Random News not worthy of own thread

[esd]

Starliner is making odd, sonar- ping type, noises through a cabin speaker.

I'm not saying it's NOT aliens... *ping*

[Vertigo 7]

Can you even block X/Twitter when VPNs exist?

Is it worth it?
I mean countries which goes to that level of control are Russia, China, North Korea - not exacly a crowd we would like to aspire to belong.


More effective, sane and cheap solution would be for Brasil and EU to make an information capaign about dangers/manipulations of social media in general (not only X - you might hate Elon in particular, but this doesn't mean other Social Media are all roses and rainbows).

Yes it'll be worth it, 100 times over.

The reasons for why the regimes you've mentioned shut down Twitter is not the same for why Brazil has done and why many of us in Europe want. Those regimes shut it down because they have strict laws preventing them from criticising their governments and it's typically a blanket ban that applies across the vast majority of social media platforms. The reason why Brazil is not just another one of those countries is because it is a functioning democracy which shut Twitter down specifically for the site's lack of standards, with hate speech, conspiracy theories and disinformation being enabled and the norm. Brazil gave them the fair chance to defend themselves in a court of law, and Twitter refused. And if anything Elon/Twitter are the ones who behave like the regimes you've mentioned, not those who want him held to account.

Difference between Twitter and the many of the other social media sites is that the latter are at least making an (albeit weak) effort to moderate the content on their sites and are not actively promoting the disinformation that appears on their platforms. Twitter itself used to be like the others, now it isn't. Worse, it promotes the same individuals that were previously banned for hate speech/dangerous science denial/extremism. If Elon think's you're funny, you'll never be banned regardless of what you'll say (See Andrew Tate). He is intentionally enabling and motivating criminals and far-right terrorists through his words/actions and he makes Twitter's algorithms intentionally boost such individuals. The site is even useless for research purposes. I closed my official account when Musk took over, but still had a couple of a anonymous research accounts for it until a few days ago, the straw that broke the camel's back was receiving 7 Donald Trump tweets in a row out of the blue with even more appearing when I refreshed the page, despite never once searched for him or not being from the US. Yeah, I could have blocked him, like I have with the previous several hundred far-right extremists with notable followings that unwantingly appeared on my Timeline, but it became more than obvious to me that the site's only objective is to promote conflict, unconstructive dialogue which typically resorts to bigotry or flame wars and far-right extremism. When you make a new account in the UK, one of the first things you'll have shoved down your throat is a constant barrage of dystopian nonsense from GB News and TalkTV, even if you choose something innocuous like NASA as your first follows. It is insidious.

The main tactic of Disinformation merchants like Musk, Durov, Bannon, Marshall, Murdoch etc. is to flood the info space with so much nonsense, that the accurate and valid information that most people are looking for gets drowned out. Engagement numbers > Factual accuracy/validity.

These "information campaigns" you speak of already exist, but I doubt you know much about them because they are not effective, partly because they don't reach the individuals who need it, partly because content of how to not fall for mis/disinformation isn't there and partly even when they do reach them, they simply ignore/dismiss them. They existed when I was in school over 10 years ago and not a single person cared. Even so, the typical social media company has a vested interest into making you not care as long as you're feeding into their engagement numbers, and will only act when they feel their reputation is at stake or to avoid criminal responsibility. When one doesn't care about the consequences at all, as is case for Musk's Twitter, then that in turn makes you care, but for all the wrong reasons. He should be arrested and charged in a similar manner to Durov.

In regards to VPNs, if Twitter gets blocked, then most people are not going to waste their time trying to figure out how to use one. They're just going to use a different social media site that isn't blocked. That's how Telegram got popular in Russia. Funny how the same platforms that we wish to be held to account are the same ones that are allowed to flourish in authoritarian regimes isn't it? Gone full circle.

Anyway, sorry for another (probably unhinged) rant, I'm just tired liars never facing any consequences for the impact that their lies can have and I can see in real time that the liars in question are getting bolder, more influential and more successful. It brings a fire within me that I do not want, nor is it easy personally for me to put out. Someone like Nigel Farage should be in prison. Instead, he's still allowed to incite further violence + domestic terrorism and currently have his far-right extremist party sitting 20% in the opinion polls on the back of disinformation, science denial, hateful populistic blame game rhetoric (typically on people who have limited to no voice like asylum seekers) and encouraging people to vote against their own self-interest to remove their own human rights, but apparently, he and individuals like him such as Musk always the victims... Similar individuals and parties got enough people elected in the EU Parliament in large numbers, so now the Commission is scared to act against the causes of their spread despite knowing full well the harms of them doing so and some governments in the EU are even caving into their rhetoric to appease them instead of fighting them.

It's so incredibly stupid and short sighted...

you just hit all the nails squarely on their heads. very well put, not unhinged at all.

[esd]

Starliner is making odd, sonar- ping type, noises through a cabin speaker.

I'm not saying it's NOT aliens... *ping*

Not aliens.

[chew-ie]

"Super" Typhoon Yagi still active (theguardian.com)

One of the scenes which stood out for me: cars shielding bikers in Yagi typhoon (alternative reddit frontend without tracking / thread including video about how cars / trucks shielded a treck of bikes against the storm on a bridge)

[clakclak]

France’s new government is wild. The left wing party got the most seats in the recent election, however Macron formed an alliance with the right Republicans. They will now have to rely on other parties not in the alliance to push through legislation as they lack the votes to do so themselves. This is interesting, as the Nouveau Front populaire is unsurprisingly a bit pissed about this move to put it mildly, while the FN, still a bit beat up after the last election, could see this as a chance to exert control over the government by making tid for tad deals on key legislative issues.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rd52zl018o.amp

[felter]

So the judge overseeing the Alex Jones bankruptcy case has had enough of Jones and has ordered the selling off of all of his assets in 2 auctions the first on Nov 13th will see all of his IP's which will include things like the info wars website, then on Dec 10th everything physical that he owns is up for sale, so things like his microphone, cameras and computers. So if you want to own a bit of Alex Jones, then remember these dates.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving person, shame it has taken 12 years for it to happen.

[chew-ie]

Had to check who this is. Wish I hadn't

[clakclak]

So the judge overseeing the Alex Jones bankruptcy case has had enough of Jones and has ordered the selling off of all of his assets in 2 auctions the first on Nov 13th will see all of his IP's which will include things like the info wars website, then on Dec 10th everything physical that he owns is up for sale, so things like his microphone, cameras and computers. So if you want to own a bit of Alex Jones, then remember these dates.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving person, shame it has taken 12 years for it to happen.

I saw a tweet by Elon Musked who joked about buying Info Wars, similarly to how he bought twitter. I would not put it past him, after all he also did reactivate Alex Jones’s twitter account after buying the platform.

[matthewfarmery]

This is funny,

“Donald Trump’s media company has forced out executives in recent days after internal allegations that its CEO, former Rep. Devin Nunes, is mismanaging the company,” ProPublica reports.

“Several people involved with Trump Media believe the ousters are retaliation following what they describe as an anonymous ‘whistleblower’ complaint regarding Nunes that went to the company’s board of directors.”

Colour me shocked, NOT!!! so Nunes has been busy doing things that he shouldn't, and of course Trump put him in charge. So I wonder when he will get the chop? I bet that will come soon, and while the share price of Truth has risen a bit, I suspect it will take a hit with this and other turbulence that may be coming.

I really hope the share price will have crashed by now. But someone is still trying to prop up the share price. But I doubt Trump will be happy, as this probably resulted in the fast fall of the stock to begin with.

[Vertigo 7]

Not the cow man!! What's the world come to?

[matthewfarmery]

Wasn''t sure where to put this, but,

Trump is now selling watches, some as much as 100k, there are several problems with this, first the site where the watches are sold, only accepts bitcoin. what is more, this is almost untraceable. Also no refunds will be given.

The other problem is, Trump has claimed some powerful people have brought his watches, including Putin. So we have another problem.

Trump says he will limit the $100k premium sales to 147 watches, which will total $14,700,000 in non-traceable money. Earlier this year, a house committee issued a report, “White House For Sale,” itemizing the extra ‘compensation’ Trump received from private ventures while he occupied the Oval Office.

Black’s Law dictionary defines an emolument as an “advantage, profit or gain received as a result of one’s employment or one’s holding of office.” The foreign emoluments clause says that no one holding federal office can accept anything of value from any foreign state or head of state. The clause is meant to prevent corruption, and to limit foreign influence on federal officers. Trump has been sued under it several times.

And yes, like everything else. Trump remains untouchable, above the law. And whatever laws do exist, Trump can brush aside. So how much money has he made from these watches? and where that money comes from, will be very hard to trace. What is more, Trump will be in the pockets of some very powerful people, including putin. So yes, WH for sale. brought and paid for by foreign enemy powers.

IF Trump gets into the WH, we know his business ventures will not transfer, he will keep onto the reigns and profit again from those people and powers.

Again, the US justice system is broken beyond belief. A warning from history is being ingored.

[clakclak]

A prison in Florida said it will not evacuate 1200 inmates despite the prison being in the evacuation area. Source.

The practice of not evacuating prisoners is not unheard of. In 2005 during Kathrina another prison also refused to evacuate its prisoners who were left locked in their cells while staff evacuated. Afterwards 517 prisoners could not be accounted for, given the context it is reasonably to assume that the wast majority did in fact parish and not escape. Source.

[Alan Phipps]

Playing Devil's Advocate, the credibility of that Wiki article is rather suspect in that it also cites beatings and abuse by jail staff during the period when the jail staff had supposedly abandoned them locked in cells. Further, you don't starve to death in a few days.

I'm not saying the abuse and everything else in there was made up, just that the timeline, incidents and impacts attributed to abandonment are suspect and that it is rather difficult to be 'unable to account for' inmates locked in cells - unless some of the jail itself was washed away (which isn't reported there).

One would assume that the jail's governor and some staff also later faced some negligence and duty of care charges, besides any actual abuse charges.

[matthewfarmery]

Another story that has recently hit the media

Former President Donald Trump's campaign lashed out at journalist Bob Woodward after he reported that Trump secretly sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a stash of COVID-19 tests at the height of the pandemic in 2020, when Americans couldn't get them.

However, Bloomberg reports that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is confirming that Trump sent Putin the tests four years ago, while at the same time denying Woodward's reporting that Trump and Putin have spoken multiple times since the ex-president the White House in 2021.

According to Woodward, Putin urged Trump to keep quiet about sending him the tests on the grounds that such a revelation would hurt the former president politically.

“Please don’t tell anybody you sent these to me,” Putin said, according to Woodward's sources.

“I don’t care,” Trump said in response. “Fine.”

“No, no,” Putin said. “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.”

This is another reason why that SOB should not be allowed back into the WH, if this is indeed true, it means that Trump is very much in Putin's pockets. OK, that is probably true, but this story just adds to that. Also it also confirms that Trump cares about Putin and not the country he said an oath to protect.

It's a pity that even with this evidence, nothing is really done to disqualify from from running. Hasn't he done enough to prove that he is a domestic enemy who will violate the oath of office again?

These are really dark days and very sad times.

[Alan Phipps]

Let's not turn this into another Trump thread thanks. We have enough.

[matthewfarmery]

I wasn't sure where to post this, as it doesn't really cover one topic, certainly not presidential, or the crimes thread. So it was a tricky choice.

[clakclak]

Playing Devil's Advocate, the credibility of that Wiki article is rather suspect in that it also cites beatings and abuse by jail staff during the period when the jail staff had supposedly abandoned them locked in cells. Further, you don't starve to death in a few days.

I'm not saying the abuse and everything else in there was made up, just that the timeline, incidents and impacts attributed to abandonment are suspect and that it is rather difficult to be 'unable to account for' inmates locked in cells - unless some of the jail itself was washed away (which isn't reported there).

One would assume that the jail's governor and some staff also later faced some negligence and duty of care charges, besides any actual abuse charges.

You are indeed correct. The wiki article is contradictory.

Here is more I could found on it:

Excerpts from letters which according to human rights watch written by prisoners.

An article on their website

Claims that prisoners suffered abuse at the prison they were evacuated to.

What you make of all this hinges a lot on what you make of human rights watch.

[burger1]

Internet Archive got hacked

https://www.pcmag.com/news/hacker-defac ... d-a-breach

The hacker sent him a 6.4GB database covering stolen information on 31 million user accounts, including email addresses, user names and hashed passwords

[burger1]

It looks like there might be some more pre election shenanigans. Milita groups in North Carolina have apparently been hunting fema workers.

https://www.newsweek.com/armed-militia- ... rs-1968382

[clakclak]

It looks like there might be some more pre election shenanigans. Milita groups in North Carolina have apparently been hunting fema workers.

https://www.newsweek.com/armed-militia- ... rs-1968382

In most countries an armed group hunting down government employees would be considered a terrorist group. I very much doubt that the American government is going to tolerate this type of behaviour.

EDIT: There were arrests.