ABrockwell @aebrockwell@qoto.org

This issue is a deeply personal one for me. I hope you take the time to read this and understand what is really going on: They are fear mongers, creating a wedge issue, and profiting off of it. It has to end.

https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/they-say-theyre-protecting-the-children?sd=pf

A HS student to their TX school board, which is banning books:

“I’m not going to sit here and talk about the slippery slope that book banning leads to because I learned from a book, that I checked out from my school’s library, that I don’t need to resort to logical fallacy to make a point. I’m simply going to say that no government – and public school is an extension of government – has ever banned books, and banned information from its public, and been remembered in history as the good guys.”

#baby #Joda #cocktail #starwars

"video of the brutal beating death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old motorist fatally injured after being pulled over by police earlier this month."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/27/tyre-nichols-video-police-beating-live/

"fatally injured"???

Killed. Just say KILLED.

Seriously, who says "fatally injured"?
Tyre Nichols was killed after being pulled over by police.

#Journalism #Fail #JournalismFail
#Police #PoliceBrutality

5 towering men filed into our conference room in the Hart Senate office building.

“Hello little lady,” one lightheartedly greeted me, glancing back at the door as if still waiting for someone.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I began. “What brings you here today?”

The group shifted in their seats, perhaps mildly irritated. I guessed they expected to speak directly with a U.S. senator rather than the 25yo woman sitting across from them.

Today, a story from my past: https://sheril.substack.com/p/the-oil-men #politics

Welcome to my first image processed via #RawTherapee , a nice #mosstodon scene..

So RT is more like lightroom but still going to take some getting used too

#photography #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #NewZealand #NZTwits

Both parties have held the debt ceiling hostage as a political tool. For example, in 2011, the Republicans did it. But in 2013, the Republicans did it. On the other hand, this year it is the Republicans who are doing it.

#FlowersOfMastodon
#FlowersAndNurses
This was the height of the Pandemic in a Covid ward. And no, I was not there. But they loved the flowers and sent pictures.

Thirteen years ago the Supreme Court decided corporations are people under the First Amendment.

Today, sold-out politicians block progress on all fronts to appease their corporate donors.

Citizens United is among the worst decisions in history. It corrupts our system every day.

A major problem with ChatGPT is that it's so good at providing beautifully written and convincing answers to questions -- but its statements and answers are often factually incorrect. This is far more dangerous than simply providing incorrect statements and answers.

Raising the debt ceiling does not increase spending or the federal debt. It simply allows the government to pay bills it has already taken on. Know the truth.

It’s very funny to me that the dominant Twentieth Century conception of AI was a slightly awkward nerd with an inhuman mastery of facts and logic, when what we actually got is smooth-talking bullshit artists who can’t do eighth-grade math.

Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening.

Climate protection is not a crime.
#LuetziBleibt #LuetziLebt #KeepItInTheGround #ClimateJustice

The crackpots have come to Congress. I wrote about how conspiracy theories have taken over the Republican party, in ways that are distinct from other peer democracies. The battle for American democracy is a battle over reality. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/conspiratorial-thinking-polarization-america-united-kingdom/672726/

How Finland Is Teaching a Generation to Spot Misinformation

The Nordic country is testing new ways to teach students about propaganda. Here’s what other countries can learn from its success.

#GiftLink
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/world/europe/finland-misinformation-classes.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqIhkSVUaAybKWsIjolqLmOLI2LF7iH74KCGTRXNHzv8UBYaH4ULEeatkYZ442z2AX9Jadr8zQfg4hsluA3tQcSj66J2VhMZCZCwvtYO4Wm5x1smXBO5nqDKvYjbndKIileKy-huKO2n1UPDY1nZ3JV1np5pkZkjqjSJTvtrNFuF-3dV83f4zVNstFXpbOn7877S_AA5-Od6Hchjf9gE0PupbUj3RltSXgKkSJEQQURmVCSMivhtvrY9UK9gVP6zgLhY_e8eYgrwZDmVgLofBFIS5pvO9ZV-vudr4BKbnXCby

#WorldNews #Education #Finland #Misinformation #Disinformation

If it is not literally the warmest year ever, someone will complain that global warming has stopped.

Year-to-year fluctuations are a normal part of the ongoing global warming trend. Don't be distracted by the noise.

#GlobalWarming #ClimateChange

It's commonly held by well-meaning people that we must respect the beliefs of others.

This presupposes that any and all beliefs are respectable. No one thinks this; and if you think you do, I can establish with a very small number of questions that in fact you don't.

AI has won. It's too late for us. #AIart

If you still have a Twitter account, disable it and never go back. Instead invite your friends to a Mastodon, Pleroma or other Fediverse instance you trust.

You really don't need Twitter.