#fraud and corruption everywhere

[tetheredbysin]

just saw someone defend their favorite f1 driver with "well, the rules are the same for everyone".

my sweet summer child, no. it's the exact opposite. f1 is notorious for the rules not being the same for everyone.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

MIT libraries are thriving without Elsevier

I'm coming to BURNING MAN! On TUESDAY (Aug 27) at 1PM, I'm giving a talk called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE!" at PALENQUE NORTE (7&E). On WEDNESDAY (Aug 28) at NOON, I'm doing a "Talking Caterpillar" Q&A at LIMINAL LABS (830&C).

Once you learn about the "collective action problem," you start seeing it everywhere. Democrats – including elected officials – all wanted Biden to step down, but none of them wanted to be the first one to take a firm stand, so for months, his campaign limped on: a collective action problem.

Patent trolls use bullshit patents to shake down small businesses, demanding "license fees" that are high, but much lower than the cost of challenging the patent and getting it revoked. Collectively, it would be much cheaper for all the victims to band together and hire a fancy law firm to invalidate the patent, but individually, it makes sense for them all to pay. A collective action problem:

https://locusmag.com/2013/11/cory-doctorow-collective-action/

Musicians get royally screwed by Spotify. Collectively, it would make sense for all of them to boycott the platform, which would bring it to its knees and either make it pay more or put it out of business. Individually, any musician who pulls out of Spotify disappears from the horizon of most music fans, so they all hang in – a collective action problem:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/21/off-the-menu/#universally-loathed

Same goes for the businesses that get fucked out of 30% of their app revenues by Apple and Google's mobile business. Without all those apps, Apple and Google wouldn't have a business, but any single app that pulls out commits commercial suicide, so they all hang in there, paying a 30% vig:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/15/private-law/#thirty-percent-vig

That's also the case with Amazon sellers, who get rooked for 45-51 cents out of every dollar in platform junk fees, and whose prize for succeeding despite this is to have their product cloned by Amazon, which underprices them because it doesn't have to pay a 51% rake on every sale. Without third-party sellers there'd be no Amazon, but it's impossible to get millions of sellers to all pull out at once, so the Bezos crime family scoops up half of the ecommerce economy in bullshit fees:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

This is why one definition of "corruption" is a system with "concentrated gains and diffuse losses." The company that dumps toxic waste in your water supply reaps all the profits of externalizing its waste disposal costs. The people it poisons each bear a fraction of the cost of being poisoned. The environmental criminal has a fat warchest of ill-gotten gains to use to bribe officials and pay fancy lawyers to defend it in court. Its victims are each struggling with the health effects of the crimes, and even without that, they can't possibly match the polluter's resources. Eventually, the polluter spends enough money to convince the Supreme Court to overturn "Chevron deference" and makes it effectively impossible to win the right to clean water and air (or a planet that's not on fire):

https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/us-supreme-courts-chevron-deference-ruling-will-disrupt-climate-policy

Any time you encounter a shitty, outrageous racket that's stable over long timescales, chances are you're looking at a collective action problem. Certainly, that's the underlying pathology that preserves the scholarly publishing scam, which is one of the most grotesque, wasteful, disgusting frauds in our modern world (and that's saying something, because the field is crowded with many contenders).

Here's how the scholarly publishing scam works: academics do original scholarly research, funded by a mix of private grants, public funding, funding from their universities and other institutions, and private funds. These academics write up their funding and send it to a scholarly journal, usually one that's owned by a small number of firms that formed a scholarly publishing cartel by buying all the smaller publishers in a string of anticompetitive acquisitions. Then, other scholars review the submission, for free. More unpaid scholars do the work of editing the paper. The paper's author is sent a non-negotiable contract that requires them to permanently assign their copyright to the journal, again, for free. Finally, the paper is published, and the institution that paid the researcher to do the original research has to pay again – sometimes tens of thousands of dollars per year! – for the journal in which it appears.

The academic publishing cartel insists that the millions it extracts from academic institutions and the billions it reaps in profit are all in service to serving as neutral, rigorous gatekeepers who ensure that only the best scholarship makes it into print. This is flatly untrue. The "editorial process" the academic publishers take credit for is virtually nonexistent: almost everything they publish is virtually unchanged from the final submission format. They're not even typesetting the paper:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00799-018-0234-1

The vetting process for peer-review is a joke. Literally: an Australian academic managed to get his dog appointed to the editorial boards of seven journals:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/olivia-doll-predatory-journals

Far from guarding scientific publishing from scams and nonsense, the major journal publishers have stood up entire divisions devoted to pay-to-publish junk science. Elsevier – the largest scholarly publisher – operated a business unit that offered to publish fake journals full of unreveiwed "advertorial" papers written by pharma companies, packaged to look like a real journal:

https://web.archive.org/web/20090504075453/http://blog.bioethics.net/2009/05/merck-makes-phony-peerreview-journal/

Naturally, academics and their institutions hate this system. Not only is it purely parasitic on their labor, it also serves as a massive brake on scholarly progress, by excluding independent researchers, academics at small institutions, and scholars living in the global south from accessing the work of their peers. The publishers enforce this exclusion without mercy or proportion. Take Diego Gomez, a Colombian Masters candidate who faced eight years in prison for accessing a single paywalled academic paper:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/07/colombian-student-faces-prison-charges-sharing-academic-article-online

And of course, there's Aaron Swartz, the young activist and Harvard-affiliated computer scientist who was hounded to death after he accessed – but did not publish – papers from MIT's JSTOR library. Aaron had permission to access these papers, but JSTOR, MIT, and the prosecutors Stephen Heymann and Carmen Ortiz argued that because he used a small computer program to access the papers (rather than clicking on each link by hand) he had committed 13 felonies. They threatened him with more than 30 years in prison, and drew out the proceedings until Aaron was out of funds. Aaron hanged himself in 2013:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

Academics know all this terrible stuff is going on, but they are trapped in a collective action problem. For an academic to advance in their field, they have to publish, and they have to get their work cited. Academics all try to publish in the big prestige journals – which also come with the highest price-tag for their institutions – because those are the journals other academics read, which means that getting published is top journal increases the likelihood that another academic will find and cite your work.

If academics could all agree to prioritize other journals for reading, then they could also prioritize other journals for submissions. If they could all prioritize other journals for submissions, they could all prioritize other journals for reading. Instead, they all hold one another hostage, through a wicked collective action problem that holds back science, starves their institutions of funding, and puts their colleagues at risk of imprisonment.

Despite this structural barrier, academics have fought tirelessly to escape the event horizon of scholarly publishing's monopoly black hole. They avidly supported "open access" publishers (most notably PLoS), and while these publishers carved out pockets for free-to-access, high quality work, the scholarly publishing cartel struck back with package deals that bundled their predatory "open access" journals in with their traditional journals. Academics had to pay twice for these journals: first, their institutions paid for the package that included them, then the scholars had to pay open access submission fees meant to cover the costs of editing, formatting, etc – all that stuff that basically doesn't exist.

Academics started putting "preprints" of their work on the web, and for a while, it looked like the big preprint archive sites could mount a credible challenge to the scholarly publishing cartel. So the cartel members bought the preprint sites, as when Elsevier bought out SSRN:

https://www.techdirt.com/2016/05/17/disappointing-elsevier-buys-open-access-academic-pre-publisher-ssrn/

Academics were elated in 2011, when Alexandra Elbakyan founded Sci-Hub, a shadow library that aims to make the entire corpus of scholarly work available without barrier, fear or favor:

https://sci-hub.ru/alexandra

Sci-Hub neutralized much of the collective action trap: once an article was available on Sci-Hub, it became much easier for other scholars to locate and cite, which reduced the case for paying for, or publishing in, the cartel's journals:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.14979

The scholarly publishing cartel fought back viciously, suing Elbakyan and Sci-Hub for tens of millions of dollars. Elsevier targeted prepress sites like academia.edu with copyright threats, ordering them to remove scholarly papers that linked to Sci-Hub:

https://svpow.com/2013/12/06/elsevier-is-taking-down-papers-from-academia-edu/

This was extremely (if darkly) funny, because Elsevier's own publications are full of citations to Sci-Hub:

https://eve.gd/2019/08/03/elsevier-threatens-others-for-linking-to-sci-hub-but-does-it-itself/

Meanwhile, scholars kept the pressure up. Tens of thousands of scholars pledged to stop submitting their work to Elsevier:

http://thecostofknowledge.com/

Academics at the very tops of their fields publicly resigned from the editorial board of leading Elsevier journals, and published editorials calling the Elsevier model unethical:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/may/16/system-profit-access-research

And the New Scientist called the racket "indefensible," decrying the it as an industry that made restricting access to knowledge "more profitable than oil":

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032052-900-time-to-break-academic-publishings-stranglehold-on-research/

But the real progress came when academics convinced their institutions, rather than one another, to do something about these predator publishers. First came funders, private and public, who announced that they would only fund open access work:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06178-7

Winning over major funders cleared the way for open access advocates worked both the supply-side and the buy-side. In 2019, the entire University of California system announced it would be cutting all of its Elsevier subscriptions:

https://www.science.org/content/article/university-california-boycotts-publishing-giant-elsevier-over-journal-costs-and-open

Emboldened by the UC system's principled action, MIT followed suit in 2020, announcing that it would no longer send $2m every year to Elsevier:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/12/digital-feudalism/#nerdfight

It's been four years since MIT's decision to boycott Elsevier, and things are going great. The open access consortium SPARC just published a stocktaking of MIT libraries without Elsevier:

https://sparcopen.org/our-work/big-deal-knowledge-base/unbundling-profiles/mit-libraries/

How are MIT's academics getting by without Elsevier in the stacks? Just fine. If someone at MIT needs access to an Elsevier paper, they can usually access it by asking the researchers to email it to them, or by downloading it from the researcher's site or a prepress archive. When that fails, there's interlibrary loan, whereby other libraries will send articles to MIT's libraries within a day or two. For more pressing needs, the library buys access to individual papers through an on-demand service.

This is how things were predicted to go. The libraries used their own circulation data and the webservice Unsub to figure out what they were likely to lose by dropping Elsevier – it wasn't much!

https://unsub.org/

The MIT story shows how to break a collective action problem – through collective action! Individual scholarly boycotts did little to hurt Elsevier. Large-scale organized boycotts raised awareness, but Elsevier trundled on. Sci-Hub scared the shit out of Elsevier and raised awareness even further, but Elsevier had untold millions to spend on a campaign of legal terror against Sci-Hub and Elbakyan. But all of that, combined with high-profile defections, made it impossible for the big institutions to ignore the issue, and the funders joined the fight. Once the funders were on-side, the academic institutions could be dragged into the fight, too.

Now, Elsevier – and the cartel – is in serious danger. Automated tools – like the Authors Alliance termination of transfer tool – lets academics get the copyright to their papers back from the big journals so they can make them open access:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/26/take-it-back/

Unimaginably vast indices of all scholarly publishing serve as important adjuncts to direct access shadow libraries like Sci-Hub:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/28/clintons-ghost/#cornucopia-concordance

Collective action problems are never easy to solve, but they're impossible to address through atomized, individual action. It's only when we act as a collective that we can defeat the corruption – the concentrated gains and diffuse losses – that allow greedy, unscrupulous corporations to steal from us, wreck our lives and even imprison us.

Community voting for SXSW is live! If you wanna hear RIDA QADRI and me talk about how GIG WORKERS can DISENSHITTIFY their jobs with INTEROPERABILITY, VOTE FOR THIS ONE!

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/2024/08/16/the-public-sphere/#not-the-elsevier

[ikealoki]

old order headshots + headcanons because hell yeah

i dont really have a hc for soren but the idea od him being missing is so interesting. its confirmed that ivor (and harper?) were on a mission to find him but obviously havent. the easiest answer is he went back to the end, but thats obvious meaning he/they probably looked there and he clearly isnt since they havent found him. so where the hell is he? theres no chance that hes in the portal network because of jesse being in posession of the flint and steel and hed have to way to get around without it, but considering hes a master builder and knew where ivors lab and enchantments are maybe he made his own?? i dunno. but its interesting. i wish that if there ever is a season 3 (highly doubt) we’ll get some closure on him. the only reason he wasnt in s2 is because the team said they wanted new characters, but considering how sparse soren was i feel like it couldve worked. but like i said i really want to know where he actually went and how his books got everywhere, its a fun concept.

gabriel!!! i dont know why he doesnt get more love hes amazing. but id like to think he lives near beacon town, not near enough to know about the admin shit but near enough to where jesse could get to him if hes needed without it being a whole ass journey. i think hed like to be more involved but feels too much guilt about the old order’s actions and feels like a fraud despite the fact that he is actually capable.

ellie my beloved. i understand any and all soregaard shipping but i like to think of them as having a sibling dynamic, like ellegaard has the older sister role whos exhausted by his “quirks” but will defend him with her life if anyone was judgemental. nerd club!!! also i feel like theres like a really intricate baroque style painting of her somewhere, maybe soren made it and its tucked away somewhere in his base. i know thats oddly specific. but it just feels right.

magnus!! (this is the one im most proud of)

i dont have many thoughts about him but i think hes bald on purpose. like his hair is too much of a fire hazard and his paranoia drives him to shave it off, even though he has his stupid ass fishbowl helmet its his way of staying on guard.

ivor!! this one isnt actually done because the filed corrupted while i eas working on it :( so i just did final editing on a separate application after screenshotting what i could

but as for hcs id like to think if he ever did/does find soren that hed encourage his work with endermen after learning what he was really doing. maybe making enchantments or potions to help him work among the endermen more freely or things like that. id ljke to imagine thered be an instance where jesse would have to go to the end for something and among the end cities theres a little cottage style structure and ivor and soren are just in there sharing their recent adventures over tea or slow dancing to one of sorens records. theyre in love JUST TRUST ME PLEA

and thats it! if u want to use any for anything feel free jusg credit meeee @ ikealoki 🗿

[jeffrey-anderson]

Gotham City's Reliance on Playboy-Billionaire Bruce Wayne

Playboy, billionaire, philanthropist. Bruce Wayne - or Brucie, as those who read the Gotham Gazette may know him by - is a common sight in Gotham newspapers. For good or for bad, he will be there. Some recent headlines (pictures attached) that Wayne has found himself at the forefront of would be a shock if it were anybody else, but since it’s Gotham City’s favourite wealthman, nobody bats an eye.

See this? Apparently - according to search statistics from Gotham City - this charity is nothing to applaud. 

Here in Gotham, I’ve noticed we seem to have this thing about normalizing things that would be otherwise insane in other places - of course, I can’t speak without being a hypocrite. As a Gothamite myself, it’s much too frequently that I find myself irritated instead of horrified that there’s been an explosion on a subway line, exasperated instead of aghast that man-bats are delaying the buses. But I digress.

In the first newspaper headline I’ve included, we can see Wayne’s incredibly generous donation to Klimate and Kryptonite, a charity dedicated to areas affected ecologically by aliens or other space matter. Everywhere else - anyone else - this 1.5 million donation would have caused a ripple of turning heads and discussion about change. But on that Sunday? Nothing. Nada. Bruce Wayne’s support of our city’s ecosystem is deep-seated - and far too little talked about. If you’ve ever been to a hospital here in Gotham (I’m assuming you have, we have the highest mugging rates in the USA) you’d notice that there is a distinctive ‘W’ logo on almost every piece of medical equipment in the hospital. Yep, that’s him again. Wayne Biotech plays a fairly large piece in supplying medical equipment at prices cheaper than most competitors - because as the man said himself, ‘healthcare should be affordable if not free’. 

Take a step back for a second and picture Gotham without Bruce Wayne. Medical prices would be sky-high; innocent citizens would be in crippling debt over minor accidents, unable to leave poverty. The waterways and skies would be clogged with even more trash than there already is. Buildings destroyed by terrorists like the Joker would take at least three times as long to rebuild.

This leads me to my next point. Why are our actual city officials not doing anything?

Yeah, you already know the answer. Corruption. 

In the last three years, six highly-ranking members of either the GCPD or the city government were fined or arrested for misuse of funds, money laundering or taking bribes. The rampant fraud that is occurring among the people we are meant to trust with our city creates a power vacuum that is only filled by crime. Yes, the Wayne Foundation (and Wayne’s parents’ charities, the Thomas and Martha Wayne Foundation respectively) are doing tremendous amounts of work to help provide free healthcare and shelter while simultaneously countering social issues. It’s good, of course, but doesn’t anybody get the feeling that maybe our government-sanctioned officials should be the ones fixing these problems, not charities?

Crime is running rampant, and our political leaders are too lazy and too compliant to respond.

We need to make a push for change. Protest (in ways that are helpful, not harmful - we don’t need another supervillain running around Gotham trying to ‘help’) for our rights to have honest authorities. Talk about the change you want to see in our city, and spread the word. We are no longer standing by for lazy and corrupt government officials to do what they want with Gotham. We can no longer stay stagnant.

-Jeffrey Anderson

[caffernnn]

Hey idk if you'd be interested but free! Heist AU

Rin - the mastermind

Rin inherited this business from his late father who was secretly running this organization. He is a driven and charismatic leader who only has eyes looking forward to achieve the next goal. He is an intelligent planner who makes sure his heists are perfect and foolproof, and that he is equipped with the best items and personnel for the job. He will not hesitate to use other people to achieve his goals, and views everyone as a stepping stone for success (unless he takes a really strong liking to you and deems you indispensable). He can be very persuasive with his words, with very provoking offers that you can't help but bite and get baited. But he also be very scary and intimidating, and he's very skilled in a lot of things related to his chosen career. He's a strong hand-to-hand fighter, as well as with quite a few weapons, like a handgun and a knife. He leads the operations and he rarely backs down from a fight.

Haru - the fraud

He can copy any item that is presented before him. Penstroke or brushstroke, he can forge or falsify anything on paper created by the human hand. He can recreate any material, and replicate it 100 times more. He has made a living creating and selling fake copies of expensive items, and their authenticity (or rather, the lack of) is rarely discovered. He takes pride in his craft, which he uses to support his best friend and long-time boyfriend's college education and home expenses.

Makoto - the conman

Haru's boyfriend. He can charm people into agreeing with what he says and making them do what he wants to. He knows how to read people like open books, and therefore knows everything that will make people tick and click. He puts up a facade of kindness that creates a false security, making people fall for his words even deeper. They think everything he says is for their own benefit.

He actually has been working with Haru for a long time now, with him selling the counterfeits Haru manufactures. This is how they met Rin, when they sold him something fake and it took Rin a long time to discover that he was astonished.

Rei - the hacker

A computer genius with too much time on his hands, Rei delved deep into computer technology. There is no digital system he can't hijack. His application to a university got rejected after an academic rival sabotaged his chances, and while taking a gap year, fell too deep into tinkering computer programs, codes, wires, and other gadgets. He exposed corruption of several huge academic bodies under anonymous accounts and became a target under hiding. Rin was able to track him and took him under his wing for his service in exchange for protection.

Nagisa - the moneymaker

He's the guy who helps Rin earn his funds, albeit by using unconventional means. He's the greatest thief in the team, being able to steal anything; from pickpocketing a stranger's wallet to infiltrating a heavily-guarded jewel and running away with it. He's also an amazing gambler and bluffer and is able to earn money by betting against people he meets. He ran away from home and made a living on the streets by himself and that's how Rin found him.

Gou - the secretary

Rin's sister whos only in it as a promise to her father to keep an eye on Rin and make sure he stays away from harm. She handles all the internal affairs and logistics of the team, such as record keeping and accounting. She rarely goes out for a mission, unless the team needs a femme fatale to bait a client for her to use her seduction skills on. She can take care of herself, with some fighting moves under her belt and equipped with the skill of using everyday objects as weapons. Yes, she has crippled a man for life with nothing but a clutch purse and her heels.

Kisumi - the backer

This guy has connections everywhere. He knows everyone from everything and therefore is always able to pull several strings whenever Rin is in a pinch. Need a man in Guatemala? He got you covered. Need a guy with a ship? He knows one. Need 25 billion yen? Oddly enough, someone owes him that exact amount. Do not make an enemy out of him. Be his friend! Just like what Rin did with him!

Asahi - the grease monkey

He's a dropout from automotive school after his sister's shop went bankrupt and he can no longer pay for his tuition. Equipped with only a rundown mechanic shop and a dream, he studied automotive all on his own and was discovered by Kisumi when he repaired his car that no one should be able to when it broke down in the middle of nowhere (the nowhere being Asahi's rural town where he is the only mechanic). There is no machine he can't disassemble and reassemble at the same breath. He can fix, modify, customize, and redesign any vehicle with his mechanic skills that the team thinks he could create the next ultimate war weapon if left unchecked.

Hiyori - the chameleon

He can transform into anyone at the blink of an eye. Being a master of deception, he is able to imitate a person's body language, movement, personality, speech pattern, etc. which allows him to turn into a completely different person. With each transformation, he is able to completely erase traces of his former self. Combined with skill in disguise and makeup application, he is the best spy the team could offer. No one knows if they have seen his true face or personality, nor does anyone know of Hiyori's lonely past and desire to be wanted and accepted. Is that his real face? His real self? His real name? Who knows...

Ikuya - the stalker

He can tail a person without letting his presence be detected whatsoever. His attachment issues with his younger, who is a free spirit roaming around the world and tried his best to shake him off of him led him to develop his stalking tendencies. Anywhere his brother goes, he was able to follow. He can bypass any security, any lock system, and no one would be able to detect. He can get in anywhere, even places people wouldn't be able to get into. Lock him, bind him, imprison him, and he will escape. He can follow anyone to the depths of the earth, to the most hidden corner of the planet. He can find anything you need, person or item. When he locks onto a target, he is unstoppable, and no one knows how he is able to achieve these feats. The only way he found out about Rin's team and got recruited was because he followed Natsuya and broke into the hideout. Rin was impressed and recruited him along with his brother.

Sousuke - the wheelman

Rins best friend and very first member of the team. He was the original partner in crime and his job was to take Rin wherever he needed to be. He can drive any vehicle from practice because of his background. He comes from a rich family and has experience driving several vehicles, using his father's money to enjoy the luxury. He was an up and coming car racer but an accident hindered his chances of becoming a pro, so he ran away from his high status lifestyle to join Rin in his adventures (and to try pursue romance with him but really, he hasn't gotten far with his attempts with him yet).

Can he pilot a plane? Yes. Can he man a ship? Yes. Can he drive a van with one arm while shooting his pursuers with the other? Yes. Can he go around the city without getting lost all by himself? No. His only weakness? His lack of sense of direction.

Natsuya - the navigator

He knows everything about everywhere because of his experiences travelling to a lot of different places. He knows every nook and cranny of every town,  village or city and knows how to get around either through the fastest, safest, or easiest way. He knows a lot of things about different buildings as well. He knows the layout of his target's places inside and out. He's an experienced thief like Nagisa, and he usually comes with Rin during infiltration and most of the time works as Sousuke's navigator when he's on the wheel. He's also an excellent shotgun rider, with an excellent aim when shooting from his seat.

Nao - the intel

The only person better than Makoto at reading people. He has a weird ability to know a person's nature and tendency just from a single look, and from there formulate a strategy on how to deal with them. He always submits his reports with extensive personal profiles of their targets and no one knows how he manages to get his hands on these data. Only joined the team after quitting his job of being a corporate worker to keep an eye on Natsuya.

Nitori - the contingency

One of Rin's most trusted subordinates. Rin may be the one planning everything, but not everything goes according to plan. And that's where he comes in. He has backup plans for everything, in case anything that can go wrong, goes wrong. Most of the time his anxiety induced overthinking is useless when things go smooth, but it has definitely saved Rin's ass several times when he got cornered into a pinch. Years of being a victim of bullying made him good in "thinking of what it do in case something goes wrong", but he doesn't like to talk about that. Not when Rin had already saved him from that nightmare of a past.

Momo - the inside job

He works at a media company in charge of delivering headline news. Indebted to Rin for freeing his brother out of prison, his role is to receive intel from a more stable source, and whatever data he receives from the journalists he delivers to the team. He is also responsible for covering up their heists and making sure that none of their activities make it to the public.

Do not let the childish demeanor fool you, he is the brother of a convict and is trained in combat as well. Journalists have many enemies, and he will not hesitate to pull out and shoot when he deems you as a threat.

Sei - the combat master

Rin's most trusted soldier. An ex-military who got suspended for "unknown reasons", he is an expert in several martial arts styles from around the world, and is very skilled in fighting either barehanded or with weapons. He can fight people way above his weight class. He is trained in using all sorts of weapons, from knives in close-range combat to snipe shooting. Rin recruited him after helping him escape from prison because he greatly needed his talents, and he refuses to let him go to waste and just rot locked up in confinement.

Loooove a crime ring or heist AU 😈 a whole bunch of potential for different power dynamics and grey moralities and such. There’s a lot of fun character bits I’d love to hear more about as well 👀

- How much did Rin know about the company/ring/etc before he inherited it? How much did Gou know? I’m curious since it feels like some characters could’ve known Rin before he became a boss figure (Sousuke and Kisumi being the kids of family friends or allies, with their own varying degrees of awareness/involvement in the underground scheming). I’d be curious to see how the few people who are able to get close to Rin (more than an employer) see him take on the mantle, see him will himself into the mastermind by force — the talent is anything but natural, anything but easy, and there’s a reason he tends to put himself on the front lines in their missions despite being the figurehead they all probably can’t afford to lose (pride, obligation, control). I can see conflicts arising from him not stowing himself away with the other roles behind-the-scenes (Gou, Rei, etc) and focusing on management stuff (convening with the info/intel/PR roles to maintain face as a chairman or something). I can see that being a possible beef and debate between Rin and Haru, how Haru doesn’t understand why he would insist on being a part of the action so directly all the time (how he can manage to have any semblance of life/normalcy with his face/identity surely being tied to chaos in the underground scene at least), and Rin hitting Haru in a sore spot by saying something about “for a guy that cares about getting to have security, you sure don’t seem to mind that your boy puts his own hide on the line a lot. Why do you think Makoto does it?” (Something something, Haru trying to insist more than once over the years that Makoto doesn’t need to be involved in the con, versus Makoto’s stubborn “you can’t get rid of me that easy” smooth-talking. Haru hoping they can keep getting away with everything long enough for Makoto to get his degree and an above-board gig, while being acutely aware that each mission involves Makoto taking on more and more conning responsibilities and having less moments to breathe as his most earnest self. The shared struggle of them both making a living off of emulating other things [it’s never his own expression/art, it’s never Makoto’s own kindness/heart] and how that wears them down over time.)

- the Kirishimas of it all are interesting, especially with how Ikuya’s abilities make it sound like he’s versatile enough to be a powerhouse in his own right. Nat functions well with being the navigator for Ssk, and Ikuya and Nao following him into Rin’s ring makes sense, but I almost wonder… do you think Ikuya ever question’s being led by Rin? How his own skillset is versatile enough to compare to Rin’s hands-on leadership (both being honed by their own dedications and desperations to Do What They Have To), and that he might like, idk, impress his older brother and make him “proud” by trying to branch off with his own gang/group? As Hiyori gets attached to Ikuya (originally being an undercover genius and gradually morphing into Ikuya’s right hand man), and Ikuya develops enough connections over time within the company (naturally having pre-existing Nat/Nao connections, getting info from Kisumi, running into Asahi for a few things, etc), I’d be curious to see if they’d like, have a threat of a grand split, or he branches off technically within Rin’s company, but with his own kingpin/leadership type position. IDK, PLOT!!

- One thing I keep wondering is how many people are like, primarily goons under Rin’s thumb versus separate contacts that are seen on equal footing. Momo makes me wonder how much he really gets to know about any of the missions before they happen, rather than being a mostly-removed guy in reporting that Nitori or one of the sweet-talkers convenes with from time-to-time to ensure they get cover stories done. How much does Asahi get involved; does he know much more beyond Kisumi and Rin being wealthy repeat customers who come to him with odd requests he doesn’t ask questions about? So many paths. They can all be called in when needed for the right mission or heist, but how many are still connected to Rin in the in-between? How many have debts or are on payroll, and how many could refuse if the price wasn’t right? Extra little dynamic stuff that could make things ~juicy~.

- (no coherent last notes. Just thinkin about ssk and all the ways he could have lasting disabilities from the incident/injury that took him out of the racing circuit. The possibility of Rin knowing him as a rich boy family friend before the incident and having some sense of closeness that makes him wonder sometimes how selfish it was to invite him in to a more underhanded world full-time. Ssk paralleling Makoto in how he goes from “I’m here because you’re here” with one notable skill/role that develops over time to being more risky and involved. Rin being so used to the noise and chaos at this point that it takes a moment of seeing Sousuke on a Bad Pain Day between missions to remember how human they all are, or have that “why didn’t you tell me you were worn down” talk that makes him realize how far ssk is willing to go simply because Rin’s the one asking. Classic sourins)

[emma23]

Unmasking Suburbicon:

Bud Cooper x reader

Setting: Suburbicon, a seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood, during the events of the film. Bud Cooper is an insurance claims investigator drawn into the dark underbelly of the community. You, a new resident, find yourself entangled in the chaos.

————————————————————————

You moved into Suburbicon, hoping for a fresh start. The neighborhood was picture-perfect, but something felt off. As you unpacked boxes in your new home, you noticed a man observing you from a distance. He was well-dressed, carrying a briefcase, and seemed out of place.

"Hello!" you called out, waving.

He nodded and approached. "Good morning. I'm Bud Cooper, with North Ward Insurance."

"Nice to meet you, Bud. I'm Y/N," you replied. "Just moved in."

"Welcome to Suburbicon," Bud said, a hint of concern in his eyes. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," you said, smiling. "I might take you up on that."

————————————————————————

A few days later, you were surprised to see Bud knocking on your door.

"Hi, Bud. Everything okay?" you asked.

He looked serious. "I need to ask you a few questions about your new insurance policy and the neighborhood. Is that alright?"

"Sure," you said, inviting him in. "What do you need to know?"

Bud took out a notepad. "Have you noticed anything unusual or suspicious since you moved in?"

"Not really," you said, thinking back. "Just the usual settling in. Why do you ask?"

Bud hesitated. "There have been some incidents in the area. I’m just being thorough."

————————————————————————

Over the next few weeks, you saw Bud frequently around the neighborhood, always observing, taking notes. One evening, you caught him in a heated conversation with Gardner Lodge, one of your neighbors.

"Is everything alright?" you asked Bud after Gardner stormed off.

Bud sighed, rubbing his temples. "Just part of the job. Mr. Lodge’s claims don’t add up, and there’s more going on here than meets the eye."

"Like what?" you asked, curious.

Bud looked around before speaking quietly. "I think there’s something sinister happening. Stay alert and keep your doors locked."

————————————————————————

One night, you were jolted awake by the sound of breaking glass. You crept downstairs to find Bud in your living room, looking disheveled and frantic.

"Bud! What’s going on?" you whispered.

"I need your help," he said urgently. "The Lodges are involved in something dangerous. I’ve been gathering evidence, but they’re onto me."

"Why come to me?" you asked, heart racing.

"Because I trust you," Bud replied. "And I need somewhere to hide until I can get this to the authorities."

————————————————————————

You and Bud spent the night going through his findings. The evidence painted a dark picture of corruption and crime, implicating the Lodges in insurance fraud and worse.

"We need to get this to the police," you said, feeling a mix of fear and determination.

Bud nodded. "But we have to be careful. They have connections everywhere."

Just as you were about to leave, the door burst open, and Gardner Lodge stood there with a gun.

"Going somewhere?" Gardner sneered.

————————————————————————

Bud stepped in front of you, shielding you from Gardner. "This ends now, Gardner. The police are on their way."

Gardner laughed. "You think they’ll believe you? I own this town."

"We have proof," you said, holding up the documents. "It’s over."

Gardner’s eyes flickered with fear, but he quickly masked it. "Hand it over, and maybe I’ll let you live."

Suddenly, sirens wailed in the distance. Gardner’s face twisted in rage as he realized he was out of time.

"You haven’t won," Gardner spat as he backed away.

"We’ll see about that," Bud replied, his voice steady.

As the police arrived, Gardner fled, but it was clear his reign of terror was ending. You and Bud handed over the evidence, and the authorities began to dismantle the criminal network within Suburbicon.

————————————————————————

In the aftermath, Suburbicon slowly returned to a semblance of normalcy. The truth about the Lodges came to light, and justice was served. You and Bud found solace in each other, having forged a deep connection through the chaos.

One evening, as you sat on your porch, Bud turned to you.

"Thank you for standing by me," he said quietly.

"Always," you replied, taking his hand.

Bud looked into your eyes, his expression softening. "I've been through a lot in this job, but meeting you... it made everything worth it."

Your heart fluttered. "Bud, I feel the same way."

He leaned in closer, his breath warm against your cheek. "I don't know what the future holds, but I want you to be part of it."

Tears welled in your eyes as you smiled. "I'd like that."

Bud gently cupped your face, his thumb brushing away a tear. "You're incredible, you know that?"

"And you're pretty amazing yourself, Mr. Cooper," you teased.

He chuckled softly, then leaned in, pressing his lips to yours in a tender, heartfelt kiss. It was a kiss that promised a future together, free from the shadows of Suburbicon.

With the sunset painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, you knew that whatever came next, you and Bud would face it together, hand in hand.

[galerymod]

A country for old men.

Who would have thought that you would call a coup after a regular election and not be imprisoned or even shot! No, instead you get to reach for power again and stand for election.

Just imagine if the film hero had instigated a coup d'état based on his ability to lie constantly, sexism was his daily business and deception and fraud his modus operandi coupled with homophobia and racist insinuations. Think the film would be a flop..... but wow in reality no problem.

What is wrong in a country when the poor and religious people believe that the devil's right hand is the saviour?

mod

This type of leader appears everywhere in history and is always extremely destructive",

Do not sin when you become angry! The sun must not set on your anger! Give the devil no place in you!

Ephesians 4:26-27

Because, of course, Satan does not arrive "in person". He has his servants - and they can use wise words - mixed with a little bit of poison. And already their whole message is poisoned! Again, it was the apparent wisdom of the Corinthians that made them impervious to these attacks from the devil. They honoured people as apostles who were in reality false workers, false apostles, servants of the devil. If they had exchanged the wisdom of this world for the wisdom of God, they would have remained "simple-minded towards Christ". And that alone would have preserved them, because they would have recognised that Satan looked like an angel of light on the outside, but that the voice of the good shepherd did not speak from him. In truth, this light is darkness - and corrupts our attitude, our thoughts and our way of life.

I find it fascinating that the basic attitude towards alternative lifestyles of religious people in American society drives them right into the hands of the servants.

[mojave-pete]

ONE OF THE MANY THINGS I HAVE DONE AS PRESIDENT, & THEREAFTER, IS TO EXPOSE THE MASSIVE CORRUPTION & FRAUD THAT TAKES PLACE ON A REGULAR BASIS WITHIN THE USA. LOOK HOW CORRUPT THE DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE HAS TURNED OUT TO BE…& THE FBI, WITH FISA, TWITTER FILES, LIES TO CONGRESS (AND EVERYWHERE), THE LAPTOP FROM HELL, FACEBOOK, THE TOP AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX JUST BEING ARRESTED, THE “INSURANCE POLICY” & 51 INTEL AGENTS SCAM…I EXPOSED IT ALL, & I WILL CLEAN IT UP. MAGA!

Donald Trump

[scott1984fp]

No Fraud, No Corruption, No Counterfeits, No Copyright Rules Or Laws Broken 💔

@Zuck @Mosseri @Meta @Threads @Instagram @WhatsApp @FaceBook ,

Zionsim Stranglehold On Freedoms, Free Speech,

Someone's Opinions/Views Aren't Automatic Facts, Evidence, Proof, & Its An Opinion Based On Experiences,

I @Scott1984FP ,Will Share Everywhere Now @CentralBylines @BylineTimes @DoubleDownNews @Channel4News @Mike_Galsworthy @ViceNews @ViceUk @UnitedNationsHumanRights @EuropeanCommission @NATO @apnews

[anxresi]

New idea for a story!! 🤩

A foul invader from another realm called ‘Zoe’ (Note: probably NOT their real name) has landed on the scene in Paris, France, Earth and is quickly convincing all the residents they’re the best thing since sliced bread, and is making them act OOC… to the extreme!! No-one knows what’s causing this strange malady in the regular citizens, whether it be hypnotism, psychedelic drugs or terrible writing, but it seems to have a particularly potent effect on corrupt mayors, baker’s daughters and magical felines. Oh, who can save us from this pink-hair skunk-striped menace?

Enter one Chloe Bourgeois, natural nemesis of this unwelcome alien and the true savior we need but don’t really deserve. She can see through the half-assed attempt at a sympathetic backstory. Notices that someone turning up in her fair city and making friends with literally EVERYONE overnight is completely irrational. Realizes that giving a Miraculous to a complete stranger about a DAY after meeting them is the very epitome of stupidity. Normal, intelligent people wouldn’t act like this… right? So this is her job, nay… her TRUE DESTINY. To expose this brainwashing fraud and expose them as the pathetic sham they truly are.

But relentless Zoe hasn’t planned to take over Paris, and (maybe) later the entire world for millennia for nothing! They counterattack by planting the seed in everyone’s head that they’re Chloe’s sister, even though they were never mentioned before yesterday. They plan to steal EVERYTHING from Chloe… her family, her friends, her agency … even her very identity is at stake.

And as powerful as Chloe is, she can feel her will slowly bending to the evil machinations of this soul-snatching monster: to forget who she once was, to delete from her memory all signs of a promising redemption arc, to completely give into her worst impulses and become a zero-dimensional character who’s solitary goal is to do things for the evilz. There’s even a chance she might end up imprisoned by her brutal and pitiless mother by the time this is all over, truly a fate worst than death…

Can she resist the seductive wiles of this cunning interloper and their goofy sidekick, the potbellied Gaul otherwise known as Asstruck? Only time will tell…

And it is to be hoped, for the sake of all man (and woman) kind, the sanity of the nation as a whole and as a representative of decent TV shows everywhere, she succeeds. ❤️

[float-me-now]

Kinda pissed that my country's stupid fascist government proclaimed national mourning and organized a state funeral for B*rlusconi.

Friendly reminder that this shit stain was the one of the biggest force behind Italy's downfall from the past 30-40 years up to these days.

He was a complete criminal and there's even a Wikipedia page about all his trials and allegations (the Italian one is even longer), among which there are corruption, tax fraud, mafia, money laundering, witness tampering, underage prostitution influences, perjury, bribery all while he was prime minister. He never spent one (1) day in jail because of ad-personam laws that his governments created to make it possible for him and his minions to be untouchable (statute of limitations, tax amnesties, wiretapping etc).

The piece of shit paved the way for using politics, people and state funds for his own interests in a way that was so blatant and shameless that now it is almost normal. He shoved his entrepreneurial interests everywhere, creating laws that were made especially to allow him and his business partners (yes, including the mafia) to do exactly whatever the fuck they want without any fear of repercussions because the judges had their hands tied. He normalized sacrifing people's money and lives for his own interests, gave 'fake news' a new meaning and invented the anti-communist narrative ('anyone who doesn't agree with me is a filthy communist'). The judges that were in charge of his numerous cases became 'persecutors' and he became a martyr, even when he was guilty, that is to say, 99.9% of the times. He made lying the default form of political communication and personal attacks and belittlement weapons to use against his opponents.

He tried to buy practically every means of communication and even now there are several tv channels and newspapers that are nothing but shameless, disgusting worshippers of this pathetic excuse for a man. Several free journalists that spoke against his regime and tried to investigate and bring out the truth were largely fired or isolated.

He made Italy the laughing stock of the world because of his affairs and his disgraceful words and behaviors towards other ministers during meetings and calls. He was friends with Putin.

I know he seems funny from the outside with all the bunga-bunga jokes and stuff, but this selfish, greedy, ruthless, self-entitled buffoon fucked my generation and many, many other generations of Italians.

Like fuck I'm mourning. I'm fucking happy he's dead and I'm only sorry that he didn't croak before. Tonight we celebrate, pals.

[mightyflamethrower]

You’ve no doubt seen a lot of discussion of the fact that, despite her manifest lack of qualifications, Claudine Gay got the big job at Harvard because she checked all the boxes: black, female, dedicated heart and soul to the vileness of DEI.

And that’s all true. Claudine Gay got that job running Harvard on the strength of identity politics and identity politics alone. This is a woman who is now under suspicion for some 40 allegations of plagiarism. Far from being the “distinguished scholar” she was advertised as, Gay is essentially a serial academic rapist. And Harvard, for having installed her atop its hierarchy, deserves to be deposed from the ranks of elite, or even noteworthy, universities.

Harvard has been utterly corrupted and defiled. It’s now an institution without honor or quality. Its reputation has been exposed as a fraud.

That’s the effect Claudine Gay has already had on Harvard. The only potential fix for it is her immediate resignation, along with that of all of the people involved in hiring her.

And that won’t happen.

Why? Claudine Gay also checks another set of boxes, not coincidentally the ones set out in the very title of my new book: Racism, Revenge and Ruin: It’s All Obama.

Indeed, there is no more apt poster child for the America Obama left us than the pathetic Ms. Gay. In a time when not just race but adherence to noxious neo-Marxism govern hiring decisions everywhere from the campus to the “entertainment” world, (and, increasingly, Fortune 500 boardrooms), no one better exemplifies the ruinous legacy of our 44th president.

And ruinous by intention. This is only one facet of the “fundamental transformation” of America that Obama promised on the eve of his 2008 election. All the American people really wanted in electing Obama was to neutralize race as a persistent issue in politics and culture, thinking that taking a chance on a not-particularly-qualified politician as our president would prove we aren’t a racist country, and further, we’d be proving that we’d realized the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that men and women would be judged in America by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

What a vile bait-and-switch that was.

Barack Obama’s own academic qualifications were dubious. It’s still not particularly well-understood how he managed to secure admission to Columbia and Harvard with undistinguished grades or how he managed to serve as president of Harvard’s law review without authoring a single article in that publication.

He advanced based on the color of his skin and not his individual merit. Everyone understands that now. Obama then demonstrated at Harvard Law along with the bizarre racist professor Derrick Bell, the inventor of Critical Race Theory, when the latter demanded the university hire more black faculty simply because they were black. This after Obama was made president of the law review simply because he was black.

As Claudine Gay was made president of the university simply because she is black.

Harvard’s prestige now lies in ruins. And that isn’t enough for Obama. Last week, it’s said that he “privately lobbied” the Harvard Corporation, a secretive entity chaired by his former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, to back Gay amid the controversy.

And as damaging as the Gay scandal — which brewed up thanks to her inability to publicly condemn the pro-Hamas demonstrators making genocidal statements about Jews and Israel on her campus – has been, it’s nonetheless not a surprise that Obama would demand Pritzker and the rest of the Harvard governors hold the line.

Benjamin Weingarten, writing at the New York Post, got this right:

To fire her would be to acknowledge the evil hatred of the West at DEI’s core; admit DEI elevates politics over merit, given Gay has proven to be something of an academic fraud; and therefore delegitimize the movement as a whole given Gay’s and Harvard’s symbolic and substantive prominence in it. The DEI project falling in the academy would be cataclysmic for the left given these institutions are pivotal for indoctrinating and credentialing the next generation of leftist leaders atop society’s commanding heights. Elite schools are the left’s center of gravity, feeding power centers from Washington to Wall Street to Silicon Valley. That Obama stepped in to support Gay suggests he believes it to be a political imperative of the highest order. Presumably he thinks circling the wagons around the besieged Harvard president will cause this scandal, exposing the emperors of the Ivy league have no clothes, to blow over.

DEI, you must understand, is the constantly metastisizing tumor of the ugly racism and full-steam identitarianism that Barack Obama inflicted on America in a hundred ways (many of them described in Racism, Revenge and Ruin) through his own hires, executive actions, corrupt legal settlements, federal grants and other activities during his eight years in office. Now, with the Obama Redux administration of Joe Biden, it isn’t just in-your-face race-based pandering blowing apart our American meritocracy.

The DEI activism standing in for competence gives us people like Ketanji Brown Jackson, Karine Jean-Pierre, “Rachel” Levine and Sam Brinton. Nobody in America still equates the holding of a high-profile job with the possession of real qualifications for it — or the ability to do that job well.

Claudine Gay is a classic case of the institutional corruption Obama set loose in America. Her continued tenure at Harvard is a bright-line crucible for the survival of King’s dream.

It’s dying. So is Harvard. And so is the America we’ve pledged allegiance to. It’s Obama holding the murder weapon.

[ascendandt]

(for context julien is fantasy italian) (hiraeth voice) you know me and my family wont hold it against you that that one fantasy italian guy got arrested for tax fraud and sodomy right. we know any rumours that youre also corrupt are fake

(julien) ok well but theres some cultural diffrences between fantasy italy and hyrule and -

(hiraeth) im pretty sure tax frauds illegal everywhere silly

(julien) i mean the sodomy. um

(hiraeth) i dont care if that guy cheated on his wife even if it was with a man? why are you so worked up about this are you connected to him

(julien) well-

(hiraeth) are you trying to tell me something.

(julien) you know what forget it

[mujeebs-blogs]

Shaping a Positive Digital Future!

As time passes, it is incredibly important to recognize how emerging technologies can transform our daily lives, including our digital future. As we discussed throughout the previous modules we have learned about various different technologies that can help transform our digital future. These emerging technologies include blockchain, 5G technology, and digitally extended realities (AR and VR).

Blockchain:

Blockchain is one of the underlying technologies that run different types of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, and more. This blockchain technology is great because of the data security and it essentially holds a trustless transaction. This trustless transaction removes the need for any "man in the middle" type of transaction which can boost trust and efficiency. Blockchain technology cannot be replicated. This makes it a great fraud prevention feature as the increased transparency that blockchain has will help to prevent corruption and fraud.

5G Technology:

Having 5G technology allows us to have incredibly fast speeds with low latency and increased connectivity! 5G can allow quicker exchanges of small packets of information between different devices or technology. For example, in order to have safe driverless cars in today's digital era, we must first allow these cars to be able to interact with other cars or traffic signals. Driverless cars need to exchange packets with other devices and having a low latency will definitely help make these exchanges even quicker. 5G can also help smart cities and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is because 5G offers devices to connect to each other, further enhancing the efficiency and productivity of our daily lives. Smart cities will be built with sensors almost everywhere so that real-time data can be exchanged with the help of 5G technology. This will allow for dynamic changes withing different city services such as street lighting based on the weather or traffic!

Digitally Extended Realities (AR and VR):

AR and VR technologies are hot topics in today's digital world. This technology can help us have immersive experiences that can help us learn, communicate, play realistic video games, and even watch 3D entertainment right in the comfort of our own homes. AR and VR technology can help our future generation in classrooms as it provides an immersive learning environment for students. Students will be able to hold the information better when they are actually engaging and interested in the technology equipment they are using. AR and VR technology also enhance the entertainment aspects by allowing for immersive gaming, real-life social media, and 3D cinema experiences. One recent example of this would be the Apple Vision Pros. This new VR headset is making a breakthrough in technology as it allows VR and AR to be paired with all Apple devices and services, offering a wide range of entertainment to choose from.

[refugeecats3]

Kleptocracy is biological. It consumes everything in its path like a parasite.

In Russia it ate Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky and shit out alcoholism and hopelessness.

Justin Kennedy (justice kennedys son) was the inside man at Deutsche bank that was getting all trumps toxic loans approved.

No other bank but Deutsche bank would touch trump and his imaginary valuations.

Why?

Because Deutsche bank was infested with Russian oligarchs.

For 50 years the oligarchs consumed everything in soviet Russia. They stole everything of value including the hope of Russians.

The corruption eventually collapsed the Soviet Union like the carcass of a parasite riddled host and the oligarchs were forced to expand their feeding grounds.

In 89 the Soviet Union fails and for a couple of years they hid all their ill gotten gains under a mattress until they started buying condos at trump towers.

They made stops in Ukraine, Cyprus and London but they landed in New York because that was what everyone wanted in the late 80’s.

Levi’s, Pepsi, Madonna tapes that weren’t smuggled bootlegs, Wall Street cocaine

They all bought new suits and cars and changed their title from “most violent street thug in moscow” to “respectable Russian oligarch” but they didn’t leave their human trafficking, narcotics or extortion behind. It was their most lucrative business model.

Trump and Giuliani just opened the doors and let the predators in to feed. They all bought condos at trump towers and used trumps casinos to launder their money.

In 89 three of trumps casino execs start asking why their books don’t make sense and they die in a helicopter crash that Roger Stone pulls trump off of at the last minute.

https://pressofatlanticcity.com/gallery/oct-10-1989-3-trump-execs-2-pilots-die-as-helicopter-crashes-in-parkway-median/article_40ea7e95-9309-5e01-89ba-7f6c30409ff3.html

Guiliani redirected NYPD resources away from his Russian allies intentionally and onto the Italian mob. It let him claim he cleaned up New York and it lets the russians a perk of doing business with trump.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/a-new-rudy-scandal-fbi-agent-says-giuliani-was-co-opted-by-russian-intelligence/

The attorney/client privilege is their continual work around they use to accept bribes and make payments up and down the mob pyramid.

The insane valuations coming out in trumps fraud trial are a necessity of the money laundering cycle that duetschebank was doing with the Russians.

The reason trump cosplays as “folksy” is because he is feeding on the U.S. middle class, not because he is one of us.

The GOP fell in line to MAGA because Trump did what pathological liars do, they told them anything they wanted to hear.

Trump with his money laundering and child raping buddy Epstein, Roger Stone with his sex clubs in DC and Nevada, and Paul Manafort with his election rigging pretty much everywhere, sat down at a table with Mike Johnson and the extreme religious right and convinced them that they were the same.

They self evidently are not, at least at a surface level, but there is enough common ground in the exploitation of children, Russian kompromat, desire for unilateral control that they became the worlds weirdest and most dysfunctional orgy.

Trump belongs to the authoritarians. The GOP now belongs to trump.

But their overall goal is the same.

Kleptocracy.

Putin became one of the richest people in the world by stealing from Russians first. The Russian oligarchs used perestroika to privatize all the assets of the USSR by stealing them from the hands of the decent people because that’s what predators do.

We don’t have a political problem. We have a predator problem. Like murder hornets that invade a beehive and destroy a bee every 14 seconds until the hive collapses the oligarchs want to move into the United States and do the same because none of them want to live in Russia.

Who would? after all, it was destroyed by oligarchs and nobody steps away from the mob, they get retired through violent means.

But all these oligarchs are old now and know they can’t keep ahead of the slightly more violent and ambitious lion cub beneath them who is growing tired of paying the old man when he does all the dirty work.

The soviet oligarchs ate Russia to death with their greed. Then Ukraine. Now they are designing a perestroika 2.0 to put 330 million Americans into real estate default so they can come in and buy everything up at 3 cents on the dollar. Trump just enabled them.

It’s the collapse of the USSR, American edition using the naive and compromised GOP as their assault force, But your slave masters are the same. The 3% that are so devoid of empathy that they put their wealth above everything else

Kolomoisky was the putin puppet in Ukraine that bought most of downtown Cleveland.

Before that he started privatbank which was taking IMF loans which the oligarchs would loan to themselves and never repay.

When the IMF figured it out they tried to force Zelensky to have the Ukrainian people pay it back before they would extend any more aid.

Kolomoisky wasn’t alone. He was just the crossroads between Rudy Giuliani, trump and Kushner.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/inside-anatevka-the-curious-chabad-hamlet-in-ukraine-where-giuliani-is-mayor/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/giuliani-associates-leveraged-gop-access-to-seek-ukraine-gas-deal/

When Ukraine arrested him last year for corruption it cracked the whole network open.

Trump can’t stop lying now or his MAGA base tears him apart when they realize he is literally the man who stole the world.

Trump is a pathological liar. But lying is an expensive habit. If you tell the truth, you can say it once and it’s finished. You have expelled all the energy necessary for it to stand on its own for eternity.

Lying requires infinite and exponentially more energy input in the form of more lies, bribes, extortion and murder to keep it covered.

Trump is now testing this theory on a worldwide scale.

Putin is tied to him by the purse strings and so is everyone who pushes Putin’s narrative because puppet strings work both directions. Why would any sane human push a psychopaths lies unless they are heavily invested in it?

The difference is, this is the first time in known human history that the Information Age happened. You can hide your neighborhood bullshit in 1980. It’s harder in 2000. By 2024 the internet knows more about a narcissistic oligarchs movements than he knows about himself.

It’s just a matter of organizing that data.

They couldn’t self regulate their greed. It’s just following the roach trail back to nest after that.

https://www.ft.com/content/8c6d9dca-882c-11e7-bf50-e1c239b45787

https://www.amlintelligence.com/2020/09/deutsche-bank-suffers-worst-damage-over-massive-aml-discrepancies-in-fincen-leaks/

https://www.occrp.org/en/the-fincen-files/global-banks-defy-us-crackdowns-by-serving-oligarchs-criminals-and-terrorists

https://www.voanews.com/amp/us-lifts-sanctions-on-rusal-other-firms-linked-to-russia-deripaska/4761037.html

https://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/final_-_minority_status_of_the_russia_investigation_with_appendices.pdf

#196

[itsrattysworld]

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