Twitter: Lawsuit Reveals Back Channel with CDC to Coordinate Censorship
August 24th, 2022Via: Jonathan Turley:
“Tricky.” Over the course of 110 pages in a federal complaint, that one descriptive word seemed to stand out among the exchanges between social media executives and public health officials on censoring public viewpoints. The exchange reveals long-suspected coordination between the government and these social media companies to manage a burgeoning censorship system. Twitter just reportedly suspended another doctor who sought to raise concerns over Pfizer Covid records. Former New York Times science reporter Alex Berenson is also suing Twitter over his suspension after raising dissenting views to the CDC. In the meantime, Twitter is rolling out new procedures to combat “misinformation” in the upcoming elections — a move that has some of us skeptical.The recently disclosed exchange between defendant Carol Crawford, the CDC’s Chief of digital media, revealed a back channel with Twitter and other companies to censor “unapproved opinions” on social media. The “tricky” part may be due to the fact that, during that week of March 25, 2021, then CEO Jack Dorsey was testifying on such censorship before Congress and insisting that “we don’t have a censoring department.” It seems that any meeting on systemic censorship with the government would have to wait until after Dorsey denied that such systemic censorship existed.
The exchange is part of the evidence put forward by leading doctors who are alleging a systemic private-government effort to censor dissenting scientific or medical views.
20 Million US Homes Are Behind On Power Bills
August 24th, 2022Via: ZeroHedge:
At least 20 million households — or about 1 in 6 American homes — are behind on their power bills as soaring electricity prices spark what is said to be the worst-ever crisis in late utility payments, according to Bloomberg, citing data from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (Neada).
Neada said electricity prices had increased significantly since 2020 after a decade of stagnation. The steep rise has resulted in billions of dollars in overdue power bills.
Japan: More Nuclear Power
August 24th, 2022So it goes…
Via: ZeroHedge:
Following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, nuclear power fell out of favor in Japan. But with global energy markets in turmoil and electricity bills skyrocketing, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is revisiting the debate over nuclear and perhaps the need to increase investments in next-generation power plants.
FT reported Kishida had announced plans to examine the construction of new plants that would break more than a decade of energy policy following the Fukushima disaster, which led to an effort to eliminate nuclear.
Tesla “Full Self Driving” Generally Performs Well, Occasionally Tries to Kill You
August 23rd, 2022
Via: Electrek:
Over the 13-minute and 8-mile test, we only had a single driver intervention (12:56), but it obviously was a significant one. Tesla FSD Beta was clearly taking the sharp turn too fast, and it was about to throw us down the cliff on the side of the road. I applied the brakes as I felt the car going over the double lanes straight for the other side of the road. It was certainly scary for a second.
What is strange is that FSD Beta knew this road had sharp turns that required slowing down, since it was driving a good 10 mph under the set speed, but it somehow didn’t anticipate that turn correctly.
Related: Automakers Are Rethinking the Timetable for Fully Autonomous Cars
Energy Crisis: Euro Falls to Two-Decade Lows
August 23rd, 2022Via: Reuters:
The euro fell to a fresh two-decade low on Tuesday, dealt a fresh blow by renewed concern that an energy shock will keep inflation elevated and makes a recession in Europe all but certain.
China Drought Causes Shortage of Hydropower, Factory Shutdowns
August 22nd, 2022Via: Guardian:
A record-breaking drought has caused some rivers in China – including parts of the Yangtze – to dry up, affecting hydropower, halting shipping, and forcing major companies to suspend operations.
A nationwide drought alert was issued on Friday as a long-running and severe heatwave in China’s heavily populated south-west was forecast to continue well into September.
The loss of water flow to China’s extensive hydropower system has sparked a “grave situation” in Sichuan, which gets more than 80% of its energy from hydropower.
…
Last week Sichuan suspended or limited power supply to thousands of factories and rationed public electricity usage due to the shortage. Toyota, Foxconn and Tesla are among companies reported to have temporarily suspended operations at some plants over the last fortnight. On Sunday the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported plans to restart production this week had been postponed.
Zuckerberg Mocked After Ridiculous, Cringe Inducing $10 Billion VR Boondoggle
August 22nd, 2022The schadenfreude is powerful in this one.
Via: Independent:
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled a new avatar for his metaverse character after the previous version was widely mocked online for appearing “dead-eyed” and creepy.
The criticism focussed on a Facebook post last week promoting the launch of the Horizon Worlds platform in France and Spain.
It featured a screengrab of Mr Zuckerberg’s avatar standing in front of a low-resolution rendering of the Eiffel Tower and Spain’s Tibidabo Cathedral.
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The billionaire’s post prompted a swift reaction across social media, with one commenter describing it as an “eye-gougingly ugly VR selfie”.
Others compared the graphics to those of the Nintendo Wii from 2006, while some even mocked it up to look like a game for the 16-year-old console.
Fauci Quitting in December
August 22nd, 2022I just hope that he lives long enough to see the inside of a prison cell.
Via: Newsweek:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), announced on Monday that he’ll resign from his position in December.
Fauci, who has advised every president since Ronald Reagan, faced criticism throughout the pandemic for his response to COVID-19. He has been the subject of criticism for his evolving stance on masks and herd immunity, and much of the criticism focused heavily on his early dismissal of the possibility that COVID-19 originated in a lab.
Fauci has stood by his response to the pandemic and in his resignation letter, he said he won’t be retiring but will be moving on.
Daughter of Putin Ally Killed in Car Bombing
August 21st, 2022Via: Reuters:
The daughter of an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine was killed in a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow, Russian state investigators said on Sunday.
Darya Dugina, daughter of prominent ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed on Saturday evening after a suspected explosive device blew up the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving, investigators said.
Space Delta 18
August 20th, 2022Via: Wikipedia:
Space Delta 18 (DEL 18) is a United States Space Force unit that serves as the National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC). It is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and activated on 24 June 2022.
