All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Zauriel]

Hahahahahahahahah!!!!


My second favorite part ...




Weren't those all cases Desantis lost? 2.8 million of taxpayers money ... to LOSE. LOL!

That's not including the local debt taxpayers are worried about having to pick up that used to be paid by Disney.





It's a race to see whether Mississippi or Florida can sit at the bottom of the Worst States by Any Metric. Even before Destantis, their education system suxed and skilled workers laughed at their wages. Add to that climate change weather issues, the housing insurance crisis, and I honestly don't know why anyone who isn't filthy rich stays there. It's not all that great in Alabama, Georgia, or SC, but it's tons better than FL.

No one can defeat Mickey Mouse. Especially not some politician.

He may have won some battles but a battle against a billion-dollar conglomerate is something else

[CaptainEurope]

Allen Weisselberg just fired his Trump-funded lawyers — is he about to flip?

Weisselberg is not the first one to do something like this. Michael Cohen did it just before he flipped on Trump. Cassidy Hutchinson had a Trump-funded lawyer before she fired him and got another lawyer so she could tell the Jan. 6 investigatory committee the truth about what she learned working for former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Each time a Trump-funded lawyer was fired, it has been an indication that those previous allies were about to turn.

Weisselberg is serving a five-month sentence in a Rikers Island jail, known for being one of the most violent in America. MSNBC's Ali Velshi noted that if someone was trying to get Weisselberg to flip, now would be the time. Last month, the New York Times reported that the Manhattan prosecutor's office was pondering whether to file new charges against Weisselberg for fraud.

This came out around the same time as an, on the face disappointing, announcement that the Manhattan Grand jury would take a break in August. But maybe those two things go together and Bragg needs the time to get testimony from Weisselberg.

[worstblogever]

Wretched Ron got played like a cheap fiddle by The Mouse:

DeSantis’ Reedy Creek board says Disney stripped its power

Disney's lawyers are famous...they are fabled for the fact they are the best. They are licking their chops as the state will be forced to spend millions of dollars now to fight this. Even the newspaper is hinting that this will cost the state millions of dollars ahead in legal fight.

Yet again, the evil intent of Republicans is thwarted primarily by their sheer incompetence.

WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE BILLION DOLLAR MEDIA EMPIRE WITH LEGENDARILY GREAT LAWYERS WOULD OWN HIS OWN CONSERVATIVE D-BAG IDJIT ONES IN COURT!?!?

If DeSantis has been proved dumb enough to be beaten by the House of Mouse, imagine how good of a president he'd be negotiating with foreign countries.

[CaptainEurope]

Harris finds footing and a jubilant audience, halfway around the world from Washington

Administration officials have often remarked how foreign trips can provide Harris room to shine that, they feel, the D.C. chattering class misses when talking about and covering her. Harris earned rave reviews for her speech last month at the Munich Security Conference, where she proclaimed Russia had committed crimes against humanity. And her trip to Africa once more demonstrated the general relief she and her staff usually feel the further away they get from the political sniping that trails her at home.

Harris arrived Sunday in Ghana, the first of a three-nation, one-week trip across the continent, to talk about economic security and U.S.-Africa unity. She landed to the sound of drums and dancers wrapped in traditional Kente cloth and headbands.

At subsequent stops, she has been notably less guarded, relaxed and seemingly lighter on her feet. It was noticed by the locals, too.

“I’m so proud and so happy to see her in Africa. It was emotional that she made it here and that Ghana is her first African country. She clearly loves Africa and she loves Ghana,” said a young woman named LaToya, who did not want to give her last name out of fear because of anti-LGBTQ sentiments in the country. She had watched Harris’ speech at Black Star Square, a Ghanaian monument representing the nation’s freedom from colonialism. “Based on her smiles, she clearly enjoyed it here. When you come to a place like this, you can be yourself.”

The official goals of Harris’ trip were to enhance relations on the continent and ensure that China did not get a stronger foothold in the economies there. A senior aide said the vice president, as the first Black woman to occupy that post, was “uniquely positioned to highlight the culture and opportunities, most especially the dynamism of African youth.”

But unlike the diplomatic meetings and security conferences that marked her past travel abroad, the trip to Ghana also featured more direct interactions with the populace. The vice president made several stops during her visit to highlight the nation’s arts, including a woman-owned gallery and a community recording studio.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Yet again, the evil intent of Republicans is thwarted primarily by their sheer incompetence.

WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE BILLION DOLLAR MEDIA EMPIRE WITH LEGENDARILY GREAT LAWYERS WOULD OWN HIS OWN CONSERVATIVE D-BAG IDJIT ONES IN COURT!?!?

If DeSantis has been proved dumb enough to be beaten by the House of Mouse, imagine how good of a president he'd be negotiating with foreign countries.

To be fair here...it's just started. But the Disney lawyers status is big. They could tie Florida up in courts and make the state spend money for years over it all.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Yet again, the evil intent of Republicans is thwarted primarily by their sheer incompetence.

WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE BILLION DOLLAR MEDIA EMPIRE WITH LEGENDARILY GREAT LAWYERS WOULD OWN HIS OWN CONSERVATIVE D-BAG IDJIT ONES IN COURT!?!?

If DeSantis has been proved dumb enough to be beaten by the House of Mouse, imagine how good of a president he'd be negotiating with foreign countries.

DING DING! Judging from what's happening in this skirmish with Disney, on the world stage, Putin, Xi, even Kim would have DeSantis for breakfast.

[hyped78]

Assume whatever you like, I really don't give a shit.

Going by this one article I found, though, it seems she was deliberately twisting and misinterpreting a lot of things in order to fit a certain narrative. Maybe you could ask yourself why you were so eager to push that false narrative on here.

The article that you posted doesn't debunk, like you're trying to say, any claims. Did you even read it?! So basically, as I said - it's now painfully clear that you're making up stuff; you could've just ignored the article I posted instead of replying with made up stuff.

Regarding my initial post on this, it's an article from a reputed news website that states the facts on this controversy (like your Newsweek article also does - they have a lot of overlap, that's why I'm even wondering if you read it) - I didn't say that I support Shamirun Nessa or Jeffrey Marsh (I don't support either, I just think the controversy is interesting and because Nessa is British it's been a well covered topic here).

Also, when I asked "what claims?" (had been supposedly debunked), you said "all the claims I quoted" - so that includes the claims that Shamirun Nessa was doxxed and that photos of her without her islamic headscarf were posted online to maliciously expose her. You've also failed to debunk this. I mean...

I also like your change in choice of wording. In your previous post you wrote "these claims have all been thoroughly disproven" and now you write "it seems".

What "false narrative" am I pushing - what I said is the same that's included in that Newsweek article you posted (if anything, your article is better than the one I posted as it has more info). It's funny that the article you posted ends with (quoting a BBC reporter) "Absolutely vile that apps [Tik Tok] like this actively promote people like Marsh that prey on confused children."

Life is a game with a set of rules (at least in the west). You follow the rules and you'll have an ok life. Part of the rules is to get a skill that'll pay you a living wage.

Sounds about right, in most cases at least.

[hyped78]

Needs new counsel.

I mean, look at all the things Biden is trying to accomplish, that some Republican a$$hole sues about, whether they can win or not. Let them sue. Heck. Sue them first.

US puts Italy-sized chunk of Gulf of Mexico up for auction for oil drilling

Let me start by saying that I think, overall, Biden has been a good/ great POTUS so far.

However, I wonder how the climate change aware voting base will view this. Like that Guardian article starts "In latest blow to Joe Biden’s reputation as the ‘climate president’, 73.3m acres of the gulf will be offered for fossil fuel extraction"

Which ties into this:
https://www.politifact.com/factcheck...owing-new-oil/



"As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden promised at least twice: "No more drilling on federal lands."

As president, he approved a major new drilling project on leased federal land in Alaska."

[worstblogever]

To be fair here...it's just started. But the Disney lawyers status is big. They could tie Florida up in courts and make the state spend money for years over it all.

Adam Laxalt is... not who you want going to the plate. He was described as "a train wreck" and "borderline incompetent" by his own law firm. He's filed "election fraud" lawsuits frivolously. He's... he's the guy DeSantis picked. I don't think it gets tied up in the courts for years... I think he blows it within weeks.

DING DING! Judging from what's happening in this skirmish with Disney, on the world stage, Putin, Xi, even Kim would have DeSantis for breakfast.

THAT.

[hyped78]

Adam Laxalt is... not who you want going to the plate. He was described as "a train wreck" and "borderline incompetent" by his own law firm. He's filed "election fraud" lawsuits frivolously. He's... he's the guy DeSantis picked. I don't think it gets tied up in the courts for years... I think he blows it within weeks.

Laxalt is the male version of Kari Lake. Losers who managed to lose very winnable elections through their own radical speech and positions. While votes were being counted in Nevada, Laxalt made some Twitter posts (not sure if he deleted them afterwards or note) explaining the "maths" of how he was surely going to win, based on what and where the remaining votes were... yeah.

[Vakanai]

DING DING! Judging from what's happening in this skirmish with Disney, on the world stage, Putin, Xi, even Kim would have DeSantis for breakfast.

The problem is, as a Trump styled fascist leaning (let's be honest, full on would be fascist if given a sliver of a chance) authoritarian loving culture war making ass hat modern day lowest of the low brow uncommon denominator Republican, Putin and Kim would have DeSantis for breakfast - but not in the chew him up and spit him out in a debate way like you're suggesting, but literally have him over for a friendly happy breakfast because that part of the conservative base praises people like Putin. They love dictators, view them as strong leaders and role models for what they wish to be here. Trump was on best of terms with Putin, DeSantis probably would be too, because they don't give a fuck about democracy and see nothing wrong in what Putin wants or is doing. So they'd have breakfast, shake hands, make a photo op of it, all while freedoms around the world burn.

I'm rooting for the multi-billion dollar soulless corporation because for once they're the lesser of two evils, and it's not even close - and Disney freaking praised the most human rights violating forced labor genocidal province of China during the BS Mulan remake, which shows you just how worse DeSantis is when the House of Mouse are the freaking good guys in the story. But Disney isn't reading from Orban's playbook on how to remove lgbtq+ people from public life entirely and worse, DeSantis the Fascist is though.

[hyped78]

Elon Musk and other tech leaders call for pause in ‘out of control’ AI race

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/29/t...ers/index.html

Not sure what Musk thinks he'll get here considering that this is unstoppable. These AI models are, right now, the worst they will ever be.

Perhaps Musk regrets resigning from OpenAI's board back in 2018?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

A simple, but powerful picture:

[CaptainEurope]

Elon Musk and other tech leaders call for pause in ‘out of control’ AI race

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/29/t...ers/index.html

Not sure what Musk thinks he'll get here considering that this is unstoppable. These AI models are, right now, the worst they will ever be.

Perhaps Musk regrets resigning from OpenAI's board back in 2018?

A German tech writer weighs in on that:

I’ll go into the content of the letter soon but first let’s talk about the source: The Future of Life Institute is a “longtermist” organization. Longtermism is a “secular religion” that mostly concerns itself legitimizing why instead of caring for the people alive and suffering today we should focus on potential digital SciFi beings of the future. Their beliefs are based on eugenics and their thought leaders keep appearing with discriminatory ideas (like for example Oxford University’s Nick Bostrom’s recently uncovered quite open racism). If you care about the life of actual human beings on this actual planet you wouldn’t touch anything from that source with a 10 foot pole. I won’t go into talking about the people signing the letter in detail, let’s just say a bunch of them don’t have the greatest track record in their writing or Netflix specials.


...

So they use a SciFi narrative to paint a picture of crisis but won’t argue to ban the use of these systems which would actually address some of their points and their only solution is that an elite gets 6 months to set up this new world in a way that pleases them. Fuck that.
...

This whole open letter is what Lee Vinsel calls “criti-hype”: The corporate PR narrative gets adopted fully you just add a “but that’s bad”.

...

The open letter addresses none of that. It’s wishful worries of a group of people who read way too much science fiction and way too little about the political economy and structures of reality.

If you care about what these existing systems do, how they can cause harm, ask for a ban. Make their use illegal. Tax them so heavily that they become economically invalid. Do something that doesn’t just say “okay, GPT-4 can stay with all the harms it does but nobody else can work on it because OpenAI’s/Microsoft’s monopoly is really neat”. But that’s of course more political struggle and less technocratic roundtables. Who wants that?

[hyped78]

A simple, but powerful picture:

Some things are just so clear: https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom...-control-laws/