#sda projects

[starbound-sda-comic]

Aditi's Shop (WIP)

a sketch of something i started in september??? and started coloring but never finished?? stay tuned for if i actually finish this lol

[mariacallous]

In late August 2023, Ilya Gambashidze was in a conference room at the office of Social Design Agency, a Russian IT company he founded that is based in Moscow, close to the world-renowned Moscow Conservatory. Gambashidze was relatively unknown in Russian politics at the time, but just a month earlier his name had appeared on a Council of the European Union’s list of Russian nationals subjected to sanctions for playing a central role in a sprawling disinformation campaign against Ukraine.

In the conference room, Gambashidze was laying out his plans for a new target: Along with his colleagues, he began drafting what would become known as the Good Old USA Project. The project was supposed to influence the outcome of the US presidential election in favor of former president Donald Trump, specifically targeting certain minorities, swing-state residents, and online gamers, among others, in a scheme that included a full-time team dedicated to the cause.

On Wednesday, Gambashidze and his company were named by the US Department of Justice among the architects of a disinformation campaign known as Doppelganger that has for the past two years been targeting Ukraine and, more recently, US elections. The Doppelganger campaign uses AI-generated content on dozens of fake websites designed to impersonate mainstream media outlets such as The Washington Post and Fox Business, using a network of fake social media accounts to disseminate pro-Russian narratives targeting audiences across the globe. Doppelganger is a Kremlin-aligned disinformation campaign that was first linked to the Kremlin in 2023 by the French government.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced the seizure of 32 internet domains it says are linked to the Doppelganger campaign which violate US money laundering and criminal trademark laws.

“Today’s announcement exposes the scope of the Russian government’s influence operations and their reliance on cutting-edge AI to sow disinformation,” FBI director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Companies operating at the direction of the Russian government created websites to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming Russian propaganda.”

The Treasury Department had previously sanctioned SDA and Gambashidze in March for its part in the Doppelganger campaign. But the court documents unsealed on Wednesday contain a treasure trove of documents and meeting notes from Gambashidze and his colleagues, outlining in unprecedented detail the goals and tactics that the Kremlin has been deploying in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 US election.

The records also reveal the plan was discussed at the highest levels of the Russian government, with Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff of the presidential executive office, playing a key role. The notes appear to show that President Vladimir Putin may have been updated on the campaign; in one meeting with Russian government officials, Gambashidze wrote that government officials told him they had “reported to the President about the project,” which the FBI agent who authored the affidavit said he took to refer to Putin.

The documents show that the orchestrators of the campaign targeted existing divisions within US society, using racist stereotypes and far-right conspiracies to target supporters of former president Donald Trump.

​​"They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” Gambashidze writes in one document outlining his “guerrilla media” plan. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.”

The same document is full of racist and conspiratorial claims, including that Republicans are “victims of discrimination of people of color.” It adds that white middle-class people are being discriminated against with high inflation and rising prices, while “unemployed people of color end up being privileged groups of the population.”

And the goal of the campaign, from the beginning, was crystal clear: “To secure victory for [Donald Trump],” Gambashidze wrote in the Good Old USA Project planning document.

The Good Old USA plan openly admits that “none of the significant American politicians can be considered pro-Russian or pro-Putin,” and so rather than focus its efforts on trying to convince people that Russia is great, the plan called for promoting the idea that the US should be focusing its resources less on Ukraine and more on domestic issues, such as rising inflation and high gas prices.

“It makes sense for Russia to put a maximum effort to ensure that the Republican Party’s point of view (first and foremost, the opinion of Trump supporters) wins over the US public opinion,” the Good Old USA Project planning document reads. “This includes provisions on peace in Ukraine in exchange for territories, the need to focus on the problems of the US economy, returning troops home from all over the world, etc.”

As well as getting Trump elected, the campaign’s secondary goals included increasing the percentage of Americans who believe the US is doing too much to aid Ukraine to 51 percent, and reducing the percentage of Americans who have confidence in President Joe Biden down to 29 percent.

The plan lists a variety of audiences the campaign specifically wants to target, including residents of swing states, American Jews, “US citizens of Hispanic descent,” and the “community of American gamers, users of Reddit and image boards, such as 4chan.”

The document describes this category of gamers and chatroom users as the "backbone of the right-wing trends in the US segment of the Internet.” In recent months, the Trump campaign has embraced many of the most influential figures within these communities, including many who share deeply misogynistic rhetoric on a regular basis.

To spread their narrative, the plan called for the creation of YouTube channels that shared pro-Trump content as well as other viral videos (“music, humor, beautiful girls etc,” according to the documents) in order to appear at the top of search results for “US elections.”

Meanwhile, Gambashidze and his colleagues used Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit to create community groups of Trump supporters, with one sample name given as “Alabama for America the Great.” The document also reveals that the Russians planned to use Reddit as a vector to disseminate their propaganda as it is a platform “free from democratic censorship.”

Gambashidze’s plan outlined how Doppelganger would create 18 “sleeper cells” on social media platforms in each of the swing states, which would “at the right moment, upon gaining momentum, become an important instrument of influencing the public opinion in critically important states and portals used by the Russian side to distribute bogus stories disguised as newsworthy events.” It’s unclear if these so-called sleeper cells were created and, if so, whether they are still present on the platform.

The campaign also used targeted ads on Facebook to not only promote their narrative but also to gain valuable insight into what messages were sticking and which were falling flat. “Targeted advertising in Facebook allows tracking reactions of users to the distributed material in real time and directing the psychological response group to contribute to comments thereof,” the document reads. “With the help of a network of bots the psychological response group moderates top discussions and adjusts further launches depending on which group was affected the most.”

One of the key aspects of the Kremlin’s campaign is also to engage with influencers. According to the FBI’s affidavit, Gambashidze’s company ​​“extensively monitors and collects information about a large number of media organizations and social media influencers.”

According to the Good Old USA project document, the Kremlin was seeking to work with influencers who are “proponents of traditional values, who stand up for ending the war in Ukraine and peaceful relations between the US and Russia, and who are ready to get involved in the promotion of the project narratives.”

Among the types of influencers listed as possible collaborators are actors, politicians, media representatives, activists, and clergymen.

The affidavit references one document maintained by the Social Design Agency, which is not included in the unsealed court documents, that contains a list of more than 2,800 people identified as influencers. While this list is global, US-based influencers account for around 20 percent of the accounts being monitored, including many US lawmakers, according to an analysis of the list by the FBI.

The Social Design Agency also maintains another list, again not included in the court documents, that tracks over 1,900 “anti-influencers” from 52 different countries, with US-based accounts. The FBI agent who authored the document assessed that “anti-influencer” refers to accounts which post “content that SDA views as contrary to Russian objectives.”

In a note from one of the meetings with Russian government officials discussing the campaign’s use of influencers, Gambashidze wrote: “We need influencers! A lot of them and everywhere. We are ready to wine and dine them.” Though no links have been confirmed, hours before the Doppelganger affidavit dropped on Wednesday, Tenet Media, an organization that features a slate of right-wing commentators, was alleged in an unsealed Department of Justice indictment to have been largely funded by Russian state-backed news network RT.

The Social Design Agency operation appeared to be extremely well-run and well-resourced. There is a “project office” consisting of four teams that include one entire group dedicated to monitoring the social media posts from GOP lawmakers in order to generate ideas for topics to cover.

These would then be handed to a “text factory," with orders to whittle down the topics handed to them by the monitoring team to four to five main issues, along with eight to 10 basic posts for social media platforms and 40- to 60 comments to post under those social media posts for the network of bots. Another team was called the “manga editorial office,” which was charged with producing a daily output of three to four images, including memes. Finally, a video team was tasked with producing three to four videos each day.

“In order for this work to be effective, you need to use a minimum of fake news and a maximum of realistic information,” the document’s authors wrote. “At the same time, you should continuously repeat that this is what is really happening, but the official media will never tell you about it or show it to you.”

Antibot4Navalny, a group of anonymous Russian researchers who have been closely tracking Doppelganger’s activity, are doubtful that the affidavit will have a significant impact on the campaign’s activity.

“Frankly, I believe it's whack-a-mole as long as EU providers keep doing business with [Social Design Agency], and UK-registered shell companies keep helping SDA with its operation,” the researchers told WIRED, citing their own investigations earlier this year.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Billboard project

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 6, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 07, 2024

One of the things that came to light on Wednesday, in the paperwork the Justice Department unveiled to explain its seizure of 32 internet domains being used by Russian agents in foreign malign influence campaigns, was that the six right-wing U.S. influencers mentioned in the indictments of the Russian operatives are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Since at least 2022, three Russian companies working with the Kremlin have been trying to change foreign politics in a campaign they called “Doppelganger,” covertly spreading Russian government propaganda. “[F]irst and foremost,” notes from a meeting with Russian officials about targeting Germany read, “we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain, and NATO.” Through fake social media profiles, their operatives posed as Americans or other non-Russians, seeding public conversations with Russian propaganda.

In August 2023 they launched the “Good Old USA Project” to target swing-state residents, online gamers, American Jews, and “US citizens of Hispanic descent” to reelect Donald Trump. ​​"They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” one of the propagandists wrote. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.” Using targeted ads on Facebook, they could see how their material was landing and use bots and trolls to push their narrative in comment sections. 

“In order for this work to be effective, you need to use a minimum of fake news and a maximum of realistic information,” the propagandists told their staff. “At the same time, you should continuously repeat that this is what is really happening, but the official media will never tell you about it or show it to you.”

According to the documents, one of the three companies, Social Design Agency (SDA), monitors and collects information about media organizations and social media influencers. It collected a list of 1,900 “anti-influencers,” whose accounts posted material SDA workers thought operated against Russian interests. About 26% of those accounts were based in the U.S. 

SDA also identified as pro-Russian influencers more than 2,800 people in 81 countries operating on various social media platforms like X, Facebook, and Telegram. Those influencers included “television and radio hosts, politicians, bloggers, journalists, businessmen, professors, think-tank analysts, veterans, professors, and comedians.” About 21% of those influencers were in the U.S. 

YouTube took down the Tenet Media Channels associated with the Justice Department’s indictments, and last night, Tenet Media abruptly shut down. In The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last noted that the Tenet influencers maintain they were dupes, although they must have been aware that their paychecks were crazy high for the numbers of viewers they had. He asks if, knowing now that their gains are ill-gotten, they are going to give them to charity. 

Earlier this week, former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson hosted Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper on his X show, where Cooper not only suggested that the death of more than six million Jews was an accidental result of poor planning, but also argued that British prime minister Winston Churchill, who stood firm against the expansion of fascist Germany in World War II, was the true villain of the war.

Cooper’s argument puts him squarely on the side of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who insist that democracy undermines society. During the recent summer Olympics, Cooper posted on social media an image of Hitler in Paris alongside another of drag queens representing Greek gods at the Olympic opening ceremonies, an image some on the right thought made fun of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. “This may be putting it too crudely for some,” Cooper wrote, “but the picture [of Hitler in Paris] was infinitely preferable in virtually every way than the one on the right.” 

The idea that Churchill, not Hitler, is the villain of World War II means denying the fact of the Holocaust and defending the Nazis. It lands Carlson and Cooper in the same camp as those autocrats journalist Anne Applebaum notes are “making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.” Elon Musk promoted the interview, saying it was “very interesting,” and “worth watching,” before the backlash made him delete his post. The video has been viewed nearly 30 million times. 

Carlson told Lauren Irwin of The Hill that the Biden administration is made up of “warmonger freaks” who have “used the Churchill myth to bring our country closer to nuclear war than at any moment in history.” Carlson is on a 16-day speaking tour, on which he will interview Trump allies, including Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. 

Trump today continued his effort to undermine the democratic American legal system in a “news conference” of more than 45 minutes, in which he took no questions. Although Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the election interference case in which a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts, decided today to delay sentencing until November 26 to avoid any appearance that the court was trying to affect the 2024 election, Trump nonetheless launched an attack on the U.S. legal system and suggested the lawsuits against him were election interference. 

He spoke after he and his legal team were in court today to try to overturn a jury’s conclusion that he had sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that brought his judgments in the two cases she brought to around $90 million. He began with an attack on what he said was a new “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax, and promised he had not “spoken to anybody from Russia in years.”

Aaron Rupar of Public Notice recorded what amounted to close to an hour of attacks on the American Justice Department and the laws of the country, and also on American women (he not only attacked Carroll, he brought up others of the roughly two dozen women who have accused him of sexual assault). He attempted to retry the Carroll case in the media, refuting the evidence the jury considered and suggesting that the photo of him and Carroll together was generated by AI, although it was published in 2019.

Attacking women was an interesting decision in light of the fact that he will need the votes of suburban women if he is to make up the ground he has lost to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

For her part, former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) appears to see this moment for what it is. Although a staunch Republican herself, she is urging conservative women to admit they’ve had enough. Referring to both Trump and Vance in a conversation sponsored by the Texas Tribune, she said: “This is my diplomatic way of saying it: They’re misogynistic pigs.” She assured listeners, quite accurately, that Trump “is not a conservative.” “Women around this country…we’ve had enough.” “These are not people that we can entrust with power again.” 

Her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, agreed that Trump “can never be trusted with power again” and announced today that he will be voting for Harris. “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. Eighty-eight business leaders also endorsed Harris today, including James Murdoch, an heir to the Murdoch family media empire. Citing Harris’s “policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” they said in a public letter, “the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy” is by electing Harris president.​​

Meanwhile, at his event with Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel yesterday, Trump embraced the key element of Project 2025 that calls for a dictatorial leader to take over the U.S. That document maintains that “personnel is policy” and that the way to achieve all that the Christian nationalists want is to fire the nonpartisan civil servants currently in place and put their own people into office. Trump has tried hard to distance himself from Project 2025, but last night he said the way to run the government is to “get the right people. You put the right person and the right group of people at the heads of these massive agencies, you’re going to have tremendous success, and I know now the people, and I know them better than anybody would know them.”       

One of those people appears to be X owner Elon Musk, whom Trump has promised to put at the head of an “efficiency” commission to audit the U.S. government. 

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for the Senate, warned that the arguments against democracy and in favor of a few people dominating the rest were always the same. In his era, it was enslavers saying some people were better than others. But, he said, those were the same arguments “that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world…. Turn in whatever way you will—whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent.” 

In our era, Indiana Jones said it best in The Last Crusade: “Nazis. I hate these guys.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

some loose SDA / urantia sketch; posted on my side-twitter but started writing a chapter-based writing project (like a light novel almost) but uncertain how to go about publishing it / releasing it; not sure if i:d want to clot up my substack with a bunch of individually posted chapters; thought maybe just a small writing discord to post it to, cause i like idea of writing clubs -- i like sharing writing and getting feedback on it, and offering it in kind; urantia was big on my moms-side (mostly her mom, who tried to pass it on; her mom lived with one of the prophet-claimants while they were in florida, apparently)

[misfitwashere]

September 6, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 07, 2024

One of the things that came to light on Wednesday, in the paperwork the Justice Department unveiled to explain its seizure of 32 internet domains being used by Russian agents in foreign malign influence campaigns, was that the six right-wing U.S. influencers mentioned in the indictments of the Russian operatives are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Since at least 2022, three Russian companies working with the Kremlin have been trying to change foreign politics in a campaign they called “Doppelganger,” covertly spreading Russian government propaganda. “[F]irst and foremost,” notes from a meeting with Russian officials about targeting Germany read, “we need to discredit the USA, Great Britain, and NATO.” Through fake social media profiles, their operatives posed as Americans or other non-Russians, seeding public conversations with Russian propaganda.

In August 2023 they launched the “Good Old USA Project” to target swing-state residents, online gamers, American Jews, and “US citizens of Hispanic descent” to reelect Donald Trump. ​​"They are afraid of losing the American way of life and the ‘American dream,’” one of the propagandists wrote. “It is these sentiments that should be exploited in the course of an information campaign in/for the United States.” Using targeted ads on Facebook, they could see how their material was landing and use bots and trolls to push their narrative in comment sections. 

“In order for this work to be effective, you need to use a minimum of fake news and a maximum of realistic information,” the propagandists told their staff. “At the same time, you should continuously repeat that this is what is really happening, but the official media will never tell you about it or show it to you.”

According to the documents, one of the three companies, Social Design Agency (SDA), monitors and collects information about media organizations and social media influencers. It collected a list of 1,900 “anti-influencers,” whose accounts posted material SDA workers thought operated against Russian interests. About 26% of those accounts were based in the U.S. 

SDA also identified as pro-Russian influencers more than 2,800 people in 81 countries operating on various social media platforms like X, Facebook, and Telegram. Those influencers included “television and radio hosts, politicians, bloggers, journalists, businessmen, professors, think-tank analysts, veterans, professors, and comedians.” About 21% of those influencers were in the U.S. 

YouTube took down the Tenet Media Channels associated with the Justice Department’s indictments, and last night, Tenet Media abruptly shut down. In The Bulwark, Jonathan V. Last noted that the Tenet influencers maintain they were dupes, although they must have been aware that their paychecks were crazy high for the numbers of viewers they had. He asks if, knowing now that their gains are ill-gotten, they are going to give them to charity. 

Earlier this week, former Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson hosted Holocaust denier Darryl Cooper on his X show, where Cooper not only suggested that the death of more than six million Jews was an accidental result of poor planning, but also argued that British prime minister Winston Churchill, who stood firm against the expansion of fascist Germany in World War II, was the true villain of the war.

Cooper’s argument puts him squarely on the side of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who insist that democracy undermines society. During the recent summer Olympics, Cooper posted on social media an image of Hitler in Paris alongside another of drag queens representing Greek gods at the Olympic opening ceremonies, an image some on the right thought made fun of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. “This may be putting it too crudely for some,” Cooper wrote, “but the picture [of Hitler in Paris] was infinitely preferable in virtually every way than the one on the right.” 

The idea that Churchill, not Hitler, is the villain of World War II means denying the fact of the Holocaust and defending the Nazis. It lands Carlson and Cooper in the same camp as those autocrats journalist Anne Applebaum notes are “making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world.” Elon Musk promoted the interview, saying it was “very interesting,” and “worth watching,” before the backlash made him delete his post. The video has been viewed nearly 30 million times. 

Carlson told Lauren Irwin of The Hill that the Biden administration is made up of “warmonger freaks” who have “used the Churchill myth to bring our country closer to nuclear war than at any moment in history.” Carlson is on a 16-day speaking tour, on which he will interview Trump allies, including Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance and Donald Trump Jr. 

Trump today continued his effort to undermine the democratic American legal system in a “news conference” of more than 45 minutes, in which he took no questions. Although Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the election interference case in which a jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts, decided today to delay sentencing until November 26 to avoid any appearance that the court was trying to affect the 2024 election, Trump nonetheless launched an attack on the U.S. legal system and suggested the lawsuits against him were election interference. 

He spoke after he and his legal team were in court today to try to overturn a jury’s conclusion that he had sexually assaulted writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that brought his judgments in the two cases she brought to around $90 million. He began with an attack on what he said was a new “Russia, Russia, Russia” hoax, and promised he had not “spoken to anybody from Russia in years.”

Aaron Rupar of Public Notice recorded what amounted to close to an hour of attacks on the American Justice Department and the laws of the country, and also on American women (he not only attacked Carroll, he brought up others of the roughly two dozen women who have accused him of sexual assault). He attempted to retry the Carroll case in the media, refuting the evidence the jury considered and suggesting that the photo of him and Carroll together was generated by AI, although it was published in 2019.

Attacking women was an interesting decision in light of the fact that he will need the votes of suburban women if he is to make up the ground he has lost to Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

For her part, former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) appears to see this moment for what it is. Although a staunch Republican herself, she is urging conservative women to admit they’ve had enough. Referring to both Trump and Vance in a conversation sponsored by the Texas Tribune, she said: “This is my diplomatic way of saying it: They’re misogynistic pigs.” She assured listeners, quite accurately, that Trump “is not a conservative.” “Women around this country…we’ve had enough.” “These are not people that we can entrust with power again.” 

Her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, agreed that Trump “can never be trusted with power again” and announced today that he will be voting for Harris. “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. Eighty-eight business leaders also endorsed Harris today, including James Murdoch, an heir to the Murdoch family media empire. Citing Harris’s “policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” they said in a public letter, “the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy” is by electing Harris president.​​

Meanwhile, at his event with Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel yesterday, Trump embraced the key element of Project 2025 that calls for a dictatorial leader to take over the U.S. That document maintains that “personnel is policy” and that the way to achieve all that the Christian nationalists want is to fire the nonpartisan civil servants currently in place and put their own people into office. Trump has tried hard to distance himself from Project 2025, but last night he said the way to run the government is to “get the right people. You put the right person and the right group of people at the heads of these massive agencies, you’re going to have tremendous success, and I know now the people, and I know them better than anybody would know them.”       

One of those people appears to be X owner Elon Musk, whom Trump has promised to put at the head of an “efficiency” commission to audit the U.S. government. 

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for the Senate, warned that the arguments against democracy and in favor of a few people dominating the rest were always the same. In his era, it was enslavers saying some people were better than others. But, he said, those were the same arguments “that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world…. Turn in whatever way you will—whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent.” 

In our era, Indiana Jones said it best in The Last Crusade: “Nazis. I hate these guys.” 

—

[beardedmrbean]

She shared this news with the media in Bern. There had been rumours about her resignation for some time.

The 62-year-old Centre Party politician from canton Valais has been part of the Swiss government since 2019, taking over from Doris Leuthard.

The announcement overshadowed the main topic of the press conference: the reorganisation of compulsory service in the army and civil protection.

‘The time has come to say goodbye’

In recent months, there had been repeated speculation in the media and political circles that Amherd might step down after her year as Swiss President. Amherd justified her decision by saying that after many years in politics and the executive, “it’s time to step back”.

She thanked her ministry, the entire Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, and the parliament. “I don’t claim that everything has gone perfectly,” she said. However, “significant milestones have been achieved”.

Concerning ‘growing polarisation’ in Switzerland

She also stated that she views the “growing polarisation and the increased enforcement of particular interests with concern,” and explained that deciding the timing of the resignation is the only decision that a member of the Federal Council can make on their own.

Regarding criticism of army procurement projects, which have led to additional costs and delays, Amherd said, “I have always demanded a transparent and honest approach: if there are problems, they should be reported.”

When asked about the proposal to upgrade the army by 2030 instead of 2035 she replied that “it was an important proposal to increase the finances for the army. That was not a given, but it happened. Whether it goes faster or slower is always a matter of assessment. I have always openly and honestly represented the decisions of the Federal Council.”

Who will be the next defence minister in Switzerland?

According to Amherd, her successor should be decided during the spring session. “Whether it’s a week or ten, it doesn’t change much,” said the minister about the short timeframe. “And I am a person who decides quickly and then implements it.”

In Swiss politics, new appointments to the Federal Council are a well-practised routine. Those interested in succeeding her now have enough time to position themselves. The spring session of the Federal Council begins on March 3.

Swiss political parties react to Amherd’s resignation

Centre Party: Amherd’s party has expressed regret over her decision to resign, thanking her for her tireless efforts and strong commitment to shaping policy. They highlighted her approachable manner and openness. “As defence minister, Amherd was quick to recognise the need to modernise and upgrade the army to address Europe’s changing security needs and strengthen Switzerland’s defence capabilities,” the party said.

Radical-Liberal Party: The Radical-Liberals call for a clear plan from Amherd’s successor to lead the defence ministry. In light of the current geopolitical situation, the party emphasised that rearming the Swiss Army is the top priority. The party’s president Thierry Burkart thanked Amherd for her service to Switzerland. “The Centre Party’s seat in the Federal Council will not be contested.”

Swiss People’s Party: Thomas Aeschi from Swiss People’s Party says there’s a need for action in national defence following Amherd’s resignation. He stated that her successor must revitalise the army. “Switzerland must return to its perpetual armed and comprehensive neutrality,” Aeschi told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Liberal Green Party: The Liberal Greens praised Amherd following her resignation announcement. “She has achieved a lot,” the party wrote on Wednesday on X. They highlighted the procurement of the F-35 fighter jets and the strengthening of cybersecurity as key accomplishments. “The Liberal Green Party wishes her all the best for the future,” they added.

Green Party: The Greens are surprised by Viola Amherd’s resignation, just three days after sharp criticism from the Swiss People’s Party. “The party regrets her resignation, even though they do not share her views on security policy. The People’s Party must now follow through on their statements and take responsibility for the defence ministry,” they added.

Translated from German by DeepL/sp

[whentherewerebicycles]

almost 23-week bump update… didn’t get much bigger this week (after the crazy fast expansion of the last couple weeks) but it’s slowly migrating higher up. the weird/bad body image feelings come and go but on the whole like… it’s fine I’m pregnant… and I don’t need to care if random people in my life notice I’m pregnant or just think I put on 20 lbs. letting goooooo of it letting go.

hmm okay let’s see. this week is going to be a slightly challenging one I think—just some long campus days with events plus the ultrasound I have to travel a longer distance for. I am giving myself permission to take it easy today and just do relaxed project work, I think. here’s what I would like to get done:

review slides for JS and return with feedback

make a decision on CEL workshops

revise SDA description

hmm tbd

[jbrebarcoupler]

JB Rock Bolt is a manufacturers, suppliers & exporters of Rock Bolts, Self Drilling Anchor Bolt part like hollow bar & rod, threaded rods & thread bars, tie rods, coil rods, SDA Bars etc.

Visit Here:-

[kimberlyharrisus]

Advanced FEM Analysis Software Now Available in Los Angeles, CA

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[sapblogging]

What do we have to study in SAP HANA training?

SAP HANA (High-Performance Analytic Appliance) training covers both the theoretical concepts and practical skills needed to work with SAP's in-memory database platform. Key areas of study include an overview of HANA architecture, in-memory computing, and columnar data storage. Learners gain hands-on experience in data modeling using tools like HANA Studio or Web IDE, developing calculation views, and building real-time analytics. Training also covers SQL scripting with HANA SQLScript, creating procedures, functions, and managing data provisioning using Smart Data Integration (SDI), Smart Data Access (SDA), or SLT replication.

Additional topics include user and role management, data security, performance tuning, and HANA application development for both native and XS advanced models. For functional consultants, the focus may be on using HANA as the backend for S/4HANA, embedded analytics, and integrating with other SAP modules.

Anubhav Trainings offers industry-recognized SAP HANA training led by seasoned experts, including live project exposure and real-time examples. Their training blends deep conceptual knowledge with practical implementation, making it ideal for both freshers and experienced consultants aiming to upskill in SAP HANA. With flexible timing and dedicated server access, Anubhav Trainings ensures learners are job-ready from day one.

[gilbertgomezrealtor]

🏡 Just Listed! Prime Duplex Investment in Logan Heights

💰 Offered at $799,900 | 📍 237 S Willie James Jones Ave, San Diego, CA 92113

Incredible opportunity to own two detached homes on one lot just minutes from Downtown San Diego!

✅ 2 Units | Each 2 Bed / 1 Bath

✅ 1,592 Sq Ft Total | 14,367 Sq Ft Lot (RM-2-5 Zoning)

✅ Gross Rents: $3,425/month

✅ Private Yard Spaces for Each Unit

✅ Zoned for Up to 9 Units by Right (Potential FAR 6.5x)

✅ Located in Opportunity Zone, TPA & SDA — ideal for 1031 Exchange, long-term investors, or developers

This is your chance to secure cash flow AND development potential in the booming Logan Heights area. With proximity to upcoming projects like the 80-unit Southwest Village, this neighborhood is rapidly transforming.

Whether you’re an investor, builder, or owner-occupant, this duplex checks all the boxes!

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[fomille]

Self-Drilling Anchors: Precision Ground Support for Complex Geologies

Introduction

In the face of collapsing soils, fractured rock, and groundwater intrusion, traditional anchoring systems often fall short. Self-drilling anchors (SDAs) offer a high-performance alternative—combining drilling, grouting, and anchoring into a single, streamlined operation. Their ability to adapt to unpredictable ground conditions makes them indispensable in tunneling, mining, and civil infrastructure projects.

What Is a Self-Drilling Anchor?

A self-drilling anchor is a hollow, threaded steel bar equipped with a sacrificial drill bit. During installation, the anchor drills its own borehole while grout is simultaneously injected through the hollow core. This process stabilizes the borehole and bonds the anchor to the surrounding ground, forming a high-strength, load-bearing system.

System Components

Hollow Anchor Rod: Serves as drill rod, grout conduit, and reinforcement

Sacrificial Drill Bit: Penetrates soil or rock and remains embedded

Couplers: Extend anchor length for deeper applications

Bearing Plate & Nut: Transfer load to the anchor system

Centralizer: Ensures uniform grout coverage

Why Choose Self-Drilling Anchors?

No Pre-Drilling Required: Ideal for unconsolidated or collapsing ground

Rapid Installation: Drill, grout, and anchor in one continuous step

Enhanced Bonding: Grout fills voids during drilling, improving load transfer

Versatile: Performs in sand, gravel, clay, silt, and fractured rock

Efficient: Reduces equipment needs and labor costs

According to Normet, SDAs are particularly effective in squeezing or seismically active ground, offering both temporary and permanent support in tunneling, mining, and civil construction. Sinodrills highlights their ability to stabilize boreholes during drilling, preventing collapse and ensuring optimal bonding. ApexRoc emphasizes the system’s engineered components—such as ISO rope-threaded bars and patented couplings—that maximize energy transfer and drilling efficiency.

Applications

Tunnel face stabilization

Slope and embankment reinforcement

Soil nailing and retaining walls

Foundation underpinning and micropiles

Mining drift and shaft support

Ground improvement and seismic retrofitting

Conclusion

Self-drilling anchors are more than just a construction innovation—they’re a strategic solution for reinforcing unstable ground with speed, safety, and precision. Their integrated design reduces complexity, accelerates timelines, and enhances structural reliability. As infrastructure demands grow, SDAs continue to anchor progress from the ground up.

[markdavisblogs]

Constructing and Renting NDIS Houses to Serve the Disabled Community

If you have an occupied land you want to use for a good deed, constructing NDIS homes is an ideal decision. The National Disability Insurance Scheme is a way to serve the disabled community through accessible homes. Since, everyone is entitled to safe, accessible, and comfortable houses. Therefore, delving into the process of structuring NDIS and disability housing in Melbourneis imperative. VB Homes is a professional builder of NDIS homes you can consult to meet your needs. There’s no need to complete the project by walking alone. Victorian government can help you with the process of applying to NDIS for constructing homes on your vacant land. Construct new homes as per NDIS regulations NDIS strictly adhered to its regulations for the construction of homes that are completely accessible for disabled persons. Hence before building disability houses for rental in Melbourne, you should have careful considerations. For this, we are here to assist with the process of being an experienced home construction company. We can provide you with an extensive array of SDA home designs for construction. These homes are accessible to people with disabilities and are safe from every perspective. These homes are constructed with wider doors for wheelchair accessibility, adequate lighting, support bars, and ramps. We provide you with approved designs and layouts as per area of your land. Considerations to follow for landlords You can rent your space to NDIS participants and get the rental payout through government funding. This process is applicable on behalf of the disabled individuals living inside your rental homes. However, being a landlord, you have to take various considerations into account for disability housing Melbourne. First, as per NDIS housing laws, the design of homes must remain flexible depending on disability case-to-case. For instance, your property should have a parking spot available to use for disabled tenants. Likewise, you have to meet regulations such as making major modifications to existing buildings. The primary objective is to make your rental property fully accessible to disabled users. Important features of Melbourne NDIS and disability housing It is crucial to give disabled tenants access to quality living spaces. Constructing homes with robust structures and accessible facilities is what you get from us. Apart from this, here are some unique features that make Melbourne disability housing greater for the disabled community.

Low-pile flooring

It is good to move wheelchairs to have smooth home accessibility. Also, such flooring is ideal to prevent sliding and slippage of wheelchairs.

Disabled parking

Having disabled parking gives users ample space to maneuver in and out of the vehicles safely. Regular parking doesn’t often have enough wheelchair spacing.

Entrance ramp

Constructing a home with an entrance ramp makes the property accessible for the disabled safely. This is highly important for people with limited movement. The final words VB Homes is your trusted partner in constructing disability houses for rental in Melbourne. Call us and discuss your needs to build NDIS homes for tenancy.

[rahasolutionsposts]

Hanington Ouma Omondi is happy to announce that Wire SDA Dispensary, a Level 2 facility, starts to provide free medical services with support from accelerateUHC, a project coordinated by RaHa Solutions. The Incharge added the following: “A faith based facility with a community unit with a population of over 10,000”