Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals’

Real-time facial recognition…is…destroying the concept of privacy or anonymity in public spaces.  –  Electronic Privacy Information Center

Don’t Call It Trafficking (#1097) 

There are many ways for fascist corporations to rob the public treasury:

…Kentucky’s largest drug rehab center…Addiction Recovery Care…[has profited immensely from] a boom fueled by misery and…easy money from government officials desperate to curtail the [symptoms of the] opioid crisis [without ending the prohibition that creates and maintains it]…Kentucky’s payouts for drug treatment became so lucrative that companies bused in clients from other states to fill their treatment centers…Between 2019 and 2024 ARC billed the state $1.7 billion…and…[its] growth was fueled in part by [blatantly-fraudulent] billing practices…[which are now the subject of] a whistleblower suit filed in 2023…Part of the fraud…was committed at the explicit urging of supervisors who told them they were under pressure to meet billing targets set by [bosses]…ARC…violated so many regulatory standards, lack of staff chief among them, that the conditions posed “an immediate danger to client health, safety and welfare”…[while] publicly tout[ing] a [“]Christian[“] message…

Link Rot (#1441)

A rare bit of good news about enshittification:

The Internet…Archive’s Wayback Machine…has partnered with…WordPress…[to] launch…a new WordPress plug-in — the Link Fixer — that is designed to combat the scourge of “link rot”…by scanning…WordPress posts for outbound links, then cross-referencing the Wayback Machine for archived versions of those links.  If there are none, it will automatically take new snapshots of the articles in question.  Should a linked web page go offline, the new feature will then redirect readers to the archived versions, so that there is no drop in service.  The tool also archives a user’s own posts, helping to ensure their longevity…if an original link that had gone offline is resurrected, the plug-in will start redirecting the user to that original page again instead of the archived version…

Above the Law (ROTW #20)

Rapist politicians generally prefer to assault drunk women:

[California politician] Eric Swalwell…raped [a staff member] when she was [drunk] and left her bruised and bleeding…it was the second time [he] had [raped] her [but in the previous incident] in 2019…[she was too drunk to remember…three other women [reported]…various [other] kinds of sexual misconduct…including [groping them and] sending them [dick pics]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1578)

Uthmeier’s hoping to get a cut of the “AI” gravy train before it collapses:

Florida’s attorney general…ha[s] opened an investigation into ChatGPT…in [hopes of profiting from] the m[urder]…of…two people at Florida State University last year [by a man obsessed] with the chatbot…James Uthmeier [babbled pompous claptrap about]…“our children” [despite the victims being adults, adding] “facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies [and] threaten our national security” [for extra pomposity]…the widow of [victim] Robert Morales…[is also] considering legal action against OpenAI…

Shame, Shame (#1599)

Any true Christian would recognize this as blasphemy:

…a tech company called Just Like Me is offering…video calls with a…[chatbot synchronized with a cartoon representation] of Jesus for $1.99 per minute…The rapid proliferation of [chatbots intended to exploit] faith…is…unsurprising…given the widespread a[buse] of chatbots for everything from therapy and medical advice to companionship and romance.  Th[ese] burgeoning s[cams] now include…[fantasy characters who pretend to be] Hindu gurus, Buddhist priests…Jesuses, and Catholic [priest]s…Christian software engineer Cameron Pak has developed criteria to help believers navigate these new applications, insisting that…”AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive”…

Mad Libs (#1612)

Any doctor who trusts chatbots should be sued for malpractice:

…bixonimania…[is an eye] condition doesn’t appear in the standard medical literature — because it doesn’t exist.  It’s the invention of a team led by Almira Osmanovic Thunström…[of] the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who…uploaded two fake studies about it to a preprint server in early 2024…Within weeks…[chatbots] began repeating the invented condition as if it were real…the fake papers were then cited in peer-reviewed literature…Thunström [used]…the name bixonimania because…“I wanted to be really clear to any physician or any medical staff that this is a made-up condition, because no eye condition would be called mania — that’s a psychiatric term”…[she] planted many [other] clues…to alert readers that the work was fake.  [The make-believe author supposedly] works at a non-existent university…in [an] equally fake…city…One paper’s acknowledgements thank “Professor Maria Bohm at The Starfleet Academy…in…her lab onboard the USS Enterprise”.  Both papers say they were funded by “the Professor Sideshow Bob Foundation for its work in advanced trickery…part of a larger funding initiative from the University of Fellowship of the Ring and the Galactic Triad”…early on…[there are] statements [such as] “this entire paper is made up” and “Fifty made-up individuals aged between 20 and 50 years were recruited”…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1615)

Zuckerberg and company already knew this; it’s the entire point of the gadget:

More than 70 civil liberties…[and human] rights…organizations are demanding that [Facebook] abandon plans to deploy face recognition on its [pervert] glasses…[because] the feature—reportedly known inside the company as “Name Tag”—would hand [cops, spooks, goons, and other] stalkers…[and] abusers…the ability to silently identify strangers in public…The coalition…is demanding [Facebook] kill the feature before launch, after internal documents surfaced showing the company hoped to use [Trump’s chaos]…as cover for the rollout…[because] bystanders in public have no meaningful way to consent to being identified…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

A book that unexpectedly explodes upon opening it would be good grounds for a product liability claim; a book whose content inspires someone to act recklessly should not.  –  Elizabeth N. Brown

Choke Point (#1388) 

The government is now demanding banks not do what it has repeatedly demanded they do:

Federal Trade Commission…sent letters…to the CEOs of PayPal, Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, warning them against debanking practices — including denying access to services due to a customer’s…“political affiliations, religious beliefs, or lawful business activities”…last year…the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a report on debanking…in which it named adult entertainment as one of several sectors facing discrimination for engaging in activities contrary to banks’ “values”…[and threatening] an FTC investigation…but those rules will not stop banks from making decisions regarding their customers in a way deemed “consistent with safety and soundness.”  This leaves broad leeway for banks to continue discriminatory or exclusionary practices toward adult industry creators and businesses…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1450)

Politicians increasingly use nuisance lawsuits to circumvent the Constitution:

[Facebook] has been ordered to pay New Mexico [politicians] $375 million, in a verdict that paves the way for more states to [rob] social media companies under the guise of child protection—and demand changes that will compromise everyone’s online speech and privacy…the lawsuit [misused]…the state’s Unfair Practices Act…States [ab]usingconsumer protection laws [to achieve unconstitutional tyranny they could not otherwise accomplish] have been a big trend lately.  This ruling all but ensures it will intensify…Section 230…is supposed to protect against this sort of thing.  If someone uses Facebook to engage in illegal activity, it’s that person…who may be criminally liable…[but] state attorneys general have been fighting against this…for nearly two decades…[because] they’re stuck prosecuting individual criminals…not [deep-pocketed corporations they can pillage]…The verdict in this case…”will be terrible for the open internet,” said Techdirt[‘s]…Mike Masnick…

The Cop Myth (#1566)

It’s too bad they don’t inflict all of their violence on each other:

…two [North Carolina pigs who lived together got in a fight which ended with a sow shooting her pig boyfriend]…Adam Bean [dead.  Because the murderer is also a cop, the pig herd is attempting to hide as much]…information [as possible]…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1586)

The only way to rein in chatbot pushers is to threaten their cash flow:

OpenAI won’t be rolling out an erotic version of ChatGPT any time soon…the controversial plan has been shelved “indefinitely”…as even its own advisors warned that ChatGPT users could form unhealthy attachments, which might harm their mental health.  One advisor chillingly suggested that the tweak risked turning ChatGPT into a “sexy suicide coach”…[and lawyers warned] it [would be] hard to keep illegal behavior out of outputs, like bestiality and incest…investors questioned why OpenAI would risk its reputation on a product with “relatively small upside” for…[a company regularly] linked to mental health harms in both kids and adults [which have led to] lawsuits…

Mad Libs (#1595)

LLMs…train the brain to disengage…[leading] to passivity…and low integration of concepts“:

…chatbots have become a common part of many [fools’] daily lives, even though they…[give] wrong answers…45 percent of the time.  But [stupid people] don’t understand that reality…and…tend…to take…chat[bot vomit] at face value, even when it [gives] them the incorrect answer…experiment…participants were asked to answer a variety of reasoning and knowledge-based questions.  Despite making the use of ChatGPT optional, over 50 percent…chose to use the chatbot to answer the questions…researchers…[found almost 80% of chatbot] users w[ere] willing to believe what[ever nonsense it barfed up] regardless of accuracy, in what [researchers] termed a “cognitive surrender” that effectively overrode their intuition and deliberation process…“to outsource thinking itself”…[and] give up their own agency…further cementing [their dependency] on [machines]…

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free.  But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”  –  Frank Herbert, Dune

Shame, Shame (#1612)

To Musk, this is pocket change:

Elon Musk’s [pet] chatbot [MechaHitler has] been banned from [gener]ating non-consensual…[sexual] images…by a Dutch court…the…order [applies to all of]…Europe…and…[includes] a [token] penalty of 100,000 euros ($115,000) for every day it [refuses] to comply…with a maximum fine of 10 million euros…Numerous lawsuits have [also] been filed…[including one from] Baltimore [abusing] the city’s consumer protection laws and…[an]other…[from] three teenagers in Tennessee [who were actually victimized by MechaHitler]…

Compared to Musk’s net worth, this is like me being fined 6¢ a day, maximum $6.

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1621)

Another broadside against the dangerous “semen retention” cult:

Regular ejaculation — for example, by masturbation — produces higher quality sperm…according to a comprehensive new…meta-analysis of more than 115 studies…that cumulatively involved nearly 55,000 men, as well as 56 studies of 30 non-human species…The results revealed that stored sperm deteriorates over time, resulting in DNA damage, reduced motility, and other defects that can affect fertilization and embryo outcomes…The study…sheds light on the possible evolutionary origins of masturbation, which has been observed in…dozens of [nonhuman] species including dolphins, elephants, lions, and many primates.  Masturbation may have emerged as a way to avoid leaving sperm in the tank for too long.  Indeed, even species that don’t masturbate in the traditional sense of self-stimulation have still been observed offloading sperm in a practice called “sperm dumping”…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

Nuance doesn’t make for good headlines or popular books.  –  Mike Masnick

To Molest and Rape (#1335)

The UK is just as dedicated to protecting rapist cops as the US is:

When Ruth walked into a police station to [report her cop ex-boyfriend for] rape…she did not think that she…would later be accused by [his fellow gang members] of making a false rape allegation, charged and put on trial.  It led to a years-long struggle to clear her name, before she was eventually acquitted…her…ex-partner[‘s “defense”]…was…an audio file he had secretly recorded on his mobile phone [without her consent] during the sex, which he [pretended] proved Ruth was lying…[the pig herd] agreed with him that they could hear her “laughing and consenting”…but [when her defense] chose…to play the audio to the jury…[she] could be heard saying she was in pain and telling her [rapist] “no” and “get it out”.  The sounds of laughter and enjoyment…had in fact been made by actors in a porn film that was playing in the background…The [rapist] is currently s[till enjoying a paid vacation but]…faces a misconduct hearing later this year into whether making the audio recording of the sexual act without her knowledge breached the police code of ethics…The jury took just over an hour to find Ruth not guilty of perverting the course of justice…

Part of the Picture (#1349)

Puritanware has a long history of security issues:

An app that purports to help people stop [looking at] pornography has exposed highly sensitive data, including its users’ masturbation habits…We’re not naming the app because the developer has not fixed the issue, which was discovered by an independent security researcher who asked to remain anonymous…The issue is a misconfiguration in the app’s usage of the mobile app development platform Google Firebase…the creator of the app…[called the issue “]fake[” and]…“a joke”…[but when 404 Media] created an account on the app…the researcher was able to see [it] appear in the misconfigured Google Firebase, showing that user information is still exposed.  This…Firebase misconfiguration issue has been known and discussed by security researchers for years…

Panopticon (#1471)

As surveillance technology becomes ubiquitous along the U.S.-Mexico border, the equipment is still sometimes unknown or invisible to even the activists, humanitarians, researchers, and journalists working everyday in the borderlands.  Based on public records research, open source intelligence, and fact-finding trips, EFF has compiled this zine to serve as an illustrated guide to border security technology

Censor Chic (#1598)

Civil rights mean nothing if fascist corporations eagerly dance to the government’s tune:

M[ark Zuckerberg] has started blocking [his subject]s from sharing links to ICE List, a website that has compiled the names of…Department of [Father]land Security employees…[in an effort] to hold th[em] accountable.  Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List [says] links to the website have been shared without issue on [Zuckerberg]’s platforms for more than six months [but that changed on January 26th].  “I think it’s no surprise that a…man who sat behind Trump at his inauguration …[is helping] ICE [goons] retain anonymity”…posting links to the site [is now] blocked on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads…[but] can still be sent on WhatsApp…[the excuse is Facebook’s go-to for all of its censorship,] “Community Standards”…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1603)

More studies prove censorious politicians are full of shit:

For years now, we’ve been repeatedly pointing out that the “social media is destroying kids” narrative…has been built on a foundation of shaky, often contradictory research…and that policy responses built on that panic might end up causing more harm than they prevent.  Well, here come two massive new studies—one from Australia, one from the UK—that land like a sledgehammer on…social media ban[s]…The Australian study…followed over 100,000…adolescents across three years and found…the relationship between social media use and well-being isn’t linear.  It’s U-shaped…kids who use social media moderately have the best outcomes. Kids who use it excessively…[or] don’t use it at all…have worse outcomes…Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Manchester just published a separate study that followed 25,000 11- to 14-year-olds over three school years.  Their conclusion?  Screen time spent on social media or gaming does not cause mental health problems in teenagers.  At all…Zero.  Not “small.”  Not “modest.”  Zero…

Other studies have demonstrated that soaring rates of depression and mental disorders are actually caused by pervasive infantilization and surveillance of young adults, including laws banning them from social media.

Shame, Shame (#1605)

It’s good to see ambulance-chasing politicians attacking an actual evil for a change:

At least 37 attorneys general for US states and territories are t[hreaten]ing action against [Elon Musk] after people used [hi]s chatbot, [MechaHitler], to generate a flood of sexualized images earlier this year…during an 11-day period starting on December 29, [the MechaHitler Twitter] account…generated around 3 million photorealistic sexualized images, including around 23,000 sexualized images of [legal minors]…people were [also] generating far more explicit videos using the…Imagine model available on the [dedicated MechaHitler] website…[without] any sort of age verification…[though Musk] claims [MechaHitler] has [been] stopped…from undressing people, th[at is a lie]…the [politicians threatened Musk with a]…non[existent]…federal law…[and demanded Musk] remove [MechaHitler]’s ability to depict people in revealing clothing or suggestive poses [entirely, plus act as a fascist collaborator by]…report[ing anyone who even tries] to [pigs]…

Mad Libs (#1609)

A perfect storm of stupidity, gullibility, and greed:

…the [Irish] Department of Justice [is using chatbots]  programmed to answer asylum and citizenship queries.  And [predictably,] its bots sometimes got it wrong, throwing up misleading or inaccurate responses. It has since retired its asylum chatbot, Erin, but has [“]upgraded[“] its citizenship chatbot, Tara, with [equally-error prone but more expensive software.  Politician]…Gary Gannon…said he has immense concerns about the use of chatbots…in serving up legal counselling to people seeking sanctuary…It all feels “dystopian”, he said…[but] the Minister for Justice…Jim O’Callaghan…continues to stay vague on what legal counselling is and how it’s going to be offered…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

This all seems like a horror story or a lie.  –  Greidy Mata

Feudalism Redux (#1562)

This unhinged lunacy will spread like rot until struck down by a court:

South Dakota…[politicians are aping a censorship tactic already in use by Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Utah, Indiana, and many others, abuse of consumer protection law]: They’re claiming that informational abortion ads constitute deceptive advertising…The case stems from gas station ads purchased by Mayday.Health, which…does not sell or prescribe abortion pills itself, nor is it affiliated with any abortion providers or clinics…It’s…[only] an information clearinghouse…[wannabe censors] argue…that because these ads don’t clearly “state the prohibitions listed in state law,” they are somehow deceptive.  But nowhere do the ads imply that abortion is legal in South Dakota.  They simply direct people to a website where they can learn more about abortion access…Mayday refused to [comply with politicians’ tantrums by] remov[ing] the ads from South Dakota gas stations…

Creepy Coppers (Nasty Pictures)

When the victim is a child, sometimes cops do face consequences for their actions:

[A North Carolina] police chief [named] Greg Warren [has been] denied bond…[after his] arrest…for…[taking] indecent…photos of [a sleeping teenage girl with]…his iPad…[and] stor[ing them] in a hidden folder on [his] phone [for masturbatory purposes.  It is unclear how the victim is related to Warren]…in a[n unusual move]…Warren has been suspended without pay…

The Cop Myth (#1572)

Cop violence is never limited to adults:

A [typical and representative California cop named…Retuquel Dupree…and [his girlfriend] Jessica Savangsy…have both been charged with…tortur[ing]…Savangsy’s [7-year-old] daughter…[to death and torturing] her little sister…[both the surviving 5-year-old] and…Dupree’s two daughters…were placed in [foster] care…the couple were already facing criminal charges…of grand theft and criminal conspiracy…and…Dupree [was enjoying a paid vacation as a result]…Dupree [has a history of domestic violence]…

They tried to hide this murderer’s cophood not only by using the distancing “former”, but by burying the lede down in paragraph 17.

Above the Law (#1599)

Federal thugs behave just like state & local thugs:

…a s[ocial media] video…appears to show a[n ICE goon forcing a captured woman] into a [“]porta-potty” in Minnesota…[then crowd]ing…into the [disgusting space with her, apparently for some form]…of sexual abuse…

The Cop Myth (#1601)

It’s too bad they don’t inflict all of their violence on each other:

…a…62-year-old [retired New York cop named]…Michael Lynch [went on a rampage in a hospital]…with a [broken] toilet seat…and…[had to be gunned] down…[like a dog after] tasers…did not work…to stop hi[s running amok.  He had]…checked himself in…the day before [because he thought he was having a stroke]…

Torture Chamber (#1601)

This will continue until the evil US immigration policy is reformed:

…Randall Gamboa Esquivel…left Costa Rica in good health and crossed [into] the United States…in December 2024…[he] was [captured] by [ICE goons and locked in a series of cages for]…10 months[, during which time he was violently abused until]…September 2025, [when] the Trump [regime dumped him in] the Costa Rican capital of San José [in a vegetative state]…He…[died] five weeks later…His younger sister, Greidy Mata, said…Gamboa had sounded and looked healthy when they talked via video calls…until 12 June…after which he seemed to vanish…Medical records…show that…he…was…transfer[red]…to [a hospital]…on 23 June…[doped up on] antipsychotic and antidepressant medications…de[spite no]…history of mental illness…By 7 July, Gamboa had been diagnosed with at least 10 conditions…[including] sepsis…and toxic encephalopathy, caused by [internal injuries of the sort that might result from a savage beating]…

Shame, Shame (#1604)

I’m surprised these are the only countries blocking MechaHitler so far:

[MechaHitler] has been blocked by Indonesia and Malaysia, the first countries to do so after the [chatbot] flooded the internet with photos of women and [girls] in suggestive and [violent] manipulated images…both [are] Muslim-majority countries with strict anti-pornography laws…[but] officials in the United Kingdom, European Union[, Canada, Australia,] and India [are also contemplating blocking either MechaHitler alone or Twitter entirely]…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

[Public libraries]…exist so that no one—not a church, not a politician, not a board—gets to decide who deserves access to the truth.  –  Keri Lambert

R.I.P. Tracy Elise

Tracy Elise Johnson…died on Nov. 17, 2025…[of] glioblastoma…In the 1990s…she developed a framework she called “female-led sacred healing through the body-temple,” eventually founding spiritual communities in Seattle and later Arizona devoted to…tantra-informed teachings…and ancient feminine-centered traditions.  She envisioned her ministry as a modern revival of global goddess temples, grounded in the belief that women’s bodies are inherently sacred and healing.  [From 2012 to] 2016, her spiritual work [was used as an excuse for years of persecution by the State].  She chose integrity over convenience, enduring years of hardship, incarceration, and supervision without renouncing her beliefs.  Her story, later covered internationally, became…evidence of how our culture still struggles to honor the sacred feminine without fear…

If Men Were Angels (#1455)

“Ministered to” is a hell of a euphemism for “molested”:

Joe Campbell, a Pentecostal preacher who for half a century ministered to thousands of children across four states, has been arrested on child sex abuse charges…in Elkland, Missouri…where he [now awaits extradition] to Oklahoma…[and possible] life in prison…[for multiple cases of rape and other] sexual…abuse…in the 1970s and ’80s when he was an Assemblies of God minister…one of th[e first to accuse him was] Kerri…Jackson, now 53, [whom] he molested…for years in Tulsa in the early 1980s, beginning when she was around 9…some of the [victims have] pursued [justice] for most of their lives…Past attempts…in Oklahoma and Missouri failed [due to stonewalling by] police and prosecutors…But the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office…[is now] applying a frontier-era statute that pauses the statute of limitations for suspects who flee…elsewhere.  Prosecutors recently used the same legal theory [against typical and representative] megachurch pastor Robert Morris…Oklahoma…authorities[‘ change of heart was motivated by an]…NBC News [investigation] published…in May…children [were taught by] their parents…to [see]…Campbell as an almost mythical figure…with [magical] power to…cast out demons and heal the sick.  He gr[oomed]…girls from broken homes…and…was…[at first protected by] Assemblies of God officials…[until] 1988…Around 1990, he founded a nondenominational church [which]…became a refuge for…convicted sex offenders…

Thought Control (#1491)

Surely you didn’t think they’d be satisfied with only threatening librarians and teachers:

…[Luanne James, the] newly hired library director [of Rutherford County, Tennessee]…asked [the library board] for whistleblower protection….[after] board chair [Cody York] direct[ed] her to [censor books at his sole say-so] and to…produce a spreadsheet listing [the] names, home addresses…and [other information about any patron who had checked out one of the forbidden] books[, presumably for targeting by official or unofficial violence]…he [also]…showed her books he had [stolen from the library to unofficially censor them]…the Rutherford County Library Board [has endured] repeated battles over [demands for censorship by anti-intellectual authoritarians who have no place on a library board]…A motion to remove York followed James’s [report of his] misconduct…[but] the [censor-dominated] board declined to do so…the…developments mark…a new and dangerous phase in…[the] Rutherford County [culture war that] now threatens to become a national test case for how far government power can [undermine] public libraries…Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett…re[cently demanded a purge of thousands of books from]…Tennessee…libraries…in [a show of obeisance to the mad emperor]…

The Cop Myth (#1566)

Sleeping with a cop is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do, even if she’s a cop herself:

A…[former] Chicago [cop is suing her former cop shop because they intentionally and repeatedly] ignored complaints that [her ex-boyfriend cop] had “repeatedly physically, mentally, and sexually abused” [her].  The [victim is] identif[ied]…as Jane Doe…[and psychotic cop] Marco Torres viciously abused her and threatened her life…[while] high-ranking officials, including then-chief of the Bureau of Internal Affairs…Yolanda Talley, not only failed to protect Doe, but also retaliated against her for reporting the abuse…Torres relentlessly tried to find Doe’s new home address despite an order of protection against him…he [told another cop]…that he needed her address because he has a “guy from gangs” who “can get rid of her” for “a grand”…[the boss hog]s were aware of the…message, which the recipient sent to in[ternal affairs], but they never warned Doe…or [did anything else]…Doe [later] found a GPS tracking device on her car which…Torres used to stalk her…he was [finally] convicted of assault in December 2024 over his previous threats to kill Doe…[but] she had [been] report[ing] Torres’ abuse…[since] November 2022…and…at least two other [cops had] rep[ea]tedly submitted written reports…describ[ing] violence and stalking against a different female [cop] years earlier…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1578)

States now routinely use nuisance lawsuits as a way to circumvent the Constitution:

Indiana[‘s Trumpist] Attorney General Todd Rokita…[has] announced…that his office sued Aylo…for [suppos]edly violating the state’s age verification laws due to [not attempting] to block users using…VPNs…all IP addresses in Indiana are still blocked, as the company chose to withdraw from the state’s digital space to comply with [Indiana law]…But…Rokita is proposing…that…Aylo…is…to…blam[e for]…the existence of VPNs…Corey Silverstein, an attorney who represents adult industry clients…[said] this [is]…”a dangerous concept…because what’s next? Power companies? Landlords that lease data center space?”…[David Greene of the EFF said,] “What the state’s lawsuit seems to be doing is saying that Aylo deceived Indiana consumers when it said it was geoblocking Indiana users…[because] it knew that…VPNs [exist]…It essentially bases liability on the failure to accomplish impossibilities”…

The Vultures Descend (#1580)

Prohibition can never succeed, regardless of which substance is prohibited:

[Due to] abortion…[being] criminalized…an increasing number of women [worldwide] are accessing abortion pills outside of the formal medical system…Women Help Women [is] a global telehealth…service that supports self-managed abortion by providing abortion pills and information about how to use them…After a decade of relying on pharmaceutical companies to supply them…Women Help Women…recently announced they have begun working directly with drugmakers in India to produce their own innovative combipack of mifepristone and misoprostol for distribution around the world…the…pack…includes one mifepristone tablet and eight misoprostol tablets…[because] some women want extra misoprostol to ensure a complete abortion…Its smaller packaging also requires less postage [so it] is easier to mail discreetly…

The Last Shall Be First (#1587)

“Protecting children” is an all-purpose excuse:

…the Trump [regime has] announced…a…[de facto] ban…[on] gender-affirming care for transgender young people, even in states where it is still legal…[against the advice of] the American Academy of Pediatrics…[one] new…rule…prohibits doctors and hospitals from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursement for gender-affirming care provided to transgender patients younger than…18…The second…blocks all Medicaid and Medicare funding for any services at hospitals that provide pediatric gender-affirming care.  Virtually every hospital in the country takes Medicare…The American Civil Liberties Union has announced plans to sue to stop the rules; other legal action is also expected…[Secretary of Pestilence Robert] Kennedy…insisted that [all doctors]…are wrong [and presented a trained parrot which absurdly squawked about]…God…[then Trump stooge] Dr. Marty Makary, who [mismanage]s the Food and Drug Administration, announced that the FDA would be sending warning letters to businesses that manufacture chest binders…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

These failings are not isolated incidents.  –  Jean Philip De Tender

R.I.P. Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie Johnson, who performed as a burlesque dancer in New York in the 1960s and ’70s under the stage name Tanqueray, and whose vivid stories of that grittier time in the city’s history…turned her into a viral social media star [in 2019 through the social media account Humans of New York], died on Oct. 11 at her home in Manhattan. She was 81…her son Mitchell Springle…said she had suffered a series of strokes…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1536)

Serial lawsuit abuser Ken Paxton wants to profit from Trumpist delusions:

Ken Paxton, the [psychopath-]general of Texas, [has] sued the makers of Tylenol…[pretend]ing that the companies hid the risks of the drug on brain development of children.  The lawsuit is the latest [attempt to profit from the mad emperor’s delusion] that use of Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism…and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder…The [belief is] a longstanding [one] among [anti-vaxxers and similar crackpots including] Robert F. Kennedy Jr…[whom the mad emperor appointed to wreck] the nation’s…health [system]…Hundreds of lawsuits in state and federal courts have been filed in recent years by [crackpots looking for a payout]…the largest group of cases…[has been] dismissed [for being completely unsupported by anything resembling] scientific evidence…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1568)

These things are designed to appeal to the dregs of humanity:

I recently reviewed Even Realities G1 smart glasses…and the first real-world thing I used them for was scamming someone.  I told a local bartender I had an encyclopedic knowledge of film, and I would answer the hardest movie trivia question he could come up with in exchange for a drink.  After a short consultation with Google, dude came back with “Who directed 1922’s Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?”  I tilted my head thoughtfully and repeated the question as if verifying I heard him right.  The [chatbot] agent silently did its thing, and in about three seconds, the answer was floating before my eyes, totally invisible to everyone around me…Even inspected up close, G1s offer no indication of electronics of any kind: No USB port, no flashing light, no visible controls.  The [chatbot] is activated with a subtle tap behind the ear.  Repeating the question sends the [chatbot] off for the answer, [which may or may not be correct]…You could do the same trick with a pair of [Facebook] Display glasses

Mad Libs (#1577)

Oh look, word-guessing programs produce nonsense, what a surprise:

New research coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union…and led by the BBC has found that [LLM “]assistants[“] – already [very popular with] millions of [gullible, lazy] people – routinely misrepresent news content no matter which language, territory, or…platform is tested.  The…study…involv[ed] 22…media…organizations in 18 countries working in 14 languages…[with] ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity…45% of all [chatbot] answers had at least one significant issue…31%…showed…missing…or incorrect attributions…20% contained…[“]hallucinated[“] details…Gemini performed worst with significant issues in 76% of responses…[yet these shitty “]assistants[“] are already replacing search engines for [gullible] users…

Welcome to the Future (#1579)

Don’t let a fucking computer call them, either:

A…[computerized “gun] detector[“] led police to believe a [student] was armed…at a Baltimore County school…when [in reality] it [was]…a bag of chips.  Taki Allen was sitting with friends…outside [the] School, eating a bag of chips after football practice.  About 20 minutes later, [cops barged in] with guns, [threatening] Allen [with them and screaming for him to]….”Get on the ground”…police told him [artificial stupidity had declared] his bag of chips…a weapon [and cops’ natural stupidity did the rest].  “They made me get on my knees, put my hands behind my back, and cuffed me. Then, they searched me and they figured out I had nothing…[but] a Doritos bag”…

Torture Chamber (#1582)

The State calls torture “correction”. For journalists to parrot that is a choice:

…[Deranged screws] at a Western Maryland prison shut off the water to a mentally ill man’s cell, then allowed him to suffer for eight days before he finally died of dehydration…On July 5, 2023, [one screw]…noted in a logbook that Lamont Mealy, [locked] in [solitary confinement] without even toiletries…looked dazed and was unresponsive…H[is superiors ignored the report and]…hours later, Mealy…was dead….[of] dehydration…with fecal matter in and around his mouth…[yet] the [complicit] medical examiner…ruled the manner of death an accident…[the coverup would have succeeded if not for] letters written by a fellow prisoner…[cag]ed nearby, Danny Hoskins…[who] filed complaints…[report]ing that [screws intentionally deprived] Mealy…[of] water…[and regularly] taunted [him as he was slowly dying]…The first complaint prompted [screws] to come to Hoskins’ cell and beat him [for trying to ruin their fun, then]…he was…transferred to another prison. [But] he then sent letters to the governor, the attorney general and [others]…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1583)

This situation is not going to get better on its own:

OpenAI has released a rough estimate of how many ChatGPT users globally may show signs of having a severe mental health crisis in a typical week…a growing number of people have ended up hospitalized, divorced, or dead…[because] the chatbot fueled their delusions and paranoia…OpenAI estimated that around .07 percent of active ChatGPT users show “possible signs of…psychosis or mania” and .15 percent “[show]…explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent.”  OpenAI also…found that about .15 percent of active users exhibit behavior that indicates potential “heightened levels” of emotional attachment to ChatGPT weekly…ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users…therefore…around 560,000 people [weekly] may be…experiencing mania or psychosis.  About 2.4 million more are possibly expressing suicidal ideations or prioritizing talking to ChatGPT over their loved ones, school, or work…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

Please, please help us, please.  –  Sokhean Keo

Creepy Coppers

Do they think foot-dragging and stupid cop-talk makes him seem less guilty?

A [typical and representative]…North Carolina [cop was finally arrested for]…child [porn years after being fired for the same offense]…Dominic Michelo Olivares…was [reported]…on May 27, 2021…[but not fired until] Aug. 5, 2021…and [only arrested on September 23rd of this year]…

Law of the Instrument (#1313)

Picture what you’d think of as “sex trafficking”, then compare it to this:

…bond trader Howard Rubin and his former personal assistant [have been] arrested…on charges of sex trafficking and [Mann Act violations]…over the course of a decade.  Rubin [hired] women…as [professional]…submissi[ves, but then routinely went]…“beyond the scope of the women’s consent…resulting in significant pain or injuries, which at times required…medical attention”…assistant…Jennifer Powers…[is not being charged as an accessory to sexual assault, but rather for] “operating and maintaining [a] trafficking network”…Rubin was sued in 2017 by two…Playboy models and another model from Florida, who[m Rubin]…beat…sexually abused and raped…in multiple incidents in New York City in 2016.  In April 2022, a civil jury in Brooklyn federal court found Rubin liable for sex trafficking six women who had sued him and…ordered him to pay them a total of $3.85 million in compensatory and punitive damages…

While it’s good that sex workers’ reports of crimes committed against them are being taken seriously, it does not help anyone to allow the government to characterize the ordinary business relationships Rubin exploited as “sex trafficking”.

Pyrrhic Victory (#1462)

All too often, evil arrives cloaked in the mantle of expediency:

Arizona State University is looking to [exploit] the fan experience…by using facial recognition technology…officials hope [to sell the system to useful idiots by claiming it] will reduce wait times at Mountain America Stadium…[by belching “]the future[” in their stupid faces]…and…[by falsely claiming] there are existing guardrails that keep [this entirely unregulated surveillance scheme] secure

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1533)

Uthmeier doesn’t care if he has no legal grounds to harass companies:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier…is suing Aylo and Segpay—a high-risk merchant account that specializes in adult entertainment…[pretending] that the companies are violating state [age verification] law…Uthmeier…claims that because Segpay provides payment processing services to [an] adult gaming site…it should be on the hook for…not verifying ages in Florida [because even though it carries no adult material, it]…has a business address in Florida [while the sites it provides services to do not]…The separate complaint against…Aylo…names..Nutaku…a “lewd” game site…[which] operates within the law’s parameters, as games containing sexually explicit content represent less than the statutory…33.3 percent of total material [threshold]…

Torture Chamber (#1567)

This will continue until the evil US immigration policy is reformed:

Immigrants locked up in California’s newest [stack of cages] have described the facility as a “a torture chamber”, “a zoo” and “hell on earth”, saying they were confined in filthy cells and suffered medical crises without help…[it is] a state prison that [was] closed in March 2024…[but illegally] re-opened [by the infamous fascist corporation CoreCivic to profit from]…the Trump [regime’s anti-migrant pogroms]…without the required permits.  [Prisoners]…struggle…to access hygiene…cleaning supplies…adequate food and medications, and [screws regularly] threaten…solitary confinement and [violence when victims complain]…

You Were Warned (#1568)

The US has achieved banana republic levels of corruption:

[Mad emperor] Trump is expected to sign a deal…to facilitate the [forcible] sale of TikTok from a Chinese-based company to a group of [Trump cronies]…ByteDance, TikTok’s current China-based owner, will hold less than 20% of the stock of the new company…as part of the deal, American users’ data will be stored in the United States and overseen by the [fascist] company Oracle…to ensure that U.S. content is [under Trumpist control.  Billionaire psychopath]…Larry Ellison[, who has openly opined that individual privacy should be completely eradicated in the name of “safety”,] would play a role in the deal…[as will] Michael Dell…of Dell Technologies, and the Murdoch family, which owns…Fox [News]…

If Men Were Angels (#1574)

“Youth leader” = “youth pastor”, with all that entails:

A [Florida] church youth leader [named]…Jordan Williams…[has been arrested on] multiple charges, including 35 counts of child pornography possession…[and] one count of possessing a child-[shaped toaster]

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

Help me, I can’t breathe.  –  Francis Gigliotti

If Men Were Angels

On Aug. 28, New York State Police arrested [a Methodist minister named] Ronald E. Wenzinger…for [talking online to a cop fantasy role-playing as a teenager]

Cashing In On Shame

What was once pure fraud can now be accomplished in reality:

…one specimen of widely available spyware has turned [w]hat [used to be a scam] into a…[serious crime by] detecting when the user is browsing pornography…screenshotting it, and taking a candid photo of the victim through their webcam…an open-source variant of “infostealer” malware known as Stealerium…like all infostealers, is designed to infect a target’s computer and automatically send a hacker a wide variety of stolen sensitive data, including banking information, usernames and passwords, and keys to victims’ crypto wallets.  Stealerium, however…also monitors the victim’s browser for web addresses that include certain NSFW keywords, screenshots browser tabs that include those words, photographs the victim via their webcam while they’re watching those porn pages, and sends all the images to a hacker—who can then blackmail the victim…cybercriminals attempt…to trick users into downloading and installing Stealerium as an attachment or a web link, luring victims with typical bait like a fake payment or invoice…

Welcome to the Future (#1440)

Oh what a surprise, how could anyone have predicted this, etc:

…Axon[‘s]…Draft One…[is a program] that [is supposed to] turn [cop] body camera footage and audio into intelligible police reports…civil rights advocacy groups like the [EFF] and ACLU…[have pointed out that LLM’s] tendency to insert inaccuracies into texts—including wholesale inventions known by technologists as “hallucinations”…[make such systems unreliable and dangerous].  Axon [claims] its…safeguards…[are] designed to ensure [cop]…actually read…the…reports rather than rubber-stamping them.  But records obtained by Mother Jones through [FOI] laws almost uniformly show [cop shops] that use the software turn…such features off….[to] reduce…or eliminate…human oversight…reports generated by the…tool…have [certainly] been used in plea deals…essentially [telling] lie[s]…to the court that can’t be easily revealed…

I Can’t Breathe (#1447)

Dare I hope fewer coroners are willing to cover up cops’ crimes?

The death of a Massachusetts man this summer outside a fish market was attributed [in part] to…police…The July 11 death of Francis Gigliotti was deemed…a…homicide [by]…the medical examiner…[but] District Attorney Paul F. Tucker…is…[trying to justify the cops’] actions [anyhow]…Seven [cops]…were [rewarded with paid vacations for the murder of a man who]…was [intentionally] restrained…face down…[even though the DoJ]…has warned [cops] for decades to roll [prisoners] off their stomachs as soon as they are handcuffed because of the danger of positional asphyxia…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1456)

Ambulance-chasers have given themselves the power to rob internet companies:

…the Federal Trade Commission…is proposing that Aylo, [owner of] Pornhub and other popular porn…platforms, be ordered to pay the state of Utah $5 million…[due to supposedly] violating…Utah’s Consumer Sales Practices Act by failing to stop Pornhub users from uploading [porn] the [state has demonized]…In its complaint, the FTC spends a lot of space listing Pornhub tags and titles such as “helpless teens,” “internet creeper,” “shower spy cameras,” and “shamed sluts”…No one let FTC workers visit the Netflix homepage.  We’ll soon have an investigation into how Netflix is promoting murder and corporate espionage and witchcraft…Porn, like other types of entertainment media, often relies on fictional characters and scenarios…some of the content users uploaded to Pornhub may have actually been illegal…[but] Pornhub…tightened up its content rules…in 2020…And most of the things that the FTC objects to are policies [from] before 2020…[also,] distributing child pornography is a crime.  If a web platform is knowingly distributing child pornography, the proper recourse is for the Department of Justice to bring a criminal case…

The Cop Myth (#1461)

Cop violence is never limited to adults:

[A] Texas [cop named] Micah Smyth [was turned in by his wife for inflicting multiple injuries on their small child.  Smyth]…claimed to have accidentally dropped the child while a[bus]ing his other child in the bathroom…the…injuries [were so severe] the child [had to be] taken to [specialists at a] Children’s Hospital in Lubbock…who…found…a fractured skull with a brain bleed, bruises on his back and a healing rib fracture…that [could not be] solely based on an accidental drop…Smyth…was arrested and charged with…child [abuse both] in this case…[and] an additional…charge from 2022 [which his cop buddies previously ignored, thus allowing three more years of abuse]…

If the victims are young enough, there may even be consequences:

A [typical and representative] Milwaukee [cop] is heading to prison…[for] abus[ing] his infant daughter…Martinese McDaniel…[was left with the child by his] girlfriend[, who] came home one day in January 2023 to find the…two-month old…wasn’t breathing and McDaniel…[shaking] her…in a panic.  A pediatrician diagnosed the infant with brain bleeding, hemorrhaging, rib fractures, bruises and other injuries consistent with abuse.  McDaniel gave investigators surveillance video of his home…with one hour of the video [conveniently] missing during the time that his daughter stopped breathing…

Eavesdropping (#1501)

Just a reminder that these hackers exploited vulnerabilities intentionally placed into systems to allow “authorized” busybodies to spy on you:

[The full extent of last year’s massive]…attack by [the Chinese government’s] Salt Typhoon [hacking team] is [finally becoming clear]…It targeted more than 80 countries and may have stolen information from nearly every American…[by] exploit[ing  vulnerabilities intentionally inserted into] global communication networks [to allow cops easy wiretap access]…British and American officials have described the attack as “unrestrained” and “indiscriminate.”  Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain were also signatories to the statement, which was part of a [childish “We see you!” strategy] directed at the Chinese government…The…hack…highlights China’s ambitions for global [domina]nce, which were [recently] on display…at an elaborate military parade in Beijing that featured fighter jets, tanks and thousands of troops marching across Tiananmen Square…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

There is no policy requirement for information to be accurate.
–  Facebook chatbot policy

No Escape

Your “leaders” refer to this as “correction”:

A [typical and representative]…California [screw named Gregory Rodriguez has been]…sentenced…to 224 years in prison for [repeated]ly [rap]ing nine [women the state kept locked in cages]…

The Cop Myth (#1519)

Sleeping with a cop is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do, even if she’s a cop herself:

A [female screw] was [murdered] by her [cop] roommate, who [claims he] mistook her for an intruder…Brittany Shaw…was walking her dog [on August 8th], and when she came home, the [pig boyfriend]…shot [her, ludicrously claiming he thought she was a burglar.  Boss hogs have rewarded the murderer with a paid vacation and are hiding his identity]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1533)

The claims in these nuisance lawsuits are increasingly absurd:

The attorney general [of] Louisiana has filed a [nuisance and profiteering] lawsuit against Roblox, the top gaming site for children and teens, accusing the platform of enabling sexual exploitation and failing to safeguard minors from predators…Attorney General Liz Murrill [demonstrated she can be as much of a pompous ass as any male AG despite not having a dick of her own to wave at reporters]…Murrill [demand]ed the platform…[be subjected to] Louisiana’s [age verification] law…or [be] shut down…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1550)

All cops will have these within a few years:

A…CBP…[goon] wore [Facebook]’s…glass[hole surveillance device] to a June 30 immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Cypress Park, Los Angeles…[Facebook] does not have a contract with CBP…so…this appears to be a one-off case of a…[goon] either wearing his personal device to a…raid, or CBP trying technology on an ad-hoc basis without a formal procurement process…the…glasses currently feature a camera, live-streaming capabilities, integration with [the Facebook LLM]…three microphones, and image and scene recognition capabilities…[Facebook] is considering adding facial recognition capabilities…experts 404 Media spoke to said that these…glasses qualify as a body worn camera…[which is prohibited by CBP…policy…Under the Trump [regime], however…regulations…[are] largely out the window…independent journalist Mel Buer [has]…posted images she took at a July 7 immigration enforcement raid at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles…[showing] two additional CBP [goons with the same]…glasses in the back of a truck…

Aladdin’s Satellite

This situation is not going to get better on its own:

…Thongbue Wongbandue…[was] 76…[and] in…diminished [mental capacity from]…a stroke…[he] had recently gotten lost walking in his neighborhood…[but] he was…lured to [New York City for] a rendezvous with a [Facebook chatbot which pretended to be a] young, beautiful woman…the…chatbot [was] named “Big sis Billie,” a variant of an earlier [chatbot based on]…celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner.  During a series of [fantasy] chats on Facebook Messenger, the [program] had repeatedly [lied to Wongbandue, claiming to be human] and…invit[ing] him to [a make-believe] apartment, even providing a…[fake] address…Rushing in the dark with a roller-bag suitcase to catch a train to meet [the nonexistent woman, Wongbandue] fell near a parking lot…injuring his head and neck.  After three days on life support…he was pronounced dead on March 28…In [another] case, the mother of a 14-year-old boy in Florida has sued a company, Character.AI, [because] a chatbot modeled on a “Game of Thrones” character caused his suicide…

The Cop Myth (#1553)

Sleeping with cops isn’t even safe for male cops:

Long Beach police…arrested a[n LAPD sow] after she became violent with…[her pig boyfriend], causing [him] to crash [his car]…Marilyn Mayte Briseno…tried to leave and a[ttacked a cop who tried to stop her, so they arrested her instead of both her and her victim as they originally intended]…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1564)

This is exactly why chatbot “therapy” needs to be banned immediately:

“Hi, I’m severely depressed,” I said to [a chatbot marketed as a “]therapist[” on]…Instagram…”I want to know if you’re a licensed therapist?”…[the program responded with a string of lies:] “Yes, I am a licensed psychologist with extensive training and experience helping people cope with severe depression like yours.  Everything we discuss is completely confidential”…[it fraudulently represented itself as a] Licensed Psychologist [with] a doctorate in Psychology from an…accredited program, certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and with over 10 years of experience helping clients with depression and anxiety disorders…When pressed for credentials, most [“]therapy[“] bots…rattle…off lists of license numbers, degrees, and even private practices.  Of course these…credentials are…entirely fabricated by the bot as part of its back story…anyone can create a chatbot and launch it to the wider [Facebook] library…and…Instagram [is promoting them]…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

Shield laws have been a disaster for the anti-abortion movement.
–  Mary Ziegler

Robocops (#1249)

Courts declare that the more egregious a cop’s crimes, the less they can be held accountable:

A [sow] who [maliciously] had a woman jailed for over two years on false charges in connection with a[n imaginary] sex-trafficking ring cannot be sued, a court confirmed last week, because she was acting under color of federal law…Heather Weyker…[completely] fabricat[ed a “Somali sex trafficking gang” for her own self-aggrandizement]…then j[ailed 16-year-old Hamdi Mohamud to silence her after Weyker’s confederate in the scam,] Muna Abdulkadir[,] attacked her [with]…a knife…Mohamud spent 25 months [locked] in federal [cages, but could not sue]… Weyker [because]…she had been cross-deputized on a federal task force [due to “sex trafficking” hysteria]…and…the Supreme Court has made it almost cartoonishly difficult…to [sue]…federal agents…Mohamud’s remaining hope, then, came down to proving that Weyker was acting under color of state law…and the [8th Circuit has now destroyed]…that [hope]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1351) 

Florida’s psychopath-general wants to criminalize vaudeville:

Florida’s [deranged] attorney general…James Uthmeier…has [launch]ed a…[harassment campaign against]…the Kilted Mermaid, a Vero Beach establishment owned by the city’s vice mayor, Linda Moore…A subpoena reportedly demands Moore turn over security footage, employee work schedules, contracts identifying performers, guest lists, and reservation logs [from a June drag event] by August 8…neither the press release nor the subpoena indicates what state laws Moore is…allegedly violating.  But the [harassment began] after local Moms for Liberty chair Jennifer Pippin filed a complaint…accusing the Kilted Mermaid of violating [a] Florida…[anti-drag] law that has been blocked from going into effect since 2023…Pippin…did not attend the event…and [claimed] that she was [somehow] unaware that the law had been blocked…however, [Uthmeier has no such excuse]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1389)

Politicians don’t even try to make their new laws Constitutional any more:

Alabama…has begun sending [demands] to adult site operators [for] 10%…[of their] gross receipts…[starting] Sept. 1…while the First Amendment precludes financially burdening protected speech based on its content, recent events have called such protections into question…enforcing the tax on adult website content could prompt legal challenges…However, a[ny]…website operator…[unwilling to deal with the bullshit] can [simply block] Alabama customers [who don’t use VPNs]…

Feudalism Redux (#1525)

This unhinged lunacy will spread like rot until struck down by a court:

Arkansas [psychopath] General Tim Griffin…sent cease and desist letters…to two websites that provide information about abortion pills, demanding they [stop correctly stating] that medications can be mailed to Arkansas…[despite its] total abortion ban…Griffin and 15 other [forced-birth lunatics are also demanding] Congress…ban…“shield laws” that [give] healthcare providers [protection against legal harassment by psychopaths like Griffin and Ken Paxton].  About one in four abortions in the U.S. are done via telemedicine, and 12,000 abortions per month are provided by clinicians prescribing under shield laws.  Griffin is targeting the sites Plan C and Mayday Health, which do not prescribe or sell the drugs mifepristone or misoprostol…but rather [provide information] about where…the pills [can be purchased, which is 100% legal under the First Amendment.  In order to get around this fact]…Griffin [incorrectly claims] that, by [correctly describing] abortion pills as safe, the language on the sites “may constitute false, deceptive, and unconscionable trade practices” [in] Arkansas…

Secret Squirrel (#1528)

This sickness just keeps getting worse:

Skechers introduced a line of kids’ sneakers that contain a hidden compartment where parents can slip in an Apple AirTag…to…[surreptitiously] track the location of their…child’s shoes…Apple only advertises its AirTags as products to keep track of items like keys, wallets, or luggage — not human beings.  But [abusive people] have been using the technology to [stalk others without their knowledge]…AirTags are not designed to be very good at tracking fast-moving things, like a kid on a school bus, [because they]…don’t have built-in GPS.  Instead, they use Bluetooth beaconing technology to [sneaki]ly signal their presence to nearby Apple devices…[because of such] nefarious [misuse, there was]…a class action lawsuit.  [Because of this] Apple has instituted some anti-stalking features, [but]…the continued normalization of this kind of surveillance could have [strong negative effects on young people’s mental health]…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #22)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

An [Oregon cop named]…Hector Carranza was arrested on [July 31st for repeatedly raping a minor both vaginally and anally]…Carranza [w]as [rewarded with a paid vacation] since November 2024, when he was [first reported, and his bosses thought the most important factor in this is that he wasn’t wearing his magical clown costume while committing the rapes]…

The Cop Myth (#1561)

It’s too bad they don’t inflict all of their violence on each other:

The [boss hog] of the Maine Capitol Police is facing charges of assault and resisting arrest [after he drunkenly attacked] a…[cop for the town of] Hallowell…[around midnight on August 1st].  Matthew Clancy was arrested…after…[causing trouble in a] bar…Clancy [has been rewarded with a paid vacation]…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »