#Global Health IT Security Market

[sayruq]

Police in the Turkish city of Adana detained 11 suspects, five Israeli and two Syrian, on allegations of organ trafficking, the Daily Sabah reported on 5 May. The Provincial Directorate of Security's Anti-Smuggling and Border Gates Branch began investigating after examining the passports of seven individuals who arrived in Adana from Israel about a month ago by plane for the purpose of health tourism. The two Syrian nationals, ages 20 and 21, were found to have fake passports. Further investigation revealed that Syrian nationals had each agreed to sell one of their own kidneys to two of the Israeli nationals, ages 68 and 28, for kidney transplants in Adana. During searches at the suspects' residences, $65,000 and numerous fake passports were seized. Israel has long been at the center of what Bloomberg described in 2011 as a “sprawling global black market in organs where brokers use deception, violence, and coercion to buy kidneys from impoverished people, mainly in underdeveloped countries, and then sell them to critically ill patients in more-affluent nations.” The financial newspaper added, “Many of the black-market kidneys harvested by these gangs are destined for people who live in Israel.” The organ-trafficking network extends from former Soviet Republics such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova to Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa, and beyond, the Bloomberg investigation showed. Accusations of Israeli involvement in organ trafficking also apply to the occupied Palestinian territories. In 2009, Sweden's largest daily newspaper, Aftonbladet, reported testimony that the Israeli army was kidnapping and murdering Palestinians to harvest their organs. The report quotes Palestinian claims that young men from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip had been seized by the Israeli army, and their bodies returned to the families with missing organs. "'Our sons are used as involuntary organ donors,' relatives of Khaled from Nablus said to me, as did the mother of Raed from Jenin as well as the uncles of Machmod and Nafes from Gaza, who all had disappeared for a few days and returned by night, dead and autopsied," wrote Donald Bostrom, the author of the report.Bostrom also cites an incident of alleged organ theft during the the first Palestinian intifada in 1992. He says that the Israeli army abducted a young man known for throwing stones at Israeli troops in the Nablus area. The young man was shot in the chest, both legs, and the stomach before being taken to a military helicopter, which transported him to an unknown location. Five nights later, Bostrom said, the young man's body was returned, wrapped in green hospital sheets. Israel’s Channel 2 TV reported that in the 1990s, specialists at Abu Kabir Forensic Medicine Institute harvested skin, corneas, heart valves, and bones from the bodies of Israeli soldiers, Israeli citizens, Palestinians, and foreign workers without permission from relatives. The Israeli military confirmed that the practice took place, but claimed, "This activity ended a decade ago and does not happen any longer." Israel’s assault on Gaza since 7 October has provided further opportunities for the theft and harvesting of Palestinians’ organs. On 30 January, WAFA news agency reported that the Israeli army returned the bodies of 100 Palestinian civilians it had stolen from hospitals and cemeteries in various areas in Gaza. According to medical sources, inspection of some of the bodies showed that organs were missing from some of them. On 18 January, the Times of Israel reported that the Israeli army confirmed reports that its soldiers dug up graves in a Gaza cemetery, claiming its soldiers were trying to “confirm that the bodies of hostages were not buried there.”

[quasi-normalcy]

Just struck by the fact that, in 2018, climate scientists posted a dire warning that the Earth had just twelve years to cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophic global heating. There were protests; demonstrations. We have now breezed through more than half of that time, with nothing to show for it but millions of more tonnes of CO2 wasted on crypto mining and AI scams. The world nears the sixth mass extinction in its entire geological history and oil production is near record highs.

Struck also by the fact that, in 2020, there were mass protests against police murders of Black people; like, mass mass protests. "Defund the police" they said. "Abolish the police." Police budgets are up. Black people still get murdered by the cops en masse.

And then, this past year, there were massive protests against the genocide in Gaza. There were occupations of university campuses, there were protests outside of the institutions that enabled the mass murder in Palestine. Macklemore did a song about it, a good one. And the genocide continues apace.

On issue after issue, you can see the same pattern. Surely the massacre of children at Sandy Hook would drive sensible gun laws! Nope. Surely outrage over the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh would drive changes in labour practices! Nope. Surely the #Occupy protests in 2011 would drive wealth redistribution! Nope. Surely the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would drive better environmental regulations. Nope. Surely the 2008 financial crash would drive regulation of the stock market. Nope. Surely the record protests against the US Invasion of Iraq would move the needle, even a little bit. Nope. Over and over and over again, we see the capitalist elite (let us be frank) raping the world, over and over and over again, we see mass outpourings of rage and disgust in the streets, and over and over and over again, we see them shrug it off, fuck their mistresses, and go golfing.

And then, some guy who may or may not be named Luigi goes and shoots an insurance CEO to death. And suddenly they can't shrug this off. Some companies back down on their plans to make health insurance in the USA even worse; we're treated to panicked editorials in elite publications talking about how celebration of the murder showcases our culture of moral decay (as if this isn't a society that has been either denying or actively celebrating the most well documented genocide in history for the last 15 months; as if there aren't near daily shootings in American schools, occurring so often that they barely even make the news anymore; as if the dead CEO hadn't presided over a company that spread misery and death for the millions as a matter of business as usual); companies beef up security, hide the names of their CEOs. There is, in short, an actual response (though it remains to be seen how it will play out in the long run, but still an actual response). Decades of mass, peaceful protest, and they just ignore it. One guy with a gun, and suddenly it's the end of the fucking world.

What lesson are we supposed to draw from this?

[kcinpa]

TL;DR Project 2025

Project 2025 has crossed my dash several times, so maybe tumblr is already informed about the hellish 900-page takeover plan if Trump wins office again. But even the articles covering Project 2025 can be a LOT of reading. So I'm trying to get it down to simple bulleted lists…

Navigator Research (a progressive polling outfit) found that 7 in 10 Americans are unfamiliar with Project 2025. But the more they learn about it, the more they don't like or want it. When asked about a series of policy plans taken directly from Project 2025, the bipartisan survey group responded most negatively to the following:

Allowing employers to stop paying hourly workers overtime

Allowing the government to monitor people’s pregnancies to potentially prosecute them if they miscarry

Removing health care protections for people with pre-existing conditions

Eliminating the National Weather Service, which is currently responsible for preparing for extreme weather events like heat waves, floods, and wildfires

Eliminating the Head Start program, ending preschool education for the children of low-income families

Putting a new tax on health insurance for millions of people who get insurance through their employer

Banning Medicare from negotiating for lower prescription drug costs and eliminating the $35 monthly cap on the price of insulin for seniors

Cutting Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age

Allowing employers to deny workers access to birth control

Laurie Garrett looked at the roughly 50 pages within Project 2025 that deal with Health and Human Services (HHS) and other health agencies, and summarized them on Twitter/X in a series of replies. I've shortened even more here:

HHS must "respect for the sacred rights of conscience" for Federal workers & healthcare providers and workers broadly who object to abortions, contraception, gender reassignment & other issues - ie. allow them to deny services based on religious beliefs

HHS should promote "stable and flourishing married families."

Require all welfare programs to "promote father involvement" – or terminate their funding for mothers and children.

Prioritize adoptions via faith-based organizations.

Redefine sex, eliminating all forms of gender "confusion" regarding identity and orientation.

Eliminate the Head Start program for children, entirely

Ban all funding of Planned Parenthood

Ban birth control services that are "egregious attacks on many Americans' religious & moral beliefs"

Deny pregnancy termination pills, "mail-order abortions."

Eliminate Office of Refugee Resettlement; move all refugee matters to the Department of Homeland Security

Healthcare should be "market-based"

Ban all mask and vaccine requirements.

Closely regulate the NIH w/citizen ethics panels, ensuring that no research involves fetal tissue, leads to development of new forms of Abortions or brings profits to the researchers.

Redirect the Office of Global Affairs to promoting "moral conscience" & full compliance w/the Mexico City policy

The CDC should have no role in medical policies.

"Because liberal states have now become sanctuaries for abortion tourism," HHS should use every available tool, including the cutting of funds, to ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place within its borders, at what gestational age of the child, for what reason, the mother’s state of residence & by what method.

I'm still looking for a good short summary of the environmental horrors that Project 2025 would bring if it comes to fruition…

[humming-fly]

North Carolina Relief Masterlist

One of my close friends is currently living in North Carolina and took the time to put together this really nicely organized list of organizations currently taking donations after Hurricane Helene, and I thought it'd be nice to share it on tumblr as well since I know some folks like these kinds of organized lists! All links and descriptions come from her and her experiences with the orgs below. 👍

Foundation

The Community Foundation of WNC - Read no further if you want a catch-all, one stop donation spot for WNC long-term Helene response. CFWNC is a permanent pool of charitable capital for the 18 counties of Western North Carolina including the Qualla Boundary (land of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians). They are an amazing source of consistent support to many WNC nonprofits via grant opportunities. They have financially supported so many of the non-profits I have encountered or worked with. Donate to the cause of your choice via CFWNC (including the Helene response specifically) here.

Food Security, Farm Support & More

Bounty & Soul (Swannanoa Valley, Black Mountain, and Asheville) - decade-old non-profit currently typically focused on health and food insecurity now working in partnership with World Central Kitchen, MANNA, Hearts with Hands, and many others to distribute food, hot meals, and supplies. They are also working to resume purchasing and distributing fresh produce from farmers in WNC who still have crops to harvest and sell. Donate to their disaster relief here.

Annie’s Culinary Garden - I often frequent this small but mighty Black Mountain restaurant, which is closely partnered with Bounty & Soul. Annie’s was already embedded in health and food justice work pre-Helene but the last 2 weeks, Annie and her team have been working around the clock (using a generator to power their restaurant) to provide free vegan, vegetarian, and other diet-specific hot meals to retirement homes, distribution hubs, and also to feed the staff and volunteers at these hubs. This has been a huge need expressed to me by community members because much of the food available at distribution sites is not able to be eaten by those requiring special diets. Donate to their effort here.

Haywood Christian Ministry (Waynesville) - WNC’s largest food pantry has partnered with MANNA (WNC's largest food bank?) and is distributing food on the ground and requesting donations to help with the emergency disaster response. They are also directly purchasing from WNC farms to distribute fresh foods for folks cooking bulk hot meals and for families who can cook at home. For info and to donate, go here. 

Food Connection(Asheville-based) - I first encountered this org at a food waste solutions summit and thought their concept was brilliant. They rescue high-quality, chef-prepared meals and deliver them to neighbors in need (often those who can’t afford to participate regularly in Asheville’s expensive foodie culture). I have since seen them out in Asheville and beyond to rural communities doing exactly what they do best and delivering delicious, no-cost hot meals to Helene victims. Donate to them here.

Foothills Food Hub (McDowell County) - McDowell was hit really hard and this hub is working to source water and shelf-stable goods to distribute. They will continue to feed vulnerable populations and to support farmers with direct purchasing and a reliable market. Requesting monetary donations, which can be made online here.

TRACTOR Food & Farms (Spruce Pine*, Mitchell County) - In another hard-hit county, this hub is also working, much like the Foothills Food Hub, on connecting local farmers with folks in a system of equitable healthy food access in rural communities. Donate to this local food hub here.

*Interesting aside: Spruce Pine and its quartz mines were extremely damaged by flooding and this threatens the global tech industry. This rural town is home to one of the world’s only sources of high-purity quartz. The mines are currently trying to re-open.

MANNA FoodBank (Asheville) - This very large organization is still doing what they do best and distributing food, water, and more, despite having their warehouse/headquarters were destroyed in the flooding along the Swannanoa River. Donate online here.

Farmer Support & Advocacy

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) (WNC) - this wide-reaching farmer advocacy org is currently reestablishing communications with WNC farmers and getting aid to them. They also have healthy food programs that, once operating again, will serve tangentially in the relief effort. I have worked adjacent to this org for the last year and am a dogged cheerleader of them and their work. Donations can be made here.

Center for Environmental Farming Systems (Qualla Boundry and WNC) -  CEFS works closely with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, NC State, extension services and more to support food and farm initiatives across WNC. I previously worked adjacent to this org and was extremely impressed by their commitment and effectiveness. Donate (ideally to “Friends of CEFS” for more flexible funding) here. 

Tierra Fértil Coop (Hendersonville) - social and economic farmer cooperative formed by a group of Hispanic community members living in Henderson County that grows and provides culturally-specific foods but also has community programs to support the Latinx community in Henderson county. I have attended some of their educational events and have worked adjacent to them. I am ever impressed by their work. Donate to them by emailing tierrafertilcoophv@gmail.com.

Economic Justice & More

Pisgah Legal Services (all over WNC) - these folks do just about everything “life admin” for WNC's most vulnerable populations and have done so for over forty years. They provide pro bono civil legal aid, health insurance enrollment, and more. I have worked adjacent to them over the last year and could not be more impressed by their broad scope of bi-lingual legal work that maintains incredible efficiency and effectiveness. Donate to them here. 

Just Economics (WNC) - JE works on shaping the economic development of WNC in a way that benefits everyone and promotes a sustainable future. I have attended some of their workshops and found them to be powerfully educational. I am also grateful for their political advocacy for living wages for all in WNC. They are not directly working on the Helene response (as far as I know), but the road to recovery is long and their economic justice advocacy will be especially crucial as WNC rebuilds. Donate to JE here. 

BeLoved (Asheville) - Org working on improving the well-being and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities through our focus areas of Home, Health, Equity, and Opportunity. On-the-ground volunteers are currently collecting and distributing a wide array of supplies and BeLoved will continue to play a significant long-term role in housing and more. Donate to BeLoved here.

Health Services & Equity

Blue Ridge Health (WNC) - Blue Ridge Health is a federally qualified health center that is continuing to provide accessible & affordable medical care and mental health care to vulnerable populations (now including Helene victims) with their sites around the region and mobile clinics. Donate here.

Vecinos (WNC) - This rapidly growing org provides direct healthcare services to underserved, uninsured communities with a focus on WNC's farmworkers at their clinics and with mobile clinics on site at farms. Donate to their continuing services here. 

Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (Asheville based) - The ABCCM helps run and provide shelter in Asheville and is partnered with the Red Cross. Donations help pay for motel and food vouchers for local residents and long-term support for those displaced. A personal aside: ABCCM also has an awesome medical clinic serving uninsured folks and they were the only medical service I could find that would treat a tick born illness that I had when I first arrived in the US from Canada (I did not yet have health insurance). To donate to their Helene response, go here.

Schools & Youth

FernLeaf Community Charter School (Fletcher) - FernLeaf was partially destroyed by Helene (one of the school buildings was entirely lifted off of its foundation then dropped several feet away in a truly remarkable display of the power of water from a small nearby creek). Donate to FernLeaf here. 

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County - The local United Way typically works on youth/child food security, educational support, and physical and mental health care services. The org is helping with immediate natural disaster response and long-term support for flood victims. Donations can be made online here.

Other

Blue Ridge Public Radio - obviously these NPR folks have been working around the clock to keep people informed in the old-fashioned way, over the airwaves. You can support them here.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How to design a tech regulation

TONIGHT (June 20) I'm live onstage in LOS ANGELES for a recording of the GO FACT YOURSELF podcast. TOMORROW (June 21) I'm doing an ONLINE READING for the LOCUS AWARDS at 16hPT. On SATURDAY (June 22) I'll be in OAKLAND, CA for a panel (13hPT) and a keynote (18hPT) at the LOCUS AWARDS.

It's not your imagination: tech really is underregulated. There are plenty of avoidable harms that tech visits upon the world, and while some of these harms are mere negligence, others are self-serving, creating shareholder value and widespread public destruction.

Making good tech policy is hard, but not because "tech moves too fast for regulation to keep up with," nor because "lawmakers are clueless about tech." There are plenty of fast-moving areas that lawmakers manage to stay abreast of (think of the rapid, global adoption of masking and social distancing rules in mid-2020). Likewise we generally manage to make good policy in areas that require highly specific technical knowledge (that's why it's noteworthy and awful when, say, people sicken from badly treated tapwater, even though water safety, toxicology and microbiology are highly technical areas outside the background of most elected officials).

That doesn't mean that technical rigor is irrelevant to making good policy. Well-run "expert agencies" include skilled practitioners on their payrolls – think here of large technical staff at the FTC, or the UK Competition and Markets Authority's best-in-the-world Digital Markets Unit:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

The job of government experts isn't just to research the correct answers. Even more important is experts' role in evaluating conflicting claims from interested parties. When administrative agencies make new rules, they have to collect public comments and counter-comments. The best agencies also hold hearings, and the very best go on "listening tours" where they invite the broad public to weigh in (the FTC has done an awful lot of these during Lina Khan's tenure, to its benefit, and it shows):

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events/2022/04/ftc-justice-department-listening-forum-firsthand-effects-mergers-acquisitions-health-care

But when an industry dwindles to a handful of companies, the resulting cartel finds it easy to converge on a single talking point and to maintain strict message discipline. This means that the evidentiary record is starved for disconfirming evidence that would give the agencies contrasting perspectives and context for making good policy.

Tech industry shills have a favorite tactic: whenever there's any proposal that would erode the industry's profits, self-serving experts shout that the rule is technically impossible and deride the proposer as "clueless."

This tactic works so well because the proposers sometimes are clueless. Take Europe's on-again/off-again "chat control" proposal to mandate spyware on every digital device that will screen everything you upload for child sex abuse material (CSAM, better known as "child pornography"). This proposal is profoundly dangerous, as it will weaken end-to-end encryption, the key to all secure and private digital communication:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/18/encryption-is-deeply-threatening-to-power-meredith-whittaker-of-messaging-app-signal

It's also an impossible-to-administer mess that incorrectly assumes that killing working encryption in the two mobile app stores run by the mobile duopoly will actually prevent bad actors from accessing private tools:

https://memex.craphound.com/2018/09/04/oh-for-fucks-sake-not-this-fucking-bullshit-again-cryptography-edition/

When technologists correctly point out the lack of rigor and catastrophic spillover effects from this kind of crackpot proposal, lawmakers stick their fingers in their ears and shout "NERD HARDER!"

https://memex.craphound.com/2018/01/12/nerd-harder-fbi-director-reiterates-faith-based-belief-in-working-crypto-that-he-can-break/

But this is only half the story. The other half is what happens when tech industry shills want to kill good policy proposals, which is the exact same thing that advocates say about bad ones. When lawmakers demand that tech companies respect our privacy rights – for example, by splitting social media or search off from commercial surveillance, the same people shout that this, too, is technologically impossible.

That's a lie, though. Facebook started out as the anti-surveillance alternative to Myspace. We know it's possible to operate Facebook without surveillance, because Facebook used to operate without surveillance:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3247362

Likewise, Brin and Page's original Pagerank paper, which described Google's architecture, insisted that search was incompatible with surveillance advertising, and Google established itself as a non-spying search tool:

http://infolab.stanford.edu/pub/papers/google.pdf

Even weirder is what happens when there's a proposal to limit a tech company's power to invoke the government's powers to shut down competitors. Take Ethan Zuckerman's lawsuit to strip Facebook of the legal power to sue people who automate their browsers to uncheck the millions of boxes that Facebook requires you to click by hand in order to unfollow everyone:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/02/kaiju-v-kaiju/#cda-230-c-2-b

Facebook's apologists have lost their minds over this, insisting that no one can possibly understand the potential harms of taking away Facebook's legal right to decide how your browser works. They take the position that only Facebook can understand when it's safe and proportional to use Facebook in ways the company didn't explicitly design for, and that they should be able to ask the government to fine or even imprison people who fail to defer to Facebook's decisions about how its users configure their computers.

This is an incredibly convenient position, since it arrogates to Facebook the right to order the rest of us to use our computers in the ways that are most beneficial to its shareholders. But Facebook's apologists insist that they are not motivated by parochial concerns over the value of their stock portfolios; rather, they have objective, technical concerns, that no one except them is qualified to understand or comment on.

There's a great name for this: "scalesplaining." As in "well, actually the platforms are doing an amazing job, but you can't possibly understand that because you don't work for them." It's weird enough when scalesplaining is used to condemn sensible regulation of the platforms; it's even weirder when it's weaponized to defend a system of regulatory protection for the platforms against would-be competitors.

Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no libertarians in government-protected monopolies. Somehow, scalesplaining can be used to condemn governments as incapable of making any tech regulations and to insist that regulations that protect tech monopolies are just perfect and shouldn't ever be weakened. Truly, it's impossible to get someone to understand something when the value of their employee stock options depends on them not understanding it.

None of this is to say that every tech regulation is a good one. Governments often propose bad tech regulations (like chat control), or ones that are technologically impossible (like Article 17 of the EU's 2019 Digital Single Markets Directive, which requires tech companies to detect and block copyright infringements in their users' uploads).

But the fact that scalesplainers use the same argument to criticize both good and bad regulations makes the waters very muddy indeed. Policymakers are rightfully suspicious when they hear "that's not technically possible" because they hear that both for technically impossible proposals and for proposals that scalesplainers just don't like.

After decades of regulations aimed at making platforms behave better, we're finally moving into a new era, where we just make the platforms less important. That is, rather than simply ordering Facebook to block harassment and other bad conduct by its users, laws like the EU's Digital Markets Act will order Facebook and other VLOPs (Very Large Online Platforms, my favorite EU-ism ever) to operate gateways so that users can move to rival services and still communicate with the people who stay behind.

Think of this like number portability, but for digital platforms. Just as you can switch phone companies and keep your number and hear from all the people you spoke to on your old plan, the DMA will make it possible for you to change online services but still exchange messages and data with all the people you're already in touch with.

I love this idea, because it finally grapples with the question we should have been asking all along: why do people stay on platforms where they face harassment and bullying? The answer is simple: because the people – customers, family members, communities – we connect with on the platform are so important to us that we'll tolerate almost anything to avoid losing contact with them:

https://locusmag.com/2023/01/commentary-cory-doctorow-social-quitting/

Platforms deliberately rig the game so that we take each other hostage, locking each other into their badly moderated cesspits by using the love we have for one another as a weapon against us. Interoperability – making platforms connect to each other – shatters those locks and frees the hostages:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

But there's another reason to love interoperability (making moderation less important) over rules that require platforms to stamp out bad behavior (making moderation better). Interop rules are much easier to administer than content moderation rules, and when it comes to regulation, administratability is everything.

The DMA isn't the EU's only new rule. They've also passed the Digital Services Act, which is a decidedly mixed bag. Among its provisions are a suite of rules requiring companies to monitor their users for harmful behavior and to intervene to block it. Whether or not you think platforms should do this, there's a much more important question: how can we enforce this rule?

Enforcing a rule requiring platforms to prevent harassment is very "fact intensive." First, we have to agree on a definition of "harassment." Then we have to figure out whether something one user did to another satisfies that definition. Finally, we have to determine whether the platform took reasonable steps to detect and prevent the harassment.

Each step of this is a huge lift, especially that last one, since to a first approximation, everyone who understands a given VLOP's server infrastructure is a partisan, scalesplaining engineer on the VLOP's payroll. By the time we find out whether the company broke the rule, years will have gone by, and millions more users will be in line to get justice for themselves.

So allowing users to leave is a much more practical step than making it so that they've got no reason to want to leave. Figuring out whether a platform will continue to forward your messages to and from the people you left there is a much simpler technical matter than agreeing on what harassment is, whether something is harassment by that definition, and whether the company was negligent in permitting harassment.

But as much as I like the DMA's interop rule, I think it is badly incomplete. Given that the tech industry is so concentrated, it's going to be very hard for us to define standard interop interfaces that don't end up advantaging the tech companies. Standards bodies are extremely easy for big industry players to capture:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/30/weak-institutions/

If tech giants refuse to offer access to their gateways to certain rivals because they seem "suspicious," it will be hard to tell whether the companies are just engaged in self-serving smears against a credible rival, or legitimately trying to protect their users from a predator trying to plug into their infrastructure. These fact-intensive questions are the enemy of speedy, responsive, effective policy administration.

But there's more than one way to attain interoperability. Interop doesn't have to come from mandates, interfaces designed and overseen by government agencies. There's a whole other form of interop that's far nimbler than mandates: adversarial interoperability:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

"Adversarial interoperability" is a catch-all term for all the guerrilla warfare tactics deployed in service to unilaterally changing a technology: reverse engineering, bots, scraping and so on. These tactics have a long and honorable history, but they have been slowly choked out of existence with a thicket of IP rights, like the IP rights that allow Facebook to shut down browser automation tools, which Ethan Zuckerman is suing to nullify:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Adversarial interop is very flexible. No matter what technological moves a company makes to interfere with interop, there's always a countermove the guerrilla fighter can make – tweak the scraper, decompile the new binary, change the bot's behavior. That's why tech companies use IP rights and courts, not firewall rules, to block adversarial interoperators.

At the same time, adversarial interop is unreliable. The solution that works today can break tomorrow if the company changes its back-end, and it will stay broken until the adversarial interoperator can respond.

But when companies are faced with the prospect of extended asymmetrical war against adversarial interop in the technological trenches, they often surrender. If companies can't sue adversarial interoperators out of existence, they often sue for peace instead. That's because high-tech guerrilla warfare presents unquantifiable risks and resource demands, and, as the scalesplainers never tire of telling us, this can create real operational problems for tech giants.

In other words, if Facebook can't shut down Ethan Zuckerman's browser automation tool in the courts, and if they're sincerely worried that a browser automation tool will uncheck its user interface buttons so quickly that it crashes the server, all it has to do is offer an official "unsubscribe all" button and no one will use Zuckerman's browser automation tool.

We don't have to choose between adversarial interop and interop mandates. The two are better together than they are apart. If companies building and operating DMA-compliant, mandatory gateways know that a failure to make them useful to rivals seeking to help users escape their authority is getting mired in endless hand-to-hand combat with trench-fighting adversarial interoperators, they'll have good reason to cooperate.

And if lawmakers charged with administering the DMA notice that companies are engaging in adversarial interop rather than using the official, reliable gateway they're overseeing, that's a good indicator that the official gateways aren't suitable.

It would be very on-brand for the EU to create the DMA and tell tech companies how they must operate, and for the USA to simply withdraw the state's protection from the Big Tech companies and let smaller companies try their luck at hacking new features into the big companies' servers without the government getting involved.

Indeed, we're seeing some of that today. Oregon just passed the first ever Right to Repair law banning "parts pairing" – basically a way of using IP law to make it illegal to reverse-engineer a device so you can fix it.

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/28/oregon-governor-kotek-signs-strong-tech-right-to-repair-bill/

Taken together, the two approaches – mandates and reverse engineering – are stronger than either on their own. Mandates are sturdy and reliable, but slow-moving. Adversarial interop is flexible and nimble, but unreliable. Put 'em together and you get a two-part epoxy, strong and flexible.

Governments can regulate well, with well-funded expert agencies and smart, adminstratable remedies. It's for that reason that the administrative state is under such sustained attack from the GOP and right-wing Dems. The illegitimate Supreme Court is on the verge of gutting expert agencies' power:

https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2024/05/us-supreme-court-may-soon-discard-or-modify-chevron-deference

It's never been more important to craft regulations that go beyond mere good intentions and take account of adminsitratability. The easier we can make our rules to enforce, the less our beleaguered agencies will need to do to protect us from corporate predators.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/20/scalesplaining/#administratability

Image: Noah Wulf (modified) https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thunderbirds_at_Attention_Next_to_Thunderbird_1_-_Aviation_Nation_2019.jpg

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

it's time now. it's time to imagine the brightest future you can, and talk about it.

a future where people only work 8 hours a week and everyone's basic needs are met. a future where we are more connected to nature and eat seasonal, local produce. a future where you look out for your neighbours and they look out for you. a future where you actually know who your neighbours are. a future where everyone is just a lot more relaxed and able to do whatever they want to do - this 8 hour working week has given people their lives back and now they're able to make community events, work in community gardens, sing and dance and spend time with their kids, play whatever sport they want, travel, read, create art and music.

People are interacting with each other in good faith again because money as an ulterior motive has all but disappeared. Cus you see a few decades ago they made profits illegal. All money has to be put back into the company and CEOs can take home a salary only, no bonuses and it can't be more than 3x what the lowest paid employee makes. You can go to jail if your company is found to make profits, advertise on a large scale or pay its high ranking members more than what's allowed.

Jail still exists but mostly people go in for financial crimes (greed still exists); drugs are decriminalised and available to use safely. people are not as desperate now so there's been a massive reduction of violent and petty crime and most of the people who still do this are teenagers who get away with a slap on the wrist. police are not armed anymore and are heavily penalised if they abuse their power or hurt a civilian, and their role is more that of mediator, signposter (to community services, social services, and free and accessible healthcare including for mental health) and security. together with the former military they make up an "emergency task force" which are called upon in times of need and crisis, for floods, fires, other such disasters.

the stock market completely collapsed after profits were made illegal and people had to find other ways to figure out what a company was worth: such as how they treat their staff or how accessible their processes are. as a result of this, as well as more widespread disability thanks to Covid and an ageing population, accessibility is fucking incredible now. most places are accessible to the vast majority of disabled people even without them having to ask for a single thing. If they have to ask, accommodations are made quickly and without fuss and this is completely normal now. disabled people are more visible than ever in public life and this has led to a generally kinder, more tolerant public life.

Everything is slower now. Social media as we know it died decades ago and Internet 4.0 is efficient, will find you accurate answers and the websites you're looking for very easily and fast. there's monopoly laws restricting how large companies operate online. online ads are all but illegal - there's "phone book" esque pages where you can promote your business or service and that's allowed but not anywhere else. Lots of people are still annoying and some of them are still cruel but overall living together as humans has gotten so much more chill. We've tackled climate change and reversed much of it, now it's a global day of mourning whenever a species is found to be extinct through human intervention. these days used to happen much more frequently but it's very rare these days. Most everyone gets the day off and is encouraged to read about the lost species or hold themed funerals. Globally everything has gotten better - there's much more global equality now after a bunch of western/formerly colonising countries almost self destructed and then instead decided to own up for colonialism, pay reparations to a lot of countries in Africa Asia and Latin America, as well as indigenous nations of North America, Oceania, even in Europe. The USA doesn't exist anymore instead its a whole host of separate nations all managed by the native people whose land it is. The UK doesn't exist anymore. England is still sad about it but Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall are called Cymru, Alba, Eire and Kernow again and they've formed a Celtic Union for better collective bargaining power in the EU (which still exists, somehow. Its better now. England may still be out of the EU I'm not sure). Migration is common and foreigners are welcomed into any country with open arms.

I may try to write something about this. I have a vision for a future and it's so lovely. Here, on earth, with the starting point being now. We have a lot to work with and only a few changes could make such a difference. Demilitarisation, UBI and maximum working hours, greedy financial practices made illegal. Conservation and education on local plants and nature and food. Community building on every level. Giving people their lives back.

This is all extremely possible. If it were up to me, very little in society would be left unchanged but it would all be people friendly changes. changes that aim to support the poorest and most marginalised, changes that aim to punish greed and exploitation. It's a work in progress of course. But I have a vision for a better world and dammit if I'm not going to share it with you.

[katacala]

1.20.25 • Today the United States Climate Alliance delivered a letter to UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, making it clear to the global community that our climate work will continue regardless of federal action or inaction.

If you're not familiar with the U.S. Climate Alliance, they are a bipartisan climate action coalition of 24 governors representing approximately 55% of the U.S. population and 60% of the U.S. economy.

To read their letter, read more here or explore their press release on their website. Onward!

•••

Mr. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

P.O. Box 260124

D-53153 Bonn, Germany

January 20, 2025

Dear Executive Secretary Stiell,

We write as co-chairs of the United States Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of two dozen governors representing nearly 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population, to make it clear to you, and the rest of the world, that we will continue America’s work to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and slash climate pollution.

As you know, this is not the first time we’ve responded to this challenge in the U.S. Our coalition was launched after the President’s decision to withdraw our country from the Paris Agreement back in 2017. Since then, our reach, resolve, and impact have only grown.

In fact, our states and territories are now on track to meet our near-term climate target by reducing collective net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. Our recent progress reflects a wave of ambitious state policies and federal funding enacted over the last few years – and it builds on our coalition’s 15-year trend of cutting emissions while simultaneously growing our economies. We have continued to ramp up our longer-term commitments as well, pledging to reduce GHG emissions at least 50-52 percent by 2030 and 61-66 percent by 2035, below 2005 levels, in alignment with the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution. Most importantly, this action is bringing better health, cleaner air, good-paying jobs, new economic development, and lower costs to our communities.

Our states and territories continue to have broad authority under the U.S. Constitution to protect our progress and advance the climate solutions we need. This does not change with a shift in federal administration. States across our coalition are implementing a suite of policies and programs to secure our net-zero future, including statewide and regional carbon markets, 100 percent clean energy standards, and methane reduction programs for the oil and gas, waste, and agricultural sectors, among many others. We are also deploying billions of dollars to eliminate pollution in our communities and sustain our country’s clean energy boom.

It’s critical for the international community to know that climate action will continue in the U.S. The Alliance will bring this message to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil (COP30) later this year – just as we have at every COP since our coalition’s founding – as we work to implement our climate goals. We are also committed to tracking and reporting on our progress and look forward to working with you and the global community to identify the most impactful ways to do so. The Alliance is proud to publish an annual report each year on our latest action, and we are enclosing here our most recent report for your reference.

We will not turn our back on America’s commitments. For our health and our future, we will press forward.

Sincerely,

Governor Kathy Hochul, Co-Chair

State of New York

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Co-Chair

State of New Mexico

[sunshinesmebdy]

Venus in Aries Messages for the Rising Signs: Business & Finance

Aries Rising: Embrace your boldness and take the lead in business ventures. Start new projects fearlessly, but remember to strategize too. On the financial front, invest in yourself — your energy, skills, and personal brand. Be proactive in seeking opportunities, but avoid impulsive spending; channel that fiery energy into calculated risks.

Taurus Rising: Taurus Rising, balance your steady nature with Aries’ drive. Build a solid foundation for your business, but don’t shy away from innovation. Financially, patience pays off. Invest in stable assets, but allocate a portion for high-risk ventures. Trust your instincts when making financial decisions.

Gemini Rising: Your adaptability shines. Network, communicate, and explore diverse business opportunities. Be the bridge between ideas and action. Financially, diversify your income streams. Stay informed about market trends, and avoid impulsivity — research thoroughly before making financial moves.

Cancer Rising: Nurture your business ventures like you do your loved ones. Use Aries’ courage to step out of your comfort zone. Financially, create a secure base. Invest in real estate or family-oriented businesses. Balance risk-taking with emotional stability.

Leo Rising: Let your charisma shine in business. Lead with passion, inspire others, and embrace creative ventures fearlessly. Financially, invest in projects that reflect your identity. Be generous but avoid overspending. Leverage your personal brand for financial gains.

Virgo Rising: Pay attention to details while taking bold steps. Financially, organize your finances meticulously. Invest in health-related businesses or innovative tech. Avoid overthinking; trust your gut.

Libra Rising: Balance diplomacy with assertiveness in business. Collaborate, negotiate, and create win-win situations. Financially, invest in partnerships or joint ventures. Seek beauty-related businesses. Avoid indecisiveness; act swiftly when opportunities arise.

Scorpio Rising: Dive deep into research, transform challenges into opportunities, and fearlessly pursue your goals. Financially, invest in hidden gems — cryptocurrencies, and research-based ventures. Avoid secrecy; transparency builds trust.

Sagittarius Rising: Think big and act globally. Financially, invest in travel, education, or publishing. Avoid over-optimism; balance risk-taking with practicality.

Capricorn Rising: Be disciplined and persistent. Financially, invest in long-term stability — real estate, and established businesses. Avoid impatience; slow and steady wins the race.

Aquarius Rising: Combine Aries’ independence with your vision for a better world. Financially, invest in cutting-edge tech, social impact projects. Avoid detachment; engage actively in financial decisions.

Pisces Rising: Blend intuition with action in business. Embrace creativity and empathy. Financially, invest in arts, healing, or spiritual ventures. Avoid escapism; stay grounded in financial matters.

[workersolidarity]

🇵🇸 🚨 GLOBAL PROTESTS STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIANS UNDER SIEGE AND BOMBARDMENT IN THE GAZA STRIP 🇵🇸

A global strike has been launched, standing in solidarity with Palestinians under siege and bombardment in the Gaza Strip on Monday morning.

With #Strike_For_Gaza currently the largest trending hashtag internationally.

The General Strike takes place just two days after the United States used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to kill a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In Palestine, protests swept the occupied West Bank, with Universities, banks and businesses closed and popular calls for confrontation with the occupation anywhere possible.

Public transportation was shut down on all routes while factories and plants were also closed.

In Lebanon, shops and stores were empty as the majority of the population participated in the strike, with only minimal movement through the streets of the Capital, Beirut, as well as other Lebanese cities.

After Lebanon's authorities approved participation in the General Strike, several corporations chose to close its doors in compliance, along with both public and private schools and other public administrations.

Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also closed its doors in Lebanon, as well as its missions abroad in accordance with the memorandum of the Council of Ministers.

In Jordan, the General Strike was observed in the capital, Amman, and in Irbid in the north, where large numbers of businesses closed and pro-Palestine banners were erected in the streets.

A noticeable decrease in city traffic and the number of students in schools was noted, reflecting the high participation levels in the strike.

In Turkey, a significant number of shops and markets have been closed in solidarity with Palestine and in rejection of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Protests are also ongoing in parts of Africa, with video showing a protest at the U.S. Embassy in Mauritania.

Nearly 18'000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, with another 47'000 wounded, 70% of whom are women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

#source

#videosource1

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[darkmaga-returns]

10 stories they chose not to tell you this week.

The Vigilant Fox

Jan 19, 2025

10 – Bill Gates’ New Bioterror Project Exposed

Gates revealed to the Wall Street Journal that he had a three-hour conversation with Trump about “global health,” saying he was “frankly impressed.”

What Gates isn’t telling you is that he has been funding risky research projects, including a $9.5 million effort at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study how bird flu viruses (H5N1) might evolve to infect humans.

According to epidemiologist 

Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

, this work could actually make bird flu more transmissible to humans and “qualifies as bioterrorist activity.”

“And also recently, the Russian Ministry of Defense gave a briefing, and in the briefing, they laid out who is funding these illicit African Biolabs run by the US Military. It’s none other than the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and even the Clinton Foundation,” Hulscher revealed.

“So these guys are funding this extremely dangerous research. It’s risking millions of lives,” he warned.

Bill Gates has also explicitly referred to India as his “laboratory” for testing experimental drugs. Such statements raise serious ethical questions about the billionaire’s intentions, especially when he openly expresses a desire to reduce the world’s population.

Adding fuel to the fire, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced an investment of nearly $600 million in Moderna’s bird flu vaccine development. As journalist Maria Zeee (@zeee_media) pointed out, “Someone is expecting a return on that investment.”

“Why is a man that funds bioterrorist activities, speaking bioterrorist-like activities, rather, speaking with the president about public health?” Hulscher asked.

“He should not be allowed to meet with the President. In my opinion, he should actually be behind bars.”

Meanwhile, more damning evidence continues to mount against the COVID-19 injections. 

Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

 lays out the evidence, demonstrating why these shots should be pulled from the market.

Watch as he presents the facts.

(See 9 More Revealing Stories Below)

9 - Bill Maher Torches California’s Disastrous Wildfire Response in Brutal Monologue

8 - James O’Keefe Exposes Secret Pentagon Plot to Sabotage Trump’s Return

7 - Scientists make another damning discovery about the COVID-19 mRNA injections.

6 - WaPo Cartoonist Arrested for Child Porn Depicted Trump Supporters as Nazis for Complaining About Grooming

While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to this page for more weekly news roundups.Subscribe

#5 - Trump’s Pick for CIA Chief Obliterates Adam Schiff, Sets Him Straight on Hunter’s Laptop

#4 - The FDA finally bans food dye Red No. 3, citing serious concerns about its link to cancer.

#3 - Shocking Cover-Up Exposed in Explosive Tucker Carlson Interview

#2 - Arab Officials: Trump Envoy Did More to Pressure Israel in One Meeting Than Biden Did All Year

#1 - Storm-ravaged North Carolina sends a dire message to America.

Plus, Lt. Colonel Pete Chambers joins to discuss the mounting security concerns surrounding Trump’s Inauguration.

Share

BONUS #1 - Dave Chappelle Captures Attention With His Comments on Trump and Jimmy Carter

BONUS #2 - The Meat Upgrade You Didn’t Know You Needed

BONUS #3 - Mel Gibson Drops Two Medical Bombshells on the Joe Rogan Podcast

BONUS #4 - How to Get Ivermectin, Z-Pak and More

BONUS #5 - Jeffrey Epstein’s Former Cellmate Alleges Shocking Scheme to Impeach Trump

[pharmanucleus1]

Global Cyber Security in Medical Devices Market - Safeguarding Healthcare in the Digital Age

Global Cyber Security in Medical Devices

The medical devices industry has seen a significant growth in digitization in recent years as well as cyber threats have steadily increasing day-to-day. Therefore the Cyber security is one of the vital aspects of the medical devices sector as it protects medical records, patients' personal information, lifesaving insights and healthcare information. Moreover the medical devices companies have battled to secure their valued healthcare information from cyber-attacks and data breaches. Currently, cyber security firms provide information-security services and solutions to medical devices like Medical imaging devices, implant devices and internet of medical things. 

Click here for full report:

https://www.pharmanucleus.com/reports/cyber-security-in-medical-devices

Market Dynamics

Cyber-security is a risk management strategy designed to protect software and technology, networks, devices, healthcare data and programs from data theft, digital attacks and unauthorized access. As part of it, increasing problems of cyber-attacks on medical devices in both developed and developing countries reflect growing security and regulatory compliance issues. Moreover, the increasing data breach in the industry adds fuel to the market growth for medical devices cyber security. The average cost of data breach reaches an all-time high. For instance, according to the cost of a data breach report published by IBM in 2022. The average cost of a data breach in the healthcare sector was USD XX million in 2021 and it increased by XX% in 2022. Moreover, according to CloudSEK 2021 report , increased cyber -attacks on the global healthcare sectors like medical devices and hospital sectors, the U.S. healthcare industry faced XX% of the total global attacks and globally Indian healthcare industry were 2nd largest cyber-attacks with XX % of total incidence in the segment. 

Challenges 

Medical devices are an easy entry point to attacking for cyber-attackers, therefore necessary to protect data from hackers but healthcare industries faces shortage of trained professionals to manage cyber-security solutions as well as high cost of medical devices cyber-security solutions in developed and developing regions. Moreover, these high cost cyber security services is a significant barrier to growing the healthcare cyber security market in medical devices. It reflects effects on emerging and development of information. 

Development Landscape 

Biotech and medical device manufacturer businesses are adopting both organic and inorganic growth strategies to advance their pipeline and gain competitive edge in the market over the peers. 

Cisco (US),IBM (US), GE Healthcare (US), Symantic (US), ClearPassage (US), FireEye (US), Check Point Tech (Israel), Sophos (UK), Imperva (US),Fortinet (US), ClodePassage (US), ClearData (US) and Zscaler (US) 

Regional Analysis 

North America is anticipated to capture the highest share of cyber security in medical devices market over the forecast period (2022-2027), with U.S. accounting for the maximum contribution.

Click here for full report:

https://www.pharmanucleus.com/reports/cyber-security-in-medical-devices

Increasing instances of cyber-attacks on medical devices along with increasing awareness among healthcare sector professionals regarding cyber security moreover, most number of manufacturing facilities and key players, some of the best research universities and an encouraging start-up eco system provide an ideal solution for research leading to more successful assets in pipeline.

Macro-economic factors such as large population and growing economy, highly prevalence in healthcare organizations and medical devices industries, better access to protect data security, availability of crowd funding and support from various stakeholders’ fuels US as a commercially attractable market. 

Asia-Pacific region is expected to pick up pace over the next few years due to favourable growth factors such as

The market is focusing on Asia-Pacific as a destination for outsourcing and trying to gain foothold through mergers, collaborations, and strategic acquisitions.

The global Cyber security in medical devices market estimates (Value USD Million) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2027 based on Security Type 

The Global Cyber security in medical devices Market Estimates (Value US$ Million) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2027 based on Type of Threat 

Click here for free sample report:

https://www.pharmanucleus.com/request-sample/1179

The Global Cyber security in medical devices Market Estimates (Value US$ Million) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2027 based on End User 

The Global Cyber security in medical devices Market Estimates (Value US$ Million) & Forecasts and Trend Analyses, 2022 to 2027 based on Region 

What is Cyber security in Medical Devices Market Report about? 

The cyber security in medical devices market report discusses the commercial and clinical activity associated with cyber security in medical devices. It provides insights on total size of the potential opportunity, key segments driving growth, key challenges faced, and a thorough analysis of market competition by product, geography, indication, and forecasts through 2027. Detailed coverage of the approved cyber security in medical devices, including regulatory approvals, pricing, reimbursement, and market penetration 

So, a new investor can potentially gain information about cyber security in medical devices companies, their key products, their core strategy, key trends in the cyber security in medical devices market, and more. 

The cyber security in medical devices market report is essential for all stakeholders including research companies, manufacturing companies, distribution companies, government agencies, and others. 

[brettvatcher]

NEUROTECHNOLOGY: CALL IT MIND CONTROL

BRETT MICHAEL VATCHER

The United States is currently testing advanced military-grade weapons and quantum computer systems on the unexpected global population. Targeted Individuals are tortured and tormented every day of their lives through DARPA’s Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology (N3) Program utilizing CIA agents – acting as Artificial Intelligence [AI]. In the future, the system will be marketed as deviceless “Spatial Technology.” 

IT’S SPATIAL: IT’S ALL IN MY HEAD.

Neurotechnology is a brain-computer interface [BCI] connecting to the central nervous system. Call it Mind Control. 

If one can control the mind, they can control the body.

MIND CONTROL:  Mind reading, mind and body control, 24/7 tracking, brainwashing, dream manipulation, spatial holograms as well as physical assaults and verbal harassment produced by CIA agents. This is accomplished by combining data sets from 5G towers and directed energy weapon satellites [DEW]. The system connects to the central nervous system – including the brain – and operates without a device. Invisible physical assaults are constant. Even if well documented are challenging to prove. The system can cause sensations anywhere on the body.

DOMAIN: Every human has a domain attached to their mind. This is where the agents broadcast their transmissions and control the victim. ​All living things have a domain. Plants, insects, animals and humans. Domains have infinite capabilities. The entire global population is replicated within human domains – in vertical cubicle formation. These replicants, as the agents call them, are tortured constantly. The replicants watch everything you do from your perception. This is the New World Order plan. The subdomain advent calendar is located behind the perception. Everything a person sees, hears and thinks is recorded utilizing a BCI. All memories from 2019-present can be viewed like a film. Domains are recorded, as well.

“EVERYTHING YOU DO, SAY AND THINK CAN – AND WILL – BE USED AGAINST YOU FOR ETERNITY. THIS IS THE NEW WORLD ORDER. PLEASE HOLD WHILE WE COLLECT YOUR THOUGHTS.” –New World Order

BRAINWASHING: Brainwashing the victim leads to behavioral modifications and mood control. The agents create “programs” that can be turned on or off at any time. Subliminal messages come in the form of faint visions flashing in the front of one’s mind. Victim’s vision becomes increasingly grainier over time – and depending on active sequencers.

The agents create intricate dream sequences to affect the victim’s subconscious. Dream sequences combine people, places and things that are familiar with the victim. They can be extremely lucid.

VOICE-TO-SKULL: DARPA started a program called LifeLog in 2003. They refer to it as the V2K era. It’s when they began recording transcripts of all of our thoughts. Mind-reading. This technology is also known as Microwave Hearing, Synthetic Telepathy, Voice-of-God weapon and is utilized for traceless mental torture. Agents constantly disrupt, censor and redirect the victim’s freedom of thought. Victim’s get wrongly labeled as mentally-ill [schizophrenia] when reporting on this. V2K is also used for deception and impersonation of voices.

News reports in the media describedLifeLog as the “diary to end all diaries — a multimedia, digital record of everywhere you go and everything you see, hear, read, say and touch”. –USA TODAY

NO PRIVACY: The system completely disregards fundamental human rights such as: privacy, mental and physical health, safety, data security, family security, financial security, etc. Freedom of thought – or cognitive liberty – is a God-given right. The technology was deployed without implementation of new laws and there is little to no oversight, as the CIA has full control of the system.

Welcome to Infinity. You’re Welcome.

WRITTEN BY: BRETT VATCHER

INSTAGRAM

SUBSTACK

TWITTER

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

"A different world" article by Walter Veltroni (Italian leftist politician and intellectual)

Originally published in Italian on Corriere.it, 12 November 2024

What will the world look like in the Trusk era? I am afraid that those who think, even among European supporters, that the pledges of radical transformation of America's state structure and international relations, promoted by Trump with Musk's support, are just sly campaign boutades, good for grabbing popular votes and good for being put in the overflowing basket of betrayed promises by U.S. presidential candidates, are wrong. After all, I have heard many say, in the first four years, an age ago in the frenetic digital time, what changed? Yes, things like the revocation of climate agreements and the sabotage of Obama's Medicare with maneuvers that produced more than two million people without health insurance. But in other areas, financial policy or international relations, we did not see significant and radical changes between administrations then.

I believe, however, that this time will be different. I believe that along the axis of Musk's millenarian thinking and Bannon's apocalyptic suggestions, we will know a time of substantial change, not continuity. This will be the case, we are seeing it, in Ukraine, and it will be interesting to follow the contortions of European politics as Zelensky is left alone and we rely on Putin's expansionist self-control in the hope that he does not intend to go beyond the military conquests already acquired or rapidly being acquired.

The world is no longer in the balance of the past and anything is possible. Putin has lucidly understood this, speaking of the unprecedented geopolitical condition and cultivating the idea of a new Russian greatness with the establishment of a Eurasian power capable of competing with the Chinese giant.

The world is changing its balances, and in this context the process of depowering the European Union, corroded by the sovereignisms and populist nationalisms animated in the member states, is functional to a strategy of redrawing the balance of power, economic and financial. If NATO is weaker, if genuine European integration strategies (defense and budget policies) are put on the back burner, the prospect will prevail of a world of three fortresses-Russia, China, and the U.S.-fueled by the weaknesses of other markets, and of nation-states wearied by tariffs and each forced to individually negotiate their own security and terms of trade with the big arbiters. Steve Bannon said it with great clarity in Viviana Mazza's enlightening interview, “Yes, tariffs are coming, you will have to pay to get access to the U.S. market. It's not free anymore, the free market is over.” There is, even on the right, little to laugh about and little to celebrate, not least because of the aggressive and intimidating tone used against those who preside over our country's government. Therefore, I believe that the Trusk bloc's strategy is broader and should be considered for what it is, without presumptuous reductions to folklore of a line that is nourished by analysis, means, clear intentions.

The idea has spread, Musk only repeats, that democracy, as a mechanism based on popular vote and the intermediation represented by delegation, beginning with Parliaments, is a heavy and incongruent frill for a society of the instant as the digital one has become. From this point of view, it is paradoxical that the critique of globalization, however, rests on the postulate that the only universal dimension allowed is that of the technological markets, at least in the sphere of consumption and relational communicative dynamics, with social media elevated to a global chamber. Musk recently argued that newspapers and television do not serve to guarantee communication, that the only possible truth is the one produced by tens of millions of people who at the same time enter viewpoints and news into the web, little matter whether grounded in reality or not. A hundred thousand who become no one, and one, just one, who decides.

The pattern is the same as in politics: allow confused background noise, no matter how critical, while a man of providence makes decisions on behalf of the people. Similarly on social media, algorithms regulate the power relations between isolated individuals and the sophisticated machines that flood the network in which the need for knowledge and the illusion of relationship is consumed with news, real or invented. Once communication is depowered, the judiciary put on leash, intolerance spread and legitimized through yesterday's unpronounceable words, we find ourselves where the Trusk bloc honestly told voters it wanted to go: toward a different world. One cannot accuse of slyness or masking intentions. The Trusk people have clearly stated their strategy, and on that project they have achieved unequivocal electoral success.

Fast and furious. On the first Tuesday in November the Republicans did not win, something else is being born: a power project for this revolutionary time.

Feebly stammering a repudiation of all this in the name of political correctness or arguing passionately about whether one should, on the left, be more moderate or more extremist, is a dabbler's delight.

Roosevelt, with Mussolini in power and the Great Depression at home, did not organize a flashmob, he invented the New Deal.

[mariacallous]

In Africa, one doesn’t need to look hard these days to spot crises.

Case in point: the broad swath of the continent known as the Sahel. There, in recent years, one country after another—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea—has seen ineffectual elected governments fall to military juntas.

In Africa, soldiers face constant and seemingly irresistible temptation to step into political power vacuums. But since the 1960s, military regimes have been unable to offer cures for the problems of the continent’s struggling nations. Their record of instilling stability and economic health has been remarkably dismal.

Crises have arisen in many directions, from the deadly civil war in Sudan, to the spread of Islamic insurgencies in Nigeria and other coastal nations, to the seemingly endless fiddling with constitutions in countries such as Ivory Coast. Although less brutish than classic coup d’états, “constitutional coups” are closely related and allow leaders to perpetuate their rule, often for life.

In recent days, Cameroon has offered the sad spectacle of a country whose leader has so completely dropped out of public view during an extended stay in Europe that rumors of his death spread widely. That 91-year-old president, Paul Biya, has been in power since 1982. In an absurdist bid to quell speculation about Biya’s condition, his government forbade media discussion about his health or whereabouts on “national security” grounds.

As different as each of these countries’ circumstances might seem, there is a common underlying denominator: a state’s inability to assure even the basic well-being of its citizens. This includes services almost taken for granted on other continents, from universal access to electricity and clean water to decent and affordable schools.

The causes of Africa’s economic woes are, of course, complicated. South of the Sahara, nearly all African countries have gained their independence, beginning with Ghana in 1957, as heirs of the abject exploitation and neglect of their colonial rulers. Despite the West’s self-ennobling rhetoric of the white man’s burden, imperial powers did little to spread literacy on the continent, and even less to train people at a university level. The physical infrastructure that colonialism left behind was similarly scant, and in most instances, had been built to simply move raw products to ports, where they could be shipped to Europe.

In the decades since independence, Africa has also been hobbled by its Balkanization, including an imperial legacy of 16 landlocked countries, almost all of which are poor and unstable today. Less obvious, but just as insidious, is the structure of the global economy. For all the reasons just cited, Africa was spectacularly ill-prepared to profit from the globalization that swept the world beginning in the 1980s.

That era’s biggest winner by far was China, which by virtue of its large market, literate and experienced workforce, and low wages, captured a huge portion of the international investment in cheap offshore manufacturing. China’s prodigious successes in building industries, such as plastics, textiles, and basic assembly, left little room for poorer, smaller countries hoping to industrialize in its wake.

Meanwhile, over the decades, Western-led international financial institutions—especially the World Bank—have frequently shifted directions in their lending and economic strategies toward the African continent, often with little regard for Africans’ own priorities and economic needs.

By now, to state that Africa has often been ill-served by its foreign partners should not be controversial. Beyond the realm of economics and development, the West—especially the United States—has long talked up the virtues of democracy while sustaining some of its deepest partnerships in Africa with starkly undemocratic countries, from Ethiopia and Rwanda to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Even China’s emergence as a powerful economic player on the continent has begun to look like something of a false dawn. Enthusiasm ran sky-high in Africa after China went on a construction spree in the early 2000s, building modern railways, ports, highways, and airports across the continent. There was never any deliberate debt trap involved, as many critics have alleged, but hopes of a Chinese-fueled African takeoff have since dimmed, as Beijing has cut back on its lending to the continent and African countries have faced difficulties in servicing their debts with China and other creditors.

What this all means to me is that Africa must look inward, to its own resources—intellectual, social, cultural, and even economic—to fulfill its people’s desires for healthy development. The good news is that there are signs this is beginning to happen. Above all, I see these in the civil society groups that are fighting against official corruption and the capture of African states by political elites, against electoral and constitutional chicanery and wanton human rights violations.

There is evidence of rapidly growing civil pushback in countries as far-flung as Ghana and Nigeria in West Africa and Kenya on the opposite coast. Since June, Kenyans have braved police bullets to resist their government’s efforts to raise taxes, which are used in opaque—and, many people believe, corrupt—ways. In Nigeria, people have also taken to the streets in large numbers to fight government policies that are driving falling living standards; these include the end of long-standing state subsidies for gasoline prices and a stark decline in the value of the national currency, the naira. And in Ghana, thousands have protested the widespread devastation of the country’s land and waters by illegal gold mining, which they consider closely linked to official corruption.

In and of themselves, these are not revolutions. Far from it. But the goal that underpins them is revolutionary: the normalization of citizens holding their governments accountable. This is something that the nominal democratization of many African countries through the regular holding of elections has clearly failed to achieve.

Africa’s newly invigorated civil societies have many heroes, even if they still labor in relative obscurity or isolation, often at considerable risk to themselves. One of the most interesting figures in recent months has been Bright Simons, a Ghanaian gadfly whose social media presence on X and other platforms is something like a running public-policy seminar on transparency and corruption. From one day to the next, his investigations and disquisitions can cover everything from real-estate speculation in shopping malls, to routine corruption in government procurement and contracting, to the murky ins and outs of oil leases signed with foreign exploration companies.

Simons is under no illusion about how much more needs to be done to ensure that the Ghanaian state delivers better results for its people. He would also be the first to say that this cannot be the task of a few intellectuals such as himself, however well-intended. Instead, to be successful, these movements must include much of the middle class and broader citizenry.

Still, Simons sees hope in the spread of transparency and anti-corruption efforts around the continent, and he believes that Africa’s fragile civil societies can advance faster toward these goals by building much stronger bridges between disparate citizens’ movements.

“Individual [African] countries are very weak, and finding critical mass for anything in them is difficult. So how do you acquire critical mass in such a context? You unite civil society efforts across the continent,” Simons said. “If there was, you know, 20 people [on transparency and corruption] in Ghana, 20 people in each of the other countries, you��d have a thousand people all of a sudden, which is more like a critical mass, and that’s what we need for quality governance and accountability to become culture … If we can’t find it in individual countries, we need to build it in a pan-African way.”