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Master Thread Dance Your Cares Away/Fraggle/Law Abiding Citizens

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tiderollsonu

A man from Nantucket
Founder
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
6,510



Multiple "young children" were shot after attempting to rob a man at gunpoint in Houston, Texas.

According to Major Suarez with the Harris Sheriff's Office, four children between the ages of 12 and 14 were involved in the incident.

Three were shot and rushed to the hospital. Two are in stable condition and one required surgery.

Initial reports suggest the kids tried robbing the man with BB guns before he pulled out his own weapon and shot them.


find-out.gif
 

orng_blud

Legendary
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Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2020
Messages
14,694
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

'Poor information ecosystem': How QAnon-style 'disinformation' made Trump victorious​

Story by Alex Henderson
• 11h • 3 min read


 A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)

A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)© provided by AlterNet
President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA allies repeatedly accuse mainstream media outlets of spreading "fake news" — which, Trump critics argue, is projection in light of all the conspiracy theories that MAGA Republicans promote.

In an article published the day after Christmas, Salon's Amanda Marcotte stresses that "disinformation" and a "poor information ecosystem" played a key role in Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.



"In the face of Vice President Kamala Harris losing the presidential election to Donald Trump," Marcotte writes, "the punditry's focus has been almost exclusively on asking how the Democrats couldn't beat a relentless liar with 34 felony convictions and a previous attempted coup under his belt. Everyone has a different theory about Harris' 'messaging,' with every critic inevitably arguing that if she had just talked more about their pet issue, she would have won."

Marcotte continues, "Another option, however, is to listen to what swing voters who backed Trump said about their decision."

READ MORE: Businesses are already 'capitulating to Trump' for fear of retribution

Many U.S. voters, Marcotte laments, are "addicted to BS." And she cites research from conservative strategist Sarah Longwell, a Never Trumper who recently interviewed 2024 Trump voters who listen to Joe Rogan's podcast.

‘Soviet style’ manipulation: Incoming Trump admin includes many who pushed 2020 election conspiracy

"Rogan's audience perfectly illustrates the way the firehose of disinformation online — his conspiracy theory-hyping podcast has over 16 million followers — has pickled the brains of so many otherwise normal people," Marcotte explains. "Most of the people Longwell interviewed couldn't go two minutes without coughing up a conspiracy theory. Everything is a shadowy plot, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the guy who shot Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania."

Marcotte points to the far-right QAnon as an example of how outlandish conspiracy theories can be.

"After the insurrection of January 6," Marcotte observes, "a lot of attention was paid to the rise of QAnon, because so many rioters were adherents to this online cult that preached that Trump is a savior prophesized to stop a worldwide Satanic conspiracy. Alarming reports showed millions of Americans believed QAnon myths, such as the divinity of Trump or that Democrats drink children's blood."

Marcotte continues, "QAnon is still around, but it gets much less media coverage these days. One likely reason is what we see in these focus groups: bonkerballs levels of conspiracy belief is no longer a fringe phenomenon. QAnon-style beliefs are simply the norm in American society…. One of the best predictors, if not the best predictor, of a Trump vote is how poor a person's information ecosystem is. People who read or watch real news outlets voted overwhelmingly for Harris. People who get their political information from social media voted for Trump."
 

MortgageHorn

Your Favorite Loan Officer
Founder
Joined
Dec 9, 2020
Messages
27,674
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

'Poor information ecosystem': How QAnon-style 'disinformation' made Trump victorious​

Story by Alex Henderson
• 11h • 3 min read


 A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)

A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)© provided by AlterNet
President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA allies repeatedly accuse mainstream media outlets of spreading "fake news" — which, Trump critics argue, is projection in light of all the conspiracy theories that MAGA Republicans promote.

In an article published the day after Christmas, Salon's Amanda Marcotte stresses that "disinformation" and a "poor information ecosystem" played a key role in Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.



"In the face of Vice President Kamala Harris losing the presidential election to Donald Trump," Marcotte writes, "the punditry's focus has been almost exclusively on asking how the Democrats couldn't beat a relentless liar with 34 felony convictions and a previous attempted coup under his belt. Everyone has a different theory about Harris' 'messaging,' with every critic inevitably arguing that if she had just talked more about their pet issue, she would have won."

Marcotte continues, "Another option, however, is to listen to what swing voters who backed Trump said about their decision."

READ MORE: Businesses are already 'capitulating to Trump' for fear of retribution

Many U.S. voters, Marcotte laments, are "addicted to BS." And she cites research from conservative strategist Sarah Longwell, a Never Trumper who recently interviewed 2024 Trump voters who listen to Joe Rogan's podcast.

‘Soviet style’ manipulation: Incoming Trump admin includes many who pushed 2020 election conspiracy

"Rogan's audience perfectly illustrates the way the firehose of disinformation online — his conspiracy theory-hyping podcast has over 16 million followers — has pickled the brains of so many otherwise normal people," Marcotte explains. "Most of the people Longwell interviewed couldn't go two minutes without coughing up a conspiracy theory. Everything is a shadowy plot, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the guy who shot Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania."

Marcotte points to the far-right QAnon as an example of how outlandish conspiracy theories can be.

"After the insurrection of January 6," Marcotte observes, "a lot of attention was paid to the rise of QAnon, because so many rioters were adherents to this online cult that preached that Trump is a savior prophesized to stop a worldwide Satanic conspiracy. Alarming reports showed millions of Americans believed QAnon myths, such as the divinity of Trump or that Democrats drink children's blood."

Marcotte continues, "QAnon is still around, but it gets much less media coverage these days. One likely reason is what we see in these focus groups: bonkerballs levels of conspiracy belief is no longer a fringe phenomenon. QAnon-style beliefs are simply the norm in American society…. One of the best predictors, if not the best predictor, of a Trump vote is how poor a person's information ecosystem is. People who read or watch real news outlets voted overwhelmingly for Harris. People who get their political information from social media voted for Trump."
 

Goldhedge

Legendary
Joined
Mar 24, 2023
Messages
9,152
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

'Poor information ecosystem': How QAnon-style 'disinformation' made Trump victorious​

Story by Alex Henderson
• 11h • 3 min read



A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)© provided by AlterNet
President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA allies repeatedly accuse mainstream media outlets of spreading "fake news" — which, Trump critics argue, is projection in light of all the conspiracy theories that MAGA Republicans promote.

In an article published the day after Christmas, Salon's Amanda Marcotte stresses that "disinformation" and a "poor information ecosystem" played a key role in Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.



"In the face of Vice President Kamala Harris losing the presidential election to Donald Trump," Marcotte writes, "the punditry's focus has been almost exclusively on asking how the Democrats couldn't beat a relentless liar with 34 felony convictions and a previous attempted coup under his belt. Everyone has a different theory about Harris' 'messaging,' with every critic inevitably arguing that if she had just talked more about their pet issue, she would have won."

Marcotte continues, "Another option, however, is to listen to what swing voters who backed Trump said about their decision."

READ MORE: Businesses are already 'capitulating to Trump' for fear of retribution

Many U.S. voters, Marcotte laments, are "addicted to BS." And she cites research from conservative strategist Sarah Longwell, a Never Trumper who recently interviewed 2024 Trump voters who listen to Joe Rogan's podcast.

‘Soviet style’ manipulation: Incoming Trump admin includes many who pushed 2020 election conspiracy

"Rogan's audience perfectly illustrates the way the firehose of disinformation online — his conspiracy theory-hyping podcast has over 16 million followers — has pickled the brains of so many otherwise normal people," Marcotte explains. "Most of the people Longwell interviewed couldn't go two minutes without coughing up a conspiracy theory. Everything is a shadowy plot, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the guy who shot Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania."

Marcotte points to the far-right QAnon as an example of how outlandish conspiracy theories can be.

"After the insurrection of January 6," Marcotte observes, "a lot of attention was paid to the rise of QAnon, because so many rioters were adherents to this online cult that preached that Trump is a savior prophesized to stop a worldwide Satanic conspiracy. Alarming reports showed millions of Americans believed QAnon myths, such as the divinity of Trump or that Democrats drink children's blood."

Marcotte continues, "QAnon is still around, but it gets much less media coverage these days. One likely reason is what we see in these focus groups: bonkerballs levels of conspiracy belief is no longer a fringe phenomenon. QAnon-style beliefs are simply the norm in American society…. One of the best predictors, if not the best predictor, of a Trump vote is how poor a person's information ecosystem is. People who read or watch real news outlets voted overwhelmingly for Harris. People who get their political information from social media voted for Trump."
How does one know this is disinformation?

There is NO such thing as QAnon.
 

Goldhedge

Legendary
Joined
Mar 24, 2023
Messages
9,152


🇺🇸 PIZZA DELIVERY TURNS HORROR SHOW: $2 TIP SPARKS STABBING SPREE

A Florida pizza delivery worker allegedly returned to a motel with an armed accomplice and stabbed a pregnant customer 14 times - all over a $2 tip on a $33 order.

Brianna Alvelo, 22, and a masked man allegedly forced their way into the room where the victim shielded her 5-year-old daughter during the attack.

The victim survived but needed surgery for a punctured lung.

Pro tip: If you're planning to commit attempted murder over a bad tip, maybe don't do it right after delivering pizza in a tracked company car.

Source: Daily Mail
 

Goldhedge

Legendary
Joined
Mar 24, 2023
Messages
9,152

GROK: Make a chart showing America's average test scores, IQ and crime level from 1965 until now. Overlay that with a chart showing foreign migration to the United States over the same time period.

Creating a comprehensive chart with exact data points for America's average test scores, IQ, and crime levels from 1965 to 2024, alongside foreign migration trends, would require detailed historical data that isn't fully available in the provided search results or in a single, easily accessible format. However, I can provide an overview based on general trends from the information given:

Average Test Scores and IQ:

IQ Scores:

From studies and reports, there's a noted phenomenon called the Flynn Effect, where IQ scores generally increased through much of the 20th century. However, recent studies indicate a potential decline in IQ scores in the U.S. over the last few decades. For instance, data from 2006 to 2018 showed a decline in IQ scores, termed the "Reverse Flynn Effect". The average IQ in the U.S. has been reported as 98 in recent years.

Test Scores:
Standardized test scores like those from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show variations over time but have generally improved in reading and math since 1971, although not uniformly across all demographic groups. There's no comprehensive dataset provided here for all years from 1965 to 2024, but trends suggest improvements with fluctuations.

Crime Levels:
Crime in the U.S. has had significant fluctuations. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, crime rates, particularly violent crimes, increased dramatically. After peaking in the early 1990s, crime rates began to decrease through the 2000s. However, exact figures for each year from 1965 to now are not directly cited in the given documents.

Foreign Migration:

Migration Trends:

Migration to the U.S. increased notably since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which led to a shift in immigration patterns, with a significant increase from Latin America and Asia. The peak of immigration was around the late 1990s to early 2000s, with a notable decline post-2001, although there are signs of resurgence in later years. By 2023, the U.S. foreign-born population reached a record 47.8 million, indicating a strong trend of growth in immigration over the decades.

Charting These Elements:

Given this narrative, here's how one might conceptualize this chart:

X-axis: Years from 1965 to 2024
Y-axis:
Left Y-axis for IQ and Test Scores (scale from 80 to 120 for IQ, or percentile for test scores)
Right Y-axis for Crime (in terms of rate per 100,000 people) and Migration (in millions of immigrants per year)

Lines or Bars:
Blue Line for Average IQ (showing an increase until recent years then a slight decline)
Green Line for Average Test Scores (showing overall improvement with fluctuations)
Red Line for Crime Rates (a rise from 1965 to a peak in the early 90s, then a decline)
Purple Line for Foreign Migration (showing an increase from 1965, peaking around 2000, then a decline followed by a recent increase)

Please note:
This would be a speculative visualization since precise annual data for all these metrics across the timeline isn't provided.

For an accurate chart, you'd need to gather specific yearly statistics from multiple sources like the FBI for crime data, U.S. Census Bureau for immigration statistics, and educational reports for test scores.

If you require detailed, accurate data, you might want to consult specific databases or reports from governmental bodies or educational institutions for each category over the years. Remember, while I can generate images, creating a chart like this would require exact data points which are beyond the scope of the information provided.
 

CurtOFD78

Elite
Joined
Jan 8, 2021
Messages
1,085
Good shit here.

I’m about to get on my engineering soapbox…

BLUF: Engineers need a board of certification like Medical Doctors, Lawyers, and CPAs… PE is not effective as the demand pull is too weak.

I’ve said for years that degreed engineers need a certification board before they can “practice” as engineers… About 20 years ago I was a young and green electrical engineer working for a Tier 3 defense contractor. There was this senior guy that worked there and he called himself a “Senior Systems Engineer.” By today’s standards in the defense industry this means the person typically has either a ME or EE undergrad (maybe a Mastsrs in some engineering field) and has extensive real world experience in design, requirements definition, prototyping, manufacturing, test, and fielding of “widgets” or systems. They usually have experience leading teams of multi-disciplinary engineers and technicians, and have years of experience working on multiple designs they’ve seen through delivery. To be a Senior Systems Engineer is quite an accomplishment in an engineering career - you’re dealing with someone that has all the answers or knows how to find the answers efficiently. Now.,, I find out after working with this guy for 3 years that he doesn’t have an engineering degree!! In fact, he has no college degree at all lol. He’s just been with the company for like 30+ years and I guess started calling himself an engineer. I’m talking business cards, email signatures, bosses calling him that etc. it fucking BLEW my mind. Now he was really good at his job, but he had no clue what it actually took to get through an undergraduate engineering program and obtain that piece of paper… He had no clue how to solve a differential equation. He had no clue what it felt like to be a 4.0 student in high school and be a 3.0 student in college (because he chose engineering). Hr had no idea about the shit show of a personal life a young person has while earning an engineering degree… No - he just calls himself an engineer…

It occurred to me then and still today - how many people out there call themselves “engineers” yet don’t have any clue about 3 fucking years of calculus-based physics, 3 fucking years of actual calculus, 3-4 fucking years of circuits/fluids/thermodynamics/, etc… Who has the fucking balls to call themselves an “engineer” without a degree in engineering? It’s like - can you imagine a medical doctor doing that shit?? Oh yeah I’m a doctor but don’t actually have a degree in medicine. Yeah I practice law but I don’t have a law degree. LULZ…

The reason why you never hear this shit is because those professions have certification requirements… Not only do they have to get a degree, but they then have to “pass their boards” before they can practice. This is why you can’t just call yourself a fucking a doctor… And as a result, their professions are “protected” by higher salaries and prestige. I wish the big brains of yesteryear had done this with engineering. Any asshole out there can apparently call themselves an engineer and nobody seems to give a shit.

Engineers do have the “Professional Engineer” (PE) option (and that is indeed a certification/licensure), but the problem is that it’s not required for the VAST majority of engineering jobs, unless you’re going into some sort of Civil Engineering field… Some MEs and EEs do pursue their PE, but it’s the rare exception..,, Maybe a power company has a staff of 400 electrical engineers where 1 or 2 will be EE PEs… The demand simply isn’t there for engineers to be PEs, and as a result - engineers don’t put themselves through the years-long ass pain of a process to get a license that they’ll never need.

What they should have done is make the PE mandatory for ALL engineering jobs. Not only would that protect the term “engineer” but it would also preserve that higher salary and pull more smart kids into the field away from medicine and law. Really the only draw is passion at this point… Money is good and it’s not a bad career to get into financially, but the salaries are stagnant and seem to not keep up with inflation and COLA the way those other professions do. You literally have to job hop to keep up. And it’s hard to recruit college grads when you can only offer them $65K-$75K but a house costs $600K and rents are over $2000 a month. Even if you can get them started much higher, most top out at $150K-ish unless you go into some sort of leadership position.

Engineers have been left behind to some degree because the title has lost its prestige. I try every day and every chance I get to bolster the profession and bring honor to it. I now publicly call out people calling themselves engineers without a degree. I tend to use the term “degreed engineer” more often than simply “engineer”. The first question I have for any engineer I first meet is “what school did you go to and what flavor of engineer are you?” It’s frustrating HOW OFTEN some fucking biology major or some physics major calls themself an engineer. It’s rampant and it fucking sucks…

I’m all in on changing the status quo - we need engineering to become prestigious once again. Our nation needs it immediately.

MAKE ENGINEERING GREAT AGAIN (MEGA)

Hope this helps.
I’m wondering now whether I should continue to refer to my drivers as “engineers” moving forward or just call them drivers or chauffeurs. Engineer has long been the title given to fire service apparatus drivers. It does not require a degree, but a fairly rigorous testing process is involved. It’s probably the best job in the fire service honestly.

I’m just f’n’ with ya @GarneT&GolD1978 ! I absolutely do understand need for and importance of professional standards within certain industries/career fields. Even in the career field of hose draggers we have professional standards that must be achieved, and every now and then I talk with someone who claims to have been a fireman but they never actually completed any schooling for the job.

Go ‘Noles.
 

Sgfeer

Legendary
Founder
Joined
Dec 1, 2020
Messages
23,948
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

'Poor information ecosystem': How QAnon-style 'disinformation' made Trump victorious​

Story by Alex Henderson
• 11h • 3 min read


 A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)

A man displays a QAnon flag at a Proud Boys rally in Raleigh, North Carolina in March 2021 (Wikimedia Commons)© provided by AlterNet
President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA allies repeatedly accuse mainstream media outlets of spreading "fake news" — which, Trump critics argue, is projection in light of all the conspiracy theories that MAGA Republicans promote.

In an article published the day after Christmas, Salon's Amanda Marcotte stresses that "disinformation" and a "poor information ecosystem" played a key role in Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.



"In the face of Vice President Kamala Harris losing the presidential election to Donald Trump," Marcotte writes, "the punditry's focus has been almost exclusively on asking how the Democrats couldn't beat a relentless liar with 34 felony convictions and a previous attempted coup under his belt. Everyone has a different theory about Harris' 'messaging,' with every critic inevitably arguing that if she had just talked more about their pet issue, she would have won."

Marcotte continues, "Another option, however, is to listen to what swing voters who backed Trump said about their decision."

READ MORE: Businesses are already 'capitulating to Trump' for fear of retribution

Many U.S. voters, Marcotte laments, are "addicted to BS." And she cites research from conservative strategist Sarah Longwell, a Never Trumper who recently interviewed 2024 Trump voters who listen to Joe Rogan's podcast.

‘Soviet style’ manipulation: Incoming Trump admin includes many who pushed 2020 election conspiracy

"Rogan's audience perfectly illustrates the way the firehose of disinformation online — his conspiracy theory-hyping podcast has over 16 million followers — has pickled the brains of so many otherwise normal people," Marcotte explains. "Most of the people Longwell interviewed couldn't go two minutes without coughing up a conspiracy theory. Everything is a shadowy plot, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the guy who shot Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania."

Marcotte points to the far-right QAnon as an example of how outlandish conspiracy theories can be.

"After the insurrection of January 6," Marcotte observes, "a lot of attention was paid to the rise of QAnon, because so many rioters were adherents to this online cult that preached that Trump is a savior prophesized to stop a worldwide Satanic conspiracy. Alarming reports showed millions of Americans believed QAnon myths, such as the divinity of Trump or that Democrats drink children's blood."

Marcotte continues, "QAnon is still around, but it gets much less media coverage these days. One likely reason is what we see in these focus groups: bonkerballs levels of conspiracy belief is no longer a fringe phenomenon. QAnon-style beliefs are simply the norm in American society…. One of the best predictors, if not the best predictor, of a Trump vote is how poor a person's information ecosystem is. People who read or watch real news outlets voted overwhelmingly for Harris. People who get their political information from social media voted for Trump."
Quite a bio from the author
Alex Henderson is a veteran political journalist1who writes for AlterNet, Salon, Raw Story, Truthdig, National Memo, Philadelphia Weekly, Democratic Underground, L.A. Weekly, MintPress News and many other publications1. He also covers arts and entertainment2. Alexander Valentine Henderson is an American writer, journalist and music critic whose work has appeared in Billboard, Cashbox, Spin, LA Weekly, Creem, Hits, JazzTimes, CD Review, Skin Two and other well-known publications3.
 

Exit32Tigers

Elite
Founder
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
133
That is illegal in Georgia at least in work that requires a PE stamp. You have to have personally managed the work on day by day basis. If you do not, we will take your license.

Try explaining to the board that you managed the design work that was done in Poland from the US on a daily basis. The board would skin you and take your license. They would have your ass if something went wrong with your project.
Correct. They don't stamp the drawings, but it's done. I was in contact on a daily basis as our work schedule windows overlapped.

The bean counters and management look at the cost, how they "sold" the job and tell the managing PE that they have to use 50% Poland on this job. They have no choice.

The scary thing was although they got the less meaningful design tasks, they were getting better and were thorough. They also knew our building codes well, if not better and could speak English well. I never had to use India. Krakow was preferred.

This was about 7 years ago when I got out. Can't speak for today's conditions, but I suspect it is similar.
 

Exit32Tigers

Elite
Founder
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
133
I wonder, do professional engineers swear like a sailor all the time?

You know, like how guys do in the trades, or in the military where every other word is an F bomb, or some such?

You'd think they'd actually learn real words that elucidate cogent thoughts instead of parochial high school dropouts.

You know... to show others how intelligent they really are?
Too much time studying numbers to worry about language arts.
 

Exit32Tigers

Elite
Founder
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
133
I work with an EE every single day.

Guy is hella smart. Knows his shit.

Dumb as a fucking box in operations world. I tell that bitch all day every day, just give me the deets if it’ll work you 100 lb brain dildo. Then the rest of us can actually put it to practice and reap the real rewards of project manager.

Hope this helps.
My dad always said if you asked my aeronautical engineer uncle what time it was, he'd tell you how to build a watch. :p
 

Shaun52

SCAR Cawk Connoisseur
Founder
Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2021
Messages
3,098


🇺🇸 PIZZA DELIVERY TURNS HORROR SHOW: $2 TIP SPARKS STABBING SPREE

A Florida pizza delivery worker allegedly returned to a motel with an armed accomplice and stabbed a pregnant customer 14 times - all over a $2 tip on a $33 order.

Brianna Alvelo, 22, and a masked man allegedly forced their way into the room where the victim shielded her 5-year-old daughter during the attack.

The victim survived but needed surgery for a punctured lung.

Pro tip: If you're planning to commit attempted murder over a bad tip, maybe don't do it right after delivering pizza in a tracked company car.

Source: Daily Mail

Why isn’t this in the Florida thread?
 
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