is. And yet the media continues to push Trump into the ground without any acknowledgement of Obama’s similar alleged crimes. The conspiracy here is that while both are guilty of the same crime, only one is being dogged by the press over it. And not just any press, but the same press that rarely (if ever) had anything even remotely negative to say about Barack Obama while he served as president.

As a non-partisan, this makes no sense. When Trump suggested a stimulus package for each individual the news was all over it, “how much of this will go to big business??” Said one news reporter. And yet when GM and Chrysler announced their bankruptcy, Obama approved a “bail-out” to the sum of $80.7 billion to be split between, Chrysler, GM, and Ford, with GM receiving the bulk of the bailout at $51 billion. But nothing was said about these bailouts. Analysts who have compared the financial effectiveness of Obama and Trump’s respective administrations have said nothing regarding these funds.

I am aware that these fund allocations were for the benefit of the American people and actually did that job well, as the end result of these investments was only a $10 billion dollar loss, which is not nearly as bad as it could have been. I am not here to question the legitimacy of these funds, but rather ask why are these the questions the news is asking, and why didn’t they ask those questions before?

Why is the media so one-sided?

DISCLAIMER: IF ANY OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS UNTRUE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME WITH A SOURCE ARTICLE TO PROVE MY INFORMATION WRONG, I WILL DO THE RESEARCH AND EDIT THE POST AS NECESSARY. THANK YOU FOR READING.

[kmp78]

DISCLAIMER AND RULES

These are the UPDATED directions/guidelines for all who want to participate/contribute to this blog. Our topics of conversation revolve mostly around 30 Seconds to Mars/the Leto Bros, but we have been known to also discuss various other current events around the world.

By reading, and especially by contributing, on what goes on around this blog, you are willingly agreeing with all guidelines and directions I have mentioned below - no exceptions.

I am willing to give a space to those who wish to discuss Mars (or other topics), and I am washing my hands from any and all fuckery that may ensue from other people´s opinions.

Also worth mentioning: I am fully aware that some people who publicly and very vocally denounce any interest in either this blog or Mars gossip lurk around this blog and then spread shit elsewhere on the internet. 

By doing that, you are essentially outing yourself as a quiet kmp78 admirer, so to speak. 

Or a fangirl, if that suits better. 🤗

Alright then... READ.

1.  This blog is laced with sarcasm, jokes, stupid and often very dark humor and PERSONAL OPINIONS - both mine and the people who participate in our conversations. This is not CNN, BBC or even Fox News - this is a personal blog run by a (sort of) fan. Not someone with inside information, and not someone whose opinions and views should be taken too seriously, and definitely not as gospel. I have no direct access to anyone in the Mars organization, and I do not work for them.

2. Nor do I work for YOU. This may be a blog which is mainly used for discussions about all things Mars and all opinions and topics are welcome, but the only one in charge is ME. I decide if a message gets published, if a message gets edited, if a message gets deleted - and if the sender gets blocked.

And not that it really needs to be said, but here goes anyway: I do not work for any Leto troll either.

3. And speaking of blocking: 

those who send threats or offensive messages will be blocked, as will anyone who I deem block-worthy. Rest assured, I never block anyone without a reason, so if you should discover that you have been blocked, that means I had a reason. I may or may not inform publicly when a person has been blocked, depends on my mood.

4. Everyone who sends messages is responsible for their own words - I do not accept any blame for other people´s opinions. Misunderstandings by accident or on purpose are not my headache. If I suspect a message will potentially cause unnecessary problems or annoyance for me, I will not post it (or will edit it), and  I don´t owe anyone any explanations as to why I´m not posting it. I may explain, or not - that´s up for me to decide. 

In any case, as I said: I will not take responsibility for anyone else´s words other than mine, and screaming at me over here or elsewhere online regarding comments someone else made and I posted...

Well, that´s just infantile. 🙄

5. All opinions are welcome, positive AND negative. A positive opinion does not automatically make you a sheep, and a negative opinion does not automatically make you a hater. 

Readers to this blog should be adult enough to handle both sides.

6. Calling women sluts or whores is not ok here. 

You also need to be able to tell the difference between calling a woman a whore and calling a Leto a whore. If you can´t understand the difference, then get out immediately.

SPECIAL CLAUSE:

the term “YACHT GIRL” when used in connection with an actually legit model who YOU ARE JEALOUS OF BECAUSE SHE GETS TO BONE A MAN YOUR FLABBY LOINS BURN FOR, actually is the equivalent of you calling her a whore, so kindly DO NOT.

Use whatever brain cells your parents genes bestowed upon you and make them at least somewhat proud. That should hopefully partially make up for the disappointment they most probably are already feeling knowing you actually read and participate in this shit.

7. What is also not ok is accusing people of crimes, calling them psychopaths, or threatening others with physical violence etc. - not even sarcastically or as jokes.

Think of it this way: 

when typing your message, if at any point you think that what you are writing might come across differently or more seriously to the person reading it than to you while writing it - then do not write it. Any innuendo about people´s potential “social diseases” is not welcome either, and neither are accusations of “obsessions” and people “stalking” the men this blog is focused on. Be VERY careful when using these terms. 

YOU are responsible for your own words. I cannot stress that enough.📣

8. We use a lot of initials and nicknames in our conversations - for a reason. 

Do not use people´s real names in messages. 

If you do not know who a particular person is, please come ask via chat (directions on how to use the chat feature can be found here). I may or may not blur out a name in a message if I think it´s necessary.

9. I post a lot of pics, gifs - and most of them are found from Google using various search terms, and sadly have no tags or indications as to who is the owner/maker. I don´t own any of the pics or gifs, or videos for that matter either (except the ones I have made and labeled as my own). If you find something of yours posted and prefer not to have it up or to have your name added as credits, please let me know and I will remove it.

As for links to either newspaper articles, IG accounts, other blogs or the like: you can find credits to the sources by either clicking on the links, or if I have decided to post screen caps, in the pics themselves. Again, I do not write articles or make videos and very, very rarely post anything other than other people´s comments - after all, this is prominently a discussion blog now. Opinions/messages from other people represent THEIR views and thoughts, my views/thoughts can be seen in my answers (in case of submits or multi-part messages, you will find my contributions to the message after this sign: ***).

To make this very clear: we don´t make news here, we discuss them.

10. When sending submits, if you are unsure of others potentially seeing your “ID”, please mention in your message that you want to remain anon and I will post it anon. Also please remember tho that there is no such thing as complete anonymity - so be careful when writing down your thoughts. Censor yourself if necessary - don´t make problems for me or others, or yourself.

11. I use Statcounter on this blog, which means I can see IP addresses from people visiting this site. However I choose to use that information is up to me, so if you are scared shitless of being outed due to your own actions/words, then DO NOT COME HERE.

If I out your IP, then there is a reason for it.

Don´t give me reasons if you want to remain in the shadows.

(And same goes for chat messages btw: don´t pretend to be my friend in private, but then turn your back and stab me in it in public. More often than not I WILL find out, and if I choose to then out your bullshit by posting private messages, THAT´S ALL YOUR OWN DOING, KIDDOS.

Play nice with me and you have nothing to worry about.

Start kicking dirt in my face and...🤷‍♀️

12. If you are addressing your message directly to someone (= other than me), please say so CLEARLY in your message, for example by starting your message with “For anon who said...”, or something along those line. I have had it with misunderstandings and unnecessary messes due to unclear messages! BE SPECIFIC!

13. ONLY write either in English or Finnish. I won´t waste my time on Google Translate, I have enough on my plate as it is and your weirdo mongrel lingos are boring as hell anyway.

14.  DO NOT SEND MESSAGES WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF STIRRING UP SHIT - OR TO INSULT OTHER COUNTRIES OR NATIONALITIES. That would rank quite high the PATHETIC categories...

15. I won´t post content from so-called private/non-celeb accounts such as Leto trolls (= VK for example IS a celeb so whatever she posts is most deffo getting posted, but anything posted by Lesser´s harem probs won´t be).

16. READ PREVIOUS MESSAGES! READ PREVIOUS MESSAGES! READ PREVIOUS MESSAGES! READ PREVIOUS MESSAGES! READ PREVIOUS MESSAGES! 

I´m beyoooooooond bored answering the same questions over and over again, sometimes in the space of just a few hours! The archives and search option are available on my blog for a reason! USE THEM. 😠

17. When sending messages containing info or “receipts” or whatever it may be that you think we should be made aware of, either clearly state WHERE that info can be found and WHO you are talking about. Do not simply send a message a´la “VK can be seen on Monica´s/Richard´s/Beatrice´s IG”. We don´t know who these people are! You may, but we don´t! I do not follow a single model or fashion industry creeper on social media so FIRST NAMES mean fuck all to me. GIVE FULL DETAILS OR SHUT THE FUCK UP. 

18. IF I SAY A TOPIC IS OFF-LIMITS, THEN YOU WILL RESPECT THAT.

19. I usually try to post messages in the same order they have been sent - with a few exceptions: 

If a situation arises which calls for “immediate attention” (new troll pics or other sudden Mars-related activity, for example), I may leave older messages for later and focus on newer ones first. Also when I am operating on my mobile, I am often unable to post certain messages (videos etc.), so those will be left for later when I am back to an actual computer. 

20. More often than not, tumblr fails to deliver messages to my inbox. If you suspect that yours has not been delivered, please send it again. I don´t mind getting duplicates.

21. If I feel that a message offers no relevant or needed content, I won´t post it. For example, a message such as “JL & XX in Japan bang bang” is unnecessary and pointless and not worth posting. I only have 250 allowed posts per day, and on busy days I have to make judgments on what is worthy of posting and what is not. I apologize if I therefore have to skip some messages. 

When I run out of allowed posts here, I will let everyone know that I am switching over to use the secondary blog which can be found at @kmp78secondaryblog

(PLEASE NOTE: That blog is ONLY used when we run out of room here, and I never go there unless I have to so please don´t send any messages to that blog unless I inform we have to move there!)

AND FINALLY PLEASE REMEMBER:

THIS IS A FANDOM FOR A BAND. NOT A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. ACT ACCORDINGLY.

Creating hater accounts dedicated to POSTING PICTURES OF MY BLOODY EYEBALL (that btw actually happened because of course it did! This is the echeLOOOOOON after all! 👍) won´t make me quit this blog, so...

Yeah.

Anyway, for further information, please contact me via private message here, on my IGs, or at kmp78@yahoo.com.

Thank you. 🙏

PS: In case you run into accounts/comments made under my tumblr “identity”, or otherwise unauthorized “kmp78″ activity outside of tumblr which you recognize as being linked to this blog in any way (such as my posts being tagged with JL´s tags etc.), please report them immediately, both to the admins of the sites you found these accounts on, and to me directly so I can take appropriate action, thanks.

Any of my personal pics taken from this blog have been taken without permission and I have never and will never give permission to post them anywhere. And when I say I “appropriate action”, I mean just that. If need be, I will be contacting the authorities, like I did when I received public death threats. 

Be very aware that my tolerance for that is less than zero - and also be aware that these guidelines and my rules may change whenever I feel the need to change them.

#DEAL ✌️

[schoolofmaaa]

Yining Shi on Approaching Technology Creatively, Accessible Tech and Educational Tools

This week we spoke to Yining Shi, one of our main instructors for the Bots & Machine Learning program taking place this July in Berlin. In this interview, Yining reflects on her trajectory, the importance of educational tools, <a hotpot interlude> and what we can expect this summer. 

Tell us a bit about yourself Yining, what brought you to where you are now?

Well, I did my undergrad in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and my Masters at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, where I mostly focus on creative coding and machine learning. I like building tools to craft a better learning experience for people. I like solving complicated engineering problems to enable creative outputs. I also like the idea of making complex concepts and technology more approachable for beginners. Currently, I’m an adjunct professor at NYU where I teach a class called Machine Learning for the Web. I also work at Sourcemap as a senior software engineer.

“I also like the idea of making complex concepts and technology more approachable for beginners”.

Where are you currently based?

In Brooklyn, New York City.

I see some of your works are based on data, physical computing, and fabrication. What are some of the overarching themes in your work? What intrigues you?

Even though these projects use different technology, they are mostly based on the idea of visualizing data to express ourselves in a creative way. What intrigues me is exploring millions of different media to express our ideas. I’m always curious about new technologies and new experiences.

For example, Friendship.am is an expression of my digital persona that visualizes 10,000 of my messages. Every circle represents one message, and they are arranged around a clock. The size of each circle depends on the length of the message. I also color-coded keywords in every message. For example, ‘What are you doing?’ is blue, and ‘haha’ is green. This was an abstract visual portrait of my digital communication habits and by looking at what messages I sent, when I sent them, and how they change over time, I got a lot of insights about my digital persona that I was previously unaware of. And so I also became very interested in personal data and how can I make them more meaningful in people’s everyday lives.

In Friendship.am, each circle represents one messages arranged around the clock by the time it was sent.

Color-coded personal messages.

Puppy lamp is another example. It’s a playful experience that allows friends to express themselves in a new way. It is a digital interaction designed to work with a physical object. People can use the app to send color and text message to their friends and light up their friends’ Puppy Lamp. It is a way to express feelings to your friends with colors, lights and environmental ambience.

Puppy Lamp

Can you tell us a bit more about p5.playground, and your interest in building educational tools?

p5.playground is my thesis at ITP, NYU. It’s an interactive programming tool for designers and beginners to understand drawing functions in p5.js.

It has two modes, live coding mode (when you change the code, the sketch will be updated in real time) and the playground code, when you manipulate the shapes on the canvas like you do in photoshop or illustrator, the code will be automatically updated.

If you move and resize the shapes on the canvas, the code that generates the shapes will be automatically updated.

I remember at the first class of Intro to Computational Media(ICM) at ITP, we learned how to use Processing to draw shapes. I noticed that some people who were new to programming found it hard to draw complex shapes with code. After talking to them, I realized that it was because people might have difficulty understanding the coordinate systems: where is the origin, x,y axis.

p5 playground tries to use this WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) interface to reinforce a cognitive link between the code and the shapes on the canvas. Now, p5.playground is used as a learning tool in the ICM class at ITP to help students understand how to draw shapes with code.

I love building educational tools because I really like the idea of making complicated concepts and technology more approachable to everyone who is interested in learning it. Not everyone needs to become an engineer when they grow up, but if anyone who wants to learn about a kind of technology should be able to learn it easily without any struggle.

Technology is everywhere in our life, and problem-solving skills are important to us. I want to make the learning experience a little easier for people, especially students who don’t have access to a lot of educational resource. I also enjoy the moments when people have told me that the tool is helpful to them or they made some projects using this tool. That’s the biggest reward moment for me.

“Not everyone needs to become a engineer when they grow up, but if anyone who wants to learn about a kind of technology, they should be able to learn it easily without any struggle”.

You are currently teaching Machine Learning for the Web at NYU, what are the topics which you most enjoy teaching?

Machine Learning for the Web is a class about using ml5.js and tensorflow.js to create interactive web applications. It starts with running pre-trained models and re-training models in the browser using high-level APIs from ml5.js, as well as explore the Layer APIs from TensorFlow.js to create models from scratch using custom data.

I really like teaching week 3: Build your own CNN model with tf.js. We start with using a pre-trained DoodleNet model to classify 345 doodle classes, and use transfer learning to customize our own classes, then we use tensorflow.js’s layer API to build our own model and train it in the browser. I also like teaching Style transfer and Pix2pix.

Train a doodle classifier in the browser with tf.js

Now, a more human-oriented question! What is your all time favourite meal?

It has to be Sichuan chinese food. My favorite is a kind of dish called hotpot. This is the hotpot my mom made.

How do you express yourself creatively through code?

Most of my recent projects have been all about using Machine Learning models to make some creative and interactive applications in the browsers.

Style transfer with ml5 is an interactive demo of style transfer, where it can recast the content of one image in the style of another image. people can either use the webcam, or upload an image, and choose a style from the artwork, and it will generate a new image with the style they chose. See live demo here.

Pix2pix Edges2Pikachu is an interactive drawing tool that automatically colors your Pikachu drawings in real time. It’s built with tensorflow.js. You can play with the live demo here.

KNN Image Classifier with ml5 is a an interactive demo that can recognize customized classes through webcam. For example, it can recognize rock, paper and scissors from your webcam.

DoodleNet is one of my most recent project. It can recognize your drawings. It’s trained on all 345 categories from Quickdraw dataset, 50000 images per class. You can play with live demo here.

You published Jumpstarting the Arduino 101, what do you like about this tool?

My journey with machine learning started with this book. It’s a book that helps you create projects with Arduino 101 using pattern matching & neural networks via the Web Bluetooth API.

It includes 4 projects, each project builds upon the concepts of the previous one. The last project is a gesture recognition media controller.

For example, people can train a complex gesture to start the music, and then train another gesture to stop the music. This is designed to be a starter example, which people can extend and make their own versions of it.

Gesture recognition media controller, define any gestures to play/pause music.

Use Arduino 101 to control a heart in a webpage through bluetooth.

I really like Arduino 101 because for a board that cost $30, it offered a lot of features out of the box like Bluetooth LE and motion sensing, but my personal favorite feature was that the board had a dedicated machine learning chip and came with an open-source pattern matching library. Machine learning can be a classic example of a topic that sounds intimidating, but the ease with which beginners could do complex pattern matching and gesture recognition projects with this board demonstrated the effect accessibility has over learning.

Can we talk a bit about Bots & Machine Learning? What will you be teaching us here in Berlin and what do you hope students will get out of the program?

Yes! I’m very excited about teaching this course with Matthew Plummer Fernandez!

We will talk about common and popular machine learning models, how they work, how to train these models, and their use cases in creative projects. The output of the class will be interactive ML applications.

The topics that will be covered are Image/Sound/Doodle Classification, Face/Pose Recognition, Image Style Transfer, pix2pix Image Transformation, and Image Synthesis. The techniques and neural networks we will use and build are Transfer Learning, Convolutional Neural Network, Generative Adversarial Network and more. We will use tools and frameworks like Runway, tensorflow.js, ml5.js and tensorflow.

I really look forward to meeting you in Berlin, explore all the ML models and technique, and build creative projects together!

What is the change you want to see in the world?

One thing that I really want to see is more people getting having easier access to education. There are a lot of facets to make this change but what I like focusing on is to make the process of learning new things more enjoyable and fascinating. I’d love to create more educational content and help beginners to learn. I am hoping to make more video tutorials about programming that people from any part of the world could watch and build their own projects based on the examples from the video.

Yining teaches in Bots and ML program, 1. - 26. July. Apply here: http://schoolofma.org/bots/

[libertariantaoist]

The crisis is upon us, and yet hardly anyone outside of a few old-fashioned liberals sees it. Their view is obscured by the Brobdingnagian figure of Donald J. Trump towering over us all as left and right battle it out in his shadow. Yet the real battle, and the actual combatants, are obscured by this spectacle.

The Deep State – i.e. the constellation of national security agencies and private actors who have directed and maintained our globalist foreign policy since the end of World War II – would have targeted Trump in any case, due to his hostility to their interventionist foreign policy. And yet I believe they would’ve gone after him anyway due to his populist outsider persona, which the self-appointed guardians of the Empire consider dangerous per se.

The bottom line is that the intelligence services of the United States, and top officials of the FBI, have indeed launched a regime change operation comparable to the dozens carried out by these very same spooks over the years from Latin America to the Middle East. Like most of these campaigns, it’s a multilateral effort, with the intelligence services of at least three “allied” countries involved. Co-authored with the Clintonistas, the Russia-gate hoax is their invention: it was the perfect pretext to conduct surveillance on a rival presidential campaign. For all the talk of “collusion,” the real colluders were the Obama administration and the Clinton campaign organization who utilized the British “former” MI6 agent, Christopher Steele, and his infamous dossier. This fake intelligence was used by the Justice Department to justify spying on Carter Page, George Pappadapoulos, and other Trump campaign contacts.

There’s your collusion.

The regime-changers are operating on several levels at once. At the lowest level:  suddenly black-clad “Antifa” dromedaries appear in the streets, attacking Trump supporters – and, in one case, Trump himself. The assaulter is later treated to a lionizing interview with CNN.

At the highest level, top FBI and CIA officials deploy the assets available to the most powerful government on earth to harass, undermine, and betray a sitting President, subverting the constitutional order and establishing a fateful precedent. For the goal of this regime change campaign isn’t just to get rid of Trump – that’s just the icing on the cake. The primary goal is to establish the Deep State’s veto over who can – and cannot – inhabit the White House.

What’s interesting is the international dimension of all this. If we’re looking to see who originated the Russia-gate narrative, all roads lead to London. Not only Christopher Steele and his “private” intelligence-gathering agency made up of “ex”-MI6 spooks, but also the roles played by the Australian diplomat Alexander Downer in his interactions with Pappadopolos: why would the former Australian high commissioner to the UK seek out a low-level youngster peripherally involved with the Trump campaign?

Carter Page was also sought out by professor Stefan Halper, of Cambridge University, whose longtime links to Western intelligence sources are not due to just a scholarly interest. This was clearly an attempt to penetrate the Trump campaign and plant the earliest seeds of Russia-gate, as Halper reported to the FBI and his British overlords.

And what about the role played by the mysterious Joseph Mifsud, whose fake-thinktank located in the UK provided a cover for luring Pappadopolos into his orbit. It was “professor” Mifsud who first suggested to his young protégé that the Russians had incriminating emails from the DNC. Is anyone surprised that Mifsud has since disappeared – and that the authorities have shown little interest in finding him?

In short, Russia-gate was a setup.

The principal players – the FBI, the Clinton campaign, the Clinton-allied Fusion GPS, the “intelligence community” – were pawns in a game coordinated and directly largely by foreign actors. Not only the British, but also the Australians, the Ukrainians, and the Estonians all played some part in a disinformation campaign designed to bring down the Trump administration.

Why the foreign involvement? The American Empire is a cash cow for many overseas interests: as the Euro-weenies huddle under the American defense umbrella, they can well afford to maintain extensive welfare states. And there’s also an ideological rationale: the Atlanticist conception of the “Anglosphere,” which sees the continuation of the old British imperium in a US-led international order.,

On another level, this regime-change operation is being waged in the media – or, rather, by the media, since 95% of the “mainstream” news outlets have been turned into anti-Trump propaganda outfits, emitting straight polemics 24/7. It’s no different from what they did in Chile, in 1973, when the CIA overthrew Salvador Allende, using clandestine contacts with the media to target the government with black propaganda, false flag incidents, and a general atmosphere of instability and crisis.

If it wasn’t Donald Trump, the Deep State would’ve eventually targeted some other populist figure who dares dissent from the foreign policy consensus of perpetual war for perpetual peace. The coup plotters are fortunate in that the President presents such a ready-made diversion from the Deep State’s assault on the constitutional order.

This isn’t about Trump. The stakes are much higher than the fate of his presidency and political fortunes. It’s about preserving what’s left of our old republic. So long as “The  Resistance” can obscure this stark reality with emotional appeals, and diversionary tactics, they’ll succeed in setting the cornerstone of a new American political system – one in which an unelected permanent bureaucracy rules the roost and makes the rules.

The Deep State must be defeated. After we do that, we can argue about Trump. 

[Read More] (https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2018/09/12/defeat-the-deep-state/)

[frontiervolunteering]

Science Online: Education, Entertainment and Fake News

In the era of social media, science seems to be within easy reach. Scientists can inform about results of their research on their social sites and communicate with their followers directly. YouTube hosts several informative channels that deal with the greatest science mysteries and share them with their audience in a highly entertaining form.

Social Media is a great democratic tool for science that opens an much more accessible door to the world of science, making it easier for scientists, science lovers and the wider general public to get their daily dose of latest scientific news. Many of these start their own YouTube channels or blogs to spread the word yet further.

One of them was Marco Zozaya, a boy from Mexico who made his first viral science video at the age of 12. His dramatic and visually appealing denial of connection between vaccinations and autism gained more than eight million views on Facebook and was featured in several online newspapers.

Education or Entertainment?

Despite the staggering numbers of followers, many of the science communicators express some doubts about its educational value. The main reason is that the videos or memes have to be highly engaging, striking and noticeable to gain the attention of wide audience.

The basic rule to create an engaging science-based content is to make people feel like they’re talking to their friends, rather than being in a chemistry class. Popular science blogger Yvette d’Entremont criticizes that there is a lot of bad science online. Successful scientific content must be “information-light and punchline-heavy”. Accessibility is important without dumbing down or providing misinformation.

Video Credit: YouTube | SciShow

Even Marco Zozaya expressed some disappointment with social media as he stated that the scientific aspect is not what people loved the most about his videos. It’s rather the entertainment and controversy that makes scientific content look appealing. Zozaya also said that when he started focusing on more informative and less entertaining content, the popularity of his videos dropped noticeably.

For instance, YouTube channel SciShow includes in its list of the most popular content videos answering the question “Why Do We Have Butt Hair?” and following up the viral photograph of the dress that unleashed the wave of popularity as people were arguing whether they are black and blue or white and gold. Although they use scientific knowledge to prove their points, the topic must be striking and the video visually appealing to gain the popularity.

Science in media and fake news

The internet is an unregulated space which can be easily accessed by anyone, which might be another problematic issue for online science. In comparison to printed media, online sources are not categorized by their value, accuracy or truthfulness as authors don’t have the responsibility to follow a specific methodology in order to be published. In search engine, all the links appear equal and credibility of sources and facts leave a lot more room for error.

In a book or a printed magazine, there is an editor in charge of the content order who helps us decide what is worth reading and which issue is more significant than others. On the internet, this responsibility lays on the audience themselves. The fairly inexpensive access causes a high competition and as science communicators state, it’s the drama rather than science that makes us click.

These are ideal conditions for the rise of fake news. Soroush Vosoughi, Deb Roy and Sinan Aral conducted an experiment in which they spread false news on Twitter and found out that they were more successful than the true ones. They reached more people and spread much faster. The scientists observed that it was the novelty and emotions of false news that made them viral.

Finding the balance

The social media affairs are often featured in the traditional media which can make even bad science relevant and debatable. Although most of us don’t believe that the Earth is flat, Flat Earthers are occupying the agenda and people go out of their way to prove them wrong.

Video Credit: YouTube | CNN

Popular science communicator Bill Nye said in the interview for CNN that even the non-tabloid media are to blame for the spread of bad science. The media logic requires journalists to keep their articles balanced and objective, although these ideal states are unreachable in online. Journalists tend to put the information in context. If they don’t have the sufficient scientific background themselves, they engage the opposite opinions to create a seeming balance and use expert or credible sources of opinion or facts.

However, this practice allowed climate change deniers to enter the public sphere as they serve as the media opposition in interviews with scientists. Bill Nye criticizes that this seeming balance between two people in the studio doesn’t reflect the reality where 97% scientists agree on the climate change existence.

How to tackle fake news?

Even the accessible and entertaining form of science on social media requires responsible use. The crucial thing is to pay attention to sources. A few seconds of googling can reveal what pages are likely to share such information and whether the communicator’s background is reliable. It’s also unnecessary to question the intention of the message. Who might be interested in spreading this to the wide public? Does it support any business interests? Only after this small personal research should we  share the content without contributing to the fake news expansion.

This is far more achievable with a topic like science where things can be backed up by proof and evidence. Facts about climate change for example speak louder and are more usable than opinions about it, so be sure to double check what you read!

By Eliška Olšáková - Online Journalism Intern

Frontier runs terrestrial & marine conservation, community, teaching and adventure projects in over 50 countries - join us and explore the world!

[orbemnews]

The brazen arrest of a Belarusian activist has terrified dissidents all over the world In the weeks that followed, mass protests took place across the country with many believing that the poll was rigged. Three of the women who stood in opposition to Lukashenko disappeared from sight or fled the country in fear for their lives after the election. “No one can feel safe in Europe,” Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Svetlana Tikhanovksya, one of those opposition figures, told CNN earlier this week, speaking about the wider repercussions of Belarus’s forced downing of the Ryanair plane for the entire continent. Speaking from exile in Lithuania, Viacorka said in a subsequent interview that even in Vilnius, he had received death threats and made to feel unsafe. “There are no limits for this regime. I have a special application which sends a signal to my friends and family if something happens to me.” While skyjacking is in itself a very unusual act, this kind of transnational repression is increasingly common in a world where authoritarians are less afraid of consequences. “What’s more common is states using the institutions of other states in order to get to people,” says Nate Schenkkan, co-author of Freedom House’s report, Out of Sight, Not Out of Reach: Understanding Transnational Repression. “Authoritarian states might label someone a terrorist at home then recruit local law officials to have them detained and deported,” he explains. Schenkkan points to the case of Roohollah Zam, an Iranian activist who was lured from France to Iraq where he was subsequently kidnapped, taken to Iran and executed. “This case is important to note as he was also operating a Telegraph channel which allowed him to have an influential voice while overseas. The regime didn’t like that.” The report also highlights the case of Paul Rusesabagina, a high-profile critic of Rwandan president Paul Kagame. Rusesabagina’s family believes he was kidnapped from Dubai in August 2020. Schenkkan’s report explains that Rwanda’s government claimed they had “achieved his return through ‘an international arrest warrant,’ only for the authorities in the United Arab Emirates to deny that they had cooperated in the return.” This was claimed, the report says, to add some legitimacy to the abduction. Freedom House found that transnational repression is becoming a normal phenomenon, noting that many governments were using the same methods to attack their critics abroad. Those methods ranged from outright detention to online intimidation. Alarmingly, it concludes that the “consequences for transnational repression are currently insufficient to deter further abuse.” These trends of copycat repression and insufficient consequences have not gone unnoticed by dissidents elsewhere. And for many, the case in Belarus has stoked further fears. “With China and Russia arduously promoting authoritarianism, leaders have more confidence in committing human rights violations,” says Nathan Law, a Hong Kong human rights activist exiled in London. “I may now need to not only avoid going to countries where China has good relationships, but also taking planes flying over their territory,” he said, following the detention of Protasevich in Belarus. Law is one of the six activists in exile that Hong Kong police have issued an arrest warrant for under its controversial national security law, which claims worldwide jurisdiction and allows for extradition to the Chinese mainland. Why are the consequences so insufficient for egregious offenders? Tatyana Margolin, Eurasia director at Open Society Foundations, thinks it’s a cocktail of a rise in global authoritarianism and a growing indifference to those leaders from citizens of democratic nations. “We can safely say that the authoritarian tide has moved across the world, including in the US under Trump’s presidency,” Margolin says, pointing to Donald Trump’s perceived love of strongmen in countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia. “Citizens in the West are less bothered about the plight of migrants now, so are less compelled to have sympathy for people seeking refuge. This has led to immigration policies that make attaining refugee status harder and people easier to target,” she adds. Trump’s friends in Russia and Saudi Arabia have been guilty of some of the worst examples of transnational repression in recent years. The brazen behavior of the two Russian operatives believed to be behind the 2018 attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury is a good indication of how much Moscow cares about the consequences of these actions. The pair gave an almost mocking interview to Russian state TV shortly after being identified as suspects in the nerve agent poisonings, making light-hearted claims about being cathedral enthusiasts who were only in the UK to visit the historic town. The mountain of evidence against them suggests otherwise. Multiple Western nations, including the US, imposed sanctions on Russian companies and individuals, and expelled Russian diplomats in the wake of the Salisbury attack, though it’s unclear if these actions have cowed Moscow. “I don’t think the words safety or security apply to anyone who is opposition in Russia,” says Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician who has been poisoned twice in Moscow in five years, told CNN last year. Vladimir Ashurkov, another opposition figure, says that the “situation with Roman Protasevich is probably every dissident’s nightmare.” Speaking from London, he adds that he has “no doubt that Russian security services are capable of conducting assassinations,” and expresses concern that Lukashenko “raised it to a new level with the usage of a hoax bomb” — a concern of many who fear that what one authoritarian leader gets away with, others emulate. The most reported incident in recent years was probably the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. Numerous reports have pointed the finger at the inner circle of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but no real action has been taken against Riyadh’s most powerful man. Then-president Trump was criticized for ignoring CIA findings that bin Salman personally directed the murder. Ali Al-Ahmed, a high-profile dissident based in Washington DC, says that he avoids traveling for fear of being “taken or killed.” “It happened to Jamal and it could happen to me,” he says, adding that traveling to other Arab countries is not an option because he fears being “captured and sold” back to the Saudi government. Al-Ahmed also explains that even with the security that should come with living in the US, he is still subjected to intimidation online. “People accuse me of being a terrorist, presumably to make Americans nervous of me and to build a case for having me arrested and extradited.” Despite authorities in the US knowing the kind of misery Al-Ahmed lives with, he says “we have to be realistic.” He says that even countries like the US and UK, which bill themselves as human rights defenders, have to have a “pragmatic” relationship with Saudi Arabia. “If they gain something from placing sanctions on MBS, they will. If they need to maintain a relationship, they will make a load of noise but will put sanctions on lesser figures,” he adds. What can be done to make Western governments care and act? For now, very little. The trend towards more inward-looking societies has existed for some time — and the coronavirus pandemic has done nothing to help. “We are moving towards a state-centric world view which has resulted in migration policies that are more interested in national security than refugees,” explains Schenkkan. This insular, nationalist thinking means it’s harder to make people care about things that happen to other people. Margolin believes that the Belarus arrest will be old news very soon. “There is outrage across the world, but how long will it last? It will be replaced by another story and things in Belarus will go back to normal. The international community must stand with the people of Belarus and ensure that doesn’t happen,” she says. The dire situation facing political dissidents living in exile is unlikely to improve soon. Until Western leaders make meaningful stands against countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and many others, the benefits of capturing a political opponent for domestic reasons will outweigh the risk. And, unfortunately for the people this most affects, that won’t happen while so many of the world’s largest democracies place human rights below economic or strategic interests with some of the most oppressive regimes on earth. Source link Orbem News #Activist #arrest #Belarusian #Brazen #Dissidents #terrified #World