Interesting News, Articles & Stuff

[kel]

Following on from the biggest news story ever about the british policeman stealing Jaffa Cakes, the BBC obviously spotted my sarky derisive comment and are now reporting hinting on a tiny fraction of what is known about the horrifying REALITY of the british police:

Police Scotland: Dozens of officers face sexual misconduct allegations

More than 100 Police Scotland officers have been investigated over allegations made since 2017, figures show.

www.bbc.co.uk

but wait... encouraging the erm... 'cultural activities' the higher eschelons of our society love to engage in, the met isn't taking any action against their close friend and ally:

Epstein: Met to take no action after Prince Andrew review

A source close to the duke said it had "come as no surprise" the Met had decided to drop its probe.

www.bbc.co.uk

They are all at it!

I can't really bear to look at anyone in a position of power any more without thinking they are probably up to no good

Lord Janner: Police shut down MP child abuse investigations - report

An inquiry finds police seemed "reluctant to investigate" claims against former MP Lord Janner.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[florduh]

I think I just found out why all these CIA agents have tummy aches, and it doesn't have anything to do with Russian space lasers.

The CIA sent a top-secret cable warning agents that too many informants were getting killed or turned into double agents, report says

The memo, which was sent to every CIA station around the world last week, advised agents how to keep informants alive, The New York Times reported.

www.businessinsider.com

The cable, The Times said, then set out a series of reasons as to why this was happening, citing: poor tradecraft, trusting sources too much, and playing down the skills of foreign intelligence agencies.

The cable also said that informant deaths had come from placing "mission over security," meaning informants were recruited without consideration of counterintelligence risks, The Times reported. The memo said that CIA case officers should properly vet sources while recruiting them, The Times reported.

Sometimes when people are so bad at their jobs that dozens of people die as a result, they tend to feel a little shitty. I think this makes more sense as an explanation for "Havana Syndrome" than a secret commie ray gun that causes hangover symptoms.

 

[macbill]

Truth or Fiction? You be the Judge

 

[macbill]

In a major scientific advance, a pig kidney is successfully transplanted into a human

The kidney, which came from a genetically altered pig, worked normally and showed no signs of rejection. It's seen as a significant step toward using animal organs for life-saving transplants.

www.npr.org

 

[florduh]

How the US faces catastrophic defeat by China or Russia in a hypersonic Third World War

US is lagging in the 'hypersonic race' as rival superpowers develop game-changing weapons including AI 'drone swarms' and autonomous rockets

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[BrianTL]

mod note: covid-related content removed

How the US faces catastrophic defeat by China or Russia in a hypersonic Third World War

US is lagging in the 'hypersonic race' as rival superpowers develop game-changing weapons including AI 'drone swarms' and autonomous rockets

www.telegraph.co.uk

Honestly with this "Commander-in-Chief," we face catastrophic defeat in a game of hopscotch, let alone an actual military conflict. Shit, he's already botched a withdrawal.

I tried to read your article though just to see, and was met with this:

Unfortunately I wont be able to read it. That said I also don't take other countries opinions on our military very seriously.

Although, there is this gem from last night.

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Apparently the commander-in-chief thinks that the United States has some kind of treaty or "commitment" to defend Taiwan in the scenario of an attack from China.

There is absolutely no commitment to do such a thing, but the casualness with which Joe Biden at last night's 90-minute CNN town hall pledged that he's ready to send young American men and women to die over an island in the Western Pacific is staggering and hugely alarming.

A Loyola student asked what President Biden would do to "keep up with China militarily" after reports of testing a hypersonic missile, and "what can you do to protect Taiwan?"

"Yes and Yes," the president answered.

"I don't want a Cold War with China, I just wanna make China understand - that we are not gonna step back, we are not gonna change any of our views..." - and that's when Anderson Cooper cut in:

Cooper: "Are you saying that the United States would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked?"
Biden: "Yes. Yes, we have a commitment to do that."

Though after this surprise emphasis on having a "commitment" to go to war on behalf of the tiny self-ruled island which lies over 7,000 miles away from the US mainland, Cooper didn't follow up and simply moved on.

RIP to Halyna Hutchins, and a speedy recovery to Joel Souza.

Something doesn't add up though. I am curious to see how this plays out, where the liability falls and what the outcome will be. Even more so, the explanation of how a live round found its way into a prop gun. Intentional? Accidental?

 

[florduh]

mod note: covid-related content removed

Unfortunately I wont be able to read it. That said I also don't take other countries opinions on our military very seriously.

I just found the headline humorous. Same as when all the Russian space laser stories popped up. Sorry, but if we're getting dabbed on by Russia and China, despite spending 300%-1200% more on military stuff, I guess it's just time to surrender.

 

[florduh]

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of “Rust” with a prop gun, a half-dozen camera crew workers walked off the set to protest working conditions.

The camera operators and their assistants were frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film, including complaints about long hours, long commutes and waiting for their paychecks, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.

Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the “Rust” set near Santa Fe, the sources said. They said at least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.

I've heard that the working conditions on this set were pretty atrocious. 17 hour shifts, and the production company refused to get crew members hotel rooms nearby. So a lot of them had a 50 mile drive afterwards.

These kind of working conditions are dangerous, and only serve to increase the profit margin for the absolute worst people in Hollywood. Improving this kind of shit is why like 99% of IATSE members voted to strike.

 

[florduh]

LSD and Shrooms Linked to Lower Heart Disease and Diabetes Risk

But don't gobble up your stash just yet.

futurism.com

Specifically, the team looked at the records of 375,000 survey respondents and found that only 2.3 percent of those who’d ever taken DMT, ayahuasca, LSD, mescaline, peyote, or psilocybin were diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes in the previous year. That’s drastically lower than the 4.5 percent diagnosis rate among people who’d never taken any of those drugs.

“The findings suggest that lifetime classic psychedelic use is associated with lower odds of having had heart disease or diabetes in the past year,” lead study author and Oxford sociologist Otto Simonsson told PsyPost.

Free the Shrooms

 

[pakalolo]

I just deleted 61 posts about covid and vaccinations that got completely out of hand. There were several comments that should have gotten a warning point but I didn't want to get embroiled in a controversy over who should and who shouldn't.

First, let me remind everybody that this is a forum for discussing topics related to cannabis vapourization. The fact that we allow off-topic threads in appropriate subforums is too often abused and this was a classic example. Please try to keep this in mind:

If a discusssion is likely to cause friction between members then it is not appropriate and you should take it elsewhere.​

I shouldn't have to say this, but as soon as you start typing a comment that insults, belittles, taunts, or provokes someone you should stop and delete. We don't allow discusssions of controversial topics because frankly, some of you just can't control yourselves. Covid and vaccination just made the list. Please act accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation.

Edit: I did not go back and purge this thread or any other, and I have no inclintion to do so. This should not be interpreted to mean that these topics are okay elsewhere.

 

[macbill]

The exponential progress in storage this is a HDD Platter from the 60's and it can only hold 10MB!

 

[Ramahs]

The exponential progress in storage this is a HDD Platter from the 60's and it can only hold 10MB!

Yup. And this was a 5mb hard drive from 1956. It weighed over a ton!

 

[florduh]

Shameful.

Lawmakers decry ‘alarming’ hunger in US military families - Roll Call

Congress is concerned about enlisted troops who cannot afford enough food for themselves and their families, and is looking at solutions.

www.rollcall.com

“Studies have found that one in eight military families were food insecure prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and this number has now grown to one in five,” the report said.

 

[macbill]

CA Bay Area Storm

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1452479601616187397

 

[florduh]

UN: Greenhouse gas levels hit a new record, cuts fall short

The U.N. weather agency says greenhouse gas concentrations hit a new record high last year and increased at a faster rate than the annual average for the last decade.

apnews.com

The global average concentration of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, hit a new high of 413.2 parts per million last year, according to the WMO report. The 2020 increase was higher than the annual average over the last decade despite a 5.6% drop in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels due to COVID-19 restrictions, WMO said.

Taalas said a level above 400 parts per million – which was breached in 2015 -- “has major negative repercussions for our daily lives and well-being, for the state of our planet and for the future of our children and grandchildren.”

Looks like more mainstream news is starting to cover the Steven Donzinger case

'I've Been Targeted With Probably the Most Vicious Corporate Counterattack in American History'

Steven Donziger has been under house arrest for over 580 days, awaiting trial on a misdemeanor charge. It’s all, he says, because he beat a multinational energy corporation in court.

www.esquire.com

 

[CANtalk]

Redditsave.com Man With Parkinsons Tries Marijuana For The First-piosn0ml5rb71 G... | Gfycat

Watch and share Parkinsons Disease GIFs and Marijuana GIFs on Gfycat

gfycat.com

 

[Planck]

 

[kel]

Boris Johnson: Answer to climate change is to ban countries from having tourist attractions like volcanoes!

Johnson on COP26 conference: It might go wrong

The PM says he is “very worried” about the upcoming COP 26 climate conference, telling a group of children: "It’s going to be very, very tough”.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[florduh]

Sadly, nothing is going to happen. Everything on this planet is decided by the uber wealthy and their politician servants. They, and their descendants, will have the resources to avoid any negative consequences from climate change. Hell, it might be a profit opportunity. "Fresh water is the new oil!"

As Fresh Water Grows Scarcer, It Could Become a Good Investment (Published 2019)

Water investing presents an ethical quandary: Are you willing to buy shares of companies that can turn off the taps for needy users?

www.nytimes.com

 

[Cheebsy]

Millionaires petition Rishi Sunak to introduce wealth tax | The super-rich | The Guardian

Open letter demands that recovery from pandemic is not paid for by ‘care workers, street cleaners and teachers’

amp.theguardian.com

It turns out that some wealthy people actually do have a conscience!

 

[His_Highness]

Millionaires petition Rishi Sunak to introduce wealth tax | The super-rich | The Guardian

Open letter demands that recovery from pandemic is not paid for by ‘care workers, street cleaners and teachers’

amp.theguardian.com

It turns out that some wealthy people actually do have a conscience!

I have heard interviews with billionaires like Warren Buffett where they said things like "I pay less tax than my administrative assistant. Makes no sense. I should be paying more".

I've also heard a sarcastic "Why don't you just pay more without being asked?" response to those kind of statements. To which these same billionaires will tell us all about their charitable contributions many of which are substantial unless you look at their overall wealth. Hell, there are even investments based on social consciousness for the average investor. I'm not being facetious when I say these are all good things but as Warren Buffett said "He should be paying more".

Sometimes things like the rich paying more taxes, climate change referendums that increase cost and require sacrifice, etc. are like low income housing....sounds like a good idea ...... as long as its not in my neighborhood or wallet.

 

[macbill]

New Sex Toy Standards Let Some Sensitive Details Slide

The industry now has official guidance on design, materials, and more, but not security and privacy best practices.

www.wired.com

 

[florduh]

After Tractor Collision During Strike, John Deere Declares Accident Reports “Confidential”

Concerned about “reputational risk” on social media amid a high-profile strike, John Deere management is trying to keep accidents by salaried workers quiet.

theintercept.com

After John Deere’s roughly 10,000 unionized factory workers overwhelmingly voted to strike, the company turned to nonunion salary employees — many of whom lack the same training as their wage-earning factory counterparts — to fill the vacancies. On October 15, Jonah Furman, a reporter for Labor Notes, posted an internal Deere slide depicting a salary worker crashing a tractor into a utility post. The post quickly went viral on Twitter, and since then management has avoided putting discussion of safety matters into writing.

 

[macbill]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1453003399004311569

 

[florduh]

Anti-Chevron Crusader Steven Donziger Denied Reprieve, Says He Must Report to Prison Within a Day

A trio of federal appellate judges unceremoniously rejected Steven Donziger's request for bail pending his appeal.

lawandcrime.com

Steven Donziger must report to prison tomorrow. For the crime of holding Chevron responsible for dumping about 100 billion gallons of poison on native lands in Ecuador, causing childhood cancer for decades, up to today. Everyone involved with this farcical prosecution has financial ties to Chevron. Nearly our entire media, reliant on ad dollars from the oil industry, has refused to cover this case.

Steven has already spent nearly 2 years under house arrest. According to the United Nations, the US is sending a political prisoner to actual prison, tomorrow.

UN rules that Steven Donziger house arrest violates international laws

The United Nations human rights body said Thursday that a former environmental lawyer’s house arrest on contempt charges was illegal and called on the U.S. to release him.Steven Donziger in the ear…

thehill.com