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beardedmrbean · 7 months ago

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MEPs approved new fiscal rules for the EU during a plenary session on Tuesday despite an ongoing campaign by trade unions to prevent "austerity 2.0" from passing through.

"This reform constitutes a fresh start and a return to fiscal responsibility," said co-rapporteur Makrus Ferber (EPP – Germany). "The new framework will be simpler, more predictable and more pragmatic. However, the new rules can only become a success if properly implemented by the Commission."

The regulation passed with 359 votes in favour, 166 against and 61 abstentions, with conservatives, liberals and socialist groups helping to get the text over the line.

Advocates of the reform say it heralds a return to fiscal control after a more lax approach during the Covid-19 pandemic. Member States will now be required to keep budget deficits at less than 3% of national GDP. In addition, countries with excessive debt will be required to reduce it on average by 1% per year if their debt is above 90% of GDP, and by 0.5% per year on average if it is between 60% and 90%.

'Straitjacket'

European and Belgian trade unions have led a long campaign denouncing the reforms as a "Europe-wide return to austerity".

According to ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch, 18 Member States including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland would be unable to meet the required minimum level of investment in housing, healthcare and education under the new rules. In addition, only three Member States – Sweden, Ireland and Denmark – will be able to meet the social and climate investments required of them.

"This agreement, forced by the austerity approach of some European capitals, will require member states to reduce their debts rapidly and in ways that are economically and socially unsustainable," ETUC stated on the eve of the vote. "This will mark a return to austerity. At the same time, the new rules will also act as a disincentive to invest towards the social and climate objectives EU member states have agreed upon, by limiting the marge of manoeuvre of public deficit."

Similarly, Belgian MEP and President of the European Greens/EFA group Philippe Lamberts (Ecolo) drew attention to the social and environmental cost of tighter economic measures. "These new budgetary rules will impose a straitjacket on all EU Member States," he said on Monday. "It will deprive governments of the financial resources needed to guarantee a thriving economy, social services and climate action."

Other political groups in the European Parliament acknowledge that the reforms are imperfect, but necessary nonetheless. "There is no doubt that this deal is much better than no deal and going back to the old rules or having no rules at all," said co-rapporteur Margarida Marques (S&D – Portugal).

Right-wing and far-right political groups welcome a more stringent approach to EU budgetary rules. "There are a number of Member States who have gone too far in debt financing and this is a potential danger which can't be justified nationally or EU-wide," said MEP Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR/N-VA – Belgium). This echoes positions of "frugal" countries such as Germany, who fear another bail-out in the worst-case scenario.

Tax the rich

Tuesday's vote has not stopped the opposition campaign in its tracks. ETUC, the trade union leading the fight, has now emphasised the need to "tax the rich" as a solution to the EU's budgetary difficulties.

"Working people who have suffered a historic drop in living standards as a result of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis simply don’t have anything left for politicians to take," stated Lynch in a press release published in the wake of the vote. "Instead politicians who supported these fiscal rules should have the decency to meet them through taxes on the corporations which registered record breaking profits which fueled inflation."

The vote on the budgetary reforms is one of almost 90 to take place during the Strasbourg plenary this week. This is the last time MEPs will convene before the end of the mandate and there is a palpable sense of urgency to deliver to voters before European elections on 9 June.

#nunyas news #commies don't understand economics #more news

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standardquip · 20 days ago

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Relationship with my parents

This is about me rationalizing my relationship with my parents, who voted trump. They are (sincerely) nice people.

(quote from below) "It's been really hard to rationalize my relationship with my parents (and their relationship with trump) when I'm largely in far left echo chambers who loudly proclaim that anyone who supports trump is a racist, fascist, asshole, nazi, etc. When that's blatantly false, simply put.

But I also don't want to make some wide sweep about how they're uneducated morons who don't fully understand what they're voting for, or are victims of propaganda, because I don't think that's true either. At least not for my dad, anyway."

---- cw suicide mentions, transphobia

My relationship with my parents has not been great. For most of my life, I hated them and was actively trying to get away. My life got better once I finally did. I ex-communicated them after they refused to accept me as their son (I am AFAB).

To illustrate how bad it got, I was in the US Navy and I tried to kill myself and was separated due to those actions. I got one phone call and I didn't call my parents. They had to figure out I was no longer in the Navy from someone else. How awful for them.

After only a few months of them finally leaving me the fuck alone (honestly probably due to the shock of the Navy thing), they started trying to have a relationship with me again, and the only reason we ended up reconnecting was because I gave up trying to fight them. Also they used the correct pronouns finally. Our relationship was pretty transactional from then on. They wanted a relationship and I needed money. I mostly forgave them (or at least accepted that they did the best with the knowledge they had at the time) and after a lot of therapy, I didn't hate them anymore. I don't know if I have ever loved them, but I reached a point where interacting with them didn't ruin my mood so there was a mostly peaceful co-existence.

By the time I finally got financial independence (which involved getting VA disability and buying my own house), I wasn't treating my parents like ATMs anymore but I wouldn't say my view of our relationship was anything more than platonic.

All of the relationship effort came from their end. They wanted to visit me, I never volunteered to visit them. They want to call me, I almost never call them, etc., etc. I'm a loner, the only reason I talk to anybody really is if they call me.

Anyway. I had a breakdown in 2018 which involved getting real with my mom about my mental health, something I'd never really done before. Ever since that day, my mom called me every friday and my dad called me every monday. I saw it as they were just making sure I was still alive and maybe it was partly that but I think they mostly just wanted a reason to talk to me more often.

They also started visiting me every year and we would do big house construction projects. My house would probably still be unlivable if it were not for their help.

It should also be stated that they live about 1000 miles away from me and they drove to visit. So visiting me, to work, involves considerable time (and energy) on their parts. And they did it every year.

They also volunteer a lot in their home state. So they are, genuinely, good people.

They are not racist. But they are christian, (mostly) white, and affluent (probably the lowest tier above "upper middle class" ), so basically insulated from most of the world's problems.

They both had troubled childhoods with families that were poor. They both worked their asses off to get what they have now. They both worked full-time for basically their entire lives, even while they had kids (me and my brother).

So, naturally, they are fiscally conservative.

They're both retired now. My mom is now basically a tradwife and she doesn't really think for herself, politically. She says sometimes she doesn't vote at all but when she does, she votes for whoever my dad tells her to vote for.

She was a nurse, but she's against universal healthcare. She believes abortion "shouldn't be used as birth control" so that makes her pro-life somehow. They believe being queer is fine as long as you don't "participate in the lifestyle" so they don't believe in gay marriage.

They love sinners such as myself, but they don't want to participate in a system that enables those sinners, essentially.

My dad's views boil down to fiscal conservatism only; he's basically a single-issue voter. He believes that the rich will always find a way out of paying taxes so we should give up on the whole thing. The middle class (him) always ends up paying so he needs to look out for himself now and he'll vote for whoever will lower taxes and whoever makes his stock market portfolio look good.

He doesn't understand why people get so heated about political topics. Why can't we just have a rational discussion? Why does everyone get so angry?

He didn't outright say it, but I think he believes that all of the identity politics (if it even goes into law) simply won't be enforced. So it shouldn't be such a high priority to think about.

My dad is constantly watching the news and trying to get "both sides" of the issues. He actually does watch both sides of the news, too. That being said, I don't think he's ever voted for a democrat in his lifetime? So I'm not sure what kind of things he's actually learning.

Either way, I would consider my dad "well informed" on politics.

They both voted early for trump this year. They've been voting for him since 2016.

With all this background in mind, it's hard to say I should disown my parents over politics.

It's been really hard to rationalize my relationship with my parents (and their relationship with trump) when I'm largely in far left echo chambers who loudly proclaim that anyone who supports trump is a racist, fascist, asshole, nazi, etc. When that's blatantly false, simply put.

It is completely understandable why two people who got shitty hands and worked their lives to get out of those situations would be bitter that their incomes are going to people who did not work as hard.

It's not morally right, but it's understandable.

Earlier this year, as the red states were ramping up the efforts to make all the leftists move out, my dad asked me if I would visit them in their home state of georgia. (For reference, I live in a northeastern blue state.)

I said no, because in case he had forgotten, I am transgender. And I don't want to go where I am unwanted.

And he said "So what? Ignore them."

This was over a phone call. That pissed me off royally but I am not very verbally "with it" so I didn't response directly until later, via text.

Where I wrote:

(begin quote) Regarding the anti lgbt laws It doesn't matter if they're 'not that bad' or 'won't be enforced'

It doesn't matter that they may not arrest me because I don't look trans or have all my legal documents matching.

What matters is that red states have made it their mission to pass (or try to pass) laws and policies that actively hurt lgbt people, OF WHICH I AM ONE, making it clear they do not want those people in their state(s).

And it would be one thing if you guys did not actively vote for the party pushing those views (I still would be reluctant to visit but maybe I would anyway) but you don't. You vote republican. You are probably voting for trump. You actively disproved of my entire transition and you said you thought it was a mistake and my scars made you sick.

To this day I don't know if you actually think of me as your son or if you're just paying lip service to your kid's mental illness to avoid drama so I'd talk and have a relationship with you again. This goes for both you specifically and mom.

So no, I'm sorry, I never plan on visiting you in georgia. I never plan on going to georgia again for any reason (even the [anime] conventions) unless the political landscape totally changes.

I'm not going somewhere where "my kind" isn't wanted and I'm CERTAINLY not going there to visit parents that support (either directly or indirectly) the laws that actively hurt lgbt people, which, again, I need to remind you I AM AN LGBT PERSON WHO IS ACTIVELY BEING HURT BY THESE POLICIES and was and currently am being hurt by the culture these policies represent.

"So what? ignore them" is MASSIVELY IGNORANT and it pissed me the fuck off.

As a side note, this is the thing I was talking about with Florida [on the phone]. License can be revoked and you can be charged with fraud. Partway down the article it does say that if taken at face value it could also apply to tourists. https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-people-florida-face-drivers-licenses-revoked-1865187 And again Georgia is definitely nowhere near as bad as what desantis has been doing in florida but the public sentiment down there about trans people certainly seems the same to me right now

This is a blog but it's more clearly written. Where the news article mostly focuses on people attempting to newly change their license, this blog talks more about what it means for trans people in general who could be charged with "misrepresenting" their identity (by having a license that says their sex is not their birth sex -- this is me. I am a person who has M on their license and wasn't born male.) https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/florida-misrepresenting-gender-on

Same person also made a risk assessment map, which is useful if you want to read more context about what states have been doing in relation to anti-trans bills (I do not use this map to influence where I travel; I found it today to help illustrate the current state of affairs.) https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/erins-anti-trans-risk-map-early-legislative

This article is to ground my comments about public sentiment and the "political situation down there." Even if this is just one extremist saying this, it's not like the republican party is doing anything to separate themselves from this guy's opinions. It just adds fuel to the fire and the growing anti-trans public sentiment. The article does a pretty good job explaining how those comments have impacted society. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/cpac-speaker-transgender-people-eradicated-1234690924/

You might be wondering why I have suddenly come out of nowhere about this stuff. The answer is because all of this crap only started happening in the last 2 years! Yeah there was some arguing about bathrooms and sports once in a blue moon years back, but nobody really cared that much. Then suddenly in 2023 there were 589!!! anti-trans bills crafted.

The worst part is, I don't even actively seek out this information! The florida memo was something I accidentally found! I actually try to stay away from the news because (especially for trans people) it is SO BLEAK.

Here's an article that illustrates the rise in the crafting of these bills: https://translegislation.com/learn

And, I'm not even touching on whether you personally agree with the bills. That's not a debate I want to have. I don't really care if you personally agree the bills should be passed or if the wording in them seems logical (I feel like it should go without saying, but just to be clear: I don't agree with any of these bills, including the ones about preventing medical care for trans kids).

What I AM trying to impart on you is that the mere fact the bills exist, the mere fact there are SO MANY of them, especially so suddenly, is cause to believe that there is anti-trans sentiment and is very clearly indicative that the states making those bills, by extensions republicans, by extension YOU, MY PARENTS, would prefer that trans people do not exist (I AM A TRANS PERSON), and I do not feel safe in a state that holds a majority of people who who hold those views. I also do not feel safe in a state that borders florida, THE WORST state for these bills and sentiments.

Anyway I don't expect any sort of response from you so don't feel pressured to come up with something. But at least now I can say you have been informed.

(end quote)

He never responded or directly referred to these texts in future conversations, which I expected. These texts were sent in early April. Since then, my parents visited me twice this year, where we decidedly did not talk about politics at all.

However, my relationship with my dad was pretty much gone after these texts. I really did not see a future for our relationship. We were never that close anyway, had never reconciled as much as my mom and I had, and since this conversation (and knowing their voting pattern) I had mostly written off any future relationship with him.

But I resolved to not ACTUALLY do anything about it until the election. I was (perhaps foolishly) thinking they either would vote Harris, or not vote at all, or Harris would win and I could just keep ignoring political discourse with them.

I really did try to see it from their point of view. Did trump have decent economic policies? Maybe there was too much bloat and some branches of government could be drained.

But the people who spoke badly of Trump were vast and kept coming out. Trump's ideas come off as "I'm 14 and this is deep" and while on the surface some of the ideas seemed ok, the people he was appointing to "replace the swamp" seemed, on the whole, absolutely the wrong picks and would definitely make things worse. Not to mention how pretty much the entire world's country leaders ALSO spoke out against Trump, too.

I certainly was no fan of Harris, I thought some of her plans were BS (I consider myself fiscally conservative too, for the record!) but I thought she was certainly better than Trump so I voted for her anyway.

Trump really felt like he had no redeeming factors and all of his cabinet picks that I know about seem just as bad, if not worse, than him. I don't understand what my dad was seeing in them (or hoping for). He said he didn't like trump as a person but he thought Trump would be better than Biden/Harris.

I was hoping that, if trump's policies really weren't that great anyway, maybe... just maybe... he wouldn't vote for trump for me. Because he supposedly loved me. A person who happens to be lgbtq. And his child.

[insert Red Hood monologue about Joker here (specifically 1:53 - 2:09)]

While I do mostly live in a left bubble online, I am in a very red area of a blue state and the lefties I personally interact with are more centrist imo. So I had no illusion about this election. I knew it was going to be very close.

Still heart-breaking to see Trump win, though. Now I actually had to deal with what I'd been putting off for so long: my relationship with my parents.

Emotionally, it would hurt them far more than me. But in every other aspect, it would hurt me more than them.

After 2 days of essentially shock, I decided to ask for my uncle's opinion. My entire family is left except for my parents.

I said (heavily summarized) I'm thinking about excommunicating my parents. Do you have any opinions or advice? He said (heavily summarized) my dad is a lost cause but my mom (his sister) is all he has left and he wants to have a relationship with her. He is angry they voted the way they did but he doesn't think politics are worth sacrificing that relationship. They will continue to have a relationship and continue to not talk about politics with each other.

I said, but how do you expect people to learn if there aren't any consequences specifically to those people? He didn't have a good answer.

My mom calls me every friday. Today is friday. After the talk with my uncle, I decided to just split it up. Compromise.

I texted my mom:

(quote) I'm really upset with the election and your part in it and I'd prefer you didn't call me for a while. If you need to come up for your dad I'll still let you stay here but otherwise I need space. (end quote) [Her dad (who I don't have a relationship with) is currently in the hospital.]

And then, an hour later, I texted my dad: (quote) I'm not going to go out of my way to avoid you in person if you visit again, but I'm not interested in having a relationship with you at all.

I've taken you off my schwab accounts as POA (might not go through until tuesday) and I won't answer any future calls from you.

The only reason mom is not being cut off is because unlike you, I don't think she fully understood what she was voting for. (end quote) Today has hurt a lot, actually. More than I expected. I guess I had reconciled with them a lot more than I thought I Had previously.

I hope I made the right choice.

----

This entry is about me rationalizing my relationship with my parents. Realistically, I personally will likely be unaffected by a Trump presidency. But as I stated in my long text to my dad, it's really not about that. It's about the sentiment that it's acceptable to believe people like me shouldn't exist.

That being said, Trump's policies are absolutely horrid anyway. More specifically I am not looking forward to distrusting my food quality even more than I do currently, nor whatever they're doing with the EPA. Can't wait for our water and air quality to go to shit. Fun times! /s

I think that anti-lgbtq policies are pretty low on the priority list and I'm hoping we'll be mostly forgotten about while they dismantle everything else.

I will personally be insulated from a lot of harm, being in a blue state, passing, post-transition, and a military veteran. At this point I can really only worry about myself, because if I try to worry about other people now I'll lose it.

For everyone else, try to take it one day at a time. Trump doesn't get into office until late January, so you still have time to figure out what you want to do.

Hugs for everyone.

#sqblog #blog #us election 2024 #personal #longform #long #long text #long post

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arpov-blog-blog · 1 year ago

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..."House Republicans unveiled their proposal for emergency aid to Israel Monday evening. It’s an immediate infusion of $14.3 billion in exchange for $14.3 billion in cuts from the Internal Revenue Service.

Republicans touted this as an “offset” to save the deficit from spiking, as did some in the press who are often quick to parrot the talking points they’re given. But here’s the reality: The Republican proposal would not offset spending at all. Rather, it would likely add to the federal deficit because cuts to the IRS almost always result in dried-up tax collection, thus adding to the debt.

What the proposal does succeed in doing is create a political trap for Democrats. Vote against it and you’re “not standing with Israel”; plus, you’re refusing to protect Joe Sixpack from the mean IRS. Never mind that the proposed IRS cuts would be in areas of the Inflation Reduction Act that supported tax enforcement, courts, and operations support—tools that the agency uses to go after the wealthiest tax evaders. The cuts would also nix a new program to create a free online tax filing system à la TurboTax.1

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) called bullshit on the Republican plan. To disarm the political trap, he hinted he could end up voting for it knowing full well that it is unlikely to become law.

Most Democrats in the Senate are not playing 3-D chess on the issue, and they are instead either immediately opposed or highly skeptical of the proposal.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told me, “It’s a foolish proposal and there is no risk” for Democrats to hold firm in opposition.

It’s fiscally unwise because if you did that then you would also—the math doesn’t work because those IRS cuts would both inconvenience taxpayers and reduce tax collection. They think that that’s an offset but they would be compounding our budgetary challenges.

“If you’re not going to do any harm to the IRS, yes, it’s legitimate,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.). “If it’d harm the technology that’s been planned out for the next five to 10 years, it would be very, very hard for me to support.”

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has pleaded with his fellow Republicans to keep aid to Israel linked to aid to Ukraine, making the case that both advance American interests.

Yair Rosenberg, a staff writer at the Atlantic, summed it up best he could:

“This is not what you do if you care about the safety of Jews,” he wrote on X (Twitter). “This is what you do when you care about other things and are willing to hold the safety of Jews hostage until you get them.”

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treatnow · 1 year ago

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BRAIN WOUND UPDATE #16: More Evidence: Untreated TBI ties to Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Neurological, and Psychiatric Disorders

BRINGING YOU CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO HELP TREAT AND HEAL BRAIN WOUNDS: CONCUSSIONS, TBI, PTSD "There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in." Bishop Desmond Tutu At some point, DoD, the VA, and medicine in general will hear the drumbeat of data in peer-reviewed science attesting to the damage done by untreated brain wounds. Fortunately for those lucky few, the role of Hyperbaric Oxygenation to help treat and heal their brain wounds has given them new lives. But the practitioners of conventional medicine are not ready to accept facts and evidence. The DOD and the VA claim that the suicide epidemic is their #1 clinical priority, yet they drag their feet, avoiding using HBO therapy that virtually eliminates suicidal ideation. And they seem not to have read recent science about symptoms and "mental health" diagnoses that mask undiagnosed brain wounds. While the suicide epidemic continues to escalate, DOD and the VA spend more and more on strategies to think harder, collaborate more, pay attention, fund more Call Centers, and get the word out: precious little on healing brain wounds. Consider these recent reports. This report in JAMA, Association of Traumatic Brain Injury With the Risk of Developing Chronic Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Neurological, and Psychiatric Disorders, found that patients with mTBI and msTBI were at increased risk of developing long-term cardiovascular, endocrine, psychiatric, and neurological comorbidities. The risk of post-TBI comorbidities was higher in all age groups compared with an age-, sex-, and race-frequency–matched unexposed group, and notably so in patients younger than 40 years. Comorbidities after TBI were associated with higher mortality. Another JAMA study, Neuropathologic and Clinical Findings in Young Contact Sport Athletes Exposed to Repetitive Head Impacts, found that young contact sport athletes may be at risk for long-term neuropathologic disorders, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This one bears reading by parents. A third study in the New England Journal of Medicine, Neuro-degenerative Disease Mortality among Former Professional Soccer Players, found that mortality from neurodegenerative disease was higher and mortality from other common diseases lower among former Scottish professional soccer players than among matched controls. Dementia-related medications were prescribed more frequently to former players than to controls. And an ironic report from Front Office Sports, the NFL court drama shows how little we've progressed from science-scepticism. In a bid to avoid reimbursing the NFL for payouts to brain wounded players, major insurers deployed medical experts to argue that there’s no scientific evidence linking head injuries with neurocognitive disorders, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, covered in the settlement. They further suggested that up to 40% of the now 1,663 former players who have received payments may have overstated and even feigned their symptoms. This tactic is mirrored in the behavior of DOD components that continue to discard combat veterans with the National Guard with Other Than Honorable Discharges and claims that the petitioners either weren't on active duty when they were injured, can't document injuries they were encouraged to not report to stay in the fight, or are faking their injuries. Of the five Defense Department service branches, only two met their active-duty enlisted recruiting goals for fiscal 2023 -- the Marine Corps and the Space Force, by far the smallest services and with the lightest recruiting burden. The others, the Army, Air Force and Navy, fell short. Coincidence? ########## The TreatNOW Mission is ending service member suicides. Along the way, we have learned that we can help heal the symptoms and effects of acute concussion/TBI/PTSD by helping heal brain wounds. Heal Brains. Stop Suicides. Restore Lives. TreatNOW Information provided by TreatNOW.org does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made. Read the full article

#brainhealth #braininjured #braininjury #brainwound #CardiovascularDisorder #concussion #ConcussionSymptoms #EndocrineDisorder #HBOT #HBOTTreatment #HealingwithHyperbarics #HyperbaricOxygentherapy #NeurologicalDisorders #PsychiatricDisorders #TBI #TBItreatment #TraumaticBrainInjury #Veterans

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koreaunderground · 4 years ago

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(eff.org)(2021/03/08) The FBI Should Stop Attacking Encryption and Tell Congress About All the Encrypted Phones It’s Already Hacking Into

[eff.org][1]

[1]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/fbi-should-stop-attacking-encryption-and-tell-congress-about-all-encrypted-phones>

# The FBI Should Stop Attacking Encryption and Tell Congress About All the Encrypted Phones It’s Already Hacking Into

Joe Mullin

10-13 minutes

Federal law enforcement has been [asking for a backdoor][2] to read Americans’ encrypted communications for years now. FBI Director Christopher Wray did it again last week [in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee][3]. As usual, the FBI’s complaints involved end-to-end encryption employed by popular messaging platforms, as well as the at-rest encryption of digital devices, which Wray described as offering [“user-only access.”][4]

[2]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/doj-and-fbi-show-no-signs-correcting-past-untruths-their-new-attacks-encryption> [3]: <https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/SJC%20Oversight%20Hearing%20-%20FBI%20Director%20Wray%20SFR%20-%203.2.2021.pdf> [4]: <https://twitter.com/ericgeller/status/1366804541451157504?s=21>

The FBI wants these terms to sound scary, but [they actually describe security best practices][5]. End-to-end encryption is what allows users to exchange messages without having them intercepted and read by repressive governments, corporations, and other bad actors. And “user-only access” is actually a perfect encapsulation of how device encryption should work; otherwise, anyone who got their hands on your phone or laptop—a thief, an abusive partner, or an employer—could access its most sensitive data. When you intentionally weaken these systems, it hurts our security and privacy, because there’s no magical kind of access that only works for the good guys. If Wray gets his special pass to listen in on our conversations and access our devices, corporations, criminals, and authoritarians will be able to get the same access.

[5]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/incoming-biden-administration-officials-should-change-course-encryption>

It’s remarkable that Wray keeps getting invited to Congress to [sing the same song][6]. Notably, Wray was invited there to talk, in part, about the January 6th insurrection, a serious domestic attack in which the attackers—far from being concerned about secrecy—proudly broadcast many of their crimes, resulting in hundreds of arrests.

[6]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/12/fancy-new-terms-same-old-backdoors-encryption-debate-2019>

It’s also remarkable what Wray, once more, chose to leave out of this narrative. While Wray continues to express frustration about what his agents can’t get access to, he fails to brief Senators about the shocking frequency with which his agency _already_ accesses Americans’ smartphones. Nevertheless, the scope of police snooping on Americans’ mobile phones is becoming clear, and it’s not just the FBI who is doing it. Instead of inviting Wray up to Capitol Hill to ask for special ways to invade our privacy and security, Senators should be asking Wray about the private data his agents are already trawling through.

### **Police Have An Incredible Number of Ways to Break Into Encrypted Phones**

In all 50 states, police are breaking into phones on a vast scale. An October report from the non-profit Upturn, “[Mass Extraction][7],” has revealed details of how invasive and widespread police hacking of our phones has become. Police can easily purchase forensic tools that extract data from nearly every popular phone. In March 2016, Cellebrite, a popular forensic tool company, supported “logical extractions” for 8,393 different devices, and “physical extractions,” which involves copying all the data on a phone bit-by-bit, for 4,254 devices. Cellebrite can bypass lock screens on about 1,500 different devices.

[7]: <https://www.upturn.org/reports/2020/mass-extraction/>

How do they bypass encryption? Often, they just guess the password. In 2018, Prof. Matthew Green [estimated][8] it would take no more than 22 hours for forensic tools to break into some older iPhones with a 6-digit passcode simply by continuously guessing passwords (i.e. “brute-force” entry). A 4-digit passcode would fail in about 13 minutes.

[8]: <https://twitter.com/matthew_d_green/status/985885001542782978>

That brute force guessing was enabled by a hardware flaw that has been fixed since 2018, and the rate of password guessing is much more limited now. But even as smartphone companies like Apple improve their security, device hacking remains very much a cat-and-mouse game. As recently as September 2020, [Cellebrite marketing materials][9] boasted its tools can break into iPhone devices up to “the latest iPhone 11/ 11 Pro / Max running the latest iOS versions up to the latest 13.4.1��

[9]: <https://cf-media.cellebrite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SolutionOverview_CAS_2020.pdf>

Even when passwords can’t be broken, vendors like Cellebrite offer “advanced services” that can unlock even the newest iOS and Samsung devices. Upturn research suggests the base price on such services is $1,950, but it can be cheaper in bulk.

Buying electronic break-in technology on a wholesale basis represents the best deal for police departments around the U.S., and they avail themselves of these bargains regularly. In 2018, the Seattle Police Department [purchased 20 such “actions”][10] from Cellebrite for $33,000, allowing them to extract phone data within weeks or even days. Law enforcement agencies that want to unlock phones en masse can bring Cellebrite’s “advanced unlocking” in-house, for prices that range from $75,000 to $150,000.

[10]: <https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20394507-installment_101>

That means for most police departments, breaking into phones isn’t just convenient, it’s relatively inexpensive. Even a mid-sized police department like Virginia Beach, VA [has a police budget of more than $100 million][11]; New York City’s police budget is over $5 billion. The FBI’s 2020 budget request is [about $9 billion][12].

[11]: <https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/06/26/how-much-money-goes-to-police-departments-in-americas-largest-cities/112004904/> [12]: <https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/fbi-budget-request-for-fiscal-year-2020>

When the FBI says it’s “going dark” because it can’t beat encryption, what it’s really asking for is a method of breaking in that’s cheaper, easier, and more reliable than the methods they already have. The only way to fully meet the FBI’s demands would be to require a backdoor in all platforms, applications, and devices. Especially at a time when police abuses nationwide have come into new focus, this type of complaint should be a non-starter with elected officials. Instead, they should be questioning how and why police are already dodging encryption. These techniques aren’t just being used against criminals.

### **Phone Searches By Police Are Widespread and Commonplace**

Upturn has documented more than 2,000 agencies across the U.S. that have purchased products or services from mobile device forensic tool vendors, including every one of the 50 largest police departments, and at least 25 of the 50 largest sheriffs’ offices.

Law enforcement officials like Wray want to convince us that encryption needs to be bypassed or broken for threats like terrorism or crimes against children, but in fact, Upturn’s public records requests show that police use forensic tools to search phones for everyday low-level crimes. Even when police don't need to bypass encryption—such as when they convince someone to "consent" to the search of a phone and unlock it—these invasive police phone searches are used “as an all-purpose investigative tool, for an astonishingly broad array of offenses, often without a warrant,” as Upturn put it.

The 44 law enforcement agencies who provided records to Upturn revealed at least 50,000 extractions of cell phones between 2015 and 2019\. And there’s no question that this number is a “severe undercount,” counting only 44 agencies, when at least 2,000 agencies have the tools. Many of the largest police departments, including New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Boston, either denied Upturn’s record requests or did not respond.

“Law enforcement… use these tools to investigate cases involving graffiti, shoplifting, marijuana possession, prostitution, vandalism, car crashes, parole violations, petty theft, public intoxication, and the full gamut of drug-related offenses,” Upturn reports. In Suffolk County, NY, 20 percent of the phones searched by police were for narcotics cases. Authorities in Santa Clara County, CA, San Bernardino County, CA, and Fort Worth, TX all reported that drug crimes were among the most common reasons for cell phone data extractions. Here are just a few examples of the everyday offenses in which Upturn found police searched phones:

* In [one case][13], police officers sought to search two phones for evidence of drug sales after a $220 undercover marijuana bust. * Police stopped a vehicle for a “left lane violation,” then “due to nervousness and inconsistent stories, a free air sniff was conducted by a … K9 with positive alert to narcotics.” The officers found bags of marijuana in the car, then seized eight phones from the car’s occupants, and [sought to extract data from them][14] for “evidence of drug transactions.” * Officers looking for a juvenile who allegedly violated terms of his electronic monitoring found him after a “short foot pursuit” in which the youngster threw his phone to the ground. Officers [sought to search the phone][15] for evidence of “escape in the second degree.”

[13]: <https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20394694-sw_38982> [14]: <https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20394714-st1700494a170155-search-warrant> [15]: <https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20394724-affidavit-19-5271>

And these searches often take place without judicial warrants, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s clear ruling in [_Riley v. California_][16] that a warrant is required to search a cell phone. That’s because police frequently abuse rules around so-called consent searches. These types of searches are widespread, but they’re hardly consensual. In January, we wrote about how these [so-called “consent searches” are extraordinary violations][17] of our privacy.

[16]: <https://www.eff.org/cases/supreme-court-cases-cell-phone-searches> [17]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/so-called-consent-searches-harm-our-digital-rights>

Forensic searches of cell phones are increasingly common. The Las Vegas police, for instance, examined 260% more cell phones in 2018-2019 compared with 2015-2016.

The searches are often overbroad, as well. It’s not uncommon for data unrelated to the initial suspicions to be copied, kept, and used for other purposes later. For instance, police can deem unrelated data to be “gang related,” and keep it in a “gang database,” which have often vague standards. Being placed in such a database can easily affect peoples’ future employment options. Many police departments don’t have any policies in place about when forensic phone-searching tools can be used.

### **It’s Time for Oversight On Police Phone Searches**

Rather than listening to a litany of requests for special access to personal data from federal agencies like the FBI, Congress should assert oversight over the inappropriate types of access that are already taking place.

The first step is to start keeping track of what’s happening. Congress should require that federal law enforcement agencies create detailed audit logs and screen recordings of digital searches. And we agree with Upturn that agencies nationwide should collect and publish aggregated information about how many phones were searched, and whether those searches involved warrants (with published warrant numbers), or so-called consent searches. Agencies should also disclose what tools were used for data extraction and analysis.

Congress should also consider placing sharp limits on when consent searches can take place at all. In our [January blog post][18], we suggest that such searches be banned entirely in high-coercion settings like traffic stops, and suggest some specific limits that should be set in less-coercive settings.

[18]: <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/so-called-consent-searches-harm-our-digital-rights>

#https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/fbi-should-stop-attacking-encryption-and-tell-congress-about-all-encrypted-phones

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arpov-blog-blog · 2 years ago

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Interesting the proposals don't include raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires. They don't include raising the Social Security tax ceiling to the first $400.000 of income for wealthy people..."The bill released on Wednesday — dubbed the Limit, Save, Grow Act — aims to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or through March 31, 2024, whichever comes first.

It proposes reverting discretionary spending caps to fiscal 2022 levels while limiting growth to 1 percent annually over the next decade. While Republicans have long said the discretionary spending cuts would not target defense spending, nothing in the bill explicitly protects defense spending, leaving that spending up to appropriators.

The move to release a debt limit increase bill comes as President Biden has refused to negotiate with McCarthy on the matter, calling for a “clean” debt limit increase not paired with any other policy points.

“Now that we’ve introduced a clear plan for responsible debt limit increase, they have no more excuse and refuse to negotiate,” McCarthy said in a House floor speech.

The bill is expected to get a floor vote next week. But with just a four-vote majority, McCarthy will have to work to ensure it reaches majority support.

McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday that he’s confident about the bill’s chances of passage.

While Republicans originally sought to use the debt limit as a way to ensure concessions on spending, leaders added in some policy suggestions after McCarthy detailed the plan to the conference on Tuesday, helping to build support from hardline conservatives who clamored for more cuts.

“With the discussions that I’ve been in, I think that we can get 218,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus who was involved with discussions on Tuesday. “I think we’re going to come up with something good out of the conference that cuts spending, makes significant reforms and puts us a step closer towards fiscal stability as a country.”

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), chair of the Main Street Caucus, expressed confidence in the plan notching “widespread support throughout the conference.” But he also said there are “a few details to be worked out,” while also taking aim at Biden over the current rate of progress in debt limit talks.

“The stew is not done cooking,” he said shortly before the text of the bill was released. “But I gotta tell you, the Speaker has brought us a long way in the last couple of months, which is remarkable given the fact that the president refuses to negotiate — and that’s normally how you see the contours of a deal come together.”

McCarthy said that the bill will be led by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), whose relationship with the Speaker recently came under scrutiny after The New York Times reported tensions between the two leaders as Arrington’s committee is crafting a long-term budget resolution.

The $4.5 trillion in “savings” for taxpayers that Republicans say are in the bill also come from a slew of proposals that have already been met with opposition from Democrats, including measures clawing back coronavirus funding previously allocated by Congress that they say has gone unspent and targeting the Biden administration’s student loans forgiveness decision and ongoing repayment pause."

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disillusioned41 · 4 years ago

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The $600 weekly boost in unemployment benefits that more than 30 million laid-off Americans are relying on to endure the coronavirus-induced recession is set to expire in just 10 days without action from Congress—but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to be in no hurry to negotiate a solution.

With the Senate currently on recess and not expected to return until July 20, McConnell told reporters Monday that he doesn't plan to begin formal stimulus talks with his Democratic counterparts until next week at the earliest. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reportedly told his caucus Tuesday that he has not heard from McConnell regarding Covid-19 negotiations.

"Mitch McConnell may already have doomed the tens of millions of American workers who depend on enhanced federal unemployment benefits to a sudden, sharp decline in income at the end of July." —Rep. Don BeyerMcConnell's timeline for the talks would leave the Senate and House with less than a week to hash out and pass legislation before unemployment benefits begin reverting to their pre-pandemic rate, which in some states maxes out at less than $300 per week.

"Because state unemployment benefits need to be extended by July 25 in order to be processed by states administering their programs, McConnell's announcement that the Senate will not even begin drafting or negotiating legislation until next week effectively makes a lapse in those expanded payments unavoidable," Beyer added. "We may already be out of time to avoid the iceberg."

Economists have repeatedly warned that allowing the enhanced unemployment benefits to expire at the end of July would slash the incomes of more than 30 million Americans by 50-75%. According to Josh Bivens of the Economic Policy Institute, such a steep income cut could also cause massive job losses and a decline in economic growth.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), one of the architects of the boosted unemployment insurance, tweeted Wednesday that "30 million Americans will be left in the lurch without this critical lifeline."

"It's time for the Trump administration and Senate Republicans to get their act together and extend supercharged unemployment benefits," said Wyden. "Our whole economy depends on it."

"Now is not the time to pull the rug out from under workers who are not able to return to work because of the damage done by the pandemic." —George Wentworth, National Employment Law Project

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill in May that would extend the $600 weekly unemployment insurance boost through January of next year, but McConnell has refused to allow a vote on the legislation.

After previously opposing any extension of the enhanced unemployment insurance, Trump administration officials in recent days have signaled openness to approving smaller weekly payments.

"Despite some new consensus that the additional $600 in federal unemployment benefits shouldn't disappear entirely, Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on an actual deal," HuffPost reported Wednesday. "Republicans are looking at a number closer to $200, and Democrats are pushing for benefits closer to $500."

Though the program got off to a rough start as an unprecedented flood of unemployment applications created massive backlogs and delays, the enhanced benefits have been lauded by progressives as on the whole one of the most successful components of the federal government's Covid-19 response.

Supporters of the program argue it would be catastrophic to let the benefits to expire as coronavirus infections surge across the U.S., thousands of workers are laid off for a second time as states roll back their reopenings, and tens of millions of Americans face possible eviction.

"This is the real fiscal cliff," tweeted Bharat Ramamurti, a member of the congressional committee tasked with overseeing the Trump administration's handling of Covid-19 funds.

In less than two weeks, Ramamurti said, "30+ million will experience huge cuts in income—a shock that will force such an enormous drop in consumer spending that it will cause 3 million further job losses."

George Wentworth, senior counsel at the National Employment Law Project, told The American Prospect Monday that "with the virus still not under control and more states reinstating Covid-related restrictions on many sectors of the economy, health and economic conditions are still far too volatile to end this supplement."

"Now is not the time to pull the rug out from under workers who are not able to return to work because of the damage done by the pandemic," said Wentworth.

#Common Dreams #us politics #economy #covid-19 #coronavirus

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sataniccapitalist · 5 years ago

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ravnlghtft · 5 years ago

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Our country is now facing its worst crisis in modern history. We are in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic that could lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of Americans and infect millions of others, and we are entering an economic downturn that could be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Last week, 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment. This week that number doubled to 6.6 million claims — ten times higher than any other week on record. It is certain that well over 10 million people have lost their jobs — more than in the Wall Street crash of 2008.

In this unprecedented moment in modern American history, it is imperative that we respond in an unprecedented way. And that means that Congress must pass, in the very near future, the boldest piece of legislation ever written in modern history.

There are many, many issues that must be addressed in our response to this pandemic, and working together, we will make sure they are addressed.

But today, I am outlining a set of six core provisions that must be included in the next legislation Congress passes to support working people in this country during this horrific crisis. Please read them and add your name to say that you agree:

1. Addressing the Employment Crisis and Providing Immediate Financial Relief

There is little doubt in my mind that we are facing an economic crisis that could be even worse than the Great Depression. The St. Louis Federal Reserve has projected that 47 million more people may become unemployed by the end of June, with unemployment reaching 32 percent. In my view, we must make sure that every worker in America continues to receive their paycheck during this crisis and we must provide immediate financial relief to everyone in this country.

An important precedent for that approach was taken in the recent stimulus package in which grants were provided to the airlines for the sole purpose of maintaining the paychecks and benefits of some 2 million workers in that industry through September 30. We must expand that program to cover every worker in America and we must make it retroactive to the beginning of this crisis. This is not a radical idea. Other countries, such as the UK, Norway, Denmark, France, and others have all come up with similar approaches to sustain their economy and prevent workers from losing their jobs.

Our primary goal during this crisis must be to prevent the disintegration of the American economy. It will be much easier and less expensive to prevent the collapse of the economy than trying to put it back together after it collapses.

To do this, we must also begin monthly payments of $2,000 for every man, woman, and child in our country, and guarantee paid family leave throughout this crisis so that people who are sick do not face the choice of infecting others or losing their job.

2. We Must Guarantee Health Care to All

Let’s be clear: we were facing a catastrophic health care crisis before the pandemic, and now that crisis has become much, much worse. Already, 87 million people are uninsured or underinsured. Layoffs will mean tens of millions of people more will lose their current insurance — which will result in countless deaths and bankruptcies. Already in the last two weeks, an estimated 3.5 million people have lost their employer-sponsored insurance.

And as the pandemic grows, we are seeing more and more reports of people who have delayed treatment due to concerns about cost. In this pandemic, uninsurance will lead to deaths and more COVID-19 transmissions.

Therefore, during this crisis, Medicare must be empowered to pay all of the deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for the uninsured and the underinsured. No one in America who is sick, regardless of immigration status, should be afraid to seek the medical treatment they need during this national pandemic. Let me be clear: I am not proposing that we pass Medicare for All in this moment. That fight continues into the future. But, for the moment, we must act boldly to make sure everyone can get the health care they need in the coming months.

3. Use the Defense Production Act to Produce the Equipment and Testing We Need

Unbelievably, in the United States right now, doctors and nurses are unnecessarily putting their lives on the line treating people suffering from the coronavirus because they lack personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, and surgical gowns. The CDC has directed health professionals to use homemade gear like bandanas or scarves and some workers at the VA are being told to re-use one surgical mask for a week at a time. HHS estimated that our country needs 3.5 billion masks in response to this crisis.

President Trump has utilized the Defense Production Act thousands of times for the military and for enforcement of his immigration policies, yet he has resisted using its power to save lives during the pandemic. That is unacceptable. We must immediately and forcefully use the Defense Production Act to direct the production of all of the personal protective equipment, ventilators and other medical supplies needed.

We must also utilize this power to produce antibody tests so we can begin figuring out who has already contracted the virus and has developed some immunity to COVID-19.

In addition, OSHA must adopt a strong emergency standard to protect health care workers, patients, and the public during this crisis. We must crack down aggressively on price gougers and hoarders, and use any means necessary to secure supplies.

4. Make Sure No One Goes Hungry

Even before this crisis hit, one in every seven kids in America was going hungry and nearly 5.5 million seniors in our country struggled with hunger. Already in this crisis we see lines at food banks and growing concern that our most vulnerable communities and those recently unemployed may struggle to feed their families.

As communities face record levels of food insecurity, we must increase SNAP benefits, expand the WIC program for pregnant mothers, infants, and children, double funding for the Emergency Food Program (TEFAP) to ensure food banks have food to distribute, and expand Meals on Wheels and School Meals programs. When necessary, we must also develop new approaches to deliver food to vulnerable populations — including door-to-door drop offs.

5. Provide Emergency Aid to States and Cities

Even as state and local employees like police officers, firefighters and paramedics work on the front lines of this pandemic, states and cities that pay their salaries are facing enormous budgetary pressures.

Congress must provide $600 billion in direct fiscal aid to states and cities to ensure they have the personnel and funding necessary to respond to this crisis. In addition, the Federal Reserve must establish programs to provide direct fiscal support and budgetary relief to states and municipalities.

6. Suspend Monthly Payments

Even before this crisis, half of the people in our country were living paycheck to paycheck. In America today, over 18 million families are paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing. Now, with growing unemployment, families are facing financial ruin if we do not act quickly and boldly.

That’s why we must suspend monthly expenses like rent, mortgages, medical debt and consumer debt collection for 4 months. We must cancel all student loan payments for the duration of this crisis, and place an immediate moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs.

Brothers and sisters: In this unprecedented moment in our history it is easy to feel like we are alone, and that everyone must fend for themselves. But that would be a mistake and a terrible tragedy. Now, more than any other moment in our lives, we must remember that we are all in this together — that when one of us gets sick, many more may get sick. And when my neighbor loses their job, I may lose my job as well.

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maybellqgr7021-blog · 5 years ago

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Making An Investment In Property: Simple Suggestions

Buying real estate waterfront property in Virginia Beach va can be quite lucrative once you know what you're undertaking.

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crystal-rebellion · 6 years ago

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As a support to your Meta Lotor I find it weird that they kept AJ Locascio as a cast member(he voices James Griffins in s7) when they could have had any new person voice him. My idea is that because Lotor will be back, AJ will be involved with the cast but the fans might know somehow so they had him voice another character as an excuse. Also the fact that he and Kimberly still tweet about Lotura and the whole “Altean battery” thing. If Lotor’s arc is done why bring this up?

Hello!! Sorry for the delay in reply. I was mulling over this.

I don’t know much about the industry (or really, anything at all - just what I’ve picked up from treading discourse communities about this show specifically.) so I don’t know if a fiscal argument can be made in this case; what I mean is - is it more economic to have a main cast VA pick up a background character (only in as much that James appeared in the penultimate season, not that he isn’t important.) or to have them voiced by someone else for just the one season. I don’t know that answer, but given that we don’t see the other VAs in a similar situation… though the argument there is that they still had speaking roles throughout the season with their core character.

I will say this - James is like a cartoon version of AJ, and that amuses me. Several Lotor stans got a little alarmed when he changed his twitter icon to James after Season 7 (”what must this mean for Lotor!?”) - Naw, dude has been iconized as an anime character. I’d want that for my icon, too; he just couldn’t do the swap until the season actually aired to avoid spoilers.

I do like your idea, however, that it was done to keep us guessing about Lotor - Neil had made it fairly clear once Zarkon was done that he was finished with the show; at least in the production process. He’s still wonderfully active in the community.

About AJ and Kimberly - I think they genuinely understand their fanbase. I obviously don’t know them personally, but from how I’ve seen them interact, they strike me as authentic and genuine human beings. (Not to imply the others aren’t, of course.) I don’t think this would be something they would tease if there were a cataclysmic end in store. I don’t necessarily mean that Lotura will be endgame by any means, but I struggle to guess how Lotor will get his vindication (I still refuse the word redemption: until we have more information he has done nothing that requires redemption.) without Allura undoing the damage that’s been done. At the very least, I expect something open-ended and platonic, but given their development in Season 5, I would be cautiously optimistic for more, even if it’s only vaguely alluded to by the end of S8.

The battery comment definitely caused a flutter of panic at first, but one thing I’ve learned about this is the writers mean exactly what they say, but they rely on us interpreting it one way over the other, hence why I dove in on the meta and took it at exactly face value.

#ask #ask crystal #meta thoughts #lotor #lotor meta

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usaevents · 2 years ago

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Veterans Day 2022

Just by coincidence, my trip most recent trip with Uber included a conversation that got a little political. Per usual, the driver struck up a conversation asking standard questions:

Q: Did you grow up here?

A: No. I'm from San Diego. I moved here to go to school.

Q: Did you go to CU?

A: Yes. It is a beautiful campus. I met my husband there and we decided to stick around here in Colorado. He is from here, I can't imagine him moving.

Q: What did you study?

A: English and communication. (He laughed.)

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: I was an admin assistant for an oil and gas company but was laid off not too long ago when the industry took a hit.

veterans day images 2022

I answered all these questions and more. When I told him the general area we were heading, his interest peaked. "You're over by the high school, huh? My son used to have wrestling matches there."

Now, whenever a driver opens up about their family, it is a perfect way to steer the conversation away from me. A lot of times I don't have much to say. I rather be the one asking questions and have them talk. I asked, "You have a son that wrestles that is cool."

"I have three boys. Triplets!" he replied proudly.

"Wow, you must have your hands full then," I said.

"Well, they are no longer at home. They enlisted in the army right after they graduated high school."

He talked a little further about his boys. They were all spread out over the country and were involved in different aspects of the armed forces. He laughed, "It's funny. One of my sons' can't even talk about what his work is about. I've learned it is not worth asking anymore." He continued on and then revealed that another one of his sons' served in Iraq.

When he had finished talking, I said, "That's great. I appreciate their service for our country."

He got a little more political as the drive went on, which was okay by me. It wasn't like we debated about anything, more like him expressing how proud he was to have family serving our country. One thing he did mention though, was some of the things his son experienced over in Iraq. Seeing others get hurt and unfortunately seeing others die.

Inspirational Veterans Day quotes

"These service men and women. The things they see. They certainly don't come back the same way as when they had left to serve over there."

I was curious about some of the common neurological effects war has on our veterans. My thought being that brain injuries do occur, so some must have seizures or develop epilepsy because of that. Research conducted by the office of Veterans Affairs found many Veterans' seizures are tied to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The thought being that the increased anxiety and stress PTSD and TBI cause can trigger a seizure. To be clear, the study points out that this doesn't necessarily mean that these veterans will develop epilepsy.

"VA treated more than 87,000 Veterans with seizures diagnoses during fiscal year 2011. While a relatively small number of those, only 3,792, served in operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, or New Dawn, Veterans diagnosed with seizures from those conflicts were proportionately much more likely to also have TBI than their peers who have not had seizures. Previous research has pegged TBI and PTSD rates as high as 22 percent for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. The new study suggests that nearly 70 percent of Veterans with seizures also have TBI and PTSD." Research: Many Veterans' seizures tied to TBI and PTSD, not epilepsy, VA Office of Research and Development, January 15, 2014

I can sympathize with these veterans as stress and anxiety seem to be a trigger for my seizures. I know how frustrating and scary it is to have a seizure out of the blue. Once again, I can only hope and pray that one day there will be a cure for these complex neurological disorders. Thank you to all of those who have served our country. Your good deeds do not go unnoticed.

I think it is important to share that anyone can develop epilepsy. It is fourth most common neurological disorder that affects over 1 million Americans. A common trigger for seizures is stress. There are both positive and negative ways of dealing with stress. My hope is that not only our veterans but every American develops a proper way of managing their stress in order to steer clear of disorders, like epilepsy. Some ways I have found to help is exercise, meditation, and prayer. We all need to learn how to cope with it.

#Veterans Day 2022

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virtualsonic · 2 years ago

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Hugo, Paco y Luis Ven T. para ver sus S. F.

Español

Hola amigos ¿cómo están?, espero que bien amigos, bueno amigos, aquí va un nuevo dibujo y que presento a un trío de personajes pertenecientes al universo de Disney y que se encuentran haciendo una actividad que los chicos gusten de hacerlo juntos y que cuando no están involucrados en diferentes aventuras y deban encontrar diversos tesoros para hacer crecer la fortuna de su querido tío, se encuentran realizando actividades típicas de un joven adulto que aprovecha sus tiempos libres tras sus estudios de la universidad y realiza diversas actividades para no sólo ponerse al día con los gustos y las preferencia de la gente de su edad, sino también tener algo de tener para ellos mismos y así, disfrutar de sus cosas favoritas para ir descubriendo esos pequeños gustos que tienen y que hace que cada chico sea diferente entre sí, bueno amigos, sin dar más vueltas presento a Hugo, Paco y Luis Ponerse a Ver Televisión en un Tranquilo Día en la Casa del Tío Rico McPato

Aquí vemos al trío de patos ponerse a sentar en el sofá y se observa que en lugar de ponerse a ver televisión para estar buscando el canal de televisión que más le llama la atención y con eso, ver la película que más les guste de los que están pasando en televisión, deciden abrir la aplicación que abre los programas inteligentes que permiten que el televisor se use para poder videos de Internet, utilizar servicios de streaming, escuchar radio y jugar videojuegos en sus consolas favoritas, al ver que tienen servicios de red propia para las consolas en cuestión y que tras un largo rato discutiendo lo que van a hacer primero, deciden ponerse a ver series y que para ello deciden usar el servicio de streaming Duckflix y que esperan a que la serie que quieren ver comience a aparecer en sus pantallas y con eso, pasar un largo rato maratoneando series, mientras esperan que sus queridos tíos regresen de sus aventuras y con eso, poder saber sobre las cosas que han podido conocer y disfrutar y ver si se han traído algún tesoso valioso que haga aumentar aun más la forturna de su querido tío, además de poder dar algo de tiempo libre para que su tío enojón no lo esté tanto

Bueno amigos, espero que les guste, al ver que llevaba un buen tiempo que no dibujaba a estos chicos y que quise hacerlo en un ángulo donde no sólo se pueda ver lo que están viendo, sino que también lo hacen viendo uno de esos masivos televisores que su tío multimillonario gusta de gastar cuando quiere deshacer de parte de su vasta fortuna para no tener que pagar grandes sumas de dinero en impuestos, pero que lo haga de formas legales para evitar perder toda su fortuna de un plumazo y más cuando ahora las autoridades fiscales se han puesto más duras con respecto a fiscalizar el pago de impuesto de la gente, mientras los chicos disfrutan de vivir su vida como siempre lo hace la gente joven y más gente que está empezando a disfrutar de las altas y bajas de la vida adulta para darse cuenta de que esta vida tiende a ser mucho más dura que lo que piensan en primer lugar, bueno amigos, disfruten el dibujo y nos vemos

Hugo, Paco y Luis (C) Walt Disney Animation Studios

English

Hello friends, how are you? I hope you are well friends, good friends, here is a new drawing and I present a trio of characters belonging to the Disney universe and who are doing an activity that the boys like to do together and that when they are not involved in different adventures and must find various treasures to increase the fortune of their beloved uncle, they are doing typical activities of a young adult who takes advantage of his free time after his university studies and performs various activities not only to catch up day with the tastes and preferences of people their age, but also have something to have for themselves and thus, enjoy their favorite things to discover those little tastes they have and that makes each boy different from each other, Well friends, without further ado, I present Huey, Dewey and Louiey Watching TV on a Quiet Day at Uncle Scrouge McDuck House

Here we see the trio of ducks sitting down on the sofa and it is observed that instead of watching television to search for the television channel that most attracts their attention and with that, watch the movie that they like the most of those that are happening on television, they decide to open the application that opens the smart programs that allow the television to be used to be able to watch Internet videos, use streaming services, listen to the radio and play video games on their favorite consoles, seeing that they have their own network services for the consoles in question and that after a long time discussing what they are going to do first, they decide to start watching series and for this they decide to use the Duckflix streaming service and wait for the series they want to see to start appearing on their screens and with that, spend a long time marathoning series, while they wait for their dear uncles to return from their adventures and with that, being able to know about the things they have been able to know and enjoy and see r if they have brought some valuable treasure that will further increase the fortune of their dear uncle, in addition to being able to give some free time so that their angry uncle is not so angry

Well friends, I hope you like it, seeing that it had been a long time since I drew these guys and that I wanted to do it at an angle where you can not only see what they are seeing, but also see one of those massive televisions that his billionaire uncle likes to spend when he wants to get rid of part of his vast fortune so as not to have to pay large sums of money in taxes, but that he does it in legal ways to avoid losing his entire fortune at a stroke of the pen and more so when now the authorities Prosecutors have gotten tougher about scrutinizing people's tax payments, while kids enjoy living their lives as young people always do, and more people who are starting to enjoy the ups and downs of adult life to realize that this life tends to be much harder than what you think in the first place, well friends, enjoy the drawing and see you

Huey, Dewey and Louie (C) Walt Disney Animation Studios

#Huey_Dewey_and_Louie #Grown_up_Ducks #Having_a_Calm_Day #Watch_Their_Favourite_Series #The_Advantages_of_Have_A_Multimllionaire_Uncle

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itsabbypowell-blog · 6 years ago

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Viaga, Levitra, Cialis, Loss Of Vision, Blurry Vision, NAION, HELP..

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