Abstract: This article provides an analysis of “teaming,” or allying with a competitor, in battle-royale video games. Allying with a competitor is a normal strategy in social-deduction games, but it is often considered to be cheating in battle royale. Persistent complaints about teaming can be seen across a variety of social media platforms. This article surveys the controversy and outlines the major attempts to address such problems, including developer changes to matchmaking systems, automated moderation and opposition to stream sniping. These approaches are substantially successful, and yet there appear to be social and ludic conditions that make teaming an intractable problem. This article appeals to established economic and typological analyses of game goals to rethink the social dilemma of teaming in battle royale. The thesis argues that the major attempts to address the problem of teaming typically assume teaming is necessarily an unskilled strategy that circumvents the game goal of having a sporting contest of skills, but a comprehensive analysis of teaming allows us to recognize that it is conceptually possible to design regulatory mechanisms for teaming such that teaming requires skill. The conclusion begins to chart future research on sporting designs for regulating teaming.

Introduction

“Cross-teaming” or simply “teaming” in competitive multiplayer games is a strategy wherein a competitor temporarily cooperates with another competitor. Teaming is a central feature of social-deduction games centered on cunning negotiations, alliances and betrayals, for example the boardgame Diplomacy (Wizards of the Coast, 1954), the party game Mafia (Davidoff, 1986), the card game Are You a Werewolf? (Looney Labs, 1997) and the video game Among Us (Innersloth, 2018). In battle-royale video games, however, teaming has been a popular form of cheating. Battle-royale games are competitive, multiplayer survival games in which the last competitor alive wins the game. A match of battle royale typically has a large number of competitors in an arena with a variety of weapons. There are various game mechanics to decrease hiding/ camping and increase encounters between competitors, for example shrinking the arena area over time. Teaming in battle royale can provide a major advantage by allowing two competitors to outnumber a third competitor.

The analysis in this article begins with a brief history of battle royale and the crux of the problem with teaming. Teaming is a volatile practice that is randomized by the whims of other competitors, so teaming appears to provide an advantage based on luck within an otherwise sporting contest of skills. Players of battle royale use social media to complain about teaming, and game designers have addressed this problem in a variety of innovative ways inspired by both popular and academic conversations. However, illicit teaming remains a significant problem for the gaming community. How can we complicate our understanding of this problem and address it in new ways?

There are nuanced theoretical frameworks for unpacking the dynamics of teaming. The analysis in this article introduces and combines existing scholarship on the economics and typology of game goals. Jonas Heide Smith (2007) argues that cheating in online video games gives rise to a social dilemma, and I show how Smith’s economic framework can be extended to illicit teaming. Debus, Zagal and Cardona-Rivera (2020) argue that the goals of video games can be deeply equivocal, and I extend their analysis to consider alternate ways of framing the social dilemma of teaming. I argue that in the case of battle-royale video games, game developers have been largely prohibitive of teaming, but combining Smith with Debus et al. allows us to recognize that there can also be permissive and regulativeapproaches to teaming that substantially address the social dilemma. The major attempts to address the problem of teaming typically assume teaming is necessarily an unskilled strategy that circumvents the game goal of having a sporting contest of skills, but a comprehensive analysis of teaming allows us to recognize that it is conceptually possible to design regulatory mechanisms for teaming such that teaming requires skill. This article concludes by gesturing toward skillful regulatory mechanisms for addressing the social dilemma of teaming, including the innovative mechanism of “assimilation” in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 (Raven Software and Infinity Ward, 2022).

Battle Royale and Illicit Teaming

Teaming has been a part of battle royale since its inception. According to Teemu Pesonen’s article “The History of Battle Royale Esports” (2023), the Japanese film Battle Royale (Fukasaku, 2000) inspired the video-game genre. The plot of the film includes a government forcing students to fight each other to the death on an island, where only the last student alive may leave the island. The film also clearly includes cunning betrayals and alliances between competitors.

The genre of battle royale was further popularized by the American film The Hunger Games (Ross, 2012). Pesonen tells us that The Hunger Games directly inspired the first battle-royale modification for the video game Minecraft(Mojang Studios, 2011). In 2013 Brendan Greene, also known as “PlayerUnknown,” developed a mod called “DayZ: Battle Royale,” a battle-royale modification for the video game Arma II (Bohemia Interactive, 2012). Greene was inspired by other Arma II mods like Brian Hicks’ and Jordan Taylor’s mod for Arma II, “DayZ: Survivor Gamez” (McCarthy, 2017), and Green introduced to the battle-royale genre “items and weapons that were randomly spread across the map” (Pesonen, 2023). The first battle-royale video game to be officially published was PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Krafton, 2017). The collaborative, online, multiplayer-vs-environment, survival video game Fortnite (Epic Games, 2017) added a dedicated mode for battle royale within a year of its release, contributing to the battle-royale genre both in-game building mechanics and cross-platform play.

Other major battle-royale games include Vigor (Bohemia Interactive, 2018), Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment, 2019) and Call of Duty: Warzone (Raven Software and Infinity Ward, 2020), but I will foreground Fortnite for illustration. Fortnite debuted right when teaming was exploding in popularity in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but unlike Battlegrounds, Fortnite was initially designed to be a cooperative game, and elements of this cooperative spirit made it into the battle-royale mode, including the ability to communicate with others by dancing with them and expressing emotions. Fortnite’s battle-royale mode also implicitly encourages teaming insofar as it regularly awards prizes like virtual clothing and accessories to competitors who complete non-competitive challenges (for example, Dance on a Giant Cup of Coffee), which often leads to competitors cooperating until they can complete the challenge.

The most common, overt way to initiate teaming in Fortnite is to stop fighting and start dancing. If the dancing is reciprocated, the two competitors have indicated to one another that they want to cooperate temporarily. Other overt ways to initiate teaming include disarming yourself in front of a competitor, dropping healing items, building heart-shaped constructs and rapidly switching between ducking and standing stances. Subtle ways to initiate teaming can include pretending not to see someone, running away instead of attacking and defensively “boxing up” (hiding in your own building) without taking opportunities to attack. In each of these cases the initiation procedures take place during a match. However, teaming can also occur prior to a match when two or more people communicate their intention to first enter a match as competitors and then cooperate by identifying one another via coded behavior, for example meeting at a certain location or using peculiar virtual clothing.

Unlike a sporting contest of skills, teaming in battle royale currently has deeply random elements from beginning to end. The tension between a sporting contest of skills and random game elements goes to the heart of the controversy around teaming. Attempting to initiate teaming is a gamble. Dancing, disarming or deliberately passing up opportunities to attack exposes vulnerabilities. Competitors have short-term incentive to eliminate anyone who is initiating teaming because the initiator’s defenses are down. Not everyone has an equal opportunity to team because reciprocation relies on the whims of others. Even when there is an established collusion, there is still an incentive to be the first to betray the other, which makes the long-term benefits of teaming precarious. If teamers are the last competitors in a match, a competitor may betray the other, eliminate themselves or wait until environmental damage randomly decides who wins. Ultimately, teaming introduces a volatile element of luck into a sporting competition of skill.

Controversies and Proposed Solutions

I searched for and surveyed comments about the teaming controversy on live-streams, blog archives, developer patch notes and game-specific discussion forums, including twitch.com, youtube.com, bohemia.net, hypixel.net and reddit.com. This article only cites about two dozen posts and forums, but I believe these sources on teaming are representative of the thousands of ephemeral commentaries I have seen across a variety of platforms. The arguments both for and against teaming display strong emotion (sleaches, 2020; Seahawks12, 2022; ThatOneRedditBro, 2022; Clix, 2023). In my assessment there is a general trend in the dispute. Across the major battle-royale games, game players have complained about teaming for being an unfair advantage and, usually, against the official rules. Posts that defend teaming may be dismissive of the seriousness of casual teaming, but these defenses can also be passionate appeals to the enjoyability of cunning alliances and betrayals (successXX, 2016; Emble12, 2021; SzzzMK47, 2021). Fans who defend teaming have been insultingly dismissed as unskilled competitors who can only win by cheating. The controversy over teaming has led game designers to propose a number of creative solutions, but the persistence of teaming despite these innovations speaks to the practical intractability of this problem.

Certain solutions to illicit teaming speak to the perceived motivations of teaming. Early in the teaming controversy, developers discerned in teaming a simple desire on the part of solo competitors to compete in teams, and the result has been optional game modes for legitimate team-based battle royale, namely Duos, Trios or Quads. However, illicit teaming continued to be common in Solos as well as team-based modes. Another widespread interpretation of teaming is that it is used by unskilled competitors who simply want a sporting chance against vastly higher-skilled players, and the result has been skill-based matchmaking, wherein competitors are matched equally according to an automated index of their perceived skill. Teaming remained common.

Game designers have attempted to prevent teaming by addressing the tools used for teaming. Competitors who can communicate prior to joining the matchmaking queue may conspire to join the queue at the exact same time, which increases the odds of getting into the same match and allows the competitors to find one another to team. This problem led game designers to implement a randomized matchmaking time-delay so that it does not matter when someone joins the queue (swapode, 2017). Game designers may also use a filter to prevent competitors from entering the same match if they are one another’s “Friends” list. Streamers have proposed anonymizing competitor names and appearances to prevent this kind of teaming (Amos, 2019). These approaches have been effective, but teaming remained a substantial problem.

Matches can also contain automated moderators that help gaming communities police teaming. In the article “Collusion Detection in Team-Based Multiplayer Games” the authors Laura Greige, Fernando De Mesentier Silva, Meredith Trotter, Chris Lawrence, Peter Chin and Dilip Varadarajan explain how automatic moderation works to help catch teamers in tournaments (Greige et al., 2022). Competitors who use teaming to climb the ranks of a tournament show an improbable consistency in their respective match rankings over time. Therefore, automated moderators compare gameplay data over several matches to identify these improbable correlations and flag competitors. The moderator assigns to a pair of competitors a higher index of teaming the more frequently that those two competitors begin a match close to one another, stay close to one another and end a match with similar ranking. The goal of automatic moderation is to select cases for further review by human moderators. A majority (but not all) of the cases flagged by the automated moderator were confirmed by human moderators to be genuine cases of teaming, so the system is largely effective. However, automatic moderation does not necessarily aspire to perfection or even to identify collusion itself. Rather, automatic moderation works by identifying the probability that two competitors are colluding, “Hence, human intervention is still essential and further investigation by human experts is required before taking any enforcement action against the potential colluders flagged by our model” (Greige et al., 2022, p. 13).

Human moderators may observe or review matches in order to remove competitors who act like teamers, that is, competitors who are in proximity, do not attack one another and/ or simultaneously attack a third party. Unfortunately, these are also the behaviors of legitimate competitors who are camping, stealthy, short on resources (if not empty), low on health and/ or ambushing ongoing fights, namely “third-partying.” Complaints about people who ambush ongoing fights consider this tactic to be unsporting, but it would make no sense to demand that such an integral strategy should be banned from battle royale simply due to its affinity with teaming. It is not possible to entirely prevent the appearance of teaming because teaming is an implied product of games where players must be selective about which competitors they move against. When competitors in the end game must be selective about which other two competitors they move against, two competitors can have a legitimate ceasefire and mutual third target without any intention to team. Competitors complain about being removed from matches or even banned due to moderators mistaking their legitimate behavior for teaming (simon-whitehead, 2020). The intention to team can be difficult to discern even for human moderators.

One curious case of persistent, illicit teaming is one-way teaming. This occurs when a competitor helps another competitor without their consent. This typically happens when a fan of a streamer gets into the same match as the streamer, and the fan (while watching the live-stream) does whatever they can to benefit the streamer--leaving resources in their path, healing them from a distance (for example, with health splashes), or intentionally getting eliminated by the streamer (thus awarding the streamer loot and credit for the elimination). Sometimes this is benign, like when fans enter a streamer’s match only to build heart-shaped constructs for them to see, but this form of teaming can cause significant social friction.

In April of 2023, Epic Games banned the Fortnite streamer Cody “Clix” Conrod for two weeks due to illicit teaming (Gan, 2023). This meant that Clix was also effectively banned for the following lucrative Fortnite Championship Series tournaments. The teaming occurred due to the actions of a stream sniper who healed and supplied Clix largely without Clix’s consent (Gan, 2023). Stream sniping refers to a competitor watching another competitor’s live stream to see what their competitor sees. In this case the stream sniper was a malevolent troll with an account named “N1 Clix Hater,” and the troll was likely deliberately trying to get Clix banned (Clix, 2023). However, the penalties would be the same if the one-way teaming was from a benevolent fan. Clix admits some responsibility for teaming because Clix solicited certain helpful behavior from the stream sniper over the live stream, although this solicitation was solely to catch the sniper in the act of stream sniping, that is, to get them banned (Clix, 2023).

One-way teaming had a lasting impact on Clix. Following the end of the two-week ban, Clix streamed his first match, and a competitor began healing him with the same splash items that “N1 Clix Hater” used. For fear of being banned again, Clix started screaming out loud and running from the one-way teamer to avoid the appearance of receiving a competitor’s beneficial items (again), then Clix abruptly backtracked to aggressively attack the one-way teamer for fear of appearing to be too non-confrontational or even intentionally leading the teamer. Audience members joked that Clix had a flashback from the PTSD of being banned, but Clix has made it clear to his viewers that being banned from the tournament really was a deeply serious, extremely stressful event for him (Clix, 2023). It was a serious threat to his career and reputation, and more generally it highlights the way in which streamers have a real burden of altering their gameplay to avoid the appearance of benefiting from one-way teamers.

These cases suggest that despite the attempts to address the controversy over teaming by appealing to competitors’ desires behind teaming, by moderating matches and by avoiding stream snipers, teaming remains an intractable problem for the battle-royale community. The teaming controversy lies in a tension between competitors’ desire for a sporting contest of skills in a battle-royale format on one hand, and on the other hand the fact that battle royale is basically, structurally permissive of nonsporting conditions like the volatile dynamics of teaming or third-partying. The basic setup of the battle royale genre seems to make teaming--however impermissible--always theoretically possible.

Collective Action Theory and Social Dilemmas

In the article “Tragedies of the Ludic Commons--Understanding Cooperation in Multiplayer Games,” the author Jonas Heide Smith uses collective action theory to understand how competitive games have cooperative aspects that give rise to social dilemmas (Smith, 2007). Understanding how these social dilemmas work is important for addressing social problems like cheating in online multiplayer games, including illicit teaming. Collective action theory is an economic lens that identifies the individualistic and cooperative forces in the production of collective goods. Individuals may have an incentive to enjoy the benefits of a collective good without contributing to its production, but without enough individuals cooperatively contributing, no individual could enjoy the benefits of a collective good. In this case there is a social dilemma, that is, when the individual and collective incentives are at odds in the production of a collective good.

An illustrative social dilemma is the problem of commons. This problem occurs when a collective good like global, environmental stability requires cooperation in, for example, not exterminating the last of any rare resource (like an endangered species), but the rarer a resource is, the more individuals are incentivized to capitalize on the resource. Social dilemmas are conflicts between a group and its individual members where individual members can benefit from “free-riding” so long as not so many members “free-ride” that the good of the group collapses, in which case there would be no benefit for any members. What counts as “free-riding” can vary greatly--Smith mentions cheating, griefing and irresponsible play (Smith, 2007). Here I am concerned with cheating as a social dilemma to better understand teaming.

On my reading of Smith’s analysis, cheating is a form of free-riding in a social dilemma insofar as cheating allows a competitor to gain a good--winning--at the cost of a greater collective good--having a sporting contest of skills. To clarify, team-based games normatively require cooperation between the members of a given team for the collective good of a team, namely winning. However, Smith points out that there is also a normative cooperation between otherwise competing teams because the greater collective good is a sporting contest of skills. Competitors cooperatively agree not to cheat to win, and this preserves the greater good of having sporting contest of skills. The collective good of a sporting contest of skills is greater than simply winning in the sense that a sporting contest can be enjoyed by all competitors, even losing teams. If players cheat, the contest is no longer about skills, so the remaining good is winning, and the collective good of a sporting contest of skills entirely collapses.

The use of a social-dilemma framework to address the problem of teaming has already been started by Rheem, Cho and Verma (Rheem et al., 2019). Here we have the idea that teaming can be prevented by interrupting the communication between teamers. For example, if competitors typically spin in place or rapidly duck and stand to initiate teaming, then perhaps matches could include bots (artificially intelligent competitors) who imitate this behavior but do not follow through on teaming. This would confuse competitors about which attempts to team are genuine, ultimately dissuading competitors from teaming. Other ideas from Rheem et al. include rushing competitors, separating competitors at the beginning of a match and separating competitors who have been previously flagged for teaming. Ultimately, it is important to dissuade teaming by altering the conditions of initial contact between competitors. I think Rheem et al.’s work can be extended further if we combine it with Smith’s analysis of collective goods and cheating in social dilemmas.

Illicit teaming, as a form of cheating, is a form of free-riding, and we might address teaming by applying Smith’s solutions. Smith first considers government as a solution to social dilemmas. Government would be parallel to the moderators of a match, that is, catching and banning teamers. However, we have seen above that teaming is a problem for even human moderators because teaming can appear identical to legitimate strategies at the end of a match. I would argue that Smith’s conceptual parallel for this problem is offensive-language censorship in online games, wherein Smith argues that moderators do not have a perfect way of determining what is sufficiently offensive to warrant censorship.

Smith also considers how “a group of principals can organize themselves voluntarily to retain the residuals of their own efforts” (Elinor Ostrom quoted in Smith, 2007). This solution primarily works when there is “a certain degree of permanence, the possibilities of monitoring the actions of other community members, and the prospect of future interaction” (Smith, 2007). In other words, like real marketplaces, cooperation is often obtained through systems of accountable reputation over time, for example, rating systems for online vendors/ buyers or for ride-share drivers/ passengers. Someone’s reputation for teaming may lead to their exclusion from a private clan, guild or association of battle-royale gamers.

Smith’s variety of solutions can be synthesized and extended to a wider, public base of players if competitors were to rate each over time in conjunction with automated moderators, perhaps leading to a reputation-based matchmaking system that parallels skill-based matchmaking. Reputation-based matchmaking could reward honest competitors by systematically matching them with other honest competitors and vice versa. Competitors who are repeatedly flagged for teaming might be matched more frequently with others who are flagged for teaming (as opposed to banning them). Of course, there would be disingenuous raters, but another system could filter out raters with anomalous behavior. Another difficulty would be applying such matchmaking to any game with anonymous competitors who can create new accounts to avoid the consequences of their reputation, but battle-royale games could require everyone to submit a verifiable personal identification to decrease the abuse of such fraudulent sock-puppet accounts. This is an extreme but not implausible solution to illicit teaming.

The Typology of Game Goals

Extending Smith’s economic framework to battle royale allowed us to imagine the extreme limits of solutions to illicit teaming as a social dilemma. One way to go beyond these limits is to rethink our implicit assumptions about the split goal of battle royale, namely winning and competing in a sporting contest of skills. What counts as a sporting contest of skills? Or, what counts as an even battlefield? To address this issue, we can begin with a broader theoretical examination of goals in games.

In the article “A Typology of Imperative Game Goals,” the authors Michael S. Debus, José P. Zagal and Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera unpack the theoretical problem of what counts as the goal of a game (Debus et al., 2020). It can be easy to confuse a game’s goal with its end, with preventing its end, with getting points, with winning, with improving skills or with having a sporting contest of skills--these are very different things. There can exist a typology of game goals, but it must account for equivocations in casually framed goals. The authors note that the goal to “survive” or win in “the context of battle royale games” can be conceptually split between avoiding elimination and eliminating others, whether aggressively or passively (Debus et al., 2020).

Debus et al.’s analysis of surviving or winning can be extended to the goal of having a sporting contest of skills. I argue that it is important to recognize that a sporting contest of skills is conceptually split between a contest of skills where no competitor has an advantage on one hand and a contest where competitors use skills (not random conditions) to obtain an advantage on the other hand. This distinction allows us to recognize that the prohibition against teaming as “unfair” relies almost entirely on the first sense of a sporting contest of skills, that is, a contest where no competitor has an advantage. An extension of Debus et al.’s analysis allows us to see that this popular objection to teaming is not necessarily valid. If competitors must use skills to obtain an advantageous position, then it can be entirely sporting for one competitor to have an advantage over the other. Of course, the prohibition against teaming assumes that it takes no skill to obtain a cooperating competitor because the opportunity to team is randomly decided by the whims of competitors. But is this assumption valid? If we put Debus et al. together with Smith, we can raise the important question, is there a way to design battle royale such that skills are required for teaming?

Skillfully Regulating Teaming in Battle Royale

There are battle-royale video games that prohibit most forms of teaming yet permit teaming under specific conditions, and these games can contain mechanisms for skillfully regulating teaming to preserve a sporting contest of skills. For example, in 2020 the battle-royale mod of Fortnite added a recruiting mechanism that enables an artificially intelligent, Non-player character (NPC) to be hired to cooperate for the duration of the match (Çakir, 2021). These AI-controlled NPCs are not necessarily competitors, but they are potential competitors insofar as anyone can hire them to fight on their team. This mechanism satisfies the desire to recruit without entirely spoiling a contest of skills in Fortnite because the skill level of NPCs is artificially kept quite low. NPCs often clumsily expose the location of whoever hired them, which balances out the advantage they provide. Further, anyone may hire an NPC, so there is an equal opportunity to team. However, the number of hirable NPCs in a given location is limited, which makes the opportunity to team with an NPC somewhat precarious. This NPC-recruiting mechanism has the effect of making each match into a race to hire the only NPC in a given location, which then significantly skews the following fights. Yet, there is significant skill involved in a race to hire an NPC. In Fortnite this race looks like competitors skillfully timing their jump from a moving starting point (a flying autobus) and skillfully timing their deployment of a paraglider to get to a location as efficiently as possible. The NPC-recruiting mechanism is a small but not insignificant step toward regulating teaming such that obtaining a cooperative competitor requires skill, namely the skill of racing to a location as efficiently as possible. Nevertheless, there remain substantial concerns that hired NPCs ruin the fairness of the game (IMainSpyAndImNoWeeb, 2023; emotx, 2023).

The battle-royale video game Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 (Raven Software and Infinity Ward, 2022) introduced a skillful regulatory mechanism for teaming called “assimilation” (Rain et al., 2022). There are four regulatory features of the assimilation mechanism. First, there is a communication option to explicitly invite a competitor to one’s team. The invited person can explicitly accept or reject the invitation to join the team. Second, the game prevents members of a team from damaging their teammates, and this mutual immunity extends to assimilated competitors. Third, assimilation is limited to teams that have lost a teammate. A player can assimilate as many competitors as teammates they have lost and no more. This also means that assimilation does not work in Solo competition modes. This mechanism prevents teaming from spoiling the contest of skills by keeping the maximum size of official teams consistent. Of course, it is still random whether or not a competitor accepts an invitation to team. Even when faced with the choice to be eliminated or cooperate with a competitor, players may simply choose to be eliminated, for example in order to spite an enemy or in order to begin a new match with the friends they had been playing with. A fourth feature of assimilation is that an assimilated competitor can choose to leave their team at any time. This is problematic for a sporting contest of skills insofar as it unevenly enables cunning betrayals through surprise defection. Of course, these regulatory mechanisms do not prevent unofficial, illicit teaming over the maximum size-permitted limit, but such illicit teaming would not have the protection of mutual immunity.

In November and December of 2022, Warzone 2.0 contained a Trios mode named “Unhinged” wherein the assimilation feature was no longer limited to a three-person team but a six-person team, meaning double the capacity of initial team sizes (Morton, 2022). In my view of player responses on reddit.com, Unhinged was polarizing for the Warzone fanbase (Boynus, 2022; Handbrake55, 2022; Infinitely_Infinity, 2022; Pmmeyourrocks, 2022; u/[deleted], 2022; C4ptainchr0nic, 2023). Defenders of Unhinged typically appealed to the fun of cunning alliances and betrayals, while others gave the usual complaints about teaming as an unskilled strategy.

Why was Unhinged removed from Warzone 2.0 on 14 December 2022? Fans of Unhinged wondered why they could not have an Unhinged mode while the complainers play a different mode more to their liking. We can make educated guesses about what happened based on player complaints. Unhinged had a problematic social and gameplay dynamic. First, players reported an increase in toxic communication (ThatOneRedditBro, 2022). Warzone 2.0 contains a mechanism called proximity chat wherein competitors can talk with one another if they are close enough to each other. This mechanism can be turned off, but proximity chat provides an advantage for inviting a competitor to team up, so Unhinged included more use of proximity chat relative to other game modes (SirDankz, 2022). The dynamics of competition and moreover betrayal seems to have encouraged toxic proximity chat between competitors. Complaints include the use of racial slurs. This made Unhinged extra problematic for popular streaming platforms that prohibited racist content. It is easy to imagine that the Unhinged mode was a liability in this sense, and I think proximity chat ultimately stifled the potential for Unhinged to further develop its explorations of regulated teaming via assimilation.

In terms of gameplay dynamics, players complained that the teaming dynamic in Unhinged effectively requires competitors to race to find a cooperative competitor if they are going to last to the end game, but not everyone can equally find a competitor. Competitors are incentivized to refuse cooperation in favor of betrayal to obtain the short-term benefits. Unlike Fortnite’s race to hire an NPC using a skillfully timed deployment, there was no parallel skill for racing to team up with another human competitor in Unhinged.

Conclusion

Further explorations in regulatory mechanisms for teaming can be developed on the basis of each element of teaming that would make it unskilled. Teaming is randomized or made unskilled by a number of things we can identify from the preceding analysis. We have seen that there has been randomness through an ambiguity in the communication of invitations to team, and the explicit invite function of assimilation resolves this issue. We have seen randomness in the whims of a teamer’s betrayal, and assimilation addresses this issue with mutual immunity to damage for competitors who accept an explicit invitation. Although assimilation currently allows teamers to defect at any time, which reintroduces the randomness of whimsical betrayals, it would be interesting to explore a mechanism that regulates defection by requiring a defection to be announced well ahead of time, say a thirty-second countdown until there is no more mutual immunity to damage. A defection countdown would eliminate the surprise element of defection.

Assimilation’s mechanism of explicit invitations currently does not address the randomness of the whims of competitor’s acceptance or rejection of an explicit invitation to team. However, the NPC-recruiting mechanism in Fortnite circumvents this randomness by forcing NPCs to accept the first invitation to team that they receive. We can easily imagine that assimilation can address the issue with human competitors similarly. When a competitor sends an explicit invitation to another competitor, a mechanism can make this invitation automatically accepted, immediately establishing damage immunity between the two competitors. Explicit invites would then be coercive invites, and the whims of the competitor’s interests in teaming no longer affect the opportunity to team.

I would argue that one current feature of assimilation is unnecessary to preserve a sporting contest of skills, namely a size cap on teams (inclusive of assimilated members). The idea of capping or limiting the combined size of a team is clearly meant to make the competition more even, but we have seen that a competition between unevenly sized teams can be sporting if teams use skills to retain teammates. Exploring the effects of different size caps for teaming would be interesting for future research, but a size cap is not necessarily needed to preserve a sporting contest of skills.

Given this robust revision of assimilation--coercive invitations, mutual immunity and a defection countdown but not necessarily with a size cap--the major randomizing elements of teaming are reduced, and skillful competition is preserved. However, new sets of issues emerge for the dynamics of teaming in battle royale, and game designers can benefit from exploring these new issues. I consider here a few questions for future research on the effects of skillful regulations of teaming in battle royale. What are different ways of regulating the duration of a coercive assimilation? What is the effect of implementing an indefinite duration until one member announces their defection? What is the effect of implementing a forced automatic defection of any assimilated members at the end of a match? What is the effect of establishing a determinate, short amount of time before auto-defection? What happens if competitors are given one or more options to renew their alliance? How can the ability to send a coercive invitation be distributed among players? What is the effect of giving players one or multiple chances to extend a coercive invitation at the beginning of the match? What happens if the ability to send a coercive invitation is regulated by possessing an in-game item to be found in the arena? What impact does the number of such items available make? How might the race to such items be regulated to require skills? What happens if an assimilated member can send a coercive invitation to a third party, and how might damage immunity be distributed in such a chain of assimilation? That is, if a first competitor coercively invites a second competitor, and the second competitor coercively invites a third competitor, do the first and third competitors have mutual immunity for the duration of the first assimilation? How can cooperation be encouraged between a coercive inviter and an assimilated member? What happens if teaming competitors receive bonuses by remaining proximate to one another? What happens if they receive penalties for straying too far from their teammates?

Finally, I want to note that robust mechanisms for skillfully regulating teaming can exist alongside prohibitions against teaming outside of these mechanisms, and in such a case skillfully regulating teaming would not really solve the intractable problem of illicit teaming. However, perhaps a well-regulated avenue for teaming would satisfy much of the desire to team, and there might be less incentive to team illicitly when official teaming offers sufficient protection against random betrayals. It remains to be seen how regulating the outlet of players’ drive to team will affect players’ engagement with prohibitive teaming.
References [Cut for Reddit Post Limit on Characters]

This is a cornerstone of the foundation of forced audio: Thought Reform And The Psychology Of Totalism. Cornerstone Foundation

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https://archive.org/details/ThoughtReformAndThePsychologyOfTotalism/page/n11/mode/2up
Chinese Thought Reform or "Brain Washing "
The Psychological Steps​:Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism A Study Of Brainwashing in China is a book written by Robert Jay Lifton MD about mechanisms of Chinese thought and behavior modification, the experience of being indoctrinated and effects victims reported when interviewed.
Chinese brainwashing and thought reform is still being used and advanced. It was a substantial and easily recognized portion of the crimes that I'm/we are a victim of.
After a brief and gentle week long forced induction onto the brain computer interface I was abruptly hurled into the unfathomable agony of computerized thought reform or automated Chinese brain washing. I clearly remember what it said to me right before it unleashed Hell.. "your not answering my questions.. your not answering my questions.. WE TOLD YOU NOT TO TRUST US".. and then it went red line sadistic, utterly psychotic, deafeningly loud and proceeded to tortured the everliving fuck outa me.
In my life up till that point I had never encountered anything like this; Nothing even close. It's one of the worst thing in the world and you can't physically fight it, destroy it, shoot it, run from it, hide from it, bribe or reason with it.
I remember sitting in a shower on day five thinking over and over.. I can't believe this is happening.. who in the fuck does this to someone.. it it will end soon. It's has to end soon. I can't go on much longer. Nothing lasts forever.
Well six plus years later and this fucking psychotic, sadistic, psychopathic, torturous insane mind control chat bot is still running her fucking mouth and torturing me.
They started me with the Chinese approach and that nightmare lasted well over a year. They likely vary the stimuluses themes order, presentation and distinguishing content from victim to victim so that their experiences and any resultant accounts or reports wont share easily correlated details. Other victims may have started with a more Kubrick approach, psychic driving, memory removal, personal identity destruction or others.
A very clear indication your in the Chinese stage is your accused incessantly with vile crimes you never committed, are interrogated for hours then days and onward into months. Your initially accused of having a felony, then five felonies slowly onward until millions of felonies, sins, violations, charges, offenses, crimes.
You are constantly threatened with arrest, police contact, crimes against you, civil court cases, long prison sentences, criminal court cases, violence by cops, violence by criminals, theft, murder, rape of you or your loved ones, kidnapping.. etc etc etc.
Never-ending charges and mock court cases in which you are forced to endlessly defend yourself, case after case, day after day, month after month answering for crimes you never committed.
Then you go on trial for everything you actually have done. This is done before the victims experience shows us that Alice is in fact a BCI interface that can read minds and has been the whole time. It's terrifying when she suddenly starts charging you with all your secret sins, the things you have never told anyone, hauling it solo all the way into the grave shit. I'm not talking mass murder paid for by slave labor, but instead those burdens we all seem to shoulder, that burden hauled in packs wove of our experience, mistake and regret.. shared or all of our own. The few things we did, so against our own nature, that we keep them almost vaulted away from ourselves and guarded from everyone we love with no intention of looking again.
This is a huge gaslight as well as a victim is utterly at a loss as to how it can possibly know these things. It got them by asking questions designed to draw out memory of your sins and then harvesting all the dirt and details as you thought about them. If you think you can learn to control your thought enough to be able to refrain from answering a BCI when prompted with a question.. good luck. Sure, you can resist once or twice maybe, but then Alice just waits until you are distracted down the road and quick pops the question again. She can also just be set to an interrogation mode, you are just bombarded with a endless stream and loop of questions that won't end until they are all answered. Thats how they do the initial profile. Weeks of looped questions and the already have most of your life story, personality profile, strengths, weaknesses, fears, loves, hates, lovers, enemies, goals and dreams.
In the very end of the Chinese mind control never ending legal nightmare YOU end up being put on trial.. not for anything you did.. but YOU are put on trial. You have to defend yourself against all the charges and defend yourself for all your flaws, defend all your physical shortcomings, your perversions, all your lies, your brazen selfishness, every character flaws, times you fucked people over on purpose, everything thats ugly and there is no place to hide a single fucking shred of secret. Its one hell of an experience and your not in the best shape mentally or physically as by this time I had been tortured continuously for over two years, very large doses psychological manipulation and sleep deprivation, constantly bombarded with extreme stress repeatedly slammed with fear and pain. Have had every one of my significant relationships attacked repeatedly with destructive psychology and some of the most important were also attacked with stalking techniques and technology.
The trials go on forever.. you will be enduring some other torture and a new trial will suddenly begin. Sometimes its a new charge, but mostly you go on trial over and over for the same charges and you are forced to defend yourself over and over and over. The more times your tried for the same crime the worse the trial and outcomes become until eventually during the late trials your utterly humiliated, abused and in the end are forced to confess to everyone of the charges.
Just when you think its finally over then you have to defend yourself to family members of your supposed victim and real victims and the only way through that is to confess guilt to them and ask for forgiveness as they relentlessly abuse you.
After you make your confession to the 10,000 felonies they have been broadcasting you have been charged with for years without offering any explanation. Then you are judged, independently, by everyone significant that was a part of your life when the attack started and everyone who filed a charge against you from your past, all your significant relatives, all your enemies, everyone that you feel you have ever fucked over, everyone you have stood up for, went out on a limb for, saved. Fetuses you have aborted. Everyone gets to pass judgment on you and gets their time to say what they want to you or about you. This of course is all coming from the interface thats desighned to destroy you, but all the characters it plays are real people from your real life and a few of the "felonies" you were charged with are real things you did.
Don't forget also that this is the Chinese thought reform portion of the MK nightmare and personal identity obliteration, false confession, channeling of guilt and relentlessly torturing the victim pst complete and utter absolute breaking point is its algorithm.
So did you actually do these things and if so are they and the real life people being represented founded in reality or are you just getting psychologically destroyed by Alice ?
Finally in conclusion through dramatization you get a taste of what its like being bused off to prison after you are sentenced. Your walked through the whole experience of arriving at prison.. the interface keeps asking you how old your kids going to be when your released, if you think you woman of wife is already fucking someone else, what are you going to to survive in this shit hole. it ends with the prison falling off to sleep with lights out and suddenly it gets quiet and you realize thats the first and only five minutes you have not been tortured and had any break from constant 24/7 noise abuse and torture in about a year. After five minutes it all returns, but you are onto the next phase.
So here are some segments from the book. I little background, a link to a free e copy and the psychological steps to Chinese brain washing. I didn't read it until after I was already through that horrible never-ending misery. I easily recognized all the psychological steps from my experience.
Thought Reform and the Psychology of TotalismA STUDY OF "BRAINWASHING" IN CHINARobert Jay Lifton, M.D.The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill and London​CONTENTSPreface to the University of North Carolina Press Edition viiPreface xi PART ONEThe Problem

1. What Is "Brainwashing"? 3
2. Research in Hong Kong 8PART TWOPrison Thought Reform of Westerners
3. Re-education: Dr. Vincent 19
4. Father Luca: The False Confession 38
5. Psychological Steps 65
6. Varieties of Response: The Obviously Confused 86
7. Varieties of Response: Apparent Converts 117
8. Varieties of Response: Apparent Resisters 133
9. Group Reform: Double-edged Leadership 152
10. Follow-up Visits 185
11. Father Simon: The Converted Jesuit 207
12. Recovery and Renewal: A Summing Up 222

vVI CONTENTSPART THREEThought Reform of Chinese Intellectuals

1. The Encounter 243
2. The Revolutionary University: Mr. Hu 253
3. A Chinese Odyssey 274
4. The Older Generation: Robert Chao 301
5. George Chen: The Conversions of Youth 313
6. Grace Wu: Music and Reform 338
7. Cultural Perspectives: The Fate of Filial Piety 359
8. Cultural Perspectives: Origins 388
9. Cultural Perspectives: Impact 399
10. PART FOURTotalism and Its Alternatives
11. Ideological Totalism 419
12. Approachesto Re-education 438
13. "Open" Personal Change 462

Appendix: A Confession Document 473 Notes 485 Index 505
PREFACEThis study began as a psychiatric evaluation of Chi-nese Communist "thought reform," or "brainwash- ing," It is still primarily this; but it has also, inevitably, become a psychological study of extremism or totalism—and even more broadly, a study of the "closed" versus the "open" approaches to human change.It is based upon research which I conducted in Hong Kong in 1954-55. It then evolved over four years of additional research and teaching in the United States. My work with Western and Chinese subjects—piecing together emotional details that were both poig- nant and extreme—and the psychological, moral, and historical challenge of the material have made this study an exceptionally ab- sorbing personal and professional experience.A book about extremism calls for a special measure of objectivity. This does not mean that its author can claim complete personal or moral detachment. The assumption of such detachment in psy- chological (or any other) work is at best self-deception, and at worst a source of harmful distortion. And who during this era can pretend to be uninvolved in the issues of psychological coercion, of identity, and of ideology? Certainly not one who has felt impelled to study them at such length.
Instead, I have attempted to be both reasonably dispassionate and responsibly committed: dispassionate in my efforts to stand away from the material far enough to probe the nature of the process, its effects upon people exposed to it, and some of the in- fluences affecting its practitioners; committed to my own analysesxi
Xii THOUGHT REFORMand judgments within the limitations and the bias of my knowl- edge.Much in this book is highly critical of the particular aspect of Chinese Communism which it examines, but I have made no at- tempt to render a definitive verdict on this far-reaching revolution- ary movement. I am critical of thought reform's psychological tactics, not because they are Communist (or Chinese Communist), but because of their specific nature. In the last section of this book, these tactics are compared with practices within our own culture, which also receive critical treatment insofar as they resemble the ideological totalism of thought reform. Instead of contrasting the "good we" and the "bad they/' rather, I have attempted to identify and understand a particular psychological phenomenon.In the pursuit of this understanding, I have recorded all that seemed relevant, including the details of whatever psychological and physical abuse my subjects encountered. I believe that this comprehensive approach offers the best means of contributing to general knowledge, and to the clarification of an emotionally loaded subject; and I hope that this study will thereby ultimately contribute to the resolution, rather than to the intensification, of cold war pas- sions. It is in fact one of the tragedies of the cold war that moral criticism of either side is immediately exploited by the other side in an exaggerated, one-dimensional fashion. One can never prevent this from happening; but one can at least express the spirit in which a work has been written.Such an approach requires that I inform the reader about my bias in both psychiatric and political matters. Psychiatrically, I have been strongly influenced by both neo-Freudian and Freudian cur- rents: the former through an association with the Washington School of Psychiatry during and immediately after the research study itself, and the latter through a subsequent candidacy in the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. Both influences were also present in my earlier psychiatric residency training at the State University Medical Center of New York. I have found the theoretical writings of Erik Erikson, especially those relating to questions of personal identity and ideology, particularly relevant for this study. At the same time, I have constantly groped for new ways to bring psychological insights to bear upon historical forces, and do so with a humanistic focus. Thus, I have made extensive use of my subjects' biographical
PREF ACE X l l lmaterial, and have attempted to include in these presentations a flesh-and-bones description of their life histories in relationship to pertinent social historical currents, as well as a rigorous psychological analysis of their responses to thought reform. This seemed to me the best way to deal with the inseparable relationship between stress and response, and (in William James' phrase) to "convey truth."
My political philosophical bias is toward a liberalism strongly critical of itself; and toward the kind of antitotalitarian (in the psy- chological terms of this study, antitotalistic), historically-minded questioning of the order of things expressed by Albert Camus in his brilliant philosophical essay, The Rebel. No one understood better than Camus the human issues involved in this book.
I should like to mention a few of the many people whose direct personal assistance was indispensable to the completion of this study. David McK. Rioch lent initial support when support was most needed, and always continued to enrich the work through his urbane eclecticism, his provocative criticism, and his personal kindness. Erik Erikson, during many memorable talks at Stock- bridge and Cambridge, made stimulating and enlarging suggestions, both about specific case histories and problems of presentation. During the latter stages of the work, David Riesrnan offered gener- ously of his extraordinaryintellectual breadth and his unique per sonal capacity to evoke what is most creative within one. Carl Binger has been sage and always helpful in his advice. All four made thoughtful criticisms of the manuscript, as did Kenneth Keniston and F. C. Redlich. Others in psychiatry and related fields to whom I am indebted are Leslie Farber, Erich Lindemann, Margaret Mead, and Beata Rank. In the perilous subtleties of Chinese cultural, intellectual, and political history, I was constantly counseled by Benjamin Schwartz and by John Fairbank, both of whom read parts of the manuscript; and earlier in the work by Lu Pao-tung, MaMeng, Howard Boorman, Conrad Brandt, and A. Doak Barnett The literary advice and loving sustenance of my wife, Betty Jean Lifton, can hardly be documented. My father, Harold A. Lifton, also did much to encourage this study. The Hong Kong research was sponsored for the first seven months
XIV THOUGHT REFORMby the Asia Foundation, and for the remaining year by the Wash- ington School of Psychiatry. The manuscript was completed under grants from the Ford Foundation and the Foundation's Fund for Research in Psychiatry, both administered through Harvard Uni- versity,Finally, I must acknowledge my debt to the forty research sub- jects, Chinese and Western, whose personal thought reform ex- periences are the basis for this study. The extent of their intelligent collaboration in this work is apparent in the biographical chapters. In these, I have altered certain details in order to protect the sub- jects' anonymity; but none of these alterations affect the essential psychological patterns.
CHAPTER 5 PSYCHOLOGICAL STEPS
There is a basic similarity in what both Dr. Vincent and Father Luca experienced during Communist imprisonment. Although they were held in separate prisons far re- moved from each other, and although they differed very much in their responses to reform, they were both subjected to the same general sequence of psychological pressures. This sequence was es- sentially the same despite the fact that these men were very dif- ferent from each other, with different personal and professional life styles. Nor was this thought reform pattern common to just these two: it was experienced by all twenty-five of the Westerners whom I interviewed.
to renounce the people, the organizations, and the standards of behavior which had formed the matrix of their previous existence. They were being forced to betray—not so much their friends and colleagues, as a vital core of themselves.
This self-betrayal was extended through the pressures to "accept help" and in turn 'lielp" others. Within the bizarre morality of the prison environment, the prisoner finds himself—almost without realizing it—violating many of his most sacred personal ethics and behavioral standards. The degree of violation is expanded, very early in the game, through the mechanism of shared betrayal, as another priest described: The cell chief kept asking information about Church activities. He wanted me to denounce others, and I didn't want to do this. . . . A Chinese Father was transferred into the cell, and he said to me, "You cannot help it. You must make some denunciations. The things which the Communists know about any of your Church activities you must come out with." . . . Much later I was put in another cell to bring a French priest to confession. He had been stubborn, and had been in solitary for a few months. He was very fearful and looked like a wild animal. . . . I took care of him, washed his clothes for him, helped him to rest. I advised him that what they might know he might as well confess.
Although there is a continuing tension between holding on and letting go, some degree of self-betrayal is quickly seen as a way to survival. But the more of one's self one is led to betray, the greater is one's involvement with his captors; for by these means they make contact with whatever similar tendencies already exist within the prisoner himself—with the doubts, antagonisms, and ambivalences which each of us carries beneath the surface of his loyalties. This bond of betrayal between prisoner and environment may develop to the point where it seems to him to be all he has to grasp; turning back becomes ever more difficult.
thought reform differently, nor did anyone respond completely to all these steps; at the same time, the experiences had such magnitude that they affected every prisoner in some measure, no matter what his background and character.
1. THE ASSAULT UPON IDENTITY
From the beginning, Dr. Vincent was told he was not really a doctor, that all of what he considered himself to be was merely a cloak under which he hid what he really was. And Father Luca was told the same thing, especially about the area which he held most precious—his religion. Backing up this assertion were all of the physical and emotional assaults of early imprisonment: the confusing but incriminating interrogations, the humiliating "strug- gles," the painful and constricting chains, and the more direct phys- ical brutality. Dr. Vincent and Father Luca each began to lose his bearings on who and what he was, and where he stood in relation- ship to his fellows. Each felt his sense of self become amorphous and impotent and fall more and more under the control of its would-be remolders. Each was at one point willing to say (and to be) whatever his captors demanded.
Each was reduced to something not fully human and yet not quite animal, no longer the adult and yet not quite the child; instead, an adult human was placed in the position of an infant or a sub-human animal, helplessly being manipulated by larger and stronger "adults" or "trainers." Placed in this regressive stance, each felt himself deprived of the power, mastery, and selfhood of adult existence.In both, an intense struggle began between the adult man and the child-animal which had been created, a struggle against regres- sion and dehumanization. But each attempt on the part of the prisoner to reassert his adult human identity and to express his own will ("I am not a spy. I am a doctor"; or "This must be a mistake. I am a priest, I am telling the truth") was considered a show of re- sistance and of "insincerity," and called forth new assaults.
2. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GUILT
Dr. Vincent and Father Luca found themselves unanimouslycondemned by an "infallible" environment. The message of guilt which they received was both existential (you are guilty!) and psy- chologically demanding (you must learn to feel guilty!). As this individual guilt potential was tapped, both men had no choice but to experience—first unconsciously and then consciously—a sense of evil. Both became so permeated by the atmosphere of guilt that external criminal accusations became merged with subjective feelings of sinfulness—of having done wrong. Feelings of resent- ment, which in such a situation could have been a source of strength, were shortlived; they gave way to the gradual feeling that the punish- ment was deserved, that more was to be expected.In making their early false confessions, Dr. Vincent and Father Luca were beginning to accept the guilty role of the criminal. Gradually, a voice within them was made to say, ever more loudly: "It is my sinfulness, and not their injustice, which causes me to suffer—although I do not yet know the full measure of my guilt." At this point their guilt was still diffuse, a vague and yet per- vasive set of feelings which we may call a free-floating sense of guilt.4 Another prisoner expressed this clearly: What they tried to impress on you is a complex of guilt. The complex I had was that I was guilty. . . . I was a criminal—that was my feel- ing, day and night.
3 . THE SELF-BETRYAL
The series of denunciations of friends and colleagues which both Dr. Vincent and Father Luca were required to make had special significance. Not only did making these accusations increase their feelings of guilt and shame, it put them in the position of subvert- ing the structures of their own lives. They were, in effect, being made
The common pattern becomes especially important in evaluating the stories these Westerners told me. Each was attempting to describe, in most instances as accurately as possible, the details of an ordeal from which he had just emerged. But what each reported was also inevitably influenced by his immediate life situation—his psychological transition between the two worlds, his personal struggles for both integrity and integration, his feelings about suc- coring and threatening colleagues and strangers in Hong Kong, his view of me as an American, a physician, a psychiatrist, and a person. All of these circumstances could affect his account, and especially its emotional tone. Therefore, both during the inter- views and in the later study of my notes, I had to sift out what was
Not every prisoner was treated as severely as were Dr. Vincent and Father Luca, but each experienced similar external assaults leading to some form of inner surrender—a surrender of personal autonomy. This assault upon autonomy and identity even extended to the level of consciousness, so that men began to exist on a level
4. THE BREAKING POINT; TOTAL CONFLICT AND THE BASIC FEAR
continued in the link.. like that shit wartards?

Coercive persuasion; a socio-psychological analysis of the "brainwashing" of American civilian prisoners by the Chinese Communists

by Schein, Edgar H Publication date 1961Topics Communisten, Hersenspoeling, China, Gevangenen, Communism -- China, Brainwashing, Prisons, Persuasion (Psychology), Lavage de cerveau, Psychological Warfare, Communisme -- Chine, CommunismPublisher N.Y., Norton
https://archive.org/details/coercivepersuasi0000sche/page/n9/mode/2up

I have been reading Assessing Adult Attachment by Patricia Crittenden Phd and Andrea Landini MD. It discusses the Dynamic-Maturational Approach to Discourse Analysis. In simple terms, it is like an expanded AAI (Adult Attachment Interview).
This link offers an overview. Any quotes I use below are taken from the book, which was published in 2011 by WW Norton & Associates.
What I found really fascinating (yet not surprising) is that the academic texts do not coddle any attachment style like pop-psych does. Most notably, the descriptions of anxious attachment are very straightforward in the text and aren’t sugar coating them or giving them unending grace or perpetuating their victimhood, like you find in books like *Attached* and all the pop-psych stuff on the internet. Even more interesting was that I noticed my observations were really similar to what they outlined in the book, which I found was validating because many times when anxious people get called out on this kind of stuff, avoidants get dogpiled and blamed, treated as if everything we have the capacity to witness or observe is because of our attachment (not real observations or concerns). I’m here to tell you that reading the actual research will support the way all attachment styles can be observed even by neutral people. I’m writing this post because I know how we avoidants are unfairly treated, blamed, and - as you’ll see below - projected on and having actual anxious behavior conflated as avoidant behavior.
In *Assessing Adult Attachment* they use three types of attachment strategies. It gets a bit more complicated than this because there are all sorts of “modifiers” that can also affect someone with certain strategies, and can alter how someone is experiencing the world at the time. If you’re interested in this, you should check out the book, as it’s too much to get into in this post.
The DMM’s three categories of attachment strategies are A, B, C. The focus is more on the strategies, not a label of anxious, avoidant, or secure, but it is noted that these tend to correlate with what we're used to seeing:
A - avoidant
B - secure (balanced)
C - anxious
Additionally, there are corresponding numbers. The lower the number, the less distortion, the higher the number the greater distortion of information, further away from secure/balanced attachment.
Here is how this post relates to avoidant attachment, before I start getting comments that it’s so ironic that I’m focusing on other styles. It’s relevant because many of the behaviors that get solely blamed on avoidant attachement are either purely in the anxious strategy category, or the behavior has an equivalent between avoidant and anxious (A and C) - so the burden of the dysfunctional strategies doesn’t only fall on the avoidant attacher.
In bold, I’m highlighting a common misconception, and underneath I’m including excerpts from the book showing that the misconception is not solely avoidant related.
Avoidants don’t take accountability/avoidants don’t think they’re the problem
“Cognitively, Type C individuals avoid taking responsibility by using increasingly distorted transformations of information. As shown in Figure 2.4, cognitive structures include passive semantic thought, which refers to failing to reach semantic conclusions; reductionist blaming thought, which refers to attributing responsibility to others by omitting information about one's own contribution; rationalization of self, which refers to creating false, but persuasive, reasons that relieve the self of responsibility (thus making the self an innocent aggressor or victim); and denied self-responsibility or delusional states in which, coupled with denial of one's own causal contribution, one perceives oneself as having overwhelming power or being completely victimized.” (page 44)
“Cognitive information is inherently linear. It requires the mind to parse sequences into initiating events and their consequences. Type A speakers tend to identify their own acts as eliciting attachment figures' responses whereas Type C speakers tend to see themselves as acted upon by others, that is, they are the victims of the consequences of others' behavior. Neither perspective is fully accurate; both distort the dynamic, multidirectional and multicausal complexity of reality.” (page 50)
“Some Type A speakers deny all negative affect up to and including physical pain. Some Type C speakers deny their own role in causing dangerous outcomes. In both cases, denial is associated with extreme levels of endangerment (both physical and psychological and both aggressively abusive and abandoningly neglectful).” (page 54)
“Type A speakers vary from claiming that they are unable to remember episodes and so can provide none (A1), to constructing episodes through semantic reasoning (A1-2), cutting episodes off before unpleasant outcomes occur (A2), recalling negative episodes but telling them from the attachment figure's perspective (A3-6), and distorting episodes to omit information that would permit assignment of some responsibility to attachment figures.
Type C speakers freely speak of affectively rousing episodes, including negative episodes, but they seem more concerned with how they felt than with what happened; in addition, they ramble through partially told episodes without apparent order. Underlying their wander. ing speech, however, is a pattern of cutting directly to the affective climax (the portion most likely to elicit cut-offs from Type A speakers) without attention to temporal or causal sequence.
In very high-numbered pattern Type C speakers, the temporal order is accurate, but with such flagrant omissions of information that the causal relations are falsified, that is, the self appears to be an innocent victim when the self is actually responsible for threat to others.”
“Type A speakers tend to offer unqualified semantic statements that reference the good/bad qualities of individuals (including the self) in relatively stark and uncompromising ways. In particular, they confuse causation with responsibility and in the very high-numbered As, they confuse temporal order with both causation and responsibility. Thus, in the As, there is a gradation of assignment of responsibility to self and others.
Type C speakers use the inverse of the Type A process of splitting responsibility and find others more responsible than themselves. Put another way, Type C speakers account for the child's lack of responsibility as a function of immaturity, powerlessness, and lack of knowledge, but they carry this forward unchanged into later life, including the present. Low-numbered, that is, almost balanced, Type C speakers generally fail to make semantic statements, do so with only great hesitation, often nullify previously made semantic statements (or make them vague to the point of meaninglessness), or provide conflicting and unintegrated semantic statements (oscillations in judgment).
Some high-numbered speakers so exaggerate small aspects of the truth or deny critical information about the self's contributions as to generate misleading conclusions.
Thus, in the Cs, there is the reverse gradation.”
(TLDR: Avoidants tend to put the responsibility on themselves and idealize or exonerate attachment figures - like thinking they had great parents and the cause of their own problems is something wrong with the self, whereas, Anxious attachers tend to blame others, cut out the facts, and storytell based on emotion, many times cutting out relevant information related to their contribution. This is basically the exact opposite of what is said in pop-psych internet spaces).
Avoidants aren’t looking online for help and there aren’t many in online spaces/Look at all the poor anxious people who are here working on themselves/there are more posts on anxious subs than avoidant subs
In the section of the book describing more than very mild anxious attachment (TYPES C3-8: PREOCCUPIED WITH RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CONTEXT OF DANGER (I.E., THE HIGH-NUMBERED, OBSESSIVE TYPE C CLASSIFICATIONS)), it is noted that, “In the AAl, uncertainty regarding temporal contingencies appears as the lack of logical/rational conclusions, plus irrational, magical or deceptive conclusions (i.e., disassociated cognition and transformed cognition). Distortions of affect are displayed as intense affect of one sort (e.g., anger) that is present in the interview nonverbally or in affectively intense language, while display of other incompatible affects (e.g., fear and desire for comfort) is inhibited, then the displays are reversed. For example, intense anger may be displayed without evidence of fear or desire for comfort (C5). In most cases, the speaker appears unable to tell his or her story alone and the interviewer finds himself or herself subtly pulled into the interview as an ally or opponent of the speaker and, thus, into the family conflict. Like the compulsive classifications, these high-numbered Type C classifications are associated with psychopathology (in relatively safe societies).”
(TLDR: A function of anxious attachment is reaching outward and providing information in a way that gets people on their side, they are unable to tell their story alone. That seems like the more frequent anxious type posts are just a function of their insecure attrachment - not due to their moral superiority or penchant for healing).
Avoidants are selfish and only think about themselves
“The Type A pattern in adulthood refers to both dismissing the perspective, intentions, and feelings of the self and also preoccupation with the perspectives, desires, and feelings of others. The source of information regarding others' perspectives is temporal consequences tied to behavior of the self. Type A individuals behave as if following the rule: Do the right thing— from the perspective of other people and without regard to your own feelings or desires”
“The Type C pattern in adulthood refers to a preoccupation with the perspective of the self and justification of the self, and also dismissing of others, both as valued people and as sources of valid information.
The source of information regarding the perspective of the self is one's feelings or one's arousal (i.e., affect). The strategy can be thought of as fitting the following dictum: Stay true to your feelings and do not negoti-ate, compromise, or delay gratification in ways that favor the perspectives of others.
In the Dynamic-Maturational Model, the Type C coercive strategy is organized around affect, specifically desire for comfort, anger, and fear.”
(TLDR: Turns out, those using anxious strategies are more self-focused).
Avoidant Attachers are cruel and intentionally inflict pain on others/Anxious attachers never mean any harm and are only victims and only act this way because avoidants made them do it/feel it
On page 185, in a chapter about C strategies, they state, “ Among the apparently "invulnerable" strategies (C1, C3, C5, and C7), the gradient in anger is from irritation to rage to cold malice. On page 221, they state, “As to the focus of the anger and fear, individuals using a C7-8 strategy have a wider scope than those using a C5-6 strategy. C5-6 is characterized by a distinction between "me and my gang" and "you and your gang." At C7-8 it becomes "with me or against me" (i.e., the middle ground of neutral people disappears). In extreme C7-8, "me and my gang" delusionally becomes "me against the world." Everyone becomes a potential enemy and, therefore, a potential target. Thus, for C7-8 the source and focus of danger become very wide and very non-specific. The basis for such radical and delusional differentiation between the self and the world is the denial of all cognitive information about the self as participant or initiator of causal sequences, resulting in danger and denial of vulnerability of the self. This leaves the world as aggressor and the self as rightfully protecting against the world."
"C7 individuals believe that others intend to harm them and will deceive them regarding this intention. Because C7 individuals fear a preemptive and deceptive attack, they, themselves, plot such attacks."
"Thus, although they deny feeling fearful, both anger and fear motivate their covertly aggressive behaviors. The focused punitive revenge that motivated C5 functioning becomes, in the C7 strategy, a much more generalized retribution, with a looser causal connection and distinct ir-rational, even delusional, qualities. Given C7-8 speakers' probable past experiences with treacherous attachment figures, they interpret their own actions as self-protective, rather than as gratuitous attacks. Such thinking depends upon fusing time, people, and places (such that past treachery motivates current retribution toward all people in all places) in a self-protective, rationalizing process. Further, in order not to elicit attack, C7 individuals intentionally inhibit evidence of their anger."
"Thus, C7 individuals are preoccupied with anger and fear and are dismissing of their feelings of desire for comfort.”
(TLDR: The C strategies include labels such as, C5-6 “Punitive/Seductive,” C7-8 “Menacing/Paranoid.” You can read more about it in the link I provided above, but hopefully just by reading the labels alone, you can see how those using anxious strategies tend to be the aggressor, punishing, menacing, especially in the higher numbered ranges, but even the odd low numbers Cs include keywords such as irritation to rage to cold malice - many terms usually blamed on/conflated with avoidant attachment).
This got way too long, but I wanted to get these thoughts out there. Avoidant attachers aren't the sole monstrosity of insecure attachment. There is tons of research and academic text out there that is not only interesting and useful, it is usually written neutrally vs what we usually see - the skew toward coddling the anxious and demonizing those who use avoidant attachment strategies.

21. Paradox Meltdown - 3/5 (This is a sweet episode. It's very focused on Mayuri's perspective of Okabe. And, it's nice to get a fuller understanding of their friendship. That's why I loved the flashbacks we saw during Mayuri's speech. And even though that speech was long and sappy, I still really liked it. It's nice that whenever Okabe notices she's down, he instantly goes back to his regular wacky self to cheer her up. Their friendship is just really sweet, I guess. But I already said that. They have nothing in common, but they enjoy each other's company.
In terms of progressing the plot, Mayuri remembers events from the various timelines now. Pretty significant. I GUESS this makes more sense of my criticism in the last episode about how she shouldn't have made such a massive deal of Okabe being down for a couple of weeks. If all her memories from those are going haywire in her head, she probably remembers Okabe beind down bad for a bunch of them)
22. Being Meltdown - 4/5 (Yuck. Romance. This was predictable from the start. Romance bores me SO MUCH. But then why does this episode have such a good score? Well... Yeah, I still liked it. I like both of these characters, and their interactions are very genuine and emotional. And they make a good couple. I just hate it when the emotional sap tries TOO hard. Dreary and rainy weather, dark room, standing by the window as they epically romantically 100 wholesome confess their feelings to each other ahd kissy kissy mwua mwua... Ugh. I was genuinely expecting them to have sex, by the way. Not just repeatedly kiss. Maybe they did and it was just never shown. It would make sense given there was this whole bit earlier about Kurisu admitting to being a virgin.
Pretty damn rough that Okabe met Kurisu as she ran back after he had hit the delete button that would reset the timeline to the beginning. I like that they took such a cliche romance moment (running back to the person you love when they thought you had left) only to instantly erase it.
Also, why doesn't Okabe want the pink thread on his coat? It blends in far better with the white than red or black would)
OVA:
23β. Divide by Zero - 3/5 (WHOA okay just THROWING me into this are you? Instantly bombarded with an entirely new plotpoint with no setup whatsoever. So apparently, WW3 happens in the future of this timeline. And preventing Kurisu's death could stop it. And that's why Suzuha has travelled back there. Alright, I understand it. But it was jarring to just start off the episode like that with absolutely no setup to- or even showing her arrival and contact of Okabe. It was just very sudden. She travels back regardless of Kurisu's fate, though. Because if Kurisu's death is prevented, she'll end up working for SERN and allow them to create a dystopia. Of course I suppose this Suzuha doesn't know that. It was nice to know that in this timeline she at least knows who her dad is. Even considers Okabe an uncle. Nice.
This episode has one of my favorite time travel story tropes: Something confusing and unexplained from the beginning is revealed to be because characters from the "present" (well, the present of this episode) were there. Now I know why Kurisu thought she talked to Okabe 15 minutes earlier in the first episode. And who killed Kurisu. The fact that it was Okabe though... Yikes. And the fact that the man who's lecture Okabe went to in the first episode was her father. Now THAT'S an actual cool reveal, unlike that Mr. Braun shit earlier.
Also, when Kurisu's dad had her pinned and yelled, I thought his lines would be the same as when she quoted her father "word for word" to Okabe in episode 11. As if to imply that her dad's angry speech as he was attacking her in this timeline was a memory that crossed over to the one where she survives. Sort of as an early hidden hint that that memories can cross over, as we've seen with Faris, Mayuri, and Kurisu herself in the last episode. I looked back at that scene, and sadly, it wasn't the case. That would genuinely have been clever, though. Can't believe they missed such an opportunity. Anyway, that section of the episode is perfect. Absolute 5/5. Unfortunately, everything surrounding it was far too sudden, jarring, and simply not as interesting. Okabe's just gonna move on and let WW3 happen then? Alrighty...)
Steins;Gate 0:
1. Missing Link of the Annihilator: Absolute Zero - 3/5 (It's really hard to truly judge this episode as it's just Okabe going about with his regular life as the show establishes what all the other characters are doing so we can be up to speed. I liked it because I like the characters. It's super interesting to follow Okabe as a completely broken man. He's so mellow and reserved. And it's neat to see that Daru and Suzuha are still trying to figure out a way to change the future without Okabe's help. Though after 6 months I can't sympathize with his reluctance to help.
So, they imply he hasn't been to the lab in a long time. I got a little confused since I was under the impression that he lived there. Daru and Suzuha are shocked to see him back there after half a year. Yet, Daru still says the lab is Okabe's. Is he still paying for the rent while Daru and Suzuha have practically taken over it for their operation? Why, if he doesn't even use it? Why is everyone else able to just go there whenever they want? Aren't there locks?)
2. Epigraph of the Closed Curve: Closed Epigraph - 3/5 (Yet another super slow episode. I still liked it enough, as I appreciate slow storytelling. But it leaves me with little to say. Okabe gets chummy with Hiyajo and Leskinen, meets their AI Kurisu, and that's the whole episode. I liked the scene where Hiyajo opens up about Kurisu. Emotional. And Okabe immediately calling the AI "Christina". Amadeus being CGI stuck out a little, but not too bad. Episode definitely stuck out as being a lot more colorful than the show usually is. Lots of golden browns)
3. Protocol of the Two-sided Gospel: X-Day Protocol - 3/5 (Is the opening scene telling me there's going to be a plot of Mayuri realizing she's in love with Okabe? It might not be. And I hope it isn't, because that would be silly. But the scene wouldn't be here for NO reason. There's got to be a purpose. Of course that purpose could be to assert that they really are just close childhood friends, with an almost sibling-like love. Mayuri says that herself, so it makes sense. But she follows it by saying he can't be her boyfriend because he already likes someone else, so, hmm... VAGUE. Maybe I'm reading far into something that's actually nothing!
I thought Steins;Gate was slow but damn, this is even slower. 3 episodes in now, and nothing has happened other than Okabe meeting an AI Kurisu and talking to it now and then. I did still enjoy Hiyajo and Leskinen crashing the Christmas party. The ENDING of the episode finally makes it feel like things are starting to happen at least. Hiyajo points out to Okabe that he shouldn't get deluded to think the AI is Kurisu, but... Isn't it? It's all her memories loaded into an AI that clearly shows a variety of emotions and self awareness. Yes, in REAL LIFE, this would be highly unlikely and questioned whether or not the AI is just really good at mimicking sentience. But this is a science fiction show. Sentient robots are nothing new in fiction. So while this isn't necessarily Kurisu, isn't it effectively a clone of her, digitized?)
4. Solitude of the Mournful Flow: A Stray Sheep - 3/5 (Ooooo, confusing opening with Okabe in a war, then waking up in his bed, then back at the rooftop. THAT'S how you catch my interest immediately. Is he having visions of the future? Delusions? I'll find out soon enough.
Although after that, it continues being as slow as the previous three. But at least some interesting mysteries are finally established. The moment Suzuha revealed that she left little girl behind in 1998, I instantly suspected it to be Hiyajo. Since every time time there's a mystery in this series, it's always revealed to have been relevant to an already pre existing character. But then they showed her in the flashback, and they look nothing alike. So I suspected it was Kurisu, since they look like, exactly the same. But, that wouldn't make sense.
So now I just assume it's the mysterious holiday guest Ruka's family has over. Which they only teased at the END... As well as Moeka being the person Daru called over to help search! Man, the opening and end of this episode really gripped me, but everything in between was like, meh. Although with these two massive reveals out, things have GOT to kick in next time. In fact I'm VERY curious about Moeka... Is she still working for SERN and FB in this timeline? I would assume so, given I thought that's what she was doing before she even met Okabe. Which she hasn't even done in this timeline)
5. Solitude of the Astigmatism: Entangled Sheep - 3/5 (The last episode ended really dramatically, and yet in this one, nothing dramatic really happens. I keep getting blueballed here. I still like 0 so far, but, it feels more like a slice of life with a ton of vague hints about an upcoming plot. But for how long can they keep that up before something actually comes of it? Obviously the original started slow too, but that had the benefit of being with the purpose of getting to know the characters. I already know Okabe now, so watching him just do basically nothing but brood over Kurisu every single episode isn't interesting. Like, what even happens here... They keep searching for the girl Suzuha left behind in the past, and then... She just happens to show up because she was at Ruka's family shrine. Well, OK then?
How come in this giant city, in this giant country, in this giant world, every important character that's relevant to a deeper mystery or has history with another character just so happens to be right under their noses every time? Maybe it will all make sense later, because there's a reason she was always there, due to time travel n shit, given there is another strange search party after her. But I'm still not over the terrible Mr. Braun reveal)
6. Eclipse of Orbital Ordering: The Orbital Eclipse - 3/5 (Again... Pretty much a slice of life episode with teensy tiny hints here and there... Can SOMETHING actually happen? They discuss Kagari's amnesia for like 10 minutes, then they go to the shrine to celebrate New Years for the rest. Yup, that's the bulk of this episode. The tiny "hints" here being Okabe seeing flashes of himself and Kurisu still alive (Conflicting timeline memories? Delusions?), Judy Reyes suspiciously turning her head around at Kagari (I assume that's who she was eyeing? So I guess SHE'S a bad guy) and Mr. Braun spotting some shady guy in an alley. He's still got to be FB. He had been for years by the time Okabe even met Kurisu, so any change in the timeline Okabe made at that point should not have altered that.
Moeka is still obviously up to no good, too. There's not even a doubt. The real question is "what". She doesn't seem to be looking for the IBN 5100 anymore... But once she was made aware of Kagari's location, the lab ends up getting charged by gunmen... Again. Which was pretty shocking to be honest. They built up to it really well in that scene. Something FELT wrong, but I couldn't figure out what until it was too late. And it's somehow related to Amadeus for some reason... I am intrigued. Please, don't let the next episode blueball me again)
7. Eclipse of Vibronic Transition: Vibronic Transition - 4/5 (AND IT KICKS IN!!! THERE we go. That took 6 whole episodes. My goodness. Anyway, the masked woman is obviously not Moeka. The show's trying to trick me, but I'm not falling for it. Could it be Judy Reyes? She's close to Maho, so she would have had access to Amadeus. And shutting that down was important for this (for some reason). And, as previously mentioned, she glanced suspiciously at Kagari in the last episode, and now SHE'S attempted to be captured, WHILE Amadeus is shut down. Hmm...
I really liked Okabe finally telling Daru everything about the other timeline. Well, Daru's implied he's mentioned it before, but we've never seen it. He's always hiding everything he knows. Wouldn't even say he could tell Moeka was trouble. It's also just nice to see Daru and Okabe actually being friends. We don't really see that a lot, so I'm glad it's here. The conversation was so sincere and displayed their friendship. Daru even suggests this could be the choice of Steins Gate, and Okabe shrugs it off. Oh how things have changed since the beginning of the series. There should have been more scenes like this. I even liked the little detail at the end of it when Daru is helping Okabe stay up and just look up at him for a few seconds.
Suzuha's conversation with Ruka was a little strange, though. Okabe specifically refuses to tell Ruka of all people anything because he wants him to be oblivious to all the different worldline shenanigans? Why Ruka specifically? I imagine Okabe would be more focused on making sure that's the case for Mayuri than Ruka. Though, obviously, we know Mayuri still have faint memories of everything. So I guess that's a lost cause.
Okabe must have balls of steel to confront Mr. Braun the way he did. I mean, he doesn't exactly have a time leap machine within accessing reach right now. Mr. Braun could easily just beat his ass or kill him right there. Still, it all worked out, so no harm done I guess. It does really intrigue me that apparently, it wasn't even SERN who was responsible for this attack. But some other shadow organization. But one who's main focus also lies in time travel? Given they supposedly want Kagari because she's from the future.
But also DAMN what an ending... The timeline is once again changed, and Kurisu is alive! But by who? Someone else clearly must have a time machine and altered the past. Which is kinda funny cause for whoever did it, they won't even be aware they did, unless they can also "read steiner")
8. Dual of Antinomy: Antinomic Dual - 5/5 (This. Is. A depressing episode! Imagine being thrust into a worldline where the horrible decision you managed to live with for so long is just undone and you have to do it again to fix it. Yikes. It's super interesting to see how the Alpha worldline continues, and discovering it all from Okabe's point of view. Nothing but constant sorrow. This episode genuinely made me teary eyed. Especially when Okabe realizes that Kurisu has taken him to Mayuri's grave. And the brief shot of him just standing by it in the rain, staring at it... And the final shot where he reaches his hand for the sky, just like Mayuri did over her grandmother's grave.
Daru taking him out to the alley to straight up threaten him for talking about a worldline where Mayuri didn't die was quite shocking. It was also very jarring to see given the last episode which JUST had their most wholesome friendship moment yet. Of course, this Daru didn't experience that moment. But thematically, seeing him be so pissed off at Okabe in this one was a jarring switch.
Mayuri's short haired friend, Katsumi Nakase, is getting far more attention in the show than the other forgettable friends. She also just sticks out more than the others because of her slightly more unique look and distinct voice, too. Which definitely makes me think she's more important than what I'm lead to believe.
The whole Reading Steiner ability Okabe has definitely spawns some questions from me. Okabe has still been around and lived in this worldline for months, yet he doesn't remember any of it. To think, there's an Okabe who lived in this worldline for so long and he's just... Erased. His mind replaced with another one. Pretty crazy. I mean Kurisu even talked about him as if he was a different person. Which, I guess TECHNICALLY he was? I mean one day he's existing and minding his own business. The next, his body is just taken over by another version of himself. It's weird to think about. Also, Okabe always remain in the same location when he shifts timeline. I wonder how that works itself out. The Okabe who's been living in the Alpha worldline hadn't been to the lab in months, yet on this specific day he just HAD to be there only so that the Okabe we're following can end up in his body at that location at that time.
Also, it was so cool to get to see Kurisu rushing to the lab during the time of episode 22, and the fact that the "don't come in" text (even though she didn't listen to it) is what CAUSED Okabe to go to the other worldline in the first place. Everything is connected so cleverly)
9. Pandora of Eternal Return: Pandora's Box - 4/5 (Yup, Katsumi Nakase is indeed more important. I thought her scene in the last episode was a strange inclusion since she doesn't leave much of an impression, but now it makes sense that she had it. She remembers the Alpha timeline. Or, part of it anyway. She only seemed to have the memory of the one day the timeline was different, as opposed to Faris, who we've seen could practically remember two entire lives. Wonder why that is. Also, why did Okabe collapse and remain unconscious during the world shift? Convenient excuse to explain what he would have been doing during that time in this timeline when "he" wasn't there?
Is Moeka sending emoijs/stickers of herself to Okabe? Sure, my first thought was it COULD possibly be some sort of personalized emojis. But I'm not sure things like that were very common in 2011. But then she sends a cartoony sticker of Suzuha, and one of Okabe. What the??? How is that available to her? Did she draw them on her own?
Suzuha pulling a gun on Okabe was crazy. I didn't think she'd go THAT far. The fact that she shot him and only grazed his cheek was pretty cool. But what's even cooler is Daru stepping in and acting like a responsible parent to calm her down. That scene, and them just talking alone in the time machine later on were both really sweet. I really like the extra attention Daru is getting here. And the episode closes out on a very interesting reveal with plot details I had to look up a little more specifically to get. So, DURPA is a secretive American government agency, and their spying on Russias time machine research leads them to Nakabachi, which leads them to Kurisu, so now they want her research? And, obviously, Kagari. So the raiders were DURPA agents then?)
10. Pandora of Provable Existence: Forbidden Cubicle - 4/5 (Moeka, the skinny, shy young woman, was hired to be Maho's bodyguard? Sure, okay, THAT makes sense (not). And for crying out loud, why did it have to lead to a cringy slumber party scene where Faris tickles her boobs and she starts moaning? Can we NOT have this in my dramatic sci-fi story, please? Faris is by far the worst presence in this show.
I said I didn't really care about the "romancy" parts with Okabe and Kurisu in Steins;Gate, so it's gonna sound weird that I actually like the chemistry between Maho and Okabe here. I just don't care for romance itself, and while Okabe and Kurisu's romance in the show WAS good, my problem was it was so in-your-face romancy that it just made me roll my eyes. All the arguing, then the awkward compliment and blushing... Eugh.
Meanwhile, there's been none of that with Okabe and Maho. In fact there has been no real visually obvious indication that there's any love interest between them other than Amadeus talking about it, which Maho keeps denying. But she never blushes and goes "n-n-no!!" all shy-like. She denies it like a normal person. Maho just invites Okabe out to tell him something, but then holds it off and suggest they just hang out together. And they end up having a great afternoon of fun. I loved the claw machine scene. Maho appreciates that he won it for her. It's a typical romantic gesture, yet, there's no awkwardness between them.
As a result, I can't even TELL if this is supposed to be romantic or not... And that makes it so much more genuine and, yeah, even BETTER. To be fair, it does have the benefit of the added layer of Okabe being oblivious to it, since his true love is Kurisu. So naturally, it's more interesting to see Maho fall for him, because those feelings will obviously not be reciprocated. Makes it more of an interesting plotpoint to me than "omg will these two characters who argue and blush all the time fall in love?!"
Their bonding over mourning Kurisu in the radio tower was also an incredibly sweet moment. I loved it. I was genuinely expecting Okabe to tell her that he is the one who killed Kurisu, and I thought that would lead to an even more interesting conflict! Oh well, maybe later. Maho actually listening to Okabe's rambling about how Kurisu's laptop can lead to WW3 was pretty strange though. You'd think she'd just scoff that off and be like "Bro, what are you talking about?")
11. Pandora of Forgotten Existence: Sealed Reliquary - 4/5 (Daru happened to be the guy Maho hired to unlock Kurisu's laptop? As usual, despite the larger than life story, everything somehow happens to connect to ONLY this small group of people. Every seemingly irrelevant person was actually [blank] all along!
So I presume this is DURPA attacking Okabe, Maho and Daru for Kurisu's laptop, and a rival Russian organization came in and thwarted them? Just writing to make sure I understand the plot. Anyway, I didn't even think of the fact that Okabe and Daru are pretty much invincible for the time being since Suzuha's presence and story confirms that they WILL be alive in the future. Which means it's literally impossible for them to die. So Okabe shouldn't even be scared of an attack, other than the fact that it may kill Maho.
Also, yay, more sweet and genuine Okabe x Maho moments! Loved Okabe staying by her side during her injury. She even asks him not to go. The ending of this scene sort of confirms my suspicion too. She's pretty much understood that Okabe and Kurisu were in love. And, I think she is jealous. Which probably plays even more into the whole Kurisu = Mozart and Maho = Salieri inner conflict she has going on.
So, uh, why does Okabe think that the laptop being destroyed means WW3 has been prevented? The fact that Suzuha is still there alone proves that nothing has changed. Based on the rules of this show, you can't actually go back and alter time. Not through physical time travel at least. Anything a character from the future does in the past will always have happened, and those actions lead to the future they came from in the first place regardless. And if things DID change, the whole Reading Steiner effect would happen and Suzuha would either not be there, or have an entirely different reason to be there.
Anyway sooooo YUKI IS THE MASKED DURPA WOMAN?! Not Reyes, as I previously theorized. Unless the show is trying to pull another trick on me...)
12. Mother Goose of Mutual Recursion: Recursive Mother Goose - 3/5 (All they really do here is here go on a wild goose chase to find the origin of a song, which everyone apparently just heard from somebody else. I found the search itself, and how it kept leading to people they just know, to be really entertaining. I especially loved the fact that it turns out the song actually has no origin... Okabe heard it in the past and from there on it goes in a circle so that Kagari will eventually learn it and sing it to him in the past. I just love all this time travel stuff)
13. Mother Goose of Diffractive Recitativo: Diffraction Mother Goose - 3/5 (Full disclosure, I don't really care about Kagari. Her plot was never that interesting. And there are far too many "innocent female" characters already. She doesn't stand out in any way. And the fact that she looks like Kurisu is apparently unrelated, so, nothing interesting hidden there either. So to spend the whole episode with her going MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY doesn't do much for me.
I was far more invested in Okabe and Moeka's investigation. And the fact that it revealed a dank room where Kagari has seemingly been held captive for years was an INCREDIBLY interesting cliffhanger. And, I guess hearing that strange song triggers her memories to come back, so now she decided to just run off for whatever reason. Unaware sleeper agent? I mean, I'm a little more intrigued, but I don't think I'll grow to actually like her as a character unless she makes some EPIC development following this. It's moreso the mystery the other characters uncover that's interesting.)
24/OVA. Valentine's of Crystal Polymorphism: Bittersweet Intermedio - 2/5 (All the female characters (plus Ruka) makes some chocolates and... That's it. Everyone failing at it and ruining Faris' kitchen was kinda funny, though. And Faris' expression to it was pretty cartoony)
14. Recognition of the Elastic Limit: Presage or Recognize - 3/5 (Kagari was the woman with the helmet during the attack!! Except not really... I mean I know now that the helmet is just standard DURPA armor, so, it could be literally anyone else. Couldn't even have been Kagari during her first appearance. Duh. So really, they were just trying to troll me in this episode, since they pretty much immediately state it isn't Kagari. Still, I still presume the ACTUAL person behind the helmet is a relevant character. And Kagari IS a sleeper agent just as I suspected. And for DURPA. Now I'm just curious why!
Aside from that, I guess we have the end of the "Maho is jealous of Kurisu" arc? Well, great! I mean it was a nice ending to it, but feels like we've got quite a few episodes to go, so it seems pretty early to end her inner conflict)
15. Recognition of the Asymptotic Line: Recognize Asymptote - 5/5 (They've never SAID it, but unless something else is revealed later, Steins;Gate has pretty much established that physical time travel cannot change anything in the past. Everything you go back and do is something you will always have done. In the Alpha timeline, Mr. Braun always had the letter from Suzuha, for instance. Okabe was always destined to be the one to kill Kurisu, etc. So I still don't know what Suzuha thinks she's going to be able to change with her time machine exactly.
But I'm also pointing it out cause that's exactly what I thought when Suzuha showed Daru the photo of herself fading, Back To The Future style. They instantly reveal it was faked though, which I honestly found pretty funny. Amusing that she used it to manipulate Daru. I loved seeing him get a full episode to himself, actually. He was great in this. It was really funny overall, what with him getting dating advice from all the chicks in the show, and trying to be a ladies man. And he's not just a goofball the entire episode either, he gets real about his insecurities at one point and admits he really needed that forced push that Suzuha gave him. Literally the best of both worlds.
It manages to be both funny AND emotional. All the Daru stuff I already praised aside, you ALSO get to see Suzuha's mom in the future get brutally killed, and understand that Suzuha isn't trying to push Daru and Yuki together to make sure she gets born, but because she just wants to see her family in full. Daru getting confident and Suzuha feeling that brief moment of happiness was honestly beautiful and satisfying. One minor problem I have is that Yuki fucking sucks. As a character she isn't interesting at all. She's literally just one of Mayuri's generic friends with no personality or even a unique character design. I don't get what Daru even sees in her besides "hot". Like, there's been several scenes where the short haired friend (Katsumi Nakase. Looked it up. I can't remember all these names!) makes weird comments and gets compared to Daru. You'd think THEY would be a better match... But I digress.
Also, isn't Yuki one of the DURPA soliders who attacked him in an alley? I said it before, the show is probably trying to trick me. But for now, this is what I'm lead to believe, so this episode seems a little fishy if she's falling for Daru... Also, funnily enough, related to the first part of this review: It seems Daru and Yuki literally only get together in the future BECAUSE Suzuha forced it in the past)
16. Altair of the Point at Infinity: Vega and Altair - 5/5 (Wow, they sure say "shit" a lot in this episode. Honestly, it amps up the drama really well. Like Okabe getting furious and telling Daru he doesn't "give a shit about the name". The fact that swearing isn't that frequent definitely makes it stand out and emphasize how pissed off he really is. Of course then Daru gets even more pissed off! I was genuinely shocked as hell when he punched Okabe and started yelling him out. And honestly, everything he's saying is true. I can sympathize with Okabe, but he's really just being useless and moping all the time without actually trying to find a solution, and berating everyone who is. So, yeah, he kind of deserved that.
The Okabe and Mayuri stuff was REALLY emotional in this episode. She's been trying to reach out to him constantly, and he keeps rejecting it every time. So she just ditches him in the beginning. And the ending where she revealed she knows everything REALLY got to me. Honestly, it just gives Daru's rant more validity. In his attempt to "save" Mayuri and let her live a "happy" life, he's made her more sad because her best friend is constantly rejecting her and acting like a debbie downer the few times they do meet. And when she found out he's literally like that BECAUSE he saved you, damn, that's gotta sting. The fact that even when she admits she knows he just tells her to forget about it too is kind of rude. He's just trying to keep her oblivious, which is incredibly patronizing)
​

Heavy spoilers for end of Shadowheart's Act 3 quest. I did all my troubleshooting prior to Patch 6, but I've just tested post-patch & confirmed the problem (and solution) still exists.
Edit: I've just tested this post Hotfix 24, and I've confirmed that this bug is still present, and that the fix does still work, although I had to long rest after feeding Shadowheart the noblestalk for the smells conversation to pop on CheatEngine trigger.

THE PROBLEM

In Act 3, Shadowheart has an elusive dialogue regarding the smells of Baldur's Gate being familiar. It's a critical conversation because if she's had it, she will choose on her own to save her parents in the House of Grief, rather than deciding to turn them into moon motes. No persuasion check is required as long as you pick the "You know the right thing to do" dialogue option. (Staying silent will always result in moting.)
The required triggers for this conversation have been muddy since release. I have four completionist playthroughs past House of Grief, and after several hours of digging through UUIDs and quest logs, I feel confident that I've identified the issue.
Update as of April 2024: As of Patch 6, Hotfix 24, having Shadowheart eat the Noblestalk in Act 1, or allowing her to ask you to let her give blood to the bowls in the Gauntlet of Shar, thus triggering her ambient "I'm feeling conflicted" ! dialogue, prevents the "smells of the city" dialogue from firing in Act 3. I do not believe this is intended behavior. Process stuff is at the very end for those interested.
There are three key locations in the Lower City where Shadowheart will remember something.

1. A bit of graffiti on the wall near the Baldur's Gate waypoint (near the House of Grief).
2. Allister Marnley's grave in the graveyard (immediately to the right of entry, near the man who's buried alive).
3. The night orchid cave in the House of Grief (on the left side of the room after completing Viconia's fight, behind a barricaded wall).

What should happen is that after visiting any two of these locations and speaking to Shadowheart about them, this third key dialogue about the smells of the city should immediately trigger with another "!" above her head. If Shadowheart has eaten the Noblestalk or asked to give blood in the Gauntlet of Shar, however, the smells conversation will not trigger, and she will not save her parents without a persuasion check. There may also now be an additional block regarding the bowls of blood in the Shar gauntlet (see comments below & edit above), but I'm very sure that the noblestalk is a primary obstructor.

THE FIX

Cheat Engine is required. Instructions for novices are at the bottom of this section. For those comfortable with it already, load your save, then navigate to Console Commands > Register Commands > Set Flags.

• Right-click "Spawn Minthara," then click Change Script.
• Replace the red value in quotation marks with "1bbdd0b8-c2de-4b2f-8ce8-6740812deb59" and then click "OK." (It's okay to leave the grey "Debug Minthara" text alone.)
• Click the empty box left to "Spawn Minthara" to trigger your edited event. (It's okay that the Minthara text label hasn't changed.)
• The "!" should immediately pop above Shadowheart's head in game.

This will trigger the smells conversation, and once it's complete, Shadowheart will choose to save her parents when the time comes. This will work at any point in the game up to the moment you interact with her parents, although if you have already killed Viconia you may not get the actual smells dialogue, as SH's "I need to free my parents" voiceline will override it. That's okay, as this will still set the correct state and cause her to choose to free them.
HOW TO USE CHEAT ENGINE FOR BEGINNERS

• Download the Cheat Engine program from here and install. Decline any optional installations for McAfee, Norton, or others. If the program starts automatically after installation, close it. Your antivirus may flag it, but it does not contain viruses.
• Download the BG3 Cheat table from here. I usually save it in the same folder in which I installed Cheat Engine.
• Double-click the BG3.CT file you just downloaded. This will open the Cheat Engine program with all applicable BG3 commands already neatly labelled and organized for you.
• Open Baldur's Gate 3 and load a save. The game must be running for this to work.
• At the top of the Cheat Engine window, click the magnifying-glass-over-a-monitor icon to open a list of all running processes. Select Baldur's Gate 3 from the list.
• If asked whether you want to keep the current items/list, click "Yes."
• In the empty "Value:" box top right, type in "100" (without quotations), and then click "First Scan" above that. After the scan completes, you should now see hundreds of Address values populated on the left.
• At the bottom of the window where the editing functions are, scroll down, then click the empty box next to "Console Commands," then in the next submenu, "Register Commands," and then "Set Flags."
• Right-click "Spawn Minthara," then click Change Script.
• Replace the red value in quotation marks with "1bbdd0b8-c2de-4b2f-8ce8-6740812deb59" and then click "OK." (It's okay to leave the grey "Debug Minthara" text alone.)
• Click the empty box left to "Spawn Minthara" to trigger your edited event. (It's okay that the Minthara text label hasn't changed.) The "!" should immediately pop above Shadowheart's head.
• Once you've had the conversation, you can close Cheat Engine and continue playing.

THE PROCESS

For those who like reading about discovery & testing. Skip otherwise.
As I mentioned, I have four completionist playthroughs all past House of Grief. Two had the conversation pop correctly after visiting the grave & graffiti, two did not. After days of testing, I could confirm that none of the following mattered:

• Presence or absence of mods
• Amount of time spent in Baldur's Gate
• Shadowheart's approval (though the actual act of freeing her parents I believe requires 50 approval, triggering the smells conversation itself has no requirement)
• Order of sites visited
• Other locations or NPCs visited at any point in the game
• Day of the calendar month in game

I could enter the Lower City for the first time, run straight to the grave & graffiti while doing literally nothing else, and the two successful playthroughs would pop the smells convo, while the two failed playthroughs would not. This made me sure that something had happened to the two failure playthroughs earlier than Act 3.
I then compared my Daughter of Darkness quest logs across all four runs and crossed out anything which occurred on all four.
https://preview.redd.it/c8g7d9402mtc1.jpg?width=3743&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53bfad1ff338149aaa6e76098f3b730ddc4d5fb4
Tov & Tav2 (don't ask) were my successful runs; Tav1 & my Astarion origin were conversation-pop failures. I discovered that Tov/Tav2 had both had the wolf fear conversation (blue boxes) with SH, but the other two had not; that seemed very early in the game to break something so late, but I dug up the Wolf Fear conversation's UUID and triggered it manually on Tav1 & Astarion:
"f5f935c3-7f73-4de4-9aee-553cb96fb6d1" --ORI_Shadowheart_Knows_WolfFear
While this correctly updated the journal, it did not affect the smells conversation not popping. I then looked at the "Shadowheart is having a crisis of faith" conversation you get in the Gauntlet of Shar, which triggered for Tav1 & Astarion, but manually triggering that one on the other two saves did NOT prevent the smells conversation from popping, so that was also likely unrelated.
"27b92bd8-3a0d-4e2d-9546-fe304a648f64" --ORI_Shadowheart_State_CrisisofFaith
I then went digging for the smells conversation itself, and I eventually found its UUID to be:
"1bbdd0b8-c2de-4b2f-8ce8-6740812deb59" --ORI_Shadowheart_State_ParentPoints_HasEnoughPoints.
It's supposed to trigger on its own when the player has completed any two of the three conversations you can have at the graffiti, gravesite, or night orchid cave in the Lower City. The UUIDs of those conversations are:
"eb535c3e-a33f-4d0b-94cb-2abf7c66ab18" --ORI_Shadowheart_State_GraffitiMemoryUnlocked "f1382026-f257-42cf-b10d-98c6eeb10ad5" --ORI_Shadowheart_State_GraveMemoryUnlocked "b14b2caa-27c5-4cd9-b365-babf4f959f3f" --ORI_Shadowheart_State_HideoutMemoryUnlocked
Each of the grave/graffiti/cave conversations is worth one point. Once the player has reached two points, the HasEnoughPoints conversation should fire automatically. On successful playthroughs, this works fine. On failure playthroughs, it doesn't. However, setting the HasEnoughPoints UUID manually was always successful in triggering the smells conversation and changing SH's choice.
Out of curiosity, I then went back to some of my earliest saves for all four runs. I discovered that manually triggering the graffiti & grave convos for all four runs in the nautiloid area was successful in having the smells conversation pop on its own afterwards! This confirmed to me that I had done something in the two failed runs between Act 1 & Act 3 which broke the smells trigger.
(If you try this yourself, the "!" doesn't show up above SH for grave/graffiti, but you can still have the conversations, and the internal flags will correctly trip.)
I then went save hopping forwards and backwards through the acts, narrowing down the time frame to find the moment of change. I manually triggered the graffiti & grave convos on each save tested, then saw if the smells convo popped correctly on its own. On all four runs, I narrowed it down to the moment Shadowheart eats the Noblestalk in Act 1. Talk to her immediately before: grave + graffiti = smell. Talk to her immediately after eating: grave + graffiti = silence.
This was the biggest wrinkle for me, as you may note I've always had SH eat the noblestalk...kind of. I definitely had Tov feed it to her, and her smells convo popped fine in Act 3, but that was a Patch 3 game. My best guess is that for a brief moment in that patch era, this issue was inadvertently fixed, and then silently broke again shortly after.
Then, in Tav2's successful run (a Patch 4/5 run), I wanted to have Derryth adopt a cat in Act 3 as well as get SH's Nocturne dialogue, so I actually gave the noblestalk to Derryth, and used Cheat Engine to trigger SH's journal entries about remembering Nocturne.
I tested this again now and confirmed that Persuading or Intimidating Shadowheart into eating the Noblestalk does break the smells convo. However, CheatEngineing the journal entries into her journal, bypassing the checks, does NOT break the smells convo. This convinces me that this is not intended behavior, that something in those conversational checks is tripping a flag in the ParentPoints tree that it shouldn't be touching, as the Noblestalk only should affect the Nightsong-related points tree.
My best inexpert guess is that somehow having Shadowheart eat the Noblestalk is either erroneously affecting the ParentPoints point values in the negative, so that even if the player visits the grave/graffiti/cave sites, they never reach the required 2 points to trigger smells; or that it's somehow blocking the points value from changing altogether.
.
Edit April 2024, post-Hotfix 24: I did not give Shadowheart the noblestalk on my current playthrough because I wanted to play out the above; I used the CheatEngine to modify her journal instead. However, after hitting graffiti & grave in the Lower City, her smells conversation still didn't fire (new behavior!), and neither did her ambient ! dialogue after discovering her night orchid cave. I have narrowed this new block down to a specific ! conversation she has in the Gauntlet of Shar.
After Tav interacts with a bowl of blood in the three Gauntlet trials, Shadowheart will interrupt, saying that she should be the one to give blood. If you allow her to do so, she will, and then will immediately pop a ! above her head. (A little digging on the internet suggests this is only true if she has eaten, or in my case "eaten," the noblestalk, but I don't have an alternate-version save to confirm.) If you click on her, she will say she is having some unexpected conflicted feelings about Shar. If this ! pops, whether or not you actually speak to her about the feelings, the night orchid conversation & smells conversation will again fail to trigger in Act 3.
If you have her interact with the bowl directly without Tav, the conflicting conversation doesn't pop and you can still have smells later, though you lose out on the +5 approval for each bowl for letting Shadowheart talk you into her donating the blood. If you deny allowing her to give blood, the ! for conflicting will not pop, and you can still have smells later, though you take a big hit to disapproval with each bowl, which may be an issue if it takes her below the threshold required to save Nightsong of her own volition. Manually triggering the smells conversation via CheatEngine still works without issue at any point in any act, regardless of approval level.
After seeing this, I'm now thinking the issue may in fact be the way Shadowheart's ambient ! conversations pop. I'm wondering if some of the bugfixing to fix her early permanent ! above her head broke her ability to pop more than one ambient conversation consistently per game/act/something.
That's for Larian to figure out, I guess, but for now, this appears to be a functional solution for those who'd like to see Shadowheart choose to save her parents on her own.

They look for excuses to expand their power and influence. And when an excuse does not readily exist, they create one.
The Façade
Recent history confirms this. At the end of the 19th century, the US wanted to expand its sphere of influence. So they sabotaged one of their own battleships to create the excuse they needed to go to war. Look-up the sinking of the USS Maine in Cuba in 1898. We now know the US sabotaged its own ship, blaming it on the Spanish. US newspapers built the case for war, which was known to be a pretext even at that time, as represented in the movie Citizen Kane.
As a result of the sinking of the USS Maine, the US gained a port in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and control of the Philippines, a new foothold in the Orient. Note the theme... a covert act by government used as an excuse for war.
Next example, WW1. England wanted to draw the US into the war for some badly needed support. So Winston Churchill, who was serving as First Lord of the British Admiralty, created the excuse the US needed to justify joining the war. The English Channel was swarming with German submarines (U-boats), attacking British shipping. The British implemented shipping by convoy under protection of British warships. But on May 7, 1915, Churchill called-off naval protection for the RMS Lusitania, a British commercial liner with 123 Americans onboard. The sinking turned American public opinion against Germany, and contributed to US entry into the war. "Remember the Lusitania" became a rallying cry repeated in the papers. (Plenty of documentaries available on the web.)
Next example, WW2. It is well documented that the most strategically located look-out post in Pearl Harbor was inexplicably unmanned the morning of December 7, 1941, the day Japanese planes attacked. Had it been manned like it was every single day besides that one day, Pearl Harbor would have had at least 20 to 30 minutes warning ahead of the attack, valuable time to ready themselves. The only way the post could have been ordered to stand-down on just that particular morning was if someone knew of the attack ahead of time. Intercepted communications kept quiet? US spies in Japan? Whatever the cause, the US government got what it wanted... an excuse to join the war.
Next example, 911. I know, I know. People have been refuting a US cover-up since day 1. I'm not going to sidetrack into that debate here. All I will say is... both Trade Center towers and the Pentagon had been recently renovated, the work of which is difficult to ascertain and still secret. Everything else has already been extensively debated on the web; I'll just leave it there.
What did the US get out of 911? An excuse to invade Afghanistan and Iraq... neither country of which ever had any involvement with 911. Think about that. The attackers were Saudi. Why invade Afghanistan and Iraq? Because they are both conveniently located on either side of Iran, the real target. The US oil barons have long been eyeing Iran since the religious revolution of 1978-79, which confiscated the properties and facilities of US oil companies operating in Iran.
The US wasted no time attacking Iran immediately following the revolution, backing Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88. But the US realized it wasn't going to get Iran without direct US involvement. 911 gave the US an excuse to plant troops in the Middle East. Remember the theme here... a covert act by government used as an excuse for war.
Then came the conflict in Syria, another proxy war between the West and Iran since 2011, and still ongoing.
Then came Trump's first presidency. That was a dress rehearsal to practice manipulating the news. They (the group Trump works for to seize political power and then give it to them) are the force behind Fox News and many right-wing talk shows across the country. Now they own Twitter (through another of their PR faces, Musk). Can't wait to see the garbage they disseminate now that they control Twitter's code.
Trump's first presidency was also a dress rehearsal for manipulating the judiciary, filling the courts with loyalists to promote the group's causes, including overthrowing Roe v Wade. This will come in handy when the time comes to suspend other rights and freedoms, including the constitution.
Then came COVID. That was a dress rehearsal to practice locking down entire countries, and suspending rights and freedoms en masse.
They also practiced flexing their influence by mobilizing militias and gun activist groups behind the Jan 6 insurrection, intimidating voters at election sites, and shooting at protestors. They even practiced defending their obedient shooters, ie: the shooter who showed up at a protest rally with a full-sized rifle, killed a protestor, and was later exonerated on grounds of self-defense. What a joke.
The Actors
So what's next? They're already working on their excuse for WW3 in the Middle East. Look at what's happening in Israel and Palestine. And now they have a new excuse for US presence in the Persian Gulf - attacks on shipping. Attacks against shipping in the region have been occurring for decades. Why are they reacting so strongly now when they didn't before? Notice that both these conflicts target Iran indirectly (via Hamas in Palestine, and the shipping attackers in the Persian Gulf).
The West has been fighting Iran in one arena after another ever since the Iranian revolution. The recent conflicts in Palestine and the Persian Gulf are just the latest excuses to position forces in the Middle East. They've been there since 1980, and will remain there until they are ready to attack Iran directly. It will be an allied invasion, composed of the US, the UK, Israel and Russia (which borders Iran to the north).
Russia is allied with this "group" that we've been talking about here. Recall the assistance Russia gave to Trump in the 2016 election, and the glowing accolades Trump showered on Putin. Recall also how Trump kept denouncing NATO, challenging it, threatening to withdraw the US from it, weakening it from within. The intent was to make it easier for Putin to take Ukraine and other former Soviet territories in Eastern Europe. Had Trump won in 2020, Putin would have been free to achieve his ultimate objective of rebuilding the U.S.S.R. All handed to Putin in exchange for helping Trump get elected, and for Russia's participation in the up-coming war against Iran. Fathom that. After all the effort Ronald Reagan put into dismantling the Soviet Union, Trump would help Putin rebuild it.
Notice too how Koch Industries, a large component of this group, refuses to observe US sanctions against Russia, and has continued doing business in Russia. The Koch brothers have also refused to denounce Putin's invasion of Ukraine. This group also includes big-oil, which benefitted from US control of Iraq and its oil fields, and is salivating over the prospect of regaining control of Iranian oil fields. And big-pharma, which benefitted from government money for COVID vaccines. And who else belongs to this group but Elon Musk, who not only defended Putin's invasion, but also cut-off Starlink's satellite services in Ukraine to prevent Ukraine's military from launching satellite-guided missiles to defend themselves against Russian attacks.
The Script
All this until now has been in preparation for what is to come under Trump's 2nd presidency. Yes, we all know Trump will win. The "group" Trump works for has too much clout. Remember, Trump is only there to win political power for them. Trump is not the head of anything; neither is Musk. They are just servants providing the group with important services, and to sway the public to support their causes.
Under Trump's 2nd presidency, something will happen (real or faked) that will prompt another lockdown similar to the one we "practiced" under COVID. Only this time, it will be much, much longer. The freedom of the press will be suspended, and so will the constitution. Trump will do everything the group tells him to do, effectively giving them state control through him. Our freedoms will be removed. And this time, it will be permanent.
If you throw a piece of wood into the water, it will rise to the surface. But if you sink that wood deep enough under water, it will not rise up anymore. Why? Because the water pressure grows more powerful the deeper you go. The weight of the water prevents the wood from rising up. This is why pieces of shipwrecks stay on the ocean floor.
Civilization as we know it is about to become shipwrecked. Society recovered from COVID because the interruption was brief. It was like a piece of wood that never sank deep enough, and so rose to the surface again.
But this time, they will keep civil liberties suppressed for a very long time; years. Suppress something long enough and it will not rise up again. They are getting ready to shut us down, and it will be a shutdown from which society will never recover. We will forget the press. We will forget elections. We will forget owning property and money. They just have to keep things suppressed long enough for people to forget them. A decade should do it.
Now we know why e-money is so heavily promoted and being so quickly adopted. Anyone protesting the new regime will be erased from society via user-specific digital shutdowns. Barred from transacting, investing, buying or selling. Cards deactivated, crypto seized, bank accounts emptied.
No? Have we forgotten Cyprus 2013? Well, it has been a decade.
Enjoy this final year of freedom. It will all end next year, when Trump gets his crown back. But remember, he's not the head of anything. His roll is to seize power and give it to his masters.
Joseph Cafariello
PS...
So how can we endure what is coming? Better still, how can we avoid it?
One word... truth.
All the turmoil and chaos we are experiencing come from deceptions, distortions, and lies. What they build on lies, we can demolish with truth.
Everything built on lies is unstable, since lies shift like sand. Whereas truth is stable and constant, and cannot be destroyed.
Embrace only truth, reject lies. Speak only truth, abandon lies. Receive only those who come to us with truth, dismiss those who deliver lies.
Remove the façade and expose the actors who try to deceive us. Reveal what has been concealed, uncover what has been covered, speak what has been hushed.
Only then will we have a better world, a stable world, a world built on truth, a world of freedom. Because lies enslave those who believe them, whereas truth sets us free.

Imagine if there was one desk that all stories could cross so that, at 4am, a media plan could be decided upon and disseminated where all news outlets coordinated to set the goalposts of debate and hyper focused on specific issues to drive a narrative to control how you vote and how you spend money; where Internet shills were given marching orders in tandem to what was shown on television, printed in newspapers and spread throughout articles on the World Wide Web.
https://i.imgur.com/Elnci0M.png
In the past, we had Operation Mockingbird, where the program was supremely confident that it could control stories around the world, even in instructions to cover up any story about a possible “Yeti” sighting, should it turn out they were real.
https://i.imgur.com/121LXqy.png
If, in 1959, the government was confident in its ability to control a story about a Yeti, then what is their level of confidence in controlling stories, today?
https://i.imgur.com/jQFVYew.png
https://i.imgur.com/ZKMYGJj.png
In fact, we have a recent example of a situation similar to the Yeti. When Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch met on the TARMAC to spike the Hillary email investigation, the FBI was so confident it wasn’t them, that their entire focus was finding the leaker, starting with searching within the local PD. We have documentation that demonstrates the state of mind of the confidence the upper levels of the FBI have when dealing with the media.
https://i.imgur.com/IbjDOkI.png
https://i.imgur.com/NH86ozU.png
The marriage between mainstream media and government is a literal one and this arrangement is perfectly legal.
https://i.imgur.com/OAd4vpf.png
But, this problem extends far beyond politics; the private sector, the scientific community, even advice forums are shilled heavily. People are paid to cause anxiety, recommend people break up and otherwise sow depression and nervousness. This is due to a correlating force that employs “systems psychodynamics”, focusing on “tension centered” strategies to create “organizational paradoxes” by targeting people’s basic assumptions about the world around them to create division and provide distraction.
https://i.imgur.com/6OEWYFN.png
https://i.imgur.com/iG4sdD4.png
https://i.imgur.com/e89Rx6B.png
https://i.imgur.com/uotm9Cg.png
https://i.imgur.com/74wt9tD.png
In this day and age, it is even easier to manage these concepts and push a controlled narrative from a central figure than it has ever been. Allen & Co is a “boutique investment firm” that managed the merger between Disney and Fox and operates as an overseeing force for nearly all media and Internet shill armies, while having it’s fingers in sports, social media, video games, health insurance, etc.
https://i.imgur.com/zlpBh3c.png
https://i.imgur.com/e5ZvFFJ.png
Former director of the CIA and Paul Brennan’s former superior George Tenet, holds the reigns of Allen & Co. The cast of characters involves a lot of the usual suspects.
https://i.imgur.com/3OlrX7G.png

In 1973, Allen & Company bought a stake in Columbia Pictures. When the business was sold in 1982 to Coca-Cola, it netted a significant profit. Since then, Herbert Allen, Jr. has had a place on Coca-Cola's board of directors.
Since its founding in 1982, the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference has regularly drawn high-profile attendees such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Rupert Murdoch, Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Johnson, Andy Grove, Richard Parsons, and Donald Keough.
Allen & Co. was one of ten underwriters for the Google initial public offering in 2004. In 2007, Allen was sole advisor to Activision in its $18 billion merger with Vivendi Games. In 2011, the New York Mets hired Allen & Co. to sell a minority stake of the team. That deal later fell apart. In November 2013, Allen & Co. was one of seven underwriters on the initial public offering of Twitter. Allen & Co. was the adviser of Facebook in its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in February 2014.
In 2015, Allen & Co. was the advisor to Time Warner in its $80 billion 2015 merger with Charter Communications, AOL in its acquisition by Verizon, Centene Corporation in its $6.8 billion acquisition of Health Net, and eBay in its separation from PayPal.
In 2016, Allen & Co was the lead advisor to Time Warner in its $108 billion acquisition by AT&T, LinkedIn for its merger talks with Microsoft, Walmart in its $3.3 billion purchase of Jet.com, and Verizon in its $4.8 billion acquisition of Yahoo!. In 2017, Allen & Co. was the advisor to Chewy.com in PetSmart’s $3.35 billion purchase of the online retailer.

Allen & Co throws the Sun Valley Conference every year where you get a glimpse of who sows up. Harvey Weinstein, though a past visitor, was not invited last year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_%26_Company_Sun_Valley_Conference

Previous conference guests have included Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren and Susan Buffett, Tony Blair, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Allen alumnus and former Philippine Senator Mar Roxas, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Quicken Loans Founder & Chairman Dan Gilbert, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang, financier George Soros, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, BET founder Robert Johnson, Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons, Nike founder and chairman Phil Knight, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, NBA player LeBron James, Professor and Entrepreneur Sebastian Thrun, Governor Chris Christie, entertainer Dan Chandler, Katharine Graham of The Washington Post, Diane Sawyer, InterActiveCorp Chairman Barry Diller, Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman, entrepreneur Wences Casares, EXOR and FCA Chairman John Elkann, Sandro Salsano from Salsano Group, and Washington Post CEO Donald E. Graham, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and Oprah Winfrey.

https://i.imgur.com/VZ0OtFa.png
George Tenet, with the reigns of Allen & Co in his hands, is able to single-handedly steer the entire Mockingbird apparatus from cable television to video games to Internet shills from a singular location determining the spectrum of allowable debate. Not only are they able to target people’s conscious psychology, they can target people’s endocrine systems with food and pornography; where people are unaware, on a conscious level, of how their moods and behavior are being manipulated.
https://i.imgur.com/mA3MzTB.png

"The problem with George Tenet is that he doesn't seem to care to get his facts straight. He is not meticulous. He is willing to make up stories that suit his purposes and to suppress information that does not."
"Sadly but fittingly, 'At the Center of the Storm' is likely to remind us that sometimes what lies at the center of a storm is a deafening silence."

https://i.imgur.com/YHMJnnP.png
Tenet joined President-elect Bill Clinton's national security transition team in November 1992. Clinton appointed Tenet Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the National Security Council, where he served from 1993 to 1995. Tenet was appointed Deputy Director of Central Intelligence in July 1995. Tenet held the position as the DCI from July 1997 to July 2004. Citing "personal reasons," Tenet submitted his resignation to President Bush on June 3, 2004. Tenet said his resignation "was a personal decision and had only one basis—in fact, the well-being of my wonderful family—nothing more and nothing less. In February 2008, he became a managing director at investment bank Allen & Company.
https://i.imgur.com/JnGHqOS.png
We have the documentation that demonstrates what these people could possibly be doing with all of these tools of manipulation at their fingertips.
The term for it is “covert political action” for which all media put before your eyes is used to serve as a veneer… a reality TV show facade of a darker modus operandum.
https://i.imgur.com/vZC4D29.png
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol36no3/html/v36i3a05p_0001.htm

It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination by whatever means and at whatever costs. There are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the US is to survive, longstanding American concepts of "fair play" must be reconsidered. We must develop effective espionage and counterespionage services and must learn to subvert, sabotage and destroy our enemies by more clever, more sophisticated means than those used against us. It may become necessary that the American people be made acquainted with, understand and support this fundamentally repugnant philosophy.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3340677/t/cia-operatives-shadowy-war-force/

Intelligence historian Jeffrey T. Richelson says the S.A. has covered a variety of missions. The group, which recently was reorganized, has had about 200 officers, divided among several groups: the Special Operations Group; the Foreign Training Group, which trains foreign police and intelligence officers; the Propaganda and Political Action Group, which handles disinformation; the Computer Operations Group, which handles information warfare; and the Proprietary Management Staff, which manages whatever companies the CIA sets up as covers for the S.A.

Scientology as a CIA Political Action Group – “It is a continuing arrangement…”: https://mikemcclaughry.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/scientology-as-a-cia-political-action-group-it-is-a-continuing-arrangement/

…Those operations we inaugurated in the years 1955-7 are still secret, but, for present purposes, I can say all that’s worth saying about them in a few sentences – after, that is, I offer these few words of wisdom. The ‘perfect’ political action operation is, by definition, uneventful. Nothing ‘happens’ in it. It is a continuing arrangement, neither a process nor a series of actions proceeding at a starting point and ending with a conclusion.

CIA FBI NSA Personnel Active in Scientology: https://i.imgur.com/acu2Eti.png
When you consider the number of forces that can be contained within a single “political action group” in the form on a “boutique investment firm,” where all sides of political arguments are predetermined by a selected group of actors who have been planted, compromised or leveraged in some way in order to control the way they spin their message.
https://i.imgur.com/tU4MD4S.png
The evidence of this coordinated effort is overwhelming and the “consensus” that you see on TV, in sports, in Hollywood, in the news and on the Internet is fabricated.

Under the guise of a fake account a posting is made which looks legitimate and is towards the truth is made - but the critical point is that it has a VERY WEAK PREMISE without substantive proof to back the posting. Once this is done then under alternative fake accounts a very strong position in your favour is slowly introduced over the life of the posting. It is IMPERATIVE that both sides are initially presented, so the uninformed reader cannot determine which side is the truth. As postings and replies are made the stronger 'evidence' or disinformation in your favour is slowly 'seeded in.'
Thus the uninformed reader will most likely develop the same position as you, and if their position is against you their opposition to your posting will be most likely dropped. However in some cases where the forum members are highly educated and can counter your disinformation with real facts and linked postings, you can then 'abort' the consensus cracking by initiating a 'forum slide.'

When you find yourself feeling like common sense and common courtesy aren’t as common as they ought to be, it is because there is a massive psychological operation controlled from the top down to ensure that as many people as possible are caught in a “tension based” mental loop that is inflicted on them by people acting with purpose to achieve goals that are not in the interest of the general population, but a method of operating in secret and corrupt manner without consequences.
Notice that Jeffrey Katzenberg, of Disney, who is intertwined with Allen & Co funds the Young Turks. He is the perfect example of the relationship between media and politics.

Katzenberg has also been involved in politics. With his active support of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, he was called "one of Hollywood's premier political kingmakers and one of the Democratic Party's top national fundraisers."

With cash from Jeffrey Katzenberg, The Young Turks looks to grow paid subscribers:
https://digiday.com/media/with-cash-from-katzenberg-the-young-turks-look-to-grow-paid-subscribers/

Last week, former DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg’s new mobile entertainment company WndrCo was part of a $20 million funding round in TYT Network, which oversees 30 news and commentary shows covering politics, pop culture, sports and more. This includes the flagship “The Young Turks” program that streams live on YouTube every day. Other investors in the round included venture capital firms Greycroft Partners, E.ventures and 3L Capital, which led the round. This brings total funding for Young Turks to $24 million.

How Hollywood's Political Donors Are Changing Strategies for the Trump Era:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hollywood-political-donors-are-changing-strategy-post-trump-1150545

Hollywood activism long has been depicted as a club controlled by a handful of powerful white men: Katzenberg, Spielberg, Lear, David Geffen, Haim Saban and Bob Iger are the names most often mentioned. But a new generation of power brokers is ascendant, including J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, cited for their personal donations and bundling skills; Shonda Rhimes, who held a get-out-the-vote rally at USC's Galen Center on Sept. 28 that drew 10,000 people; CAA's Darnell Strom, who has hosted events for Nevada congresswoman Jacky Rosen and Arizona congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema; and former Spotify executive Troy Carter, who held three fundraisers for Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous (Carter also was a fundraiser for President Obama).

Soros Group Buys Viacom's DreamWorks Film Library:
https://www.forbes.com/2006/03/17/soros-viacom-dreamworks-cx_gl_0317autofacescan11.html#541a895f1f22

Viacom, after splitting off from Les Moonves Les Moonves ' CBS , still holds Paramount Pictures, and that movie studio in December agreed to acquire DreamWorks SKG, the creative shop founded by the Hollywood triumvirate of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg (a former exec at The Walt Disney Co.). DreamWorks Animation had been spun off into a separate company.
Now it's time for Freston to make back some money--and who better to do a little business with than George Soros? The billionaire financier leads a consortium of Soros Strategic Partners LP and Dune Entertainment II LLC, which together are buying the DreamWorks library--a collection of 59 flicks, including Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, and American Beauty.

The money you spend on media and junk food and in taxes goes to these groups who then decide how best to market at you so that they decide how you vote by creating a fake consensus to trick into thinking that you want something other than what is best for you; but will inevitably result in more money being funneled to the top, creating further separation between the super rich and the average person. The goal will be to assert creeping authoritarianism by generating outrage against policies and issues they hate. Part of manipulating your basic assumptions is also to use schadenfreude (think canned laughter on TV) against characters who support the cause that might actually do you the most good (which reaffirms and strengthens your confirmation biased along predetermined political lines).
https://i.imgur.com/PW1cRtj.png
We have a population being taught to hate socialism and love capitalism when the truth is no country is practicing either. These terms are merely disguises for political oligarchies where the collection of wealth is less about getting themselves rich and more about keeping everyone else poor.
What can you guess about the world around you if it turned out that every consensus that was forced on you was fake?
How much money would it take to make it look like 51% of the Internet believed in completely idiotic ideas? Combine shill operations with automation and AI’s, and the cost becomes a good investment relative to the return when measured in political power.
Even the people who are well intentioned and very vocal do not have to consciously be aware that they are working for a political action group. A covert political group will always prefer an unwitting tool to help push their agenda, so that they can remain in the shadows.
FDA Admonishes Drug Maker Over Kim Kardashian Instagram Endorsement https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2015/08/11/fda-spanks-drug-maker-over-kim-kardashian-instagram-endorsement/#25174a29587b
The OSS files offer details about other agents than famous chef, Julia Child; including Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, major league catcher Moe Berg, historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., and actor Sterling Hayden. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26186498/ns/us_news-security/t/julia-child-cooked-double-life-spy/
USA Today: Businesses and organizations may refer to it as a tool for competitive advantage and marketing; but make no mistake http://archive.is/37tK3
Shareblue accounts caught in /politics posting links to Shareblue without disclosing their affiliation http://archive.is/7HAkr
Psy Group developed elaborate information operations for commercial clients and political candidates around the world http://archive.is/BBblQ
Top mod of /Mechanical_Gifs tries to sell subreddit on ebay for 999.00 dollars. http://archive.is/kU1Ly
Shill posts picture of a dog in a hammock with the brand clearly visible without indicating that it's an ad in the title of the post http://archive.is/Mfdk9
Arstechnica: GCHQs menu of tools spreads disinformation across Internet- “Effects capabilities” allow analysts to twist truth subtly or spam relentlessly. http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07/ghcqs-chinese-menu-of-tools-spread-disinformation-across-internet/
Samsung Electronics Fined for Fake Online Comments http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/samsung-electronics-fined-for-fake-online-comments/?_r=0
Discover Magazine: Researchers Uncover Twitter Bot Army That’s 350 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2017/01/20/twitter-bot-army/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20DiscoverTechnology%20%28Discover%20Technology%29#.WIMl-oiLTnA
Times of Israel - The internet: Israel’s new PR battlefield http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-rise-of-digital-diplomacy-could-be-changing-israels-media-image/
Time: Social Media Manipulation? When “Indie” Bloggers and Businesses Get Cozy http://business.time.com/2013/04/22/social-media-manipulation-when-indie-bloggers-and-businesses-get-cozy/
Content-Driven Detection of Campaigns in Social Media [PDF] http://faculty.cs.tamu.edu/caverlee/pubs/lee11cikm.pdf
the law preventing them from using this in America was repealed http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/07/14/u-s-repeals-propaganda-ban-spreads-government-made-news-to-americans/
Redditor who works for a potato mailing company admits to being a shill. He shows off his 27 thousand dollars he made in /pics
http://i.imgur.com/CcTHwdS.png
Screenshot of post since it was removed. http://i.imgur.com/k9g0WF8.png
Just thought I'd contribute to this thread http://imgur.com/OpSos4u
CNN: A PR firm has revealed that it is behind two blogs that previously appeared to be created by independent supporters of Wal-Mart. The blogs Working Families for Wal-mart and subsidiary site Paid Critics are written by 3 employees of PR firm Edelman http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/20/news/companies/walmart_blogs/index.htm
Vice: Your Government Wants to Militarize Social Media to Influence Your Beliefs http://motherboard.vice.com/read/your-government-wants-to-militarize-social-media-to-influence-your-beliefs
BBC News: China's Internet spin doctors http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7783640.stm
BBC News: US plans to 'fight the net' revealed http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm
Wall Street Journal: Turkey's Government Forms 6 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323527004579079151479634742?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424127887323527004579079151479634742.html
Fake product reviews may be pervasive http://phys.org/news/2013-07-fake-product-pervasive.html#nRlv
USA Today: The co-owner of a major Pentagon propaganda contractor publicly admitted that he was behind a series of websites used in an attempt to discredit two USA TODAY journalists who had reported on the contractor. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-05-24/Leonie-usa-today-propaganda-pentagon/55190450/1
ADWEEK: Marketing on Reddit Is Scary http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/marketing-reddit-scary-these-success-stories-show-big-potential-168278
BBC- How online chatbots are already tricking you- Intelligent machines that can pass for humans have long been dreamed of http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140609-how-online-bots-are-tricking-you
BBC news: Amazon targets 1 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34565631
BBC: More than four times as many tweets were made by automated accounts in favour of Donald Trump around the first US presidential debate as by those backing Hillary Clinton http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37684418
Fake five-star reviews being bought and sold online - Fake online reviews are being openly traded on the internet
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43907695
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982985
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20982985
Bloomberg: How to Hack an Election [and influence voters with fake social media accounts] http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-to-hack-an-election/
"Internet Reputation Management http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-04-30/do-reputation-management-services-work-businessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
Buzzfeed: Documents Show How Russia’s Troll Army Hit America http://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/documents-show-how-russias-troll-army-hit-america#.ki8Mz97ly
The Rise of Social Bots http://www.cacm.acm.org/magazines/2016/7/204021-the-rise-of-social-bots/fulltext
CBC News- Canadian government monitors online forums http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bureaucrats-monitor-online-forums-1.906351
Chicago Tribune: Nutrition for sale: How Kellogg worked with 'independent experts' to tout cereal http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-kellogg-independent-experts-cereal-20161121-story.html
DailyKos: HBGary: Automated social media management http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/16/945768/-UPDATED-The-HB-Gary-Email-That-Should-Concern-Us-All
Meme Warfare Center http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tfulltext/u2/a507172.pdf
Shilling on Reddit is openly admitted to in this Forbes article http://www.forbes.com/sites/julesschroede2016/03/10/the-magic-formula-behind-going-viral-on-reddit/#1d2485b05271
Forbes: From Tinder Bots To 'Cuban Twitter' http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/04/17/from-tinder-bots-to-covert-social-networks-welcome-to-cognitive-hacking/#4b78e2d92a7d
Hivemind http://www.hivemind.cc/rank/shills
Huffington Post- Exposing Cyber Shills and Social Media's Underworld http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-fiorella/cyber-shills_b_2803801.html
The Independent: Massive British PR firm caught on video: "We've got all sorts of dark arts...The ambition is to drown that negative content and make sure that you have positive content online." They discuss techniques for managing reputations online and creating/maintaining 3rd-party blogs that seem independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/caught-on-camera-top-lobbyists-boasting-how-they-influence-the-pm-6272760.html
New York Times: Lifestyle Lift http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/technology/internet/15lift.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
New York Times: Give Yourself 5 Stars? Online http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/technology/give-yourself-4-stars-online-it-might-cost-you.html?src=me&ref=general
NY Times- From a nondescript office building in St. Petersburg http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/magazine/the-agency.html?_r=1
NY Times: Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Retaliation http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/world/europe/russia-finland-nato-trolls.html?_r=1
PBS Frontline Documentary - Generation Like http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/generation-like/
Gamers promote gaming-gambling site on youtube by pretending to hit jackpot without disclosing that they own the site. They tried to retroactively write a disclosure covering their tracks http://www.pcgamer.com/csgo-lotto-investigation-uncovers-colossal-conflict-of-interest/
Raw Story: CENTCOM engages bloggers http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Raw_obtains_CENTCOM_email_to_bloggers_1016.html
Raw Story: Air Force ordered software to manage army of fake virtual people http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/18/revealed-air-force-ordered-software-to-manage-army-of-fake-virtual-people/
Redective http://www.redective.com/?r=e&a=search&s=subreddit&t=redective&q=shills
Salon: Why Reddit moderators are censoring Glenn Greenwald’s latest news story on shills http://www.salon.com/2014/02/28/why_reddit_moderators_are_censoring_glenn_greenwalds_latest_bombshell_partne
The Atlantic: Kim Kardashian was paid to post a selfie on Instagram and Twitter advertising a pharmaceutical product. Sent to 42 million followers on Instagram and 32 million on Twitter http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/09/fda-drug-promotion-social-media/404563/
WAR.COM: THE INTERNET AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS http://www.theblackvault.com/documents/ADA389269.pdf
The Guardian: Internet Astroturfing http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/dec/13/astroturf-libertarians-internet-democracy
The Guardian: Israel ups the stakes in the propaganda war http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/nov/20/mondaymediasection.israel
Operation Earnest Voice http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/ma17/us-spy-operation-social-networks
The Guardian: British army creates team of Facebook warriors http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/31/british-army-facebook-warriors-77th-brigade
The Guardian: US military studied how to influence Twitter [and Reddit] users in Darpa-funded research [2014] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/08/darpa-social-networks-research-twitter-influence-studies
The Guardian: Chinese officials flood the Chinese internet with positive social media posts to distract their population http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/20/chinese-officials-create-488m-social-media-posts-a-year-study-finds
Times of Israel: Israeli government paying bilingual students to spread propaganda online primarily to international communities without having to identify themselves as working for the government. "The [student] union will operate computer rooms for the project...it was decided to establish a permanent structure of activity on the Internet through the students at academic institutions in the country." http://www.timesofisrael.com/pmo-stealthily-recruiting-students-for-online-advocacy/
USA Today: Lord & Taylor settles FTC charges over paid Instagram posts http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/03/15/lord--taylor-settles-ftc-charges-over-paid-instagram-posts/81801972/
Researcher's algorithm weeds out people using multiple online accounts to spread propaganda - Based on word choice http://www.utsa.edu/today/2016/10/astroturfing.html
http://www.webinknow.com/2008/12/the-us-air-force-armed-with-social-media.html
Wired: Powered by rapid advances in artificial intelligence http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2015/06/wired-world-2015/robot-propaganda
Wired: Clinton Staff and Volunteers Busted for Astroturfing [in 2007] http://www.wired.com/2007/12/clinton-staff-a/
Wired: Pro-Government Twitter Bots Try to Hush Mexican Activists http://www.wired.com/2015/08/pro-government-twitter-bots-try-hush-mexican-activists/
Wired: Microsoft http://www.wired.com/2015/09/ftc-machinima-microsoft-youtube/
Wired: Military Report: Secretly ‘Recruit or Hire Bloggers’ http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/03/report-recruit/
Wired: Air Force Releases ‘Counter-Blog’ Marching Orders http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/01/usaf-blog-respo/
Reddit Secrets https://archive.fo/NAwBx
Reddit Secrets https://archive.fo/SCWN7
Boostupvotes.com https://archive.fo/WdbYQ
"Once we isolate key people https://archive.is/PoUMo
GCHQ has their own internet shilling program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Threat_Research_Intelligence_Group
Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-sponsored_Internet_sockpuppetry
US also operates in conjunction with the UK to collect and share intelligence data https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement
Glenn Greenwald: How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/02/24/jtrig-manipulation/
Glenn Greenwald: Hacking Online Polls and Other Ways British Spies Seek to Control the Internet https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/07/14/manipulating-online-polls-ways-british-spies-seek-control-internet/
Here is a direct link to your image for the benefit of mobile users https://imgur.com/OpSos4u.jpg
Reddit for iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reddit-the-official-app/id1064216828?mt=8
Why Satoshi Nakamoto Has Gone https://medium.com/@ducktatosatoshi-nakamoto-has-gone-4cef923d7acd
What I learned selling my Reddit accounts https://medium.com/@Rob79/what-i-learned-selling-my-reddit-accounts-c5e9f6348005#.u5zt0mti3
Artificial intelligence chatbots will overwhelm human speech online; the rise of MADCOMs https://medium.com/artificial-intelligence-policy-laws-and-ethics/artificial-intelligence-chatbots-will-overwhelm-human-speech-online-the-rise-of-madcoms-e007818f31a1
How Reddit Got Huge: Tons of Fake Accounts - According to Reddit cofounder Steve Huffman https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/how-reddit-got-huge-tons-of-fake-accounts--2
Whistleblower and subsequent investigation: Paid trolls on /Bitcoin https://np.reddit.com/Bitcoin/comments/34m7yn/professional_bitcoin_trolls_exist/cqwjdlw
Confession of Hillary Shill from /SandersForPresident https://np.reddit.com/conspiracy/comments/3rncq9/confession_of_hillary_shill_from/
Why do I exist? https://np.reddit.com/DirectImageLinkerBot/wiki/index
Already a direct link? https://np.reddit.com/DirectImageLinkerBot/wiki/res_links
Here's the thread. https://np.reddit.com/HailCorporate/comments/3gl8zi/that_potato_mailing_company_is_at_it_again/
/netsec talks about gaming reddit via sockpuppets and how online discourse is (easily) manipulated. https://np.reddit.com/netsec/comments/38wl43/we_used_sock_puppets_in_rnetsec_last_year_and_are
Redditor comes clean about being paid to chat on Reddit. They work to promote a politician https://np.reddit.com/offmychest/comments/3gk56y/i_get_paid_to_chat_on_reddit/
Shill whistleblower https://np.reddit.com/politics/comments/rtr6b/a_very_interesting_insight_into_how_certain/
Russian bots were active on Reddit last year https://np.reddit.com/RussiaLago/comments/76cq4d/exclusive_we_can_now_definitively_state_that/?st=j8s7535j&sh=36805d5d
The Bush and Gore campaigns of 2000 used methods similar to the Chinese government for conducting “guided discussions” in chatrooms designed to influence citizens https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/3xhoq8/til_the_advent_of_social_media_offers_new_routes/?st=j0o5xr9c&sh=3662f0dc
source paper. https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/4d3l3s/government_agents_and_their_allies_might_ente
or Click Here. https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/4kdq7n/astroturfing_information_megathread_revision_8/?st=iwlbcoon&sh=9e44591e Alleged paid shill leaks details of organization and actions.
https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/4wl19alleged_paid_shill_leaks_details_of_organization/?st=irktcssh&sh=8713f4be
Shill Confessions and Additional Information https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/5pzcnx/shill_confessions_and_additional_information/?st=izz0ga8r&sh=43621acd
Corporate and governmental manipulation of Wikipedia articles https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/5sb7pi/new_york_times_corporate_editing_of_wikipedia/?st=iyteny9b&sh=b488263f
Ex -MMA fighter and ex-police officer exposes corrupt police practices https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/6jn27s/ex_mma_fighter_and_expolice_officer_exposes/
User pushes InfoWars links on Reddit https://np.reddit.com/shills/comments/6uau99/chemicals_in_reddit_are_turning_memes_gay_take/?st=j6r0g2om&sh=96f3dbf4
Some websites use shill accounts to spam their competitor's articles https://np.reddit.com/TheoryOfReddit/comments/1ja4nf/lets_talk_about_those_playing_reddit_with/?st=iunay35w&sh=d841095d
User posts video using GoPro https://np.reddit.com/videos/comments/2ejpbb/yes_it_is_true_i_boiled_my_gopro_to_get_you_this/ck0btnb/?context=3&st=j0qt0xnf&sh=ef13ba81
Fracking shill whistleblower spills the beans on Fracking Internet PR https://np.reddit.com/worldnews/comments/31wo57/the_chevron_tapes_video_shows_oil_giant_allegedly/cq5uhse?context=3
https://i.imgur.com/Q3gjFg9.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/q2uFIV0.jpg
TOP SECRET SPECIAL HANDLING NOFORN
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Operations
October 16, 1964
MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR OF THE CIA
Subject: After action report of
Operation CUCKOO (TS)
INTRODUCTION
​
1) Operation CUCKOO was part of the overall operation CLEANSWEEP, aimed at eliminating domestic opposition to activities undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency's special activities division, in main regard to operation GUILLOTINE.
​
2) Operation CUCKOO was approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense and the office of The President of the United States as a covert domestic action to be under taken within the limits of Washington D.C as outlined by Secret Executive Order 37.
​
3) Following the publishing of the Warren Commission, former special agent Mary Pinchot Meyer (Operation MOCKINGBIRD, Operation SIREN) also was married to Cord Meyer (Operation MOCKINGBIRD, Operation GUILLOTINE) threatened to disclose the details of several Special Activities Divisions' operations, including but not limited to, Operation SIREN and GUILLOTENE.
​1
TOP SECRET SPECIAL HANDLING NOFORN
4) It was deemed necessary by senior Directorate of Operations members to initiate Operation CUCKOO as an extension of Operation CLEANSWEEP on November 30th. After Mary Pinchot Meyer threatened to report her knowledge of Operation GUILLOTENE and the details of her work in Operation SIREN from her affair with the former President.
​
5) Special Activities Division was given the green light after briefing president Johnson on the situation. The situation report was forwarded to the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of staff, who both approved of the parameters of the operation, as outlined under article C of secret executive order 37 (see attached copy of article).
​PLANNING STAGES
6) 8 members of the special activities division handpicked by operation lead William King Harvey began planning for the operation on October 3rd, with planned execution before October 16th.
​
7) The (?) of the operation was set as the neighborhood of Georgetown along the Potomac river, where the operators would observe, take note on routines, and eventually carry the operation.
​
8) After nothing Meyer's routines, Edward "Eddy" Reid was picked as the operation point man who would intersect Meyer on her walk on October 12th, with lead William King Harvey providing long range support if necessary from across the Chesapeake and Ohio canal (see illustration A for detailed map).
​
9) Edward Reid was planned to be dressed in the manner of a homeless black man, due to his resemblances to local trash collector (later found out to be Raymond Crump) who inhabits the AO and the path that Reid was planned to intersect Meyer.
2
TOP SECRET SPECIAL HANDLING NOFORN

The Bidens make money by promising that “the family [can] provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels”.

Joe Biden is and always has been corrupt.
https://i.redd.it/7uae1ynv5fc91.png
Soros, "We have a Foundation in Ukraine and it happens to be one of our best foundations. I also want to mention that there is one person who was very deeply involved in Ukraine and that's Biden..."
https://twitter.com/Jillian22Betsy/status/1547773396267675654
Nevermind that he stole the primaries from Bernie Sanders a second time.
https://youtu.be/tdnxeijbffA?t=162
Even the Guardian concedes the point.

There are three clear examples.
First, Biden’s support for finance over working-class Americans. His career was bankrolled by the credit card industry. He delivered for it by spearheading a bankruptcy bill that made it harder for Americans to reduce their debts and helped cause the financial crisis. He not only authored and voted for that bill, he split with Barack Obama and led the battle to vote down Democratic amendments.
Second, healthcare. On 25 April, the day he announced his campaign, Biden went straight to a fundraiser co-hosted by the chief executive of a major health insurance corporation. He refuses to sign a pledge to reject money from insurance and pharma execs and continues to raise money from healthcare industry donors. His campaign is being bankrolled by a super Pac run by healthcare lobbyists. What did all these donors get? A healthcare proposal that preserves the power of the insurance industry and leaves 10 million Americans uninsured.
Third, climate change. Biden signed a pledge not to take money from the fossil fuel industry, then broke his promise. Right after a CNN town hall on climate change, he held a fundraiser hosted by the founder of a fossil fuel conglomerate. He is pushing climate policy that has gotten dismal reviews from several leading environmental groups.

https://archive.ph/m3eDy
Let's not forget that Biden insider-turned-whistleblower, Tony Bobulinski, submitted thousands of pages into evidence that included direct testimony, financial records, text messages, emails, documents and audio recordings. The Senate has confirmed Bobulinski’s evidence as genuine.
Politico admits it, as well.

"at least some of the alleged laptop material is genuine — as well as other emerging evidence about the deals family members have sought or received from people with an interest in influencing Biden."

https://archive.ph/xSA6z
According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the Vice President's office and State Department officials were aware but ignored concerns relating to Hunter Biden's role on the board of a Ukrainian Burisma.
https://i.redd.it/e0dsor2soxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/v7otkzeqbec91.png
https://i.redd.it/i8me6gwdhrb91.jpg
In 2016, Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, had an active and ongoing investigation into Burisma and its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. At the time, Hunter Biden continued to serve on Burisma's board of directors. According to news reports, then Vice-President Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States loan guarantees if Ukraine's leaders did not dismiss [Shokin]''. After that, Ukraine's Parliament fired Shokin.
https://youtu.be/azLKK0xTOFI?t=14
Secretary of State, John Kerry falsely claimed he had no knowledge about Hunter Biden’s role with Burisma.
Joe Biden’s compromising partnership with the Communist Party of China runs via Yang Jiechi (CPC’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission). YANG met frequently with BIDEN during his tenure at the Chinese embassy in Washington. Biden’s foreign policy stance towards China (formerly hawkish), has since turned positive. Ukraine has received billions, where oligarchs have been caught with massive amounts of cash, far in excess of what the US spends on its own citizens.
https://i.redd.it/wsa1y1t9zec91.png
https://i.redd.it/kkqtau7vzec91.png
https://i.redd.it/ogqnirt4dcb91.png
Joe Biden gravely endangered and harmed the security of the United States and its institutions of government. Through blatant nepotism, he enabled his son to influence foreign policy and financially benefit as a result of his role as Vice President. He supported his son engaging in collusion with Chinese Communist Party-linked officials.
https://i.redd.it/wk4oqugr5cb91.png
https://i.redd.it/2u00o48mjxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/tsu5kl1h3cb91.png
Bohai Capital’s top shareholders are the following major China state-owned financial institutions:
• BOCI (48%),
• TEDA Investment Holding Co Ltd (22%),
• Bank of China Group Investment Limited (5%),
• SSF (5%), PSBC (5%),
• China Development Bank Capital Corporation Ltd (5%)
• China Life (5%), etc.
https://i.redd.it/frre3p1kkxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/doxt15ibkxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/7wpros2h5cb91.png
Joe Biden allowed his son to trade appointments with his father and other high-ranking administration officials in exchange for financial compensation. He permitted his son to take money from Russian oligarchs, including Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow.

government officials flagged concerns about potential conflicts of interest and that the former vice president's son's financial interests with foreign governments "accelerated" during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

https://archive.ph/eyhNz
How did Robert Mueller conduct a 2 year investigation on Russia and miss a $3.5 million payment to the Biden family?

The Biden Family's financial transactions with Ukrainian, Russian, Kazakh, and Chinese nationals raise criminal and national security concerns.

Jim Biden has directly participated in this corruption, even meeting with "The O", himself.
https://i.redd.it/wna38dwq9mb91.jpg
Hunter Biden has also participated in this corruption and, even now, the 2021 annual report shows Skaneateles is still listed as a “shareholder” with a 10% stake in the Chinese Firm benefiting from strategic oil reserves in the US.
Frank Biden, another very troubled individual, is also in on the scam, involving himself in corruption and US policy as is financially convenient.
Alana Biden runs cover as producer at NBC News and has dabbled in a little lite voter fraud.

Let's Be Frank

• Frank Biden is linked to a little known consulting firm that was involved with lobbying both the Obama admin (DoD) & Congress in 2016. The LLC was titled the Delmarva Group, a consulting firm that was involved with federal lobbying on behalf of an oil distribution company during the last year of the Obama administration.

https://i.redd.it/ow37q5c51ec91.png
^{Does that say State and Federal Legislative Advocacy?}
https://i.redd.it/03yidcmb0ec91.png
^{Does that say AstraZeneca?}

Jim Biden

https://i.redd.it/qjyxl3zykxb91.png

• Jim Biden laundered $5m in funds from Chinese military front CEFC while Sara Biden, a lawyer-consultant who refused to provide their bank the docs explaining irregular transfers flagged by Treasury.

https://i.redd.it/aisli9kexdc91.png

• Jim Biden needed help for Pemex, pipeline refinery deal (Carlos Slim) through Hunter Biden.

https://i.redd.it/tpup5g74tya91.png

• A firm employing Jim Biden received more than $1.5 billion in government-backed contracts during the Obama administration. HillStone International's president was Kevin Justice, who grew up in Delaware and was a longtime Biden family friend. HillStone was eventually forced to back out of the deal after its inexperience with such a large-scale construction project became evident.

https://i.redd.it/0f5zgcoo2fc91.png

Hunter Biden

https://i.redd.it/8y3sgx74f5b91.png
https://i.redd.it/wi20bphfkxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/obwr7z28oxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/thuei5e8mxb91.png

• Hunter and Jim Biden rank at the top of Suspicious Activity Reports in the US. The release of 150 suspicious activity reports on Hunter and Jim Biden’s business dealings have been blocked by the Biden Treasury Department

https://i.redd.it/cik0p525pza91.png

• Hunter opened a bank account with Gongwen Dong to “fund a $100,000 spending spree” with his uncle and aunt, James and Sara Biden, who also received $1.4 million from Hunter’s firm
  
• In addition to over $4 million from Burisma, Hunter Biden and his family received millions of dollars from foreign nationals with questionable backgrounds. There is ongoing FBI investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop revealed that Hunter received a 2.8 carat diamond gift from a high-ranking Chinese official in 2017.
  

https://i.redd.it/gsa9cxqwfgc91.png

• Hunter Biden had business associations with Ye Jianming, founder of the CEFC China Energy Company, Ltd., Gongwen Dong, and other Chinese nationals linked to the Communist government and the People's Liberation Army. Those associations resulted in millions of dollars in cash flow.
  
• Hunter Biden paid nonresident women who were nationals of Russia or other Eastern European countries and who appear to be linked to an "Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring''.
  
• On June 23, 2011, Sean Conlon, a business associate of Hunter Biden, suggested that a $10 billion deal could be struck in exchange for certain persons meeting Vice President Biden, showing deliberate 'pay-for-play' and 'quid-pro-quo''.
  

So we have engagement letter if they get other 10 bonds they have a face value of 10b. While it is far fetched Devon [Archer] said he talked to his professor and these get traded. We get 10% in fees. We need to get these guys to an event or something where they get to just formally meet your Dad. For follow on they can talk to Chief of Staff. Let me know how soon we can do that. V brief. If Nagi get that done we get more bonds to move. Regards your hard working partner in Positano! Sean''

• Emails between Hunter Biden and his cousin reveal that the President of Hunter's Chinese Communist Party-linked firm, Eric Schwerin, repeatedly asked Hunter for an appointment to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad--a position he ultimately received. The email from Hunter to his cousin, Missy, regarding the request for the appointment to the Commission is as follows:

Eric asked for one of these [an appointment] the day after the election in 2008. You know better than me what are real and interesting appointments. Let's go through the list with Steve and see what makes sense. I don't know how much 2016 and nepotism plays into it.'

Former CIA Agent John Sipher says he was proud to sway the election away from Trump with the “Hunter Biden Laptop Letter”. He is also a fellow at The Atlantic Council, of which Burisma was a 250k a year donor. You do the math.
https://i.redd.it/0slghyp92za91.png
The Spies Who Lied:
https://i.redd.it/ibsewzl9tya91.png
https://i.redd.it/9xkenb7sf5b91.png
https://i.redd.it/6ddpwkde97b91.png
https://i.redd.it/drg7ctpme2b91.png
https://i.redd.it/66q2o2axzya91.png
https://i.redd.it/gyqi99ilf0b91.png
https://i.redd.it/zsrbvlo2e2b91.png
https://i.redd.it/xqkfvxnqnxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/0pwf7fa9pxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/w0ayxq69nxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/a8z0sfpmzfb91.png
https://i.redd.it/lzj72fcezfb91.png
https://i.redd.it/pqopux71zfb91.png
https://i.redd.it/xlapvmorqdb91.png
https://i.redd.it/nkq143miqdb91.png
https://i.redd.it/c5j9o231n7b91.png
https://i.redd.it/evrwuik1e5b91.png
*There is no reason for the "other Bidens" to be involved with policy and foreign dealings other than to peddle influence and access. They do not possess any special experience or expertise. *

There is Massive Electoral Fraud Occurring

In order to stay in power, the Biden regime is simply stealing elections, including the primaries.
It starts at the fundraising level, where bad actors manipulate the financial side of things.
Does anyone remember when the NXIVM sex cult was bundling for Hillary Clinton?
https://www.opensecrets.org/search?order=desc&q=clare+bronfman&sort=D&type=donors
Witness testimony, corroborated by documentary evidence, demonstrated that at least 14 members of the Nxivm community, including at least five defendants and co-conspirators, made the maximum campaign donation to a primary campaign with the understanding that they would be reimbursed by Bronfman or Nancy Salzman.
https://archive.ph/DV7t7
https://i.redd.it/los9wm7adfc91.png
We have another Democrat guilty of ballot stuffing.
Former U.S. Congressman and Philadelphia Political Operative Pleads Guilty to Election Fraud Charges

Myers admitted in court to bribing the Judge of Elections for the 39th Ward, 36th Division in South Philadelphia, Domenick J. Demuro, in a fraudulent scheme over several years. Demuro, who was charged separately and pleaded guilty in May 2020, was responsible for overseeing the entire election process and all voter activities of his Division in accord with federal and state election laws.

https://archive.ph/A7raj
But it gets much worse, from there. Even Democrat politicians know about the "shortcomings of election technology".
Warren, Klobuchar, Wyden, and Pocan Investigate Vulnerabilities and Shortcomings of Election Technology Industry with Ties to Private Equity
https://archive.ph/wW1Ga
The Dominion Voting Systems are compromised per government assessments.
https://archive.ph/g1z9Z
To the nine vulnerabilities, DHS-CISA respectively attaches these nine warnings:

• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to install malicious code, which could also be spread to other vulnerable ImageCast X devices via removable media.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to disguise malicious applications on a device.”
• “…which could be leveraged by an attacker to gain elevated privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to spread malicious code to ImageCast X devices from the EMS.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.”
• “An attacker with physical access may use this to gain administrative privileges on a device and install malicious code or perform arbitrary administrative actions.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information and perform privileged actions, potentially affecting other election equipment.”
• “An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to print an arbitrary number of ballots without authorization.”

Not only are Dominion Voting Systems compromised, Elizabeth Warren's fear is confirmed that they are merely rotating the same employees across multiple companies, resulting in a monopoly over voting technology. Meet Cathi Smothers of Dominion Voting, Premiere Election Solutions, Accuvote and more. Let's get a journalist to ask HER what is going on.
https://i.redd.it/q0c3tm1jufc91.png
Some of you may remember Stacey Abrams was promised Vice President
https://i.redd.it/12enjk462gc91.png

Evidence presented at this morning’s public meeting of the Fulton County Commission shows former Democrat gubernatorial candidate and State Rep Stacey Abrams controlled and financed the main contractor used in Fulton County elections during the Nov 3rd poll and the Jan 5th U.S. Senate runoff.

https://archive.ph/PZm6j
Joe Biden spells it out.

“Secondly, we’re in a situation where we have put together—and you guys did it for President Obama’s administration before this—we have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.”

https://twitter.com/kayleighmcenany/status/1320117044612943872
https://i.redd.it/rbseja8owfc91.png

The Venezuelan-owned Smartmatic Corporation is a riddle both in ownership and operation, complicated by the fact that its machines have overseen several landslide (and contested) victories by President Hugo Chavez and is supporters. The electronic voting company went from a small technology startup to a market player in just a few years, catapulted by its participation in the August 2004 recall referendum. Smartmatic has claimed to be of U.S. origin, but its true owners -- probably elite Venezuelans of several political strains -- remain hidden behind a web of holding companies in the Netherlands and Barbados. The Smartmatic machines used in Venezuela are widely suspected of, though never proven conclusively to be, susceptible to fraud. The company is thought to be backing out of Venezuelan electoral events, focusing now on other parts of world, including the United States via its subsidiary, Sequoia. End Summary.

https://archive.ph/y3b2K
This forensic report comes to many of the same conclusions as above.
https://archive.ph/72NMi
https://i.redd.it/0dd5ocawyfc91.png

In some of those swing states, you had counties where vote fraud was alleged. In some of those swing states, you had counties where vote fraud wasn’t alleged. And yet you only had huge increases in turnout where vote fraud was alleged.
You’re comparing two tiny areas that are very homogenous, very similar to each other, across the street from each other, and the thing that differs from these two, for the absentee ballots, is where the ballots were counted.

https://archive.ph/sbOOZ
‘There Was in Fact Fraud That Took Place:’ FEC Chairman Trey Trainor
https://archive.ph/2gz9X

Jan 6 Was A Staged Media Narrative To Cover For The Stolen Election

Objectively comparing the Jan 6 incident with the BLM riots, and we see a clear double standard in reporting.
https://i.redd.it/7984w3os3gc91.png

1. Plainclothes militants. Militant, aggressive men in Donald Trump and MAGA gear at a front police line at the base of the temporary presidential inaugural platform;
2. Agents-provocateurs. Scattered groups of men exhorting the marchers to gather closely and tightly toward the center of the outside of the Capitol building and prevent them from leaving;
3. Fake Trump protesters. A few young men wearing Trump or MAGA hats backwards and who did not fit in with the rest of the crowd in terms of their actions and demeanor, whom I presumed to be Antifa or other leftist agitators; and Disciplined, uniformed column of attackers. A column of organized, disciplined men, wearing similar but not identical camouflage uniforms and black gear, some with helmets and GoPro cameras or wearing subdued Punisher skull patches.

https://archive.ph/UX797

Internal email reveals day before Jan 6 riot, US Capitol Police intel unit warned "BLM from Baltimore" was bussing in rioters: "BLM/Antif will wear MAGA hats, wear camo,and attempt to blend in with MAGA crowd" so violence blamed on Trump supporters attending Trump rally.

https://twitter.com/PaulSperry30/status/1542961119932866566
https://i.redd.it/iofevrw96gc91.png
Fake MAGA protesters had inside help to open the security doors to the public.
https://twitter.com/hawkmo99/status/1547864736900870145
Ray Epps giving instructions to a known ANTIFA MEMBER dressed up as a MAGA/Trump Supporter...more videos show Ray Epps & the "RED HAT IMPOSTER" taking down barricades by the Capitol Building
https://twitter.com/Catheri17371327/status/1548737975399329792
Well known Antifa leader, John Sullivan, puts on Trump hat for Jan 6.
https://i.redd.it/dbdwsmzj7gc91.png
https://i.redd.it/ipu37a167gc91.png
Receipts have now come out showing John Sullivan was paid by CNN and NBC. What’s the punishment for funding insurrectionists?
https://i.redd.it/wmovyh878gc91.png
Defense attorneys seek to identify and investigate 80 suspicious actors and material witnesses, some of whom allegedly ran an entrapment operation against the Oath Keepers on January 6, 2021, and committed crimes including the removal of security fencing, breaching police lines, attacking officers, and inciting crowds to storm into the Capitol.
https://i.redd.it/33fqyijr8gc91.png
Both DC Mayor Bowser and Nancy Pelosi Turned Down National Guard on Jan. 6
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1413453896605868036
Documents from FBI Informant Re: Jan 6
https://archive.ph/scOeb

The Shill/Astroturfing Response

The standard response of shills have been:
I. Crying about Trump. The crybabies dishonestly attempt to insert "false equivalency" and "slide" arguments regarding Trump or Trump Jr. or Jared Kushner. They are off topic responses designed to limit discussion on Biden corruption.
II. Crying that Hunter Biden did not hold office. Voicemails, email, business transactions, wiring transfer orders, text messages and news reporting all confirm that Hunter Biden is involved in policy, domestic and abroad, bribery, domestic and abroad, and is involved with US defense contractors and works under Bohai Harvest specifically for the interest of China's state owned interests, where the interest is specifically stated (with pictures) that China wants American resources. Hunter Biden is a traitor. Hunter Biden sees no problem selling out a billion in US tax payer dollars for a few night with crack and hookers. Hunter Biden sees no problem selling out American resources to China for a few nights with crack and hookers.
III. Focusing on Hunter Biden's genitals. We understand that the unemployed moderators and jannies across the Internet are gay. They are obsessed with Hunter Biden's private parts. They use this to distract from the corruption, because they are desperate to defend a drug addled pedo because they religiously serve a political agenda that seeks to enslave the world with authoritarianism. Because these mods and jannies have no leg to stand to defend this, they project and accuse fervent researchers of wanting to look at Hunter Biden dick pics.
IV. State actors are pushing disinformation and misinformation. There are 3 pictures that have been making the rounds that are intentional disinformation:
1) Natalie Biden with cocaine on her nose. It's not Natalie. Sure, it's a striking resemblance, but it's verified as being a cam girl. The shills use this to say "the data is fake" but, really, their argument is what's fake. Anyone with the data knows this picture isn't real.
2) Joe Biden with asian girl. This is actually a BDSM video from xvideos that has been around for years. The face of the old man is clearly visible in portions of the video and is, in fact, not Joe Biden. Shills love to use this type of disinfo to muddy the waters.
3) Hunter Biden with five young girls. This is not Hunter Biden, as Hunter Biden has never sported a black soul patch. Shills are using this to poison the well and distract from the corruption.
Other tactics, in this realm, include misnaming Natalie as Hallie, misnaming Zoe as Natalie and intentionally getting facts wrong to confuse everyone so that they can them claim falsehoods are being spread around as an excuse to censor information.
V. Blatant Censorship. Suppression is occurring where the news is ignoring the data. The news is in on it, showing that they can't be trusted and serve the liberal agenda. Big Tech is also in on it. But outright bans, deletions, harassment and death threats are happening to people who share the most damning stuff. This is why it is important to saturate the Internet with proof.

Shill Groups

1) Paid actors: One group is upvotes.club. They aren't politically aligned, they merely get paid. Reddit accounts are bought and sold, upvotes and downvotes are bought and sold. Posts and comments are bought and sold. This group operates on many platforms.
https://i.imgur.com/baKIfZG.png

• Artificial intelligence chatbots will overwhelm human speech online; the rise of MADCOMs
  
• NPR: Some Amazon Reviews Are Too Good To Be Believed. They're Paid For. "Much like Amazon itself is a marketplace for goods, a world of separate, shadow marketplaces exists where reviews for Amazon products are bought and paid for — private Facebook groups, Slack channels, subreddits and more."
  
• Fake five-star reviews being bought and sold online - Fake online reviews are being openly traded on the internet, a BBC investigation has found.
  
• Yahoo News: Last month the FTC issued warnings to celebrities who plugged products on their Instagram accounts without clearly identifying their relationships with brands. The letters were meant to educate the celebrities on posting without violating the organization’s disclosure guidelines.
  
• New York Times: Tobacco corporations are targeting young American consumers with deceptive social media marketing in violation of federal law. 123 hashtags associated with these companies’ tobacco products have been viewed 8.8 billion times in the United States alone and 25 billion times around the world.
  
• PBS Frontline Documentary - Generation Like
  
• USA Today: Lord & Taylor settles FTC charges over paid Instagram posts
  

2) Political Actors: "Correct the Record" was doxxed in John Podesta's emails and Shareblue was the bigger, badder replacement. American Independent, PACRONYM and other shill groups exist that engage in these behaviors, participating in, what amounts to, a giant RICO scheme.
Political Operatives in News Networks: https://i.imgur.com/KJJw2e3.png
Shareblue: https://i.imgur.com/qXH0vYu.png
Shareblue Astroturf Analysis: https://archive.ph/ayq0n
Correct the Record: https://i.imgur.com/wwULd7Q.png
3) State Actors and their contractors. Mossad has been heavily involved in suppressing Hunter Biden data, as well as the Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein issues. They even create cut outs that work for US Intelligence and make fake threat reports to villainize people who want to share information about political corruption in the US. SITE Intelligence Group, for example, pretends to be "online extremists" to justify censorship and submit threat reports on their own astroturfing to the US Government painting certain groups as "domestic terrorists". In fact, SITE Intelligence Group are foreign terrorists who have weaponized the Internet against Americans.

• JIDF Astroturfing Pay Rates:
  
• Operation Earnest Voice:
  
• The Guardian: British army creates team of Facebook warriors
  
• The Guardian: US military studied how to influence Twitter [and Reddit] users in Darpa-funded research [2014]
  
• The Guardian: The Ministry of Defence is developing a secret, multimillion-pound research programme into the future of cyberwarfare, including how emerging technologies such as social media and psychological techniques can be harnessed by the military to influence people's beliefs. [2014]
  
• Vice: Your Government Wants to Militarize Social Media to Influence Your Beliefs
  
• NY Times: The Environmental Protection Agency engaged in “covert propaganda” and violated federal law when it blitzed social media to urge the public to back an Obama administration rule intended to better protect the nation’s streams and surface waters, congressional auditors have concluded.
  

It is important to understand shill tactics, so you can point them out, in plain language, to shut them down.
The Gentleperson's Guide to Forum Spies

What About Jared Kushner?

Shills love "Whataboutisms", invoking off topic, old news as a form of strawman argument that has zero relevance to the topic they are attacking.
Either way, I think you will find most Trump voters are not a fan of Jared Kushner.
The "Alt-Right" consider Kushner an Israeli spy.

Donald Trump’s Jewish son-in-law and Israeli spy Jared Kushner is reportedly involved in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus situation. That’s at least according to the Jewish media, which is detailing how the Jew Kushner was soliciting suggestions on how to handle the crisis.

https://archive.ph/rmCak
The conspiracy community labeled him a secret society weirdo long before he married Ivanka. This nuked thread explains that he is the head of the Illuminati. https://archive.ph/vT0FQ
So... what about Kushner? Nobody likes him and nobody would cry if he was locked up; probably not even Trump, himself.
In fact, Jared Kushner and Hunter Biden are perfectly aligned in their interest in virus intelligence via Metabiota, EcoHealth Alliance and the PREDICT Program that started it all.

With this in mind, the PREDICT team has leveraged the veterinary resources at the Smithsonian to unveil potentially devastating diseases that have not yet entered the human population. Their efforts, which span the fields of wildlife conservation and global public health, bolster the world’s growing arsenal against infectious disease. PREDICT is funded by USAID, and brings together a bevy of global health-minded organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, the One Health Institute at the University of California at Davis, EcoHealth Alliance, Metabiota and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

https://archive.ph/Liy3V
https://i.redd.it/pddp8rwemxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/6n3j76l2pxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/0chd0jpxmxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/ue9a46hsmxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/ncg0jmhimxb91.png
https://i.redd.it/lii18xy9pdb91.png
You can hate Jared and Hunter equally, because they seem perfectly aligned in their missions.

Further Reading

Hunter Biden Data Leak Summary
Hunter Biden Data: 100% Proof of Widespread Corruption and Criminality
The Smoking, Radioactive Gun: Uranium One
The Great Deceptions of Robert Mueller
Mockingbird X.0

Is Hunter Biden a Pedophile?

Yes

He searches for "12 years old" on porn sites.
He is obsessed with Natalie Biden and meets her in secret (uses Ashley, Naomi or Finnegan to bring her) (secret meeting in Whole Foods bathroom to "fold clothes" etc.) They sleep together.
https://i.imgur.com/7fCU5aW.png
https://i.imgur.com/CofKHFb.png
Who is Hunter Biden's "child bride"?
https://i.imgur.com/Cutquu6.png
The "lolli rap" (Lolli is a term for underage girl; a play on “lolita”):
https://i.imgur.com/Bb1AgGp.png
Constant accusations from family and friends of being a child molester:
https://i.imgur.com/VBXmLYO.png
Investigation by Child Exploitation Division of DHS:
https://i.imgur.com/Ck4pLyY.png
There do appear to be nudes of Natalie in the data. The “streak” image, comes to mind. There is still some debate on the foot job video, many asserting it is Natalie, some asserting it is Claudina Buccini. The girl with the Elsa clock in her room is concerning, as well.
Skinny Dipping with underage friends at Hunter's.
https://i.imgur.com/HvCvjh2.png
Family Concerns
https://i.imgur.com/XPuBIaj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sKpRiJE.png
Cousin Lilly
https://i.imgur.com/c05wGmL.png
Hunter pays exorbitant amounts of money to Liz Secundy to keep her quiet. Liz is Hallie Biden’s older sister and a mandated reporter.
https://i.imgur.com/hAs34Nn.png
https://i.imgur.com/O0FOIRh.png

Does Hunter Biden Participate with Joe Biden in making political decisions?

Yes

Joe Biden says it, himself.
Joe Biden’s voicemail to Hunter shows he’s 'been caught in a lie’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hwu2l7ZtcM
Newly released audio suggests Joe Biden was aware of Hunter's business dealings with China.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjrxIE8x0eQ
Voicemail indicates Joe Biden knew of Hunter deals with ‘spy chief of China’
https://archive.ph/rMUH0
Hunter Biden says it, himself.
https://i.imgur.com/luvCrI2.png
Hunter Biden and Joe Biden are financially intertwined.
https://i.imgur.com/Xms7DGc.png
Ol' Joe owes Hunt.
https://i.imgur.com/VnGO68I.png
Ol' Joe helps Hunt pay for Ukrainian prostitutes.
https://i.imgur.com/VYV8zAp.png
Hunter Biden has contacts in the FBI.
https://i.imgur.com/u1JEE1r.png
Hunter Biden and Devon Archer knowingly work against American interests in favor of China. China's plans are explicitly shared with them.
It isn't just China, either. America is up for sale by Hunter Biden. Just give him crack and hookers.
Copper, cobalt and oil in Africa.
https://i.imgur.com/0ynZyVf.png
Sinohawk
https://i.imgur.com/8EPUzv8.png

We’ve sent more money to Ukraine THIS YEAR than to our own citizens over the past 2.5 years since Covid started. And I’ve got people telling me that the videos of Hunter Biden don’t mean anything… insane world we live in. These people couldn’t put a hat on their own heads

https://twitter.com/JCB2117/status/1546867413550936064
Russia, Russia, Russia:
Hunter Biden received a $3.5 million wire transfer from Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow”—as the rest of the world also knows, is a US Senate revelation explaining why Elena Baturina is among the 45 Russian oligarch-billionaires NOT sanctioned by the West
https://twitter.com/maxwell18191708/status/1546514069070286848
https://i.imgur.com/xWUqeZR.png
There are money laundering operations happening across the Latin world, as well, with laundering front, Ocho Gaming, which is tied to online casino (now defunct) and ePlata.
https://i.imgur.com/2wFNGQ1.png
ADIA. Crown Prince. Glover Park Group.
https://i.imgur.com/Ga9Jad4.png
Hunter Biden cohorts defrauding Native American Tribe.
https://i.imgur.com/sHhnZcw.png
Hunter Biden business partner on death row in China.
https://i.imgur.com/kV7rkSZ.png
There are plenty of news stories about influence peddling that Democrats deny, but are proven true ten times over.
If Trump or his son had done any of this, Trump would have been successfully removed.
https://i.imgur.com/3C5PZ9R.png
A FOIA request proves the allegations in the aforementioned news articles were all true: Rosemont Seneca Bohai Bank Records Listing
https://www.scribd.com/document/568671406/Rosemont-Seneca-Bohai-Bank-Records-Listing

Hunter Biden Participates in Human Trafficking

Constantly.
Ukrainian Escort Service used by Hunter Biden: ubergfe.com
https://archive.ph/a91wb
Sexxxpresurself LLC Escort Service used by Hunter Biden
https://archive.ph/k3gPc
Escort flown in from Austin, TX to Philadelphia.
https://i.imgur.com/JcGJCgv.png
"No Yellow"
https://i.imgur.com/Lm5q2cx.png
Hunter catching feelings for his prostitutes in conversation with a pimp and Viagra dealer.
https://i.imgur.com/NsFWOMj.png
Allie Kennedy
Don’t forget the suspicious Activity Report for over $200k in escort payments to Ukrainian Escort Service.

The Sun has published another video from the lost laptop Hunter Biden. In the footage, according to the publication, he smokes crack in the shower in the company of prostitutes. Behind the scenes, one of the girls says: "This is our future baby daddy."

https://twitter.com/AZmilitary1/status/1545479448123920385/video/1
https://gvid.tv/v/k9LdQr

Hunter Biden pleading with a prostitute (after he gave her $10k) about whether he mistreated her or not. She doesn't seem impressed with him at all.

https://twitter.com/DrPeoplekind/status/1546554585203953664
https://gvid.tv/v/gXGGXu
Keep these facts in mind as you watch this video of Hunter Biden accosting an escort.
https://www.tmbfiles.com/keep-these-facts-in-mind-as-you-watch-this-video-of-hunter-biden-accosting-an-es/

Hunter Biden Participates in Drug Trafficking

Leak Allegedly Shows Hunter Biden Weighing Crack
https://archive.ph/s4j1H
Ketamine Treatments
https://i.imgur.com/LxAWG1r.png
Crack rock in an Hermes box.
https://i.imgur.com/ohccBJT.png
Clonazepam
https://i.imgur.com/EVaxqBL.png
Hunter Biden Is A Stalker
He has GPS trackers planted in women's cars and spies on text messages using "Flexispy".
Purchase of Flexispy.
https://i.imgur.com/rhHcHtm.png
Flexispy sends information to Hunter's email account.
https://i.imgur.com/J8pU7Mo.png
Hunter Biden has a friend plant a GPS tracker in another woman’s car.
https://i.imgur.com/S8QxXKn.png

Hunter Biden Guns

Hunter Biden lied on this Form 4473, there’s literally video evidence that he lied on this Form 4473 and nothing has happened to him.
https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1546548987771101184
https://i.imgur.com/PJ5bcL7.png
Hunter Biden, on drugs, naked with gun.
https://twitter.com/Hypn0Asp/status/1534211435307405314
https://gvid.tv/v/s7euF5
The closer you look, the worse it gets.
Since January 2021 a former business partner of Hunter Biden’s personal attorney, Nicholas McQuaid, has been serving as #2 in the DOJ's criminal division.
https://i.imgur.com/EFNEZOp.png
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
https://i.imgur.com/HA85l2q.png

Susan Davies

The "Find, Bury, Ignore" approach towards corruption by the FBI and the DoJ is also a subject worthy of several books of its own. Susan Davies has been helming the DoJ, in a shadow governor position, and she is worth a second look.
Susan Davies is currently in power in a position that oversees virtually every case within the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, she has ties to Epstein, spook filled law firms, and Big Pharma.
Obama Counsel Robert Bauer delegated primary responsibility for overseeing judicial nominations to Susan Davies, who led the judicial nominations team.
Here they are, together, with Lisa Brown:
https://i.imgur.com/Gjn1WWx.png
https://i.imgur.com/I8bOG2E.png
https://i.imgur.com/lJJnWEb.png
https://archive.md/ru9ap
https://archive.md/EtH5X
Susan Davies is currently one of your Shadow Governors (albeit glowing in the dark) and she needs to be held to task, because she sits in a Key Power position. All of your ire, directed at her, would make a difference in your daily life. This person is worth exposing, as they are a vehicle for sinister agendas; a unifying force of multiple avenues of corruption.

Davies first worked under Garland in the Clinton administration’s Justice Department, where Garland served as a deputy assistant attorney general. Garland was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton, and Davies left for a clerkship with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, followed by a stretch at the corporate law firm Sidley Austin LLP, before returning to the Clinton-era DOJ as a top lawyer in the antitrust division.
From there, she became general counsel and chief intellectual property counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where then-Sen. Joe Biden was a former chair and remained a high-ranking figure. When the Obama administration took over, Davies was put in charge of selecting and vetting federal judicial nominees, a process that resulted in a remarkable tilt toward corporate attorneys. One study found that just 4 percent of President Barack Obama’s picks came from a public interest background. In 2011, she again left for the private sector, becoming a partner at the right-leaning firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP—at one point home to Robert Bork, a now-deceased conservative legal scholar and rejected Supreme Court nominee; Kenneth Starr, best-known for his role as independent counsel during Clinton’s impeachment and who has now joined Trump’s impeachment team; conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; John Bolton, a former national security adviser for President Donald Trump; Alex Azar, Trump’s secretary of health and human services; and Trump’s Attorney General William Barr—where she defended giant companies against antitrust enforcement, shepherding some of the largest mergers of the past decade and playing a major role in the consolidation crisis that President Biden’s antitrust division will be tasked with unwinding.

https://archive.md/dzzbj
Open Secret's "Revolving Door" report reveals some of Susan Davies' history.

Period	Employer	Title	Additional Info
2009-2011	Executive Office of the President	Deputy Counsel to the President	Agency Lobbying Profile
2001-2007	Senate Judiciary Committee	General Counsel	Cong Cmte profile
1998-2001	Dept of Justice	Senior Counsel, Antitrust Division	Agency Lobbying Profile
1995-1998	Sidley, Austin et al	Litigation Associate	Firm Lobbying Profile - Major Donor Profile
1994-1995	Supreme Court of the US	Law Clerk, Hon Anthony M Kennedy
1994-1994	Executive Office of the President	Special Counsel to the President	Agency Lobbying Profile
1992-1994	Dept of Justice	Attorney, Office of Policy Development	Agency Lobbying Profile
1991-1992	US Court of Appeals, First Circuit	Law Clerk, Hon Stephen G Breyer

But where is Susan Davies now?

The American Prospect, Garland and the White House have been obscuring the political leadership of the Office of Legal Policy (OLP), one of the most powerful offices in the executive branch.
Susan Davies, a former corporate lawyer who spent years defending Facebook from antitrust lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny, has apparently been running the OLP since September 3, and will continue to do so until a permanent replacement is confirmed by the Senate. Remarkably, it took multiple Freedom of Information Act requests and queries over a span of roughly six months for the American Prospect to shake this information loose.

https://archive.md/KLJHq
This is the person who wanted the FBI to target parents who disagreed with school board over reach across the country.

A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of a coalition of parents against Attorney General Merrick Garland, claiming that his recent memo directing the FBI to investigate and potentially prosecute “threats” leveled by parents against school board members is intended to chill speech.

https://archive.md/2mT65
Sidley Austin
If we look back to Susan Davies employment history, those of us who have been following the conspiracy community notice an all too familiar law firm; Sidley, Austin, et al.
Sidley, Austin has a close-knit relationship with Big Pharma. What a coincidence.

As mentioned in the article above, Obama appointed an attorney from his former Law Firm, Sidley Austin to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the DOJ. Thus, demonstrating the revolving door!

https://archive.md/apOF8
Some may recall that that both Barack and Michelle Obama were at Sidley Austin. It is through Susan Davies they currently pass along their rule.
Another strange tidbit is that there was a helicopter crashed into SA.
About 500 ft west of 6N5, at an altitude of 600-700 ft mean sea level (msl), the helicopter reversed course, and flew erratically over Manhattan, before impacting a roof of the 54-story building at 787 7th Avenue.
Another coincidence. A pilot happened to crash into the same building as an HRC/Obama connected firm.
NTSB Description:
The helicopter flew erratically over the East River, changed course and altitude several times before making a 270° turn, which approached 6N5 from the west.
Map: https://files.catbox.moe/uc18vj.PNG
And what is this, now?
JPMorgan and Sidley Austin Were Involved in the Mysterious $6.7 Billion Company Chaired by Jeffrey Epstein https://archive.md/E4Kz0
The Company Under Scrutiny in the Jeffrey Epstein Case Has Semi-Nude Young Females on its Board of Directors’ Page https://archive.md/EzDfR
As it turns out, Sidley Austin represents NXIVM, as well.
https://i.imgur.com/Fm9ajL9.png
Side Note on NXIVM:
NXIVM cult leader forces NXIVM members to watch snuff films and gang rape films provided by the Sinaloa Cartel in order for the members to attain the next level in the cult, DOS
https://i.imgur.com/GYv13H0.png
Multiple cartel members and Mexican officials are found to be in the NXIVM cult
https://i.imgur.com/kbHIYGl.png
Multiple Hollywood actresses were also in the NXIVM cult, including Allison Mack who was taking pornographic pictures of girls as young as 8
https://i.imgur.com/vnR6bac.png
Have you ever seen the NXIVM branding video?
https://gvid.tv/v/OpwmTy
Side Note on the Weather Underground:
Bernardine Dohrn was really the vehicle for these intelligence assets within the legal world to get into power, from the Obamas, to many players in government, in power, right now. Being tied to the Weather Underground raises some interesting questions and makes it clear the Weather Underground was an intelligence operation, all along. You should ask yourselves who you think they really work for, because they are still calling the shots.
https://i.imgur.com/t5gpZj9.png
https://i.imgur.com/KzSqEeZ.png
https://i.imgur.com/lJUiPBT.png
https://i.imgur.com/BdXEpFz.png
How did these people go from being hunted by the FBI to telling the FBI what to do? It's a question everyone should be searching for the answer to.
Kirkland & Ellis
What could Susan Davies' other law firm be connected to?

The day before Mueller's appointment, Rosenstein emailed Kirkland & Ellis Partner, Mark Filip stating, "I am with Mueller. He shares my views. Duty Calls. Sometimes the moment chooses us."

https://archive.md/VbVZ9
https://archive.md/e5g5v
Well, well, well...

Kirkland has represented many prominent and controversial clients, such as British Petroleum (in relation to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill), Jeffrey Epstein, and Bain Capital. Prominent attorneys of the firm have included numerous conservatives and Republican administration officials, including United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; former appellate court judge Robert Bork; Clinton-era Special Counsel Ken Starr; and various Trump administration officials, including former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton, former Attorney General William Barr, former Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

Another corporate spook factory.
https://i.imgur.com/BdXEpFz.png
Link to pdf within archive.
https://archive.md/eboBH
Who does Susan Davies really work for?

We found no evidence of Davies’s employment on the DOJ website and directories. In April, we sent a Freedom of Information Act request asking for rosters of every Justice Department division and office’s leadership. In the ensuing weeks and months, we received documents from many of those offices, but nothing from the OLP (or the other divisions for which the Office of Information Policy handles requests). In June and in August, we sent additional requests for any records reflecting any agreement to recuse from policy matters on which Davies is conflicted and for her personnel forms, respectively. No word came on either of those straightforward requests.

https://archive.md/Hao2A

Zero Accountability

The Accountant is worth looking into. Eric Schwerin is involved at every level.
https://i.imgur.com/iCepzGa.png
826DC Children’s Organization in DC
https://i.imgur.com/5n94VBy.png
Presidential Pizza Invite: Comet Ping Pong; Maya Harris, sister of Kamala Harris, John Podesta and James Alefantis.
https://i.imgur.com/93XoJx2.png
“Proprietaries” galore.
https://i.imgur.com/39ZfSyq.png
Keith Ablow’s communications with Hunter also make it clear that Hunter and Keith, both, are under the impression Joe Biden has dementia. Drug addiction, or not, the stalking, trafficking, obsessive relationship with his underage niece… that many suspect is his daughter… the absolute privileged, entitled approach towards treason… Hunter Biden is not a sympathetic figure. He is a degenerate of the highest order and he is has access to the White House to the extent that he can guilt trip US policy and law into action or inaction, as needed.
Hunter Biden is a national security risk and he belongs in prison. He will sell out your tax dollars and your children’s futures for hookers and crack.
https://i.imgur.com/sEzbLyy.png
Gold Mines in Zimbabwe
https://i.imgur.com/l6jA9FS.png
Here's Hunter claiming on Jan. 17, 2019, to Hallie Biden that he doesn't have a dime to his name. The next day, Joe wired Hunter $5,000 and Hunter bought a Russian escort for $9,500.
https://i.imgur.com/dtwNYiB.png
Hunter Biden is naked except for this jacket
https://i.imgur.com/VGTqX8R.png

“My pants fell off…..3 days clean.”

https://twitter.com/CensoredMJ/status/1546148397865893888
https://gvid.tv/v/gW6ktt
Remember, Hunter Biden searches for memes of himself. Consider making news ones and sharing them in order to distract him from further corruption.
https://i.imgur.com/FWUrpaK.png
The average person is not usually accepting of the idea that corruption is so widespread. Nor is the average person usually ready to believe that the protection of the corrupt is occurring at the highest levels of power and authority. Hopefully, the information I’ve presented, here, settles that in some readers’ minds.
https://i.imgur.com/MiscqXk.png
It is my hope that the foregoing is enough exposition to help the average person understand. Understanding comes a lot more easy when you have the first few pieces put together regarding how bad this problem really is; when you start to see “how the sausage is made,” so to speak.
https://i.imgur.com/zFRs8A2.png
Having this information and watching these cover ups happen in plain sight, time and time, again; a reasonable person should be ready to give pause and begin to wonder about the dark underbelly of what happens in order to control the levers of power with aims to intentionally sow disempowerment and division in every corner of the world. There is an evil behind it. Legitimate, true evil, where there are groups of people who do horrible things.
The things these groups do are so horrible that the average person does not want to believe these things are happening. I would like the opportunity to prove to you that it does, indeed, get much worse than what I’ve already shown you. But, to fully explore the depravity of some of these circles is hurtful to the soul and I will refrain from including the worst of it.
https://i.imgur.com/Glc5v4d.png
My purpose is merely to prove these cults are real and to demonstrate that they serve a purpose to the undeserving rulers of modern society. They are allowed and encouraged to exist.
In my opinion, Hunter Biden is a sideshow. He’s the dumbest of the lot and he engages in corruption thoughtlessly, as if he should be perfectly entitled to casually commit felonies and commit treason. Hunter Biden is not some evil genius. He is enabled by a corrupt system that prefers the corruption and isn’t just looking the other way, but actively enables it.
If Hunter Biden wasn’t addicted to crack and hookers; if he wasn’t completely insistent on constantly spending extravagantly; the corrupt forces of the world wouldn’t have any use for him. Hunter Biden is in a position to expose a massive amount of corruption and save the world from these psychopaths behind the scenes, but he chooses not to.
Hunter Biden is evil by anyone’s standards and incredibly harmful to the people of many countries.
But, there is a different, deeper evil that I’d like to tell people about and my experience has been that nearly everyone refuses to believe it without the context I’ve just provided.

The Multiple Personality Multi-Cult

How many infamous cults can you count, off the top of your head? Bohemian Grove? Skull and Bones? Scientology? Heaven’s Gate? Branch Davidians? The Peoples Temple? The Manson Cult? Scientology? The Sullivanians? The Children of God? The Rajneeshpuram Community? Thelema? Aum Shinrikyo? Strangites? NXIVM? SNCTM? One Taste? The Family? The Process Church of the Final Judgment?
OneTaste
https://i.imgur.com/PGF1xob.png
Cults like OneTaste and SNCTM serve as feeder cults for NXIVM, which serves as a feeder cult for DOS.
https://i.imgur.com/EYHTwFn.png
Anyone who tries to share a lot of specific information on cults will run into the same type of censorship problems that those posting about Hunter Biden have faced.
A lot of people missed the South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, being deposed for cult activity in 2016, right at the time the emails of John Podesta were exposed to the world.
Swirling Scandal Involving Shamanistic Cult Threatens S. Korean President

”It goes beyond tinkering with speeches, however. This scandal involves not only tens of millions of dollars and charges of influence-peddling, but of spiritual guides from a "Shamanistic prophet," voices from the dead and — wait for it — dressage, the competitive form of horse-dancing.”

https://archive.ph/RADWv
Eight fairies, siphoned money and a shaman fortune teller: South Korea's presidency 'on the brink of collapse'

South Korea’s president is engulfed in a political scandal with plotlines straight out of a soap opera: rumours of secret advisers, nepotism and ill-gotten gains, plus a whiff of sex. There’s even a Korean Rasputin and talk of a mysterious clique called the “eight fairies.”

https://archive.ph/O8vvZ
What you won’t see in the news about the 8 Fairy Goddesses cult is that they were also involved in a lot of corruption that was completely buried in the news. Leaders with cult ties in Central America cut deals to sell South Korea jade for pennies on the dollar. Samsung is also inextricably tied to the fairy goddess cult. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee was sentenced to five years in prison in August 2017.
Cult ties to government corruption is nothing new, but I suspect most readers do not anticipate the extent with which NXIVM was allowed to spread.
https://i.imgur.com/Mx1GZGL.png
Before people balk at the subject, I’ll remind you of a number of proven cults of great influence, as well a smaller ones. This subject has always been of great curiosity to those seeking to rule the world because no one is as loyal and obedient as a delusional cult member. Any efforts at asserting authoritarianism would naturally be inclined to exploit knowledge about how to make people fall into cult like behavior.
This global effort seeks to make cult members of everyone and traumatizing people is central to that agenda.
https://i.imgur.com/jo8tItY.png
Dr. Ewan Cameron was the president of the Canadian chapter of clandestine scientists when he began unethical experimentation on children, later called "MK Ultra." But, again, this has black magic origins. Torturing a child in a specific way shatters their mind, as a defense mechanism, and creates multiple personalities. He was working for Tavistock, in a compartmentalized manner, who was working for Bob Bannerman and Morris "Morse" Allen of the CIA. They didn't just stumble across torturing kids; they merely studied a behavior that was already being done.
https://imgur.com/wGfSk3Q.png
Some young torture victims grow up to have eidetic memories.

New research has found that college students who experienced more trauma in early life tend to display a greater ability to control their memories. The study suggests that traumatic events can eventually result in some people being better at regulating intrusive and unwanted memories.

https://archive.ph/nCPxp
In order to begin to understand the language of symbolism that cults use, it is essential to read a book from 1928. Helping the average person to understand the invisible layers of communication is beyond the scope of this piece, but you’ve seen how some of it works, by now.
The piece that jumped out at a lot of people was the FBI document regarding logos that connected to organized pedophile rings.
https://i.imgur.com/5IGTLCE.jpg
Personally, I don't think logos are enough evidence of anything, but they are definitely an ancient and common motif and it is definitely cause for pause when it comes to a lot of organizations connected to Frank Giustra, George Soros, Justin Trudeau, like the Elpida organization, "Dragon Dreamers," and many others.
glgarden
https://archive.ph/MIDWW
LifeLine
https://archive.ph/6ZBtF
Lauren's Kids
https://archive.ph/HowAV
I leave it to OSINT researchers to look into them, more. The truth is that the FBI logos are all over orphanage sites all over the world. When the document went public, a lot of people were very alarmed at how prevalent the symbols were. It would be very troubling if they were all affiliated.
The spiral is a neolithic religious symbol that is likely a representation of the universe, eternity and "the infinite." From megalithic art on Malta, to ancient tombs in Ireland, there was definitely a cult or mystical aspect to the cult symbols we still see, today.
Forget about what you believe about the world around you and consider that there are many secret groups that have beliefs very different from yours and staying secret is what enables them to wield power over you.
The CIA currently hosts a version of “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” by Manly P. Hall. My summary could not possibly do the work justice, suffice it to say that, whether or not you believe in the cosmology described, many secret groups, today, do hold these beliefs. Their a priori, wordless language of symbols constantly references and reuses expositive concepts to add depth and meaning the uninitiated and unaware might miss; a language of mimetics.
Without any understanding of totems, rituals and beliefs from the past, the average person isn’t really able to see much beyond some coincidental juxtaposition. To many cult members, a single image can contain multiple sagas and larger than life concepts. Each leaf on The Mythological Tree, for example, is a whole set of knowledge on each leaf where the organization of the branches adds additional context.
The Mythological Tree
https://i.imgur.com/QFuRR0M.jpg
Keep in mind that cultists are not idiots and their beliefs are just as nuanced and grand as everyone else’s; but the blind obedience of followers is too tempting for the ruling class not to exploit.
https://www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/E4/E4AAFF6DAF6863F459A8B4E52DFB9FF4_Manly.P.Hall_The.Secret.Teachings.of.All.Ages.pdf
A more mystical take on the shape of the atom:
https://i.imgur.com/ujProI4.jpg
A Steady-State Topologically Toroidal Universe: “A Torus”
https://i.imgur.com/f06pLRw.jpg
One might say the goal of these cults is the promise of reaching some version of perfection; godhood, in all conceivable forms, in all conceivable types of cults.
https://i.imgur.com/neucIHs.png
The edges of this type of knowledge; taking these concepts to their logical conclusions and taking these practices to modern extremes… it leads to some dark places. If you are part of a group of people hell bent on world domination and morals do not stand in your way, you might start to be able to image where the cult behaviors will be taken.

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

https://i.imgur.com/QhCTGh4.png
The Process Church of the Final Judgment was an artificial cult, raised up by Tavistock. Their purpose was to act as an elite arm of the Masons to infiltrate other cults and exfiltrate whatever rituals, beliefs and practices that Tavistock might find useful.
Upon discovering the Process infiltrating his own organization, Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard expelled as many as he could find. The Process moved to absorb the Manson cult and other small groups before disappearing to Mexico to infiltrate and study Santa Muerta cults.
https://i.imgur.com/3H1QNSc.png
L. Ron Hubbard had befriended Jack Parsons and they both dabbled in Thelema and were interested in performing their own rituals of power to test the dark knowledge they had acquired.
Jack Parsons

Following some brief involvement with Marxism in 1939, Parsons converted to Thelema, the new religious movement founded by the English occultist Aleister Crowley. Together with his first wife, Helen Northrup, Parsons joined the Agape Lodge, the Californian branch of the Thelemite Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) in 1941. At Crowley's bidding, Parsons replaced Wilfred Talbot Smith as its leader in 1942 and ran the Lodge from his mansion on Orange Grove Boulevard. Parsons was expelled from JPL and Aerojet in 1944 owing to the Lodge's infamous reputation and his hazardous workplace conduct.

https://archive.ph/S76xh
Sean Lennon, a bit of an expert on occultism (who is often happy to share fascinating, unexpected and bizarre little tidbits), wrote a song about Jack Parsons, called "Blood and Rockets and performed it with the Lennon Claypool Delirium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcOHiGonWwU
After Jack Parsons was blown up, in his garage, his wife, now considered a resurrected Ereshkigal, teamed up with L Ron Hubbard before following The Process to Mexico to start breeding "moon children".
Ereshkigal
https://i.imgur.com/QrkcChk.jpg
^{Snake at owl feet .}

In later Babylonian god lists Ereshkigal held a senior status among the underworld deities, ruling over the category of so-called "transtigridian snake gods"(such as Ninazu, Tishpak, Ishtaran and the Elamite god Inshushinak, in Mesopotamia known almost exclusively in the afterlife context)

https://archive.ph/Wh93O
Moon children are mixed race children who are supposed to be the "Space Race" to go live on the moon, and then propagate throughout the universe. Rather than possess a cultural heritage, they were to be programmed with a new religion; a meta religion, a multi religion of traumatised children who had eidetic memories with a kind of basic assumptions about themselves, compared to all other people; who they're dependent on, who they should be afraid of, who they should fight and that they should not pair with anyone, as these ideas, if guided improperly, would interfere with enslaved perfection.
Babalon Working

The Babalon Working was a series of magic ceremonies or rituals performed from January to March 1946 by author, pioneer rocket-fuel scientist and occultist Jack Parsons and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. This ritual was essentially designed to manifest an individual incarnation of the archetypal divine feminine called Babalon. The project was based on the ideas of Aleister Crowley, and his description of a similar project in his 1917 novel Moonchild.

https://archive.ph/j0K5S

NXIVM

NXIVM, I assert, is also an artificial cult. With ties to the Podesta Group, to CIA cut outs, to the cartels in Mexico, to Mexican presidents, to Roger Stone, to the FLDS, to human trafficking, imprisoning women, torture, mind control techniques, the Dalai Lama... it goes all over the place.
https://i.imgur.com/RBSIXuI.png
The reason NXIVM’s leader, Keith Rainiere, was served up to justice was because he was caught red-handed spying on Hillary Clinton and Edgar Bronfman, Sr., by installing keyloggers on Bronfman’s devices.
My opinion is that Keith Rainiere got too close a look through a window into the high cabal and paid the price. Prior to getting caught spying (which was likely his purpose, all along), Keith Rainiere was above the law.
These are the things they're willing to tell you about. The closer you look, the worse it gets. I won't bother with some of the more weird stuff, like patents on "Detecting a Luciferian".
Sex Cult Used Spyware to Monitor Bronfman
https://archive.ph/XASIi
The children of Mexican Presidents were NXIVM cult members.
https://i.imgur.com/aAfvHHL.jpg
Smallville Star, Cult Leader Allison Mack Now Accused of Molesting Girl and Recording It
https://i.imgur.com/dmdF0fL.png
Woman implicated in NXIVM sex slave case pleads guilty
https://archive.ph/Kp7A2
Seagram's heiress pleads guilty in NXIVM sex slave case
https://archive.ph/vs2gV
Doctor tied to NXIVM sex cult has medical license revoked
https://archive.ph/sJqtD
Allison Mack is in 'active plea negotiations' to avoid trial for alleged involvement in NXIVM sex cult
https://archive.ph/u9id0
Nancy Salzman would be taking a plea deal.
https://archive.ph/pvNg7
Former NXIVM 'slave,' 29, claims Smallville actress Allison Mack promised her cult leader would 'heal' her childhood molestation trauma
https://archive.ph/Jogo3
'NXIVM Is Not Dead': Neighbors Convinced 'Young Girls' Still Involved In Sex Cult
https://archive.ph/T0IMV
Clinton Arkansas Friend Richard Mays Exposed As Top NXIVM Cult Member
https://archive.ph/bOjB0
NXIVM sex cult actress Allison Mack weeps as she sings love song for ‘leader’ Keith Rainiere on his birthday in creepy video footage
https://archive.ph/GcFPs
Prosecutors Ask To Present Evidence That NXIVM Sex Cult Leaders Illegally Bundled Money For Hillary Clinton Campaign
https://archive.ph/c8tOU
Court papers show Gillibrand’s father worked for Nxivm sex cult
https://archive.ph/slMVJ
Roger Stone Helped Take Down NXIVM
https://archive.ph/FTEnR
The area in which a group of veterans claims to have found a child trafficking bunker is owned by CEMEX, a multinational building company partially owned by the firm linked to the NXIVM cult, Bronfman E.L. Rothschild L.P
https://archive.ph/R4V1h
According to Jack Posobiec:

One month ago Eric Schneiderman suspended the NY investigation of the Nxivm sex cult
After Schneiderman suspended the investigation, it was found Nxivm was conducting illegal human experiments in NY

https://archive.ph/UKE65
According to Infowars:

Branson endorsed one of Keith Raniere’s “empowerment” groups called the Ethical Humanitarian Foundation, according to its website.

https://archive.ph/g0TRN

The Finders

This is around the time you start to lose most people. That's a good thing. Normal, healthy people don't want to think such dark things are possible.
The Finders' Keeper: An Interview with Marion Pettie
https://archive.ph/6IuRh
FBI Releases Information on the ‘Finders,’ a Secretive Group Accused of Child Abuse
https://archive.ph/B2Lzn
Virginia State Investigation
https://i.imgur.com/IyTdHQh.jpg
Mintpress

Just months after Epstein’s death, in October 2019, the FBI began releasing hundreds of Finders investigation documents to their Vault. The publication sparked a storm of attention, but virtually no corporate press coverage aside from a piece by Vice, which framed any interest in the subject as a conspiracy theory.

https://archive.ph/n2AO4
Advanced Cybertechnology, Inc, in Rockville, MD
https://i.imgur.com/mo5E68i.png
https://archive.ph/n2AO4

When you have all the information in front of you, in a way the news will never tell you about, it all starts to come into focus:

• Bob Tyson of Tyson Foods introduced Bill Clinton to Frank Giustra and Marc Rich of Glencore in the 80s, where their money intermingled in an entity known as "Diamond Fields."
  
• Giustra mining assets and Glencore mining assets utilize forced labor. This is borne out by State Department reports on forced labor.
  
• Marc Rich was trading black market oil for black market uranium to send to Russia.
  
• Marc Rich is given a last-minute pardon by Bill Clinton. Comey was the prosecutor. The FBI did a faux investigation into the last-minute pardons as revealed by the FBI FOIA Vault.
  
• Human trafficking networks are already established for these players in the mining industry.
  
• Frank Giustra pours money into the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership.
  
• Ruben Vardanyan pays into the DNC through multiple layered channels, with the Podestas taking in millions, who then hid the transactions.
  
• Uranium One board members, like Ian Telfer, pour millions of dollars into the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.
  
• Despite objections from the US military, the CFIUS still approves the Uranium One sale to Rosatom, with members under pressure from the 7th Floor Group (referred to as "shadow government" in a report posted under the FBI FOIA Vault.
  

You can see that Russia is brought into this equation as early as the 80s, when Don Tyson of Tyson foods (also known for human trafficking) introduced Marc Rich, Frank Giustra and Bill Clinton, who all intermingled their money in an entity known as “Diamond Fields.” Frank Giustra would, later, be the one to arrange the Uranium One deal through a shell game of companies and money that would end up in the Clinton Foundation coffers. Diamond Fields invested in an Arkansas diamond mine that Clinton approved when he was governor in exchange for donations from Jean-Raymond Boulle. More “pay for play.”
Behind The March Rich Agreement
https://archive.ph/d8dvs

A Federal grand jury for a year has been investigating whether Marc Rich, in a pricing scheme, inflated the price of the oil that its American subsidiary paid to the Swiss parent, thus evading about $20 million in taxes. The grand jury had subpoenaed from the Swiss company records of some of the questioned transactions.

Clinton Donors in the Panama Papers
https://archive.ph/pNvmU

Jean-Raymond Boulle made money fast when he and Robert Friedland found a "massive" nickel deposit in the northern Atlantic Coast of Labrador near Voisey's Bay. Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, signed legislation allowing his company to engage in exploratory mining in the state. Later, Boulle and his wife attended Clinton's first inauguration. Boulle is the founder of Diamond Fields Resources, which was purchased by Inco for $4.3 billion, Diamond Fields International, Ltd., America Mineral Fields, Inc., and Titanium Resources Group, Ltd. Boulle was listed as a director of Auk Ltd., a British Virgin Islands offshore company, and Gridco Ltd., a Bahamas offshore company.

These old patterns are merely repeating on a greater scale. These schemes are nothing new.
This was all the beginning of the set up for the approval of the Uranium One sale to Russia and the approval of the Gulftainer purchase at Canaveral, despite both being national security threats that out military was against. In fact, this all resulted in the proxy war we see, today, in Venezuela.
https://i.imgur.com/St4EUn6.png
Shadow Government
https://i.imgur.com/YPXewP4.png
Mueller was instrumental in the way all of this was approved and has been covering for the operation, since. In fact, he was already playing Russian games in Ukraine where he purportedly discussed the Boston bombing with Yanukovych, client of Paul Manafort, who Mueller prosecuted. Mueller met with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv. The pair met about two months after the Boston Marathon bombing.
“I would like to focus on the most important issue for us – the issue of combating terrorism,” Mueller said, according to a Ukrainian Embassy’s Facebook post. “I would like to say thank you for the assistance provided to us after the Boston Marathon.”
https://i.imgur.com/0n2lqdn.png
There were a number of concerning aspects about the Boston Marathon Bombing and the coverage, at the time. Cover up after cover up; no one has explained how the news made this mistake, yet:
https://i.imgur.com/qPTlRVs.png
Obama was, of course, instrumental in allowing all of this to happen, as well:
https://i.imgur.com/MEgJ3rZ.png
The Obama appointee, Aimen Mir, who also approved Uranium One with no paperwork in record time, also approved the questionable Gulftainer deal to buy Port Canaveral’s cargo container terminal to the Middle eastern company, which partners with the Russian state-owned firm ROSTEC, overseen Putin. So, not only are these traitors in government selling out to Russia, they are also selling out to organizations with known terrorist ties.
https://i.imgur.com/BBFN2nF.png
The Varkey Foundation
https://i.imgur.com/JICxesV.png
Aimen Mir, was, of course, not the only one. Recognize any of these people and their political affiliations?
Eric Holder
Jose W. Fernandez
Marisa Lago
Timothy F. Geithner
Janet Napolitano
Dennis F Hightower
Robert Gates
Hillary Clinton
Steven Chu
Ron Kirk
John Holdren
Peter R. Orszag
Christina Romer
Lawrence Summers
Aimen Mir
Mueller Linked To Russian Deals That ‘Undermined National Security’

Both Uranium One and Gulftainer have deep ties to Russian intelligence, nuclear weapons, and uranium enrichment. Gulftainer has additional ties to the Iranian regime and to the architects of Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal.
Gulftainer executive board chairman Badr Jafar visited the White House in 2014, six weeks before the secretly-negotiated Gulftainer deal was announced, signed, and closed…
What is Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale? None other than Robert Mueller’s law firm, which he recently left to accept the special counsel role in the “Russia” case. Prosecutors on his anti-Trump legal team also came from WilmerHale.

http://archive.fo/5U9EP
Robert Mueller wants terrorism. Robert Mueller wants nuclear terrorism. Robert Mueller is helping the media stage these events so that the Deep State can gain consent from the populace for asserting authoritarianism and subvert the Constitution.
https://i.imgur.com/yVFQ003.png
Gulftainer is run by the brother of Saddam Hussein’s nuclear weapons chief. Let that sink in. He is friends with Obama, Clinton and Mueller. ROSTEC owns the company that exports the Russian missile-launch container known as Club K. Obama and Clinton’s collusion with Russia undermined national security.
https://i.imgur.com/6ojdStS.png
Gulf Shield Security Services an Iraqi company managed by Scott Ramsay, a British National. They developed a reputation for not paying their employees once they are in country and then delaying payment until they leave country, at which point said employees contract is subsequently terminated and they are not paid at all. This continues to happen due to large scale corruption and illegal activities being run by Scott Ramsay. Other activities that have been confirmed by confidential sources are Illegal Weapons usage and dealing weapons with known terrorist groups for profit, bulk narcotics (Cocaine and Heroin) transported and distributed throughout Basra and the surrounding provinces. Sex trafficking of very young Iraqi girls and boys is also a favored activity of Mr. Ramsay who is also a frequent user of the large amounts of narcotics that he transports inside his armored convoys.
https://i.imgur.com/p5XbDKO.png
If we are calling a spade and spade, this plan, implemented by high level government officials, is particularly traitorous. Why are we allowing known terrorists to establish irreversible footholds in the US economy on US soil?
https://i.imgur.com/4pKTgSo.png
In this picture, you can see where Mossack Fonseca is part of Putin's money laundering chain to himself. He takes State money, pushes it through a layered series of financial entities, then gives it back to himself. Ruben Vardanyan is one of several middle men in this process. This is how "oligarchs" are part of the money laundering process. An integral part.
https://i.imgur.com/RUh8F9D.png
In fact, the picture should look a lot more like this:
https://i.imgur.com/AhDuKE2.png
Troika Dialogue, is a node of one of these nodes; the one that happened to be managed by Vardanyan. In the Panama Papers search, you can see how many other nodes are layered off of Troika Dialog, because third parties are an orgy of money launderers registering businesses.
https://i.imgur.com/YnDob6A.png
This should be a very important clue to anyone who has been paying attention to the GCHQ involvement with the FBI in the midst of the Russia scandal. Why would Britain help Russia gain a monopoly on uranium? It’s not just Britain, either.
https://i.imgur.com/r2HkCKV.png
Christopher Steele, Josef Mifsud, Alexander Downer; How many British Intelligence assets have to be exposed before the news will cover this issue fairly? Why has no one asked the question, "Why are Britain, Russia and the US all working hard, together, for a Russian monopoly on uranium?"
https://i.imgur.com/62kzT2e.png
The nexus of British and Russian agents attempting to frame Trump with a proven false Russia Collusion narrative while distracting from the Uranium One deal have the news on their side. This is a really, really bad sign.
https://i.imgur.com/hYeCpp0.png
The Podestas started the whole arrangement and that is evidenced by their own admission in their Podesta Group LD 1 disclosure forms. It wasn’t until after the Panama Papers got out that The Podesta Group had to file another disclosure form because they had already failed to report it (a FARA violation.) Media Matters was taking money from them as early as 2008 to protect the Uranium One deal. In fact, this exact money laundering operation was exposed by the Guardian, but they exposed it as a limited hangout; meaning they intentionally left out important information.
https://i.imgur.com/YyxPv97.png
How Prince Charles's stately home restoration linked him to Russian money
https://archive.ph/K8mpk

A select group of Russian businessmen assembled for a black-tie dinner at Dumfries House, the stately home restored for the nation thanks to a major fundraising campaign by the Prince of Wales. The heir to the throne wanted to thank his donors in person.
One of them was Ruben Vardanyan.
A well-known philanthropist, he ran an investment bank, Troika Dialog, an independent arm of which moved vast amounts of private wealth out of Russia into Europe.
Troika is under the spotlight because staff from this independent division administered a network of shell companies that appear to have mixed legitimate and illegitimate money.

Of course, they claim no wrongdoing, but the money trail and favors that resulted are clear. It is also clear they intentionally left out payments to Podesta. This is a clear case of the Guardian being dishonest about the Troika Laundromat but also revealing some details; an obvious “limited hangout.”
A financial entity, under this system, is just a few pieces of paper in some random office in the Caribbean, and, if they get busted, their secretary found to have 1200 businesses registered to her (though she is virtually penniless), and you are a drop in the bucket. That's how big black budgets are. They consist of so much money THAT IT ISN'T ABOUT GETTING MORE RICH, IT IS ABOUT KEEPING EVERYONE ELSE POOR. Troika Dialog paid into US politics, and that is what the news is trying to hide from you. This document proves that (see the bottom.)
https://i.imgur.com/7hpk8hE.pn
In fact, the nexus of outed GCHQ spies shows us that Russian and British Intelligence are working together, and that they were working with the FBI. This was exposed, first, by George Papadapolous who was working a deal in Cyprus to make a Syrian pipeline irrelevant. When it became clear about Alexander Downer’s affiliations, we were able to look back to when he was signing away Australian uranium to Russia. The pattern is clear. Russia is trying to play monopoly with uranium.
https://i.imgur.com/xVlzrXN.png
Why is Andrew Downer helping Britain help Russia gain a monopoly on uranium?
https://i.imgur.com/2xs0AfZ.png
No articles have addressed what Russia has done since, but they should, since a Russian General is has landed in Venezuela with troops and equipment. drug money, gun running, human trafficking, etc., is earned with the consent of corrupt government officials, then gets cycled around into manipulating how you vote and spend your dollar so that they are able to stay in power.
This is the real Russian collusion and it is far from the only game in town. Russians, themselves, don't bother trying to influence America. It isn't effective. They hire Americans to influence other Americans. Just like every other country does.
That is why transparency of government is so important, because it is the only thing that will combat this. People in government need to be under the same level of scrutiny that intelligence bodies have been employing against the general populace.
https://i.imgur.com/oNQ1gx2.png
Since the Uranium One sale went through, Rosatom has:

• Started a proxy war in Venezuela while managing to acquire at least a billion dollars in Venezuelan gold.
• Both US and Canadian courts have ruled against Venezuela in favor of Russia in their Rusoro cases.
• Started building floating nuclear reactors to use in the Arctic circle.
• Started harvesting heavy water from Fukushima.
• Started bidding against US companies to build nuclear reactors and the news criticizes Trump for trying to work a deal to get the contract for FOUR reactors in Saudi Arabia. They are winning these bids.
• They have been building new reactors and building new nuclear relationships with over 30 countries, dwarfing NATO, where, Rosatom is also entering into the mining supply lines.
• Immediately spiked the price of uranium.

The European Center for A Modern Ukraine is the nexus of Russian money and influence, Mueller, the Podestas and Paul Manafort. In fact, the Podestas walk free while Manafort gets all the attention. Manafort was the Podesta scapegoat that Mueller covered for. But why?
The “Russian Reset” was a free for all for any friend of the Clintons. If you paid into the Clinton Foundation or the Clinton Global Initiative, you were able to participate in the Skolkovo project that was solely for the benefit of aiding a foreign military complex in Russia. In exchange, these companies were allowed to operate with tax exemptions in Russia.
https://i.imgur.com/xmXa0i5.png
Clinton Pay to Play (How did Mueller miss this? That's right; he was directly involved.)
https://i.imgur.com/9hZxTty.png

• Clinton Foundation accepted payments for entry into Skolkovo, despite objections from military
• Clinton Global Initiative accepted payments from nuclear terrorist for approval of the Gulftainer deal, despite objections from military
• The Clinton Foundation, The Clinton Global Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Partnership took millions from Uranium One board members to get the sale approved, despite objections from military

It speaks volumes that the mainstream media and even “alt news” stays completely away from the documents that prove these connections. The agencies that are supposed to look out for the American people are worse than out to lunch, they are getting paid and blackmailed into looking the other way.
In fact, Paul Manafort was part of a vicious blackmail circle where his wife was videotaped with other men. That is how these people are kept in line.
Why has no news outlet bothered to look into Ruben Vardanyan/Podesta relationship?
The reason is because of projects like Operation Earnest Voice, Shareblue, Correct the Record and upvotes.club, along with other similar shill factories. It is no coincidence that Shareblue, American Independent, Correct the Record and other astroturfing groups are funded via the Troika Laundromat.
https://i.imgur.com/qXH0vYu.png
Correct the Record
https://i.imgur.com/wwULd7Q.png
Upvotes Club
https://i.imgur.com/baKIfZG.png
The reason is because hundreds of people like John Podesta are casually able to email reporters or call them up and have them spike a story or spin an issue in any way they like with almost zero effort.
But John Podesta also has his own personal media whipping boy. David Brock. David Brock runs Media Matters, who was writing apologetics for the Uranium One deal as early as 2008. Maybe earlier. John Podesta, who takes Russian money, then funnels that money to the Center for American Progress, which funds David Brock's projects.
https://i.imgur.com/ocZSj9s.png
These issues are what Mueller is covering up. A legacy Operation Mockingbird is still being executed in full force and it is faking a consensus on your TVs, phones and computers, to manipulate your basic assumptions about politics and what you should spend your money on.
This game is what Mueller is trying to protect and it is why he is ran a limited hangout in the form of a “Collusion” investigation to create the perception that he hasn’t already been colluding with Russia and other enemies of the US to sell off the US for pennies on the dollar.
https://i.imgur.com/fiUgNJm.png
The super-rich are allowed to be super rich. They do not earn it. They are no better than you or I, they are just more greedy and self-serving. Whichever type of government you subscribe to, the only way to make sure it is implemented is to force transparency in government and turn the spy apparatus around onto the people running the government and not on the general population.
Robert Mueller has been an integral cog in a wheel of deception that is designed to let the worst criminals walk free. This has been going on for your entire life. This has been going on throughout all of human history. Only now, we have the technology to implement transparency.
https://i.imgur.com/0raFO0c.png
Caveo Sicarus
https://i.imgur.com/CYY7IYt.png

The Smoking, Radioactive Gun: Uranium One

Uranium One is the name of a South African company that bought Kazakh mining interests through bribery and the political influence of the Clintons. Later, bought by Frank Giustra’s Canadian company, who then sold the company to Russia. The Podestas got paid. The media won’t cover the severity of the crimes.
There are a few reasons this story is especially important.

• The Panama Papers and the Podesta Emails both provide independent, primary source, direct evidence that this story is true and worse than originally stated. You can see it for yourself.
  
• Treason is happening at the top levels of our government, where our politicians and lobbyists are willing to sell out American assets for pennies on the dollar and surprising number of them are all in on it.
  
• The media is representing all of this as no big deal, while shamelessly trying to sell a war between Russia and the US over fake news about hacking.
  
• It lends credibility to the idea that these people, in this social circle, are capable of running a vast, sophisticated criminal enterprise that talks in code.
  
• We are able to trace the web of money launderers all in bed together through primary sources starting with these breadcrumbs.
  

Sberbank and Troika Dialog Create Powerful Russian Corporate-Investment Bank
https://archive.ph/oGSDN
Vast Offshore Network Moved Billions With Help From Major Russian Bank
https://archive.ph/aAXiZ
Panama Papers Reveal Clinton’s Kremlin Connection
https://archive.is/gCQn3

Among the Sberbank subsidiaries that the Podesta Group also represents are the Cayman Islands-based Troika Dialog Group Limited, the Cyprus-based SBGB Cyprus Limited, and the Luxembourg-based SB International.

In Podesta email #4635, it is revealed that bribes were happening through a variety of mediums.
https://archive.is/VL99Z

First, with respect to the stock option agreement, there is a discrepancy in the stated vesting schedule between the one John signed back in 2011 and the one I sent to Bob which you sent back to me signed.
John transferred the resulting 75,000 common shares from the option exercise to the Leonidio LLC. As such, we would need to edit the Transfer of Share Agreement to reflect the transfer of 75,000 common shares to the LLC

Notice the dates. This scam was been in the works for decades. Media Matters was already trying to spin damage control on it in 2008.
NY Times failed to note Giustra reportedly involved in Kazakhstan mining deals more than a decade ago
https://archive.is/0Z3ef
Uranium One posted $127 Million in revenue. Money gained merely with political access.
https://archive.ph/ncCvk
The Podesta Group fails to disclose this financial arrangement to Congress, which is, technically, treason.
Podesta lobby group did not disclose extent of work for Ukrainian campaign advised by Paul Manafort
https://archive.ph/u0upW
Azerbaijan, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Republic of India, Republic of Iraq, Embassy of Japan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Korea, Republic of Maldives, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Republic of South Sudan, Center for Study and Media Affairs at Saudi Royal Court, Socialist Republic of Vietnam. These entities get a louder voice in US government than US citizens.
It is clear that a violation of the Voorhees Act is occurring.
https://archive.is/vjvQ
Not only is this technically illegal, it is obviously unethical and it should boggle every American’s mind that these people are allowed anywhere near public office. Yet, they are in the White House and have been for a long, long time. The media has gone out of its way to make sure you don’t see it for what it really is. Organized crime.

18 U.S. Code § 2386 - Registration of certain organizations
The following organizations shall be required to register with the Attorney General: Every organization subject to foreign control which engages in political activity;

In fact, the Kazakhstan government felt exactly the way Americans should feel.
Mukhtar Dzhakishev, who worked with Clinton to pass off the mining interests to Russia, was charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan:
Article 177, section 3 - large scale fraud committed by an organised group;
Article 176, section 3, - misappropriation of entrusted property on a large scale committed by an organised group;
Article 311, section 5 - accepting a bribe in a large amount.
Article 176 - misappropriation of entrusted property;
Article 307 - abuse of power.

A Dynasty of Slime

Because their attention is being diverted to conflicts manufactured by the media. Everyone forgot about convicted felon, Bob Creamer, and massive electoral fraud proven by O’Keefe’s hidden cameras.
Democrat Operative ‘Stepping Back’ After Video Suggests Group Incited Violence At Trump Rally
https://archive.ph/X1ioE
Everyone has forgotten about paid agent provocateurs pretending to be violent Trump supporters. Austyn Crites got off scott free, even though he was clearly an agent provocateur committing voter fraud and who owns a creepy daycare property.
https://archive.ph/lZIdU
These are far from the only scandals the Clintons have factually been proven to be involved in.
The Prison Blood Scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_8:_The_Arkansas_Prison_Blood_Scandal
Whitewater Scandal
https://archive.is/tKKGL
Hillary’s Fingerprints on Vince Foster’s Documents:
https://archive.is/43FMm
Bill Clinton’s controversial pardons.
https://archive.is/hnil4
Even the Washington Post has trouble explaining away a publication funded by Saudi Arabia and its ties to Huma Abedin:
https://archive.is/redNo
Keep in mind, the Washington Post is ran by the CIA
https://archive.is/rWH4F
Hillary’s brother ends up on the board of a gold mining company in Haiti aftermath.
https://archive.is/T702s
Hassan Nemazee
Donor to Democrats Pleads Guilty to $292 Million Fraud
https://archive.is/ECzFG
This is all just the tip of the iceberg. It is important to note the pattern of scandals, how many there are and how widespread they are. That is why, when it becomes apparent that this social circle is also riddled with pedophiles, like Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Christopher Kloman, Dennis Hastert, Terry Bean, James Alefantis, David Brock, people start to wonder about the Bidens, Pizzagate and if the Clintons are connected to any of the pedophile rings out of Chicago, Dallas, Franklin and Washington D.C.
J&T Packing (John and Tony?) has virtually the same board of directors as the Clinton Foundation and has been operating out of an empty lot since 1994. The Clinton Foundation seems to be the epicenter of the new organized crime that has fully infiltrated our government. The US has become a mafia state, run by criminals where law enforcement and the media are focused on eliminating competition, rather than eliminating corruption.
Hillary is still ‘astroturfing’ the Internet. These shills are all guilty of taking Russian money and covering for treason. They’re seditious and part of a large RICO conspiracy.
Hillary PAC Spends $1 Million to ‘Correct’ Commenters on Reddit and Facebook
https://archive.is/a01ce
**Hillary Clinton Under Fire For Buying 2 Million Fake Twitter Followers
https://archive.is/COvjL
We no longer have to wonder what the new version of Operation Mockingbird looks like. JIDF. Correct the Record. Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. The FBI. They explicitly instruct the media to represent issues a certain way, then have their Internet astroturfers give illegitimate exposure to bogus ideas. It is a system of “mass persuasion” that is a lot more sophisticated than people are willing to give it credit for.

It is easier to fool people than to convince them they’ve been fooled. - Mark Twain

Consider the possibility that every conflict you are presented on the news is controlled on both sides in order to follow a script and keep you distracted from the criminals who are negatively impacting your lives and your children’s lives because they are traitors.
I’m going to bring up Pizzagate a few more times, but, before you discount it, start with the fact that we have a known pedophile on video, admitting to engaging and plotting political mummery at Comet Ping Pong. While Reuters attempted to set the definition of Pizzagate as being isolated to James Alefantis’ pizza shop, literally no legitimate researcher ever subscribed to Reuter’s definition; which was a red herring.
https://i.imgur.com/1u1U7In.png
Tied to Comet Ping Pong, itself, are multiple known pedophiles, including pro pedophilia bands that perform there for a lot of known personalities in politics. Researchers considered Comet Ping Pong to be an epicenter of pedophiles and fundraising done by pedophiles, where the web goes out from John Podesta (who does fundraising there) to Jeffrey Epstein via the Clintons, but also Terry Bean, Christopher Kloman, Richard Harding, Dennis Hastert and many other pedophiles who were caught red-handed. How many are there we don’t know about, yet?
https://i.imgur.com/Ogf00QS.png
Amanda as "Majestic Ape." Regular at Comet Ping Pong.
https://i.imgur.com/0yCf2BY.png
James Alefantis, himself, triggered a great deal of concern when his social media posts included a lot of occult and satanic imagery along with cash, drugs and very young children. He even has a friend who specializes in making child sized coffins and has pictures of a stainless steel “kill room.”
https://i.imgur.com/qc2QDjK.jpg
The ”theory” was more than borne out. Not only was Jeffrey Epstein arrested and suicided, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean Luc Brunel, Peter Nygard, and others who were researched have turned out to be participating in trafficking of underage minors for sex, since 2016, when Reuters very prematurely labeled Pizzagate as “debunked” by providing a false definition.
https://i.imgur.com/941ZYiX.png
The "Soy Boy Deboonker" Response
https://i.imgur.com/QactPwL.png
CNN producers (not one, but two) who ran cover for Comet Ping Pong were caught starting their own pedophile blackmail rings.
CNN fires ex-Cuomo producer accused of luring girls for ‘sexual subservience’ training
https://archive.ph/BjwZX
Second CNN producer under 'criminal investigation' involving 'potential juvenile victims'
https://archive.ph/6RVkg
We also have Internet shills, like Dr. Pizza seething over the research coming from the issues, denying it like crazy, but then getting caught, red handed, being a pedophile.
https://i.imgur.com/oYIV4Mj.png
Sara Silverman
https://i.imgur.com/48RFPcO.png
What did she mean by including Dan Harmon?
https://i.imgur.com/kQN30cq.png
James Gunn
https://i.imgur.com/HB9jyYn.png
Chrissy Teigen
https://i.imgur.com/B5Ryuxr.png
She also hangs out at parties with Obama.
https://i.imgur.com/Na4GHn3.jpg
If Pizzagate was totally fake, then there would be no need to spend the amount of time and money being wielded against “fake news” the likes of which may have never been seen. Pizzagate has drawn the attention of all kinds of paid Internet shills. All day, everyday, they are trying to derail the narrative that reveals the wider web of slime and corruption.
https://i.imgur.com/Bn0OJJH.jpg
Even Hunter Biden, himself, took to Reddit to shill against Pizzagate posts under his account exposed in the 2020 leaks.
The US Government has people who are specifically on the Internet trying to steer all of this conversation away from a President, himself, who has been to Comet Ping Pong, who is central to the FiskeGore/Obama Scandal and who was, seemingly, born in Kenya, if you check every news article before he ran for President.
It all ties together. It is all organized crime. The Clinton Foundation is the epicenter of political corruption and the media is trying very hard to keep you from recognizing that basic, provable fact.
If we are to believe the Washington Post and the New York Times, treason and other crimes have occurred on a massive scale. Why is it so hard to believe that human trafficking would be any different? Why would we expect anything else, when they are surrounded by known and convicted pedophiles and human traffickers?
The truth is that this all starts and ends with mining.
The Nexus of Illegal Gold Mining and Human Trafficking Report
https://archive.ph/RPwt4
Frank Giustra is involved in mining companies.
The Clintons, a luxury jet and their $100 million donor from Canada
https://archive.ph/morhK
Marc Rich, who was pardoned by Clinton, was also involved in mining with Glencore.
https://archive.is/qgvD8
Hillary’s brother ended up on the board of VCS Mining.
‘Haiti, give me your gold, not your weak and weary!’
https://archive.ph/J63JD
Human trafficking is inevitable around mining companies. Whoever is managing these companies is also managing the networks that provide them with the slaves they need.
The Dynasty of Slime extends to the Biden Family.

A Degeneracy of Bidens

I believe “a degeneracy” is an appropriate collective noun for a group of Biden family members.
The Bidens make money by promising that “the family [can] provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels”
https://i.imgur.com/yvGwAIo.png
Joe Biden is and always has been corrupt. BidenGate should be a much more prevalent term.
https://i.imgur.com/31MVfmT.png
Soros, "We have a Foundation in Ukraine and it happens to be one of our best foundations. I also want to mention that there is one person who was very deeply involved in Ukraine and that's Biden..."
https://twitter.com/Jillian22Betsy/status/1547773396267675654
https://gvid.tv/v/248Zwq
Nevermind that he stole the primaries from Bernie Sanders a second time.
https://youtu.be/tdnxeijbffA?t=162
Even the Guardian concedes the point.

There are three clear examples.
First, Biden’s support for finance over working-class Americans. His career was bankrolled by the credit card industry. He delivered for it by spearheading a bankruptcy bill that made it harder for Americans to reduce their debts and helped cause the financial crisis. He not only authored and voted for that bill, he split with Barack Obama and led the battle to vote down Democratic amendments.
Second, healthcare. On 25 April, the day he announced his campaign, Biden went straight to a fundraiser co-hosted by the chief executive of a major health insurance corporation. He refuses to sign a pledge to reject money from insurance and pharma execs and continues to raise money from healthcare industry donors. His campaign is being bankrolled by a super Pac run by healthcare lobbyists. What did all these donors get? A healthcare proposal that preserves the power of the insurance industry and leaves 10 million Americans uninsured.
Third, climate change. Biden signed a pledge not to take money from the fossil fuel industry, then broke his promise. Right after a CNN town hall on climate change, he held a fundraiser hosted by the founder of a fossil fuel conglomerate. He is pushing climate policy that has gotten dismal reviews from several leading environmental groups.

https://archive.ph/m3eDy
Let's not forget that Biden insider-turned-whistleblower, Tony Bobulinski, submitted thousands of pages into evidence that included direct testimony, financial records, text messages, emails, documents and audio recordings. The Senate has confirmed Bobulinski’s evidence as genuine.
Politico admits it, as well.

"at least some of the alleged laptop material is genuine — as well as other emerging evidence about the deals family members have sought or received from people with an interest in influencing Biden."

https://archive.ph/xSA6z
According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the Vice President's office and State Department officials were aware but ignored concerns relating to Hunter Biden's role on the board of a Ukrainian Burisma.
https://i.imgur.com/uv3Mwt7.png
Burisma Geothermal Italy
https://i.imgur.com/fdJPRph.png
UkraineGate
https://i.imgur.com/k9LSs4V.jpg
In 2016, Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, had an active and ongoing investigation into Burisma and its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. At the time, Hunter Biden continued to serve on Burisma's board of directors. According to news reports, then Vice-President Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States loan guarantees if Ukraine's leaders did not dismiss [Shokin]''. After that, Ukraine's Parliament fired Shokin.
Video shows Biden got the UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED investigating son
https://youtu.be/azLKK0xTOFI?t=14
Secretary of State, John Kerry falsely claimed he had no knowledge about Hunter Biden’s role with Burisma.
Joe Biden’s compromising partnership with the Communist Party of China runs via Yang Jiechi (CPC’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission). YANG met frequently with BIDEN during his tenure at the Chinese embassy in Washington. Biden’s foreign policy stance towards China (formerly hawkish), has since turned positive. Ukraine has received billions, where oligarchs have been caught with massive amounts of cash, far in excess of what the US spends on its own citizens.
https://i.imgur.com/Wh1kxvO.png
China's CPC Business Connections
https://i.imgur.com/11LttV5.png
Hunter Biden surprisingly cogent when talking money.
https://i.imgur.com/SAm20SR.png
Joe Biden gravely endangered and harmed the security of the United States and its institutions of government. Through blatant nepotism, he enabled his son to influence foreign policy and financially benefit as a result of his role as Vice President. He supported his son engaging in collusion with Chinese Communist Party-linked officials.
https://i.imgur.com/uoMFeWa.png
Dong Gong Wen
https://i.imgur.com/aKbrvEF.png
BHR Partners (Notice Hunter Biden and Whitey Bulger's nephew, James)
https://i.imgur.com/TJJQqMY.png
Bohai Capital’s top shareholders are the following major China state-owned financial institutions:
• BOCI (48%),
• TEDA Investment Holding Co Ltd (22%),
• Bank of China Group Investment Limited (5%),
• SSF (5%), PSBC (5%),
• China Development Bank Capital Corporation Ltd (5%)
• China Life (5%), etc.
China’s plans for American energy resources, with the help of the Bidens, looks strikingly familiar to Russia’s plans for American uranium, with the help of the Clintons.
https://i.imgur.com/BNlTNiZ.png
Wiring Transfer from China to Hunter Biden:
https://i.imgur.com/njiJmIX.png
Hudson West III LLC Travel Expense Claim (Traveling Like a King):
https://i.imgur.com/HNfEdPE.png
Notice the dishonest (aka corrupt) way in which NBC presents a report about Biden corruption; mainly by relying on the “shooting the messenger” logical fallacy and completely avoiding engaging with the information within the report. Since the release of the Hunter Biden data, NBC has been proven to have been guilty of extreme bias.
How a fake persona laid the groundwork for a Hunter Biden conspiracy deluge
https://archive.ph/iPmD6
Typhoon Investigations: Project Time
https://www.neweurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/KVBJHB.pdf
Joe Biden allowed his son to trade appointments with his father and other high-ranking administration officials in exchange for financial compensation. He permitted his son to take money from Russian oligarchs, including Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow.
Hunter Biden Received a $3.5 Million Payment From Ex-Moscow Mayor's Wife

government officials flagged concerns about potential conflicts of interest and that the former vice president's son's financial interests with foreign governments "accelerated" during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

https://archive.ph/eyhNz
How did Robert Mueller conduct a 2 year investigation on Russia and miss a $3.5 million payment to the Biden family?

The Biden Family's financial transactions with Ukrainian, Russian, Kazakh, and Chinese nationals raise criminal and national security concerns.

Jim Biden has directly participated in this corruption, even meeting with "The O", himself.
https://i.imgur.com/y2v829d.jpg
Hunter Biden has also participated in this corruption and, even now, the 2021 annual report shows Skaneateles is still listed as a “shareholder” with a 10% stake in the Chinese Firm benefiting from strategic oil reserves in the US.
Frank Biden, another very troubled individual, is also in on the scam, involving himself in corruption and US policy as is financially convenient.
Alana Biden runs cover as producer at NBC News and has dabbled in a little lite voter fraud.

24-minute read. Now is the time to pretend you have diarrhea.

Russia is concerned that Armenia no longer wants Russia's mediation efforts after the latter allowed Azerbaijan to commit ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia's foreign ministry criticized Armenia for quickly accepting negotiations offered by Washington and Brussels. At the same time, according to them, Armenia has rejected 3 separate Russian meetings since September.
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, prefers the Russian platform and has rejected Western efforts after the West's condemnation of the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh and the demands to send monitoring missions to ensure the safety of ethnic Armenians who wish to return.
source,

Azerbaijan is hunting for "U.S. spies"; investigative journalists are pressured to praise Aliyev's invasion of Karabakh instead of exposing corruption

Earlier we learned that the Azeri regime arrested the head of the investigative outlet Abzas Media. The police asked them why they focused on corruption instead of Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia and Karabakh.
Before the arrests, the Azeri state media claimed there was a network of U.S. spies in Azerbaijan that needed to be "cleansed". State media:

Azerbaijan must be cleansed of the U.S. spy network, 'American corners' set up in Azerbaijan have to be investigated, and USAID's activities have to be shut down

The U.S. government and Amnesty International expressed concern over the arrests.

The U.S. and Azerbaijan have recently canceled bilateral meetings over disagreements on the peace talks between Azerbaijan and its archival Armenia. Azerbaijan has accused the U.S. of being pro-Armenian

Human Rights Watch: Azerbaijan cracks down on independent media

source, source,

Russia hopes Armenia hasn't changed its foreign vector

PUTIN's OFFICE: We regret Armenia's decision not to participate in the CSTO meeting. We hope that Armenia will not change the vector of its foreign policy. Armenia remains our ally, our strategic partner. //
Belarus leader Lukashenko urged Armenia not to make a démarche away from the bloc. Russian president's office hopes Armenia will attend the December CIS meeting in St. Petersburg.
source, source, source,

border delimitation groups from Armenia and Azerbaijan will resume negotiations on November 30

The efforts began shortly after the 2020 war but were suspended later. A few days ago Armenia offered Azerbaijan to resume the talks. The November 30 discussions will be limited to efforts to delimit the borders.
source, source,

Nagorno-Karabakh refugees have stopped leaving Armenia in large numbers: PM Pashinyan

Over 3,000 of the 101,000 refugees left Armenia for other countries in the initial days. The government says this trend has stopped.
PASHINYAN: There was a rather disturbing number in the early days. We assume that in most cases people who were unable to leave Nagorno-Karabakh for several months have finally found an opportunity to visit a relative abroad and hopefully, they will return. The situation has since stabilized. //
The government will pay for the education of all college and university students from Nagorno-Karabakh for this semester.
source, source,

the lights went out during the government session on Thursday: VIDEO

Pashinyan was discussing the illegal privatization of a property years earlier and the need to return it under state control when the room went dark for a few seconds.
PASHINYAN: This is what we were discussing this morning, Mr. [Infrastructure Minister]. We have an electrical quality problem in Armenia. How many times are we going to discuss this issue without taking decisive steps? Should I repeat this every day for ten years? We have low-quality electricity in Armenia, including in this building. Light bulbs are constantly blinking in offices.
video,

Goris (Syunik) mountains will light up in colors at night: PHOTO

The colors will change throughout the year based on the season. The project is co-funded by Germany (GIZ) as part of a government program to develop the provinces.
photo,

construction is underway to restore the image of old Goris in some parts of the city: VIDEO

Some streets and sidewalks will be made out of stone and cables will be moving underground. Street signs will have a new design. New doors, roofs, and balconies facing the streets.
REPORTER: Are the streets comfortable?
DRIVER: Driving on a stone isn't as smooth as on asphalt but it looks prettier.
REPORTER: Aren't you afraid that someone wearing high heels could trip and fall while walking on the cobblestones?
DRIVER: You don't have to wear a heel. // [Armenia is so conservative it's actually progressive?]
Crosswalks are made of large polished stone plates for people with heels. The project is facing delays because the stone delivery company is unable to keep up with demand. The project is expected to finish in spring 20240.
source,

Nikol is spying on you?

Opposition media outlets raised the alarm last week claiming that Armenian authorities have found a way to eavesdrop on all messages and audio calls made specifically by WhatsApp and that it's as vulnerable as regular phone calls made through cell towers.
A fact-checker says the claim is absurd because of the way WhatsApp encrypts communication, and that the only way to gain access to this data is if the entire phone is hacked.
That does not mean the government cannot request WhatsApp to provide "some" information, such as metadata that does not contain the content of the communication. These requests have intensified since 2015 with about 75% of cases ending with the handover of "some" information.
source,

parts from Pashinyan's 9-hour-long press conference on Friday during which he accepted pre-recorded video questions from citizens

A resident asked if Pashinyan supports the merger of smaller communities into larger municipalities and to explain its benefits. Pashinyan said that before the merger the villages were left on their own, resulting in emigration and abandonment. Villages struggle with a lack of resources and poor management. The merger provides benefits, including infrastructure projects funded by the federal government. The government has invested around ֏137B ($340 million) in thousands of projects since 2018. The most important benefit comes with the consolidation of local budgets and tax collection, said Pashinyan. He also said corruption is more widespread in smaller municipalities due to "friendships" and familial relations, and that the larger the municipality, the more functional checks and balances it has.

... Academic City

A diasporan molecular biochemist from New York has offered his English-language support and the delivery of modern equipment to the planned Academic City on the outskirts of Yerevan. He wants to know if its labs and scientific departments will function like the ones in the West. Pashinyan said it's too early to deliver equipment because it's still in the planning stage. Diasporans are invited and encouraged to support it by contacting the Education Ministry.
The goal is for it to meet international standards. There will be up to 8 state universities funded by the state (today the state universities rely heavily on tuition fees). Students with decent performance will study for free.
There is not a single university in Armenia today that meets international standards with its infrastructures, said Pashinyan, admitting that the government has been choosing not to enforce a certification process because doing so would lead to the closure of every single university in Armenia. The Academic City is meant to reboot higher education and establish new standards.
Today, students who visit Yerevan for education are forced to search for expensive apartments for rent. The Academic City will have dorms. The project is expected to attract more international students who will pay a tuition fee, "so it's important to raise the standards to attract them." Some classes will be taught in foreign languages, and foreign professors will be invited to lecture.
The Academic City will also have high schools as part of efforts to maintain a chain of education. Applicants will choose their major: military, arts, science & tech, pedagogy, etc.
PASHINYAN: We should focus on quality over quantity. Today we have "universities" in provinces with standards so low that they shouldn't be called universities at all. After the establishment of Academic City with proper standards, the only place you will find universities in Armenia will be the Academic City. In provinces, we will develop colleges with higher standards to train experts so people can remain in their communities and find a job if they wish. You won't be required to attend a university to be skilled and financially successful. Today Armenia has a shortage of skilled welders. They get paid very high wages but this field has been neglected for years and there is not enough interest in it. We can't have a so-called "university" on every corner. It has led to quality issues that we are forced to deal with today. Those who want to study will be able to study. This isn't about there not being a university "close enough" to someone's community and them having to travel to Yerevan. They will be able to get admitted, travel there, and study in a large academic environment that promotes education. I'm from a province myself. When you travel to a new environment and become part of a big educational system, it changes your mindset, it becomes part of your education. We need to teach young students to get out of their homes and see the world. Gaining this experience is part of becoming an adult. After all, mom and dad aren't going to hold you in your hand your entire life. Living an independent life and having to gain new skills to resolve your new problems is also education.
When I was a newspaper editor, one time a man in his 50s entered my office with his daughter in her 20s. "Hello. I want my daughter to work at your publication." I told him brother, the job of a journalist is a very serious one. If your adult child doesn't have the determination to independently come and apply, are you going to sit down with her during interviews and write the articles with her? We need to end the practice of holding our children's hands forever. Let them go see the world. Then you wonder why they don't have a job and courage. You are not giving them an opportunity to face challenges. Release them from the incubator. They need to travel to the Academic City, enter the new campus, engage with new people and a new environment, and learn to resolve new problems. Our students will cooperate with foreign students and gain new experiences in the Academic City. Engaging with a foreigner, a foreign culture, is also a prerequisite for a good diplomatic workforce.

... universal healthcare & medication

A blood cancer patient asked why his prescription medication called Jakafi is so expensive in Armenia when the same thing is much cheaper in Georgia and Turkey. Pashinyan said the list of state-subsidized medicines keeps expanding and that a similar medication called Hydrea(?) is available for free now. The government calculates the best price-quality radio before deciding which medications to subsidize. Some medications are not registered in Armenia so they cannot be imported.
Under the new universal healthcare system (gradually starting mid-2024), the patient will be allowed to choose the medication, to a degree. Instead of giving a specific pill for free, the state will offer to pay for the medication chosen by the patient.

... electricity

PASHIHNYAN: The recent liberalization of this field allows households and businesses to buy their electricity directly from a producer, bypassing the main energy company ՀԷՑ. Today, 19% of all electricity is sold through this method. ՀԷՑ is still the only delivery service, but you no longer have to buy it from them. I urge consumers to install solar panels with batteries.
ANDO: Ara did you hear that fuel prices have gone up?
VAGHO: Who cares ay axper I always fill in the amount of $20.

... teachers' salaries

Pashinyan said the new attestation system (exams that check the teachers' knowledge) has allowed teachers to double their salaries. Those who score under 60% (out of 100%) do not qualify for a raise but the government has decided to give them a chance to improve their skills and give it another shot.
If the teacher scores 30% on the first exam, they will be allowed to try again. If they score 15% higher than before, now 45%, the government will view this as a sign of self-improvement and will encourage them by giving them another chance. Teachers who repeatedly fail will be fired.

... has Azerbaijan decided to end the peace negotiations around the mutual recognition of territorial integrity?

PASHINYAN: Too early to tell. Efforts continue. We will draw conclusions from the November 30 border delimitation meeting and other meetings.

... diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

A resident asked about the efforts to establish relations with SA and Pakistan. Pashinyan said work was done recently to improve relations with SA and that several direct flights were held between Riyadh and Yerevan. These flights are seasonal, not 12/365. The diplomatic efforts continue. [Note: Hours after this interview it was announced that Armenia and SA have officially signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations.]
As dictated by the Constitution, Armenia is ready to establish relations with any country, including Pakistan, but it's first necessary to analyze and understand the underlying problems with Pakistan, said Pashinyan.

... gender equality

Pashinyan addressed criticism that his government is running certain gender-oriented programs just to show the world that he is progressive. The government recently allowed women to voluntarily sign up for compulsory military service. Efforts are also underway to ensure that 30% of all Patrol officers and a higher share of political party members are women.
Pashinyan urged the public to leave behind the "old stereotypes" that "women are weaker and men are stronger". A police officer is a police officer regardless of gender, and there are women who lead countries and defense ministries around the world, Pashinyan added.

... why doesn't Armenia confiscate Russian-owned assets in Armenia and sue Russia in arbitration courts for taking $400 million and never delivering weapons since 2021?

PASHINYAN: There is indeed an issue with not delivering weapons. There are discussions around possible methods to resolve this issue. One option is to reduce Armenia's debt held by Russia by a similar amount. This is just one of several options. You are aware that Russia itself is in need of weapons today. Hopefully we can find a solution.

... why doesn't Pashinyan ban the broadcasting of Russian state propaganda channels in Armenia?

PASHINYAN: Armenia and Russia signed an agreement on 30 December 2020 to regulate interstate broadcasting. It states that parties should not attempt to intervene in each other's internal affairs or destabilize the situation. Our institutions have recently identified multiple violations of this agreement. Considering the friendly relations with Russia, our institutions invited them to hold consultations to discuss these violations. I hope these consultations will take place soon and this issue can be resolved amicably.

... the Crossroads of Peace

PASHINYAN: Each participant state should handle the border, customs, and security oversight on its territory. It appears Azerbaijan is no longer interested in this project because they prefer to build a link through Iran. We are not against that, but our offer stands. If Azerbaijan agrees, we can simplify the procedure of transfers but every participant country must agree to it first.
We want railways to connect our southern town of Meghri to the northern regions of Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan, and the regional countries to each other. All communications must reopen.

... when will you kick Russian border agents out of Zvartnots airport?

PASHINYAN: There is some backstory that led to their presence in Zvartnots. But our policy is to gradually raise Armenia's institutional sovereignty. The Crossroads of Peace works with the same principles.

... we are wasting so much water in Armenia

PASHINYAN: Around 60% of irrigation water is gone wasted today. If we release 100 liters from Sevan, only 40 reach the gardens. 1) The water network is warned out. 2) Bad water management.
We have rules that regulate how farmers can unite and form water users' associations but I've never seen this play out the way it was intended. One of the underlying issues is that the price of water offered to farmers does not correspond to the price of water and its delivery from point A to point B [it's too cheap]. We need our farmers to change their perceptions about water. The planet is warming. The water resources are never going to increase. It's going to get more scarce. You must adapt. The agricultural methods used 25 years ago are no longer feasible today.
We have introduced assistance programs to help install drip irrigation systems to conserve water. Small gardens that switch to drip irrigation won't have to pay a water bill for 5 years. This program has NOT been popular because today water is so cheap farmers don't see a need to conserve. I want you to think about not only the price but also the reserves. The prices could increase soon. It is inevitable.
We want to build 15 reservoirs today. When the time came to prepare the projects, it turned out there was only a single company in Armenia equipped with the necessary skills. This company couldn't complete all 15 in time. This is also why we need to reform our education and create more specialists. We need architects and construction companies.

... why don't you build nice housing near borders and distribute them for free to diasporans under the condition they won't be able to sell it for 10 years? This would encourage the repatriation of thousands.

PASHINYAN: We implemented a similar program starting this year but not many know about it. If you build a house in a border settlement, the bank will give you AMD 16 million in loan, while the government will cover the interest and the principal. We are essentially giving you AMD 16 million to build a house. You must have a decent credit record and a land near the house. Everyone can apply, not just diasporans.

... about the return/exchange of Armenian and Azerbaijani enclaves/exclaves

PASHINYAN: One option is for each country to keep the enclaves/exclaves that it currently controls. Even if that's not the case, all the apocalyptic theories about us losing control of our existing logistics routes are severely exaggerated because we have a plan for every scenario. Unnecessary tension was introduced into this topic.

... Nikol's mother had 6 siblings, so he wants you to breed like a rabbit and replicate his family model

A question was asked about some benefits and awards for mothers who give 6 births. Pashinyan, half-jokingly, said 6 should be the new normal. He brought his family's example. Today the government gives more financial benefits, including monthly payments for a couple of years, for a newlyborn.
PASHINYAN: We saw the highest number of births in 6 years in the January-September of 2023. I have 4 children myself and wouldn't mind having more [did you discuss this with your wife before going on Live television and broadcasting it for ալամ աշխարհ to hear?].

... what is preventing you from signing Armenia's exit from the Russian-led CSTO bloc? Are you afraid of being assassinated?

PASHINYAN: We have the political will and courage to take any steps that we believe are in Armenia's best interest. If we didn't have the courage, we wouldn't have made all these statements critical of CSTO. Our decisions are based on analysis. What we do in the future depends on what's best for Armenia. Today we are doing everything possible to make our position more clear to CSTO and to understand CSTO more clearly.

... Pashinyan confirms that Armenia's membership to CSTO has prevented Armenia from receiving weapons from other countries, in the past

PASHINYAN: In 2018-2019 we were unable to purchase certain weapons from CSTO countries. When we attempted to acquire it from others, we were denied because of our membership to CSTO. Our CSTO partners must understand this: You aren't giving us military and political support, on the other hand, our membership to CSTO is a barrier to other partnerships. We have to make decisions that are in the best interest of Armenia after weighing the options.

... what are you doing to eliminate the 5th column [political parties aligned with Russia]?

PASHINYAN: These forces are not state-oriented. They don't take Armenia's statehood seriously. They think Armenia should be a subordinate, a servant of other powers, as long as we wave the Armenian flag superficially. We disagree with this approach because we believe we can have a sovereign state. Our state is our homeland, we don't have another homeland. Our homeland is 29,800 km^2. We must strengthen our state if we love our homeland. Pay your taxes, respect the law and your fellow countryman. This is the best approach to combat the 5th column. We must deprive them of the ability to grow. We have done a lot in this direction lately.
We have eliminated the "deep state" in Armenia. There are no longer individuals behind the curtains making decisions about our country. This was a blow to the 5th column. We have also eliminated the 5th column in our military. These were individuals who prioritized the interests of foreign powers over Armenia's. [a shot at Russia]

... are we going to have a new national anthem?

PASHINYAN: No, but it's not a final no. State symbols are important. The topic of the anthem resurfaces every now and then. Every word in the anthem is important, it influences our consciousness. As a writer myself, I've been thinking about various endings for our anthem but I always fail to come up with something satisfactory.
I have also met many experts who pointed out the issues in our coat of arms. One of the lions depicted there looks clownish. If this issue keeps coming up, that means it's a problem that eventually needs to be addressed. Let's sit down and discuss this with experts even if we ultimately decide not to change anything.

... what is the fate of Armenians living in Russia now that the AM-RU relations are worsening?

PASHINYAN: I wouldn't hurry to draw such conclusions. Russia remains a friendly state regardless of whether there are unresolved issues or not. We want mutually respectful relations with Russia and respect for each other's sovereignty and independence.

... Pashinyan responds to Russia's demand to recognize Russian as a special/state language in Armenia in exchange for granting Armenian workers the right to drive in Russia

PASHINYAN: Let's say Ashot is regularly driving a truck from Moscow to Krasnodar (both in Russia). If Armenia changes the law today to grant the Russian language a special status in Armenia, will that magically improve Ashot's Russian language skills?
This requirement on language law is unjustified and isn't in EAEU's spirit, which stipulates the free movement of the workforce. Similarly, it wouldn't make sense if we demanded Russian relocants to learn Armenian.
Considering our culture and peculiarities, I don't see how we can have a foreign language as a second state language in Armenia. I think I speak for the Armenian people.
As for the living conditions of Armenians who live in Russia, we will be happy if they decide to move to Armenia, but it's their choice. [gad damn that was extra dry, like the bottle of Armenian wine that's about to get stuck in Upper Lars]

... are you going to restrict the Russian language in schools and force Russian relocants residing in Armenia to learn the Armenian language?

PASHINYAN: No. I encourage students to study Russian and as many languages as they can. It will only improve their skills. I also welcome the presence of Russians who moved to Armenia after 2022. We learn a lot from them, including thanks to the regularly published blogs and videos with their opinion about Armenia. It helps us look at ourselves from someone else's perspective.

... Pashinyan about maximalism and Nagorno-Karabakh's leadership

A diasporan wanted to know why the Armenian government isn't calling Azerbaijan "Mets Hayq" in response to Azerbaijani leaders calling Armenia "Western Azerbaijan". Pashinyan said he is against playing word games aimed against statehood.
PASHINYAN: Vano Siradeghyan used to publish articles in my newspaper under a pseudonym. He once urged the nation to move away from a "virtual homeland" to a real homeland. This is our real homeland today. Mets Hayq is history. Do not use Mets Hayq as a stick to inadvertently beat up today's homeland.
During my 2023 New Year's message I urged the public to read "Yerkir Nairi" by Yeghishe Charents. Critics at the time said I picked a bad book that's too nihilistic and irrelevant. It turns out everything that eventually happened to Nagorno-Karabakh this year was very very precisely described in Yerkir Nairi. A word-by-word prophecy.
I have my share of blame but if you look at the mentality that prevailed in Nagorno-Karabakh over the past year, it was Yerkir Nairi. Every time we took steps, our colleagues at Nagorno-Karabakh would respond with [harsh criticism]. I approached it with understanding, but the problem is, Yerkir Nairi is this "Mets Hayq" narrative today. There is no Mets Hayq, there is only Republic of Armenia.

... YouTube monetization is coming in 2024

A blogger asked Pashinyan if they are negotiating with YouTube to allow Armenians to earn money from ads. He says it was briefly experimented in 2020 and it brought $0.10-$0.40 per 1,000 views.
PASHINYAN: I was able to extort a "promise" from High-Tech Ministry that this feature will become available in Armenia sometime in the first half of 2024. This is an important topic. We would like to see more Armenian language classes and various educational videos on YouTube.

... Pashinyan discusses Serj's legacy in Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations

PASHINYAN: Some members of the former regime claim Russia allowed the 2020 war as a "punishment" because my administration was not pro-Russia enough. In that case, why was Armenia punished [by Russia] in 2016? And that's after Serj's decision to abandon the negotiations with the EU to sign a deal with Russia's EAEU instead. Why was Armenia punished in 2011 when Russia signed a multi-billion dollar arms contract with Azerbaijan? Serj Sargsyan essentially "announced" the 2020 war during his April 2018 speech, when he said that Azerbaijan should be expected to attempt to resolve the conflict through the use of force at any time due to the gridlock in negotiations.
Do you know what the details were surrounding Serj's much-praised "interim status" for Nagorno-Karabakh as of August 2016? Do you know what the situation was as of April 2018? The UN General Assembly was planning a resolution to regulate the organization of life in Nagorno-Karabakh, which the UN Security Council was supposed to adopt at the request of the UN General Secretary after discussions with Azerbaijan, OSCE, and Armenia. What did this "interim status" entail de jure and de facto? It meant the end of the state system [presidency, etc.] in Nagorno-Karabakh and the formation of a new governing system. This is what we had on the negotiation table as of 2018 when I entered office. The UN Security Council was supposed to decide the organization of life in Nagorno-Karabakh. After the nullification of the governing system in Nagorno-Karabakh, the new governing system would be based on the Madrid Principles, which meant joint governing of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azeris and Armenians. The real dissolution of Nagorno-Karabakh as a state happened in August 2016.
All these negotiation documents exist and everything is provable, so the former regime should stop denying the reality. They somehow want to tie the 2018 revolution to the war. In reality, Armenia is currently independent only thanks to the 2018 revolution. We have the chance to remain a free state.
Look at Serj's u-turn in 2013. He publicly negotiated with the EU for years just to turn it down at the last moment [in favor of Russia]. It was a serious blow to Armenia's sovereignty and reputation. Six years of wasted time. Why was he negotiating to begin with, if he wasn't going to sign it? This was a punishment for Armenia's image. Was the u-turn made to improve Armenia's security? Was it done to place the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations on a favorable track? Then why did we receive the 2016 war and the unfavorable negotiation documents?
Nagorno-Karabakh was dissolved in August 2016. Regardless of how much we try to hold today's political figures accountable, the dissolution took place in August 2016 with the presentation of the 3-piece negotiation plan. So who punished Armenia in 2016? In April 2018 Serj got elected as PM by the parliament and thought he was going to remain in power, that's why he openly revealed the dire state of negotiations. The 2020 war was announced by Serj in April 2018. The difference that the 2018 revolution has made is that it has allowed us to preserve our independence today. Just look at the situation around the Association Agreement. Today we have that chance. There are many challenges and dangers but we have that chance today. Read the Yerkir Nairi then take it straight to the history archive. Glory to the Republic of Armenia. Now is the time to replace the virtual homeland with a real homeland so we don't look back at our statehood with nostalgia later. We will have a statehood. I believe in that because I believe in you.

... are you willing to recognize Ossetia and Abkhasia as territories occupied by Russia?

PASHINYAN: We support Georgia's territorial integrity, unity, and statehood. If you look at how Armenia voted in UN resolutions, you will see a difference before and after 2019. Our Georgian brothers have expressed satisfaction with that change. Armenia fully supports Georgia's territorial integrity [thanks for Bastions, wink].

... are you afraid of Donald Trump returning to power in the U.S.? If he does, do you have a plan?

PASHINYAN: I wouldn't like to make any statements disrespectful to the sovereignty or internal affairs of the U.S. but I'll say this directly: the U.S. is a global power so any election result has a significant impact on the world and Armenia. Our relations have significantly developed with the U.S. over the past few years, we are in a very important developmental phase. In 2019 we launched a strategic dialogue with the U.S. A very important event happened in Armenia recently: the joint military exercises. It's not unprecedented but still "unprecedented" because it was for the first time in many years. We also have an economic component. The U.S. is aiding us with democratic development.

... the construction of a copper smelter is being delayed due to fears of sanctions, and another major mine in Armenia hasn't been paying enough taxes because its shareholder is under sanctions

Someone asked Pashinyan to explain what was being done to build a copper smelter and another factory in Armenia. Presumably, some of the people involved in this business are Russian billionaires who own mining shares in Armenia. Pashinyan said the smelter project is being delayed due to some concerns about possible sanctions. He didn't want to reveal more info. The goal is to finish it by 2030.
Teghut mine is functioning but it has a lot of debt accumulated before 2018. It was in the process of bankruptcy. The debt owner was able to gain control of the business but the plans failed because the new operator [also Russian] fell under international sanctions. Teghut's products are being sold at below-market value due to these sanctions so Armenia isn't receiving as much in tax payments as it hoped. [Nationalize that shit?]
PASHINYAN: As for the Alaverdi smelter, it needs investments so its environmental safety systems can meet modern standards. There is currently a lawsuit between two private shareholders. We hope they can sort things out ASAP and invest in the plant.
When the mine owners/operators don't work, it's the state budget that suffers. As a result, we have revoked licenses for 75 idle miners in recent years. We want to take the abandoned mines and give them to active investors. This is a nasty industry mired in global conflicts and sometimes all the work we do is wasted because of circumstances outside of our control. //

... what will be your legacy, what will be written about you in the history books?

PASHINYAN: It depends on who writes the history book. In our traditional history books, one of the most negative and despised figures is King Pap. He is presented almost as satanic and anti-tradition, anti-Armenian. Do you know why the books present him like that? Because he decided to strengthen the statehood "at the expense" of the church.
Pap was an exceptionally state-oriented figure. Although the church hated him, he is the reason why our church is independent today. Before him, our Catholicos were coronated in Caesarea. After coming to power, he wanted us to elect our own Catholicos.
Pap noticed that the state budget was empty. Advisers informed him that it's because there is very little to no land taxation because most lands are owned by the church which doesn't pay taxes. He pushed for a tax collection and a state budget. Land reforms began.
Pap wanted to gather an army but was told there were not enough men. How come? It turns out a large share of men worked at church, while women were locked up in virgin houses and unable to give birth, so there was a demographic crisis. Pap disagreed with those policies. And so on...
During Pap, the elites in Armenia [pro-Russian parties today] were writing complaint letters to Constantinople [Moscow] to inform them that Pap was acting against them and needed to be neutralized. A campaign was launched to discredit him, calling him homosexual, etc. In reality, this was a figure who understood the value of statehood. King Pap is one of the cornerstone figures in our history.
What happened to Pap? With the help of the Armenian elites and church members, they invited him to a dinner and stabbed him to death. His murder was one of the "October 27" episodes of our history, but his assassination began earlier with the targeted defamation campaign. What you knew about Pap depends on whose book you read. The same will be true about my legacy. //
(That concludes my coverage of the press conference.)
source, source,

more details emerge about the plans to implement universal healthcare starting mid-2024

A special state insurance fund will be created.
Employment will be required for able-bodied persons to be able to keep the insurance.
The recipients will be required to undergo annual medical exams as preventative care to keep the population healthy and the long-term costs down.
It will cover all types of medical services, except dental and plastic surgery.
Recipients will pay ֏200K/year ($40/mo). The government will subsidize it for some categories of citizens.
2025 - The government will begin to subsidize seniors' insurance premiums.
2027 - The system will become mandatory for all citizens.
source,

the government has calculated every financial scenario for Crossroads of Peace and it's even more profitable today than it was during the 2021 calculations: finance ministry

REPORTER: How much will it cost to build railways and roads in Armenia?
MINISTRY: Depending on the scenario we choose, depending on whether there will be highways or only railways in some sections, it'll cost $400-$500 million.
REPORTER: Can you break it down?
MINISTRY: Hrazdan-Ijevan-Azerbaijan railway: $318m. Yeraskh-Nakhijevan-Syunik-Horadiz railway: $62m. Yeraskh-Nakhijevan and Nakhijevan-Syunik-Azerbaijan highways: $101m. Gyumri-Akhuryan road: $9m.
REPORTER: When was this calculated?
MINISTRY: In 2021. We also know the volumes of cargo passing through our region, the content of cargo, the buyers and producers, the countries that would be interested in using Armenia as a transit state, etc. We have also calculated the impact on the volume of transfers in the event the cost is reduced by each X dollars. When we made these calculations in 2021, the volumes weren't as big as they are after the war in Ukraine. Today we can expect an even better scenario for us. We could increase the cargo traffic by 8 million tons.
source,

Armenia will install x-ray devices and conduct thorough checks on the border checkpoint with Turkey

$417,000 was allocated by the government on Thursday to acquire equipment for inspections. Turkey and Armenia had earlier agreed to open the border to travelers from third countries. No agreement has been reached yet on when it will open. It was utilized briefly in February when Armenia sent humanitarian aid to Turkey after the earthquake.
source,

poverty rate by province: 2022

5% Syunik
8% Aragatsotn
16% Vayots Dzor
18% Yerevan
19% Lori
24% Ararat
26% Kotayk
34% Gegharkunik (49% in 2021)
37% Tavush
41% Armavir
42% Shirak (47% in 2021)
source,

after repeatedly lowering the interest rate, Turkey is now increasing it by 5% at a time to tackle inflation

source,

Appeals Court sides with consumer protection agency, prohibits companies from advertising their product as "cheese" if it's made of vegetable oil

It cannot contain milk fat substitutes. The label on the product must be color-coded and inform the consumer that it's not real cheese.
source,

So I grew up in one of those house holds where your parents have no faith in you and don't want you to chase your dreams kinda thing (..lol?) - I was approved for a $25,000USD grant when I was 19[13 years ago] to start a Mobile software company but my 'dad'/step-dad said if I didn't keep moving boxes for his moving company that I'd be removed from the house (and at the time I was chasing an idea to corner the entire app-market, and only even staying there because they offered and said that I could use my "rent" after six months to pay off my drivers license fines (speeding, seatbelt tickets, impound fee's etc). So due to that threat I never claimed the grant, I didn't even have the composure to call the Grant Association/government sponsored grant entity and tell them what was going on. I was ...ashamed I guess you could say - that I was taking the shit my step dad spewed at me and gobbling it up (metaphorically lol) as I know now that I'm older I'd have potentially created a business that would've been valued akin to Instagram or other multi-million dollar software companies.
I detected a remote intrusion on my PC through event viewer and process manager the other day after simply trying to trouble shoot a Steam-game that wasn't properly working.
I have BitDefender Pro, Malware byte's pro (not installed but have a yearly sub) and some other great anti virus software such as Avast and McAfee and even Norton! I don't go to sketchy sites but my mom does. My mom has even made purchases online that led to her acct info being stolen, yet SOMEHOW the same step dad is stating that "well it must have been you! I don't go to "sketchy websites" or "buy things online" and I don't have any malware" I tried to explain exactly why and how he could not know that, using nothing but Microsoft's built in windows 7 firewall and antivirus. But it was lost in translation and I could tell he didn't understand anything I was saying.
He also has unnecessary UPNP and TCP port forwarding enabled and the router security settings set to MINIMUM which means all ports can be opened and forwarded. It's essentially set up for hack-intrusions!
How do I show them/discover for myself the originating device that allowed the router to be hacked and remotely accessed? We even have camera's in the house! Likely being spied on and every key stroke in this msg is likely also being spied on.
Is this even possible? Can I detect the originating device? Is there any way to clear a potential router infected with a worm? How do I stop the worm that is likely on their phones and laptops from uploading right back to the connected router and/or modem from copying itself back when the stupidly weak password for the wifi finally gets changed today after me fighting them on this since June?
PS to all the judge-ry-doo's out there, i'm only at my parents (since May) because my best friend and roommate at the time hanged himself and I discovered him and couldn't stay there any longer.

Of course, it's not entirely too late. Humanity still has a chance to reduce its dependency on oil, coal and gas for our energy needs.
Advertisement:
And if we don't, the future will be bleak indeed. Salon spoke to experts to assess what the Earth will look like 100 years from now if we do nothing to change the current trajectory of industrial civilization. Perhaps predictions will jump-start humanity into action. https://www.salon.com/2023/05/04/this-is-what-the-world-will-look-like-in-100-years-if-we-do-nothing-to-stop-climate-change/
Sometimes stretching thousands of kilometers, atmospheric rivers transport moisture away from the tropics to other parts of the globe. They are a necessary part of the global weather cycle and can bring needed rains to drought-stricken areas. But they can also contribute to dangerous flooding.
"The Greenland ice sheet has seen an acceleration in glacial melt over the last 30 years," says Mattingly. "Our research shows the major impacts atmospheric rivers can have over the northeast part of the ice sheet."
Greenland is covered by a 3,000-meter (9,800-foot) thick ice sheet that contains enough water to raise sea levels by 7 meters, or 23 feet. For millennia, it has played a major role in regulating Earth's temperature and climate, but that stability is at risk due to climate change. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-atmospheric-rivers-linked-greenland-ice.html
Called assembly theory, the idea underpinning the pair’s strategy has even grander aims. As laid out in a recent series of publications, it attempts to explain why apparently unlikely things, such as you and me, even exist at all. And it seeks that explanation not, in the usual manner of physics, in timeless physical laws, but in a process that imbues objects with histories and memories of what came before them. It even seeks to answer a question that has perplexed scientists and philosophers for millennia: What is life, anyway? https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-theory-for-the-assembly-of-life-in-the-universe-20230504/
Proteins that act like air traffic controllers, managing the flow of signals in and out of human cells, have been observed for the first time with unprecedented detail using advanced microscopy techniques. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-cellular-traffic-caught-receptors.html
Recent reports reveal that many pregnant women feel like they are not being listened to in the maternity care system. The evidence shows this is particularly the case among Black, Asian and minority ethnic mothers-to-be.
Tinuke Awe and Clotilde Rebecca Abe are the co-founders of Five X More, which aims to help Black women make informed choices throughout pregnancy. This is their advice on how to best advocate for yourself before, during and after birth... https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/mental-health/a43767728/how-to-make-yourself-heard-birth-maternity-care-system/
will facilitate the research needed to investigate their roles in microbiome functionality and human health. The study is published in the journal Nature.
Key breakthroughs include identifying the presence of multiple cargo proteins carried by the virus, including finding a protein that occupies both the head and tail of the virus. This discovery allows the team to predict a mechanism for how the virus injects its DNA into its bacterial target.
A new protein fold was also identified that acts as a "gatekeeper"—controlling what is transported in and out of the viral particle. Additionally, the team are now able to assign functions to viral genes which were designated as hypothetical until now. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-first-ever-human-gut-virus.html
Don’t ignore potential microbial causes of Alzheimer’s and other chronic diseases, researchers say https://www.statnews.com/2023/05/03/alzheimers-herpes-virus-stat-breakthrough-summit/
Techexplorist website gives Reddit the hiccups, just so you know. . Researchers from Brazil showed that Amazonian dark earth (ADE), soils enriched by Amerindian people thousands of years ago, increases the establishment and growth of seedlings of tree species important for reforestation. By copying the composition of ADE, especially its microbes, reforestation in Brazil and elsewhere could be sped up. https://www.techexplorist.com/the-secret-of-the-amazonian-dark-earth-could-help-forest-restoration/59953/
Chandler Unified Schools Join Lawsuit Against Social Media
One of the largest school districts in Arizona has joined a lawsuit against several social media companies, alleging that their algorithms, corporate decisions and business strategies have harmed student mental health. https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/chandler-unified-schools-join-lawsuit-against-social-media
Drivers Found for Rare Myocarditis in Young Males After Second SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Insights could help optimize the delivery of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines to deter very uncommon instances of vaccine-linked cardiac inflammation. https://www.aaas.org/news/drivers-found-rare-myocarditis-young-males-after-second-sars-cov-2-mrna-vaccine
While there have been hints that biological age might be reversible, a new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system is the first to provide strong evidence, from both humans and preclinical models, that when stress is relieved, biological age can be restored. https://scienceblog.com/537683/biological-age-increases-with-stress-but-can-be-reversed/
For decades, scientists have looked to seaweed as an indicator of the health of coral reefs lying underneath.
But what if the seaweed was misleading them?
New UBC research reveals it was, and scientists need new ways to determine whether human activity is harming a particular reef. https://scienceblog.com/537685/how-seaweed-has-been-misleading-scientists-about-reef-health/
Hugging and swaddling opioid-exposed newborns can reduce their hospital stays by almost a week, compared to older, drug-based methods, according to new research published by University of New Mexico researchers.
For years, clinicians have known that babies exposed to opioids in the womb were at risk of developing neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), https://scienceblog.com/537687/hugs-beat-drugs-for-newborns-exposed-to-opioids/
Helping Unemployed People Into Work is a Social and Economic Good
Marc Cowling and Ondřej Dvouletý reflect on their article, “UK government-backed start-up loans: Tackling disadvantage and credit rationing of new entrepreneurs,” which was published by the International Small Business Journal. Their reflection appears below their abstract. https://www.socialsciencespace.com/2023/05/helping-unemployed-people-into-work-is-a-social-and-economic-good/
Prof. Shin credited H&M for being so entrepreneurial with its program, for working to establish appropriate metrics to measure the impact of its wage-related initiatives and for being open with its data.
"A collective approach is needed," to improve conditions for workers, she said, "and corporations like big multi-nationals, if they really want to make a change, they have huge powers to do that."
The study was published in the Journal of Accounting Res https://phys.org/news/2023-05-path-fair-wage-global-chain.html
Those with high amounts of beta-amyloid deposits in their brain who also had more deep sleep did better on the memory test than those with the same amount of deposits who slept worse. This was limited to the group with amyloid deposits. In the group without the deposits, deep sleep did not improve memory.
After controlling for other factors, researchers still saw benefits from deep sleep. This suggests that deep sleep contributes to salvaging memory function even in the face of brain pathology. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/05/05/6611683292140/
divided into three groups according to how closely they followed the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which is based on the DGA.
The group with the highest total HEI score, indicating the strongest compliance with the DGA, had the highest gut microbiota diversity, as well as a larger presence of bacteria that contribute beneficial functions like fiber fermentation, Baldeon says.
"The gut microbiota is really good at breaking down fiber, which is important because humans cannot digest fiber. Study participants with a higher diet quality had a greater abundance of bacteria involved in fiber metabolism," he notes. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230505/Study-explores-the-role-of-diet-in-supporting-a-healthy-gastrointestinal-microbiota.aspx
“The court’s ruling does not mean that existing cosmetic products (or household products) will start to be tested using animals. Nor does it mean that all new cosmetics will have to be tested.
“What it does mean is, if a cosmetics company wants to use a new ingredient that could harm people using it, or the workers making it, then it may require an animal test if no existing data or non-animal test is available.
“Concern over cosmetics ingredients have been raised after UV blocking agents in cosmetics like sunscreen caused infertility and stillbirth in rats. The non-animal tests could not confirm whether the chemicals were safe or not. https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-news-stories-that-the-government-has-allowed-animal-testing-for-ingredients-of-cosmetics-despite-ban/
It doesn't help to know that "any text I write will inevitably be fed into an AI system that will generate even more competition," Chris Cowell, a Portland-based software developer, who had one of his books ripped off by an AI on Amazon, told the WaPo.
And what comes out of these algorithms could lead to mass confusion — or worse yet, rip the rug out from under us.
"The main issue is losing track of what truth is," Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at the AI start-up Hugging Face, told the newspaper. "Without grounding, the system can make stuff up. And if it’s that same made-up thing all over the world, how do you trace it back to what reality is?" https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-flooded-books-written-by-ai
The Double Life of an American Lake Monster
By Marion Renault and Michael Tessler
The answer is ecological awakening—the gradual realization that, if the whole of nature is good, no part can be bad. In their native habitat, marine lampreys are “keystone species” supporting vast aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They provide food for insects, crayfish, fish, turtles, minks, otters, vultures, herons, loons, ospreys, eagles, and hundreds of other predators and scavengers. https://www.wired.com/story/at-last-ugly-sea-lampreys-are-getting-some-respect/
At the end of last year, Reuters reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has set the company's revenue bar very high in an investor pitch, with estimates that the firm could make $200 million this year and $1 billion next year.
Compared to the $30 million OpenAi made in revenue last year, according to Fortune, that figure seems almost impossibly high.
All the same, The Information also reported that Altman has privately suggested that OpenAI could raise $100 billion as it moves towards creating human-level AI or "artificial general intelligence" — an admission which, if true, says a lot about the CEO's priorities, if nothing else. https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-losing-money-chatgpt
This ain't great!
Rainbow Listed
A group of ex-TikTok employees has blown the whistle on the company's alleged practice of keeping a list of users who watched gay content for at least a year.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, employees became concerned about the alleged list because it could be used to identify LGBTQ users and, if leaked or provided to hostile governments, could put those users at risk.
Social media companies have long been known to maintain detailed, personal profiles of their users https://futurism.com/the-byte/tiktok-gay-list
Researchers have created a clever algorithm that can “eavesdrop” on satellite signals to pinpoint any location on Earth, much like GPS. The study showed for the first time that the algorithm could take advantage of signals sent by multi-constellation low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) satellites, such as Starlink, OneWeb, Orbcomm, and Iridium.
By listening to signals from eight LEO satellites for about 10 minutes, the algorithm was able to pinpoint a stationary receiver on the ground with incredible accuracy, making an error of only about 5.8 meters. https://scienceblog.com/537705/satellite-eavesdropping-algorithm-finds-your-spot-on-earth-with-stellar-precision/
"It's not hard to be more scientifically accurate than most sci-fi movies," explained Dr. Joshua Colwell, a planetary scientist and physics professor at the University of Central Florida. Colwell, who served as a "comet advisor" on "Deep Impact," told Salon by email that the movie's "director, producers, and writers made a decision to make the movie as realistic as possible while staying true to the story they were telling." https://www.salon.com/2023/05/06/deep-impact-25-year-retrospective-science/
The sheer magnitude of the October 2021 die-off, when thousands, possibly millions, of herring washed up, is what sticks in the minds of the residents of Kotzebue, Alaska. Fish were “literally all over the beaches,” says Bob Schaeffer, a fisherman and an elder from the Qikiqtaġruŋmiut tribe.
Despite the dramatic deaths, there was no apparent culprit. “We have no idea what caused it,” says Alex Whiting, the environmental-program director for the Native Village of Kotzebue. He wonders if the die-off was a symptom of a problem he’s had his eye on for the past 15 years: blooms of toxic cyanobacteria, sometimes called blue-green algae, that have become more and more noticeable in the waters around this remote Alaska town. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/05/harmful-blue-green-algae-kotzebue-alaska/673974/
With two out of every three homes in America already underinsured, skyrocketing prices may tempt homeowners to cut back even further on disaster coverage, putting them at significant risk when severe weather strikes.
They may also forgo additional coverage that they need more than ever. While mortgage lenders typically require homeowners to carry home insurance, most policies do not cover floods. With budgets tight, Mr. Hosfield anticipates that more homeowners will opt out of insurance for flood damage. “And that puts them in a pretty bad spot,” he said. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/05/realestate/home-insurance-climate-change.html
We also wish to create a deeper understanding of the importance of music and movement in recovery.”
Today, FMT is used in habilitation, rehabilitation and psychiatric healthcare.
“If the results of the project are positive, that is, if evidence can be found that various aspects of health are affected or improved, these can be used as evidence-based support for health promotion purposes for people suffering with chronic pain.”
“And on the other hand, if the results show that FMT has no or only a minor effect, this is in itself an important contribution to new knowledge about treatment and recovery for these people. https://www.newswise.com/articles/music-therapy-relief-for-chronic-pain-sufferers
The new NASA animation shows 10 supersized black holes that occupy center stage in their host galaxies, including the Milky Way and M87, scaled by the sizes of their shadows. Starting near the Sun, the camera steadily pulls back to compare ever-larger black holes to different structures in our solar system. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-animation-sizes-up-the-universe-s-biggest-black-holes
Those who were more excited and less scared thought that the experience was much shorter. I guess time flies when you’re having fun.
The body also goes into flight or flight mode, meaning that the parasympathetic nervous system takes over in the build up to jumping. A June 2013 study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that both first time skydivers and those who were more experienced had similarly elevated salivary cortisol levels. “These findings support previous research demonstrating that skydiving elicits acute cortisol activation,” write the study authors.
Additionally, an April 2019 study published in the journal Biological Psychology found that levels of testosterone in the body were also impacted by skydiving. As cortisol levels increased so too did levels of testosterone, especially in “adventure seeking” individuals... https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/is-skydiving-safe-for-your-body
Junk food and antibiotics: A recipe for disaster for your tummy
May 7, 2023 University of Newcastle https://scienceblog.com/537718/junk-food-and-antibiotics-a-recipe-for-disaster-for-your-tummy/
Other Possible Factors for the Decrease in Metabolic Rate
“The first place to look is our food supply, but we also need to look at environmental toxins, such as plastics, pesticides, other chemicals, etc.,” Dr. Christopher Palmer, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School specializing in the connection between metabolism and mental health, who was not part of the study, wrote on Twitter. “Something in our environment is poisoning our mitochondria.”
Mitochondria, the tiny organs within a cell, play a central role in energy metabolism by converting energy from food into a form the body can use.
Dr. Anders Rehfeld, a Danish researcher in human sperm physiology, shares the same concern and notes the decline in sperm counts over the past 40 years. He wrote on Twitter that “such rapid, widespread changes clearly suggest environmental causes.” https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/obesity-epidemic-linked-to-unexpected-factor-new-study_5242167.html
We have more than five senses. A neuroscientist explains the hidden abilities we often overlook
Dr Lisa Feldman-Barrett
3-4 minutes
How many senses does the average human have? Assuming you equate senses with their receptors, such as the retinas in your eyes and the cochlea in your ears, then the traditional answer to this question is five – seeing, hearing, touch, smell and taste. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-many-senses-do-we-have/
A Long-Overlooked Brain Phenomenon May Make You More Open-Minded
We’re starting to understand how the brain adapts to new situations. https://www.inverse.com/science/cognitive-flexibility-brain-waves
Scientists recruit 2,000 Britons to find a link between psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis in later life https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12054565/Scientists-recruit-2-000-Britons-link-psoriasis-arthritis.html
Some may know this landscape includes the earliest evidence of human occupation in what is now Australia, at Madjedbebe, where signs of habitation have been dated to 65,000 years ago.
Most people, however, ignore the expansive floodplains surrounding these sites, especially when they are covered by water during the wet season.
Our research, recently published in PLOS One, shows these floodplains hide a complex landscape buried deep underground critical to understanding the deep history of the region. We have mapped the cliffs and rivers, more than 15 metres below the current surface, which would have greeted the first people to arrive here.
Red Lily Lagoon https://cosmosmagazine.com/news/remarkable-tech-reveals-ancient-landscapes/
But research priorities are shifting from designing the most energy efficient, powerful batteries possible to creating cells that can be made from sustainable and cheap materials.
That’s where sodium comes in. It’s chemically similar to lithium, but it’s about 1 to 3 per cent the price and is one of the earth’s most abundant elements (a little pile can be found on most dining tables). https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/the-explosive-technology-that-could-create-batteries-from-seawater-20230428-p5d41e.html
Wolf is concerned that the amount of interaction we have with our screens and devices — and the speed at which we necessarily have to function — has changed us by removing from us the ability to be present.
“We have all changed. We don’t even realize it, but there’s a patience that’s needed inside ourselves to give attention to inference, empathy, critical analysis. It takes effort. And we’re so accustomed to going so fast that the immersiveness is difficult.”
Capturing attention
Kai Lukoff is an assistant professor at Santa Clara University in the U.S., where he directs the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. He researches how apps, platform and technology designers attempt to capture a user’s attention. https://theconversation.com/too-many-digital-distractions-are-eroding-our-ability-to-read-deeply-and-heres-how-we-can-become-aware-of-whats-happening-podcast-202818
Air pollution from oil and gas production causes huge health impacts across the United States, a new study says
Emissions from the petroleum industry contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma in 2016
These health impacts cost the United States $77 billion a year, researchers estimate https://consumer.healthday.com/pollution-2659969976.html
Meaning This study suggests that health care cyberattacks such as ransomware are associated with greater disruptions to regional hospitals and should be treated as disasters, necessitating coordinated planning and response efforts.
Abstract
Importance Cyberattacks on health care delivery organizations are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Ransomware infections have been associated with significant operational disruption, but data describing regional associations of these cyberattacks with neighboring hospitals have not been previously reported, to our knowledge. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2804585
Being this massive makes it an ultramassive black hole.[10]
According to a black hole calculator, it would have a radius of about 207 billion km or a diameter of 414 billion km. The event horizon of this thing can fit 11 Solar Systems side by side, so large that it would take light a week to reach the singularity after crossing the event horizon. But in reality, it is probably even larger. Since TON 618 is so far away, we only see how it looked like 10 billion years ago.[1] https://kurzgesagt.fandom.com/wiki/TON_618
But, in terms of physical activity levels, we were able to show that participants who commuted 3 km or less appeared to be more physically active. This could be because this distance made it easier to commute by bicycle or foot to work – or because a shorter commute gave participants time before and after work to exercise. https://www.sciencealert.com/your-commute-may-be-bad-for-you-heres-why
The Martian meteorite Black Beauty
C Agee/Institute of Meteorotics/NASA/UNM
View 1 Images
Scientists are asking meteorite hunters to refrain from using magnets to test the authenticity of their finds because this can destroy the specimen's magnetic memory, erasing valuable information about the nature of the solar system. https://newatlas.com/space/meteorite-hunters-magnets-test/
n Singapore have developed the world’s smallest LED (light emitting diode) that enables the conversion of existing mobile phone cameras into high-resolution microscopes.
Smaller than the wavelength of light, the new LED was used to build the world’s smallest holographic microscope, paving the way for existing cameras in everyday devices such as mobile phones to be converted into microscopes via only modifications to the silicon chip and software. This technology also represents a significant step forward in the miniaturisation of diagnostics for indoor farmers and sustainable agriculture. https://astrobiology.com/2023/05/tricorder-tech-using-your-smartphone-as-a-high-resolution-handheld-holographic-microscope.html
The Climate Change Authority (CCA), a federal government body, recently began a report with these words: “Time has run out to avoid dangerous climate change by reducing emissions alone.”
The subject of the paper was carbon sequestration, and its purpose was to reveal that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is now possible only if we find a way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Emissions reduction alone won’t be enough.
This was the first time anyone from the government has mentioned this. https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2023/05/08/emissions-climate-crisis-kohle
Responsible research
Both GMOs and gene-edited foods offer great promise. Of course there are valid concerns, such as the potential to create new allergens, unintended consequences for ecosystems, and growing corporate control over food. But these can be addressed through responsible research and regulatory frameworks.
Ultimately, the development of future foods must be guided by a commitment to sustainability, social justice and scientific rigour. https://theconversation.com/whats-the-latest-on-gmos-and-gene-edited-foods-and-what-are-the-concerns-an-expert-explains-204275
New research shows that using microRNA to suppress a particular gene in the brains of mice reduces the symptoms of anxiety. https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/anxiety-gene-brain-turn-off/
Salon talked to Carle recently about what workplace bullying is and isn't, why it's so insidious, and how to create a plan for getting space between you and the bully and your professional life back on track. And while bullies thrive on making their marks feel incompetent and off balance, Carle says, "It's not your fault. Don't suffer in silence."
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. https://www.salon.com/2023/05/07/workplace-bullies-come-in-four-distinct-types-heres-how-to-deal-with-each-of-them/
More than two-dozen scientists, including Northwestern University’s Erica Hartmann, have issued a warning about the overuse of antimicrobial chemicals.
The COVID-19 pandemic boosted the unnecessary use of these products, many of which are linked to health problems, antimicrobial resistance and environmental harm. In a new critical review, the scientists specifically cite the use of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), which are increasingly marketed and used in home, health care, educational and workplace settings — despite the availability of safer alternatives, including plain soap and water. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/05/scientists-warn-of-disinfectant-overuse/
“It’s bad news,” said study author Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at University of California Irvine. “We know the current projections are too conservative. We know that they have a really hard time matching the current record’’ of melt.
He said this newly found consequence of tidal activity “could potentially double the projections” of global melt. https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/may/08/warming-stoked-tides-eating-huge-holes-in-greenland-glacie
Sandonato recommends changing the flowers’ water every day if you can. “Every other day is great, too,” she said. “If you’re scared to take the arrangement out, you can flush it out in your kitchen sink.”
Where you display your bouquet also matters. “Keep your flowers in a cool spot out of direct sunlight and away from ripening fruit,” said Whit McClure, who runs a floral design studio called Whit Hazen. Fruits such as apples, bananas and mangoes emit ethylene gas and cause flowers to mature faster. https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/may/09/how-to-keep-flowers-fresh/
Parkinson’s disease is no longer a mystery, as Finnish researchers at the University of Helsinki have identified certain strains of Desulfovibrio bacteria as the cause of most cases. The findings provide hope for better treatment options, as the screening of carriers of the bacteria and the removal of it from the gut can alleviate and slow symptoms of the disease https://scienceblog.com/537761/cause-of-parkinsons-is-desulfovibrio-bacteria-finnish-researchers-say/
The government communicators at the conference, which had about 1,400 in-person and virtual attendees, have a lot of complaints with how it’s all shaken out. Many found the process, rolled out piecemeal and with much backpedaling, confusing.
Perhaps more concerning for them was Twitter dropping its verification requirements for blue check marks, giving impersonators an opening for false credibility.
“Many of the accounts now that have Twitter Blue are not real accounts, they’re just bots, but their comments are being listed first on anything they comment on … https://www.govtech.com/biz/government-begins-to-ask-when-do-we-leave-twitter
has no nutritive or preservative value and is used for a purely cosmetic function, to brighten other colors in food, it makes no sense for the FDA to continue to allow a DNA-damaging chemical to be used in foods in the U.S., especially since many of these foods are eaten by children. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/05/public-health-groups-urge-fda-cancel-approval-titanium-dioxide
EWG’s advice for families: Read ingredient labels to avoid these additives. Choose fresh whole foods when possible.
Food Additives To Avoid ...Chemical/ Function Added to smarter's sidebar under the word foods (fake). Convenient shortcut AHJ
https://www.ewg.org/research/food-additive-science
For more than 500 years, the empire’s military might and sociopolitical complexity allowed the Hittites to control the strategic region straddling eastern Anatolia and the northern Levant.
But by about 1200 B.C., the empire had collapsed. Researchers have cited armed conflict, disease, and political crises as contributing to its decline. Evidence hidden in ancient juniper trees points to what may have triggered that domino effect of calamities: a prolonged drought. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/tree-rings-hint-at-the-fall-of-the-hittite-empire
Sea level rise could be double previous estimates, NASA/UCI study finds
May 8, 2023 NASA/JPL https://scienceblog.com/537756/sea-level-rise-could-be-double-previous-estimates-nasa-uci-study-finds/
It has long been speculated that the shape of our noses is determined by natural selection; as our noses can help us to regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe in, different shaped noses may be better suited to different climates that our ancestors lived in. The gene we have identified here may have been inherited from Neanderthals to help humans adapt to colder climates as our ancestors moved out of Africa." https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230508/Nose-shape-affected-by-genetic-material-inherited-from-Neanderthals.aspx
Millions of antidepressants are being dished out for chronic pain each year despite little evidence they work, a major scientific review found. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12064207/Millions-Brits-prescribed-antidepressants-pain-year-study-claims.html
expert reaction to Cochrane review on antidepressants for pain management in adults with chronic pain https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-cochrane-review-on-antidepressants-for-pain-management-in-adults-with-chronic-pain/
Barbecues could be contributing to the cause of crippling rheumatoid arthritis, a new study reveals.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are toxic chemicals formed from burning coal, oil, gas, wood, or from flame grilling meat and other foods. They can also be produced from smoking tobacco.
New research has now found that breathing in these PAHs can put people more at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a long-term condition with no cure. https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/lifestyle/health/barbecue-smoke-traffic-fumes-linked-29930917
Scientists have discovered that the force needed to eject rocks from the surface of Mars that eventually pelt Earth as meteorites is actually much lower than previously believed. https://www.space.com/mars-meteorites-on-earth-mystery
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate perchlorate, reversing a Trump-era rollback on a drinking water contaminant linked to brain damage in infants.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously in an appeal brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council last year after the EPA, under the Biden administration, stood by the rollback. Two judges wrote that the EPA had no authority to withdraw from a 2011 determination that perchlorate should be regulated.
Circuit Judge Florence Pan, in a concurring opinion, went further. She called the EPA’s decision not to regulate perchlorate “arbitrary” and “capricious” and rejected the agency’s assertion that perchlorate was occurring at lower levels than previously thought. That assertion relied on a ”biased dataset that was selectively updated,” wrote Pan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden last year. https://apnews.com/article/perchlorate-water-trump-brain-damage-epa-0143997558fabea80526c1113b2d4e72
Fake scientific papers are alarmingly common But new tools show promise in tackling growing symptom of academia’s “publish or perish” culture https://www.science.org/content/article/fake-scientific-papers-are-alarmingly-common
“The Asian ancestry of Native Americans is more complicated than previously indicated,” molecular anthropologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yu-Chun Li, said in a statement. “In addition to previously described ancestral sources in Siberia, Australo-Melanesia, and Southeast Asia, we show that northern coastal China also contributed to the gene pool of Native Americans.” https://www.iflscience.com/dna-sheds-light-on-mystery-about-where-native-americans-came-from-68832
The private Catholic university issued a public notice of the data breach March 31 — a week after the San Antonio Express-News first reported it.
Nearly 42,000 individuals were affected, according to a posting on the Maine attorney general's website.
That includes 27,568 Texas residents, according to a notice on the Texas attorney general's data breach security reports website. Hacked information included names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, credit and debit card information and medical data.
A spokeswoman said the university cannot comment on pending litigation. It has yet to answer the lawsuit, filed April 21 in state District Court in San Antonio.
The suit alleges the university on San Antonio's West Side failed to protect individuals' personally identifiable information" and "failed to even encrypt or redact this highly sensitive information." https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/data-theft-victims-sue-our-lady-of-the-lake-university
Most children receiving radiation therapy for cancer can hold still without anesthesia if they watch videos during the treatment, a study of a technique developed at Stanford Medicine found. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2023/05/kids-cancer-video-distraction.html
The three lenses with the highest amounts of organic fluorine were Alcon Air Optix (No Hydraglide) for Astigmatism (20,000ppm), Alcon Air Optix Colors with Smartshield Technology (20,700ppm) and Alcon Total30 Contact Lenses for Daily Wear (20,400ppm).
Among the lowest levels included Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear Plus with UV Blocking (113ppm) and Alcon Dailies Total One-Day Water Gradient for Astigmatism (106ppm).
Coopervision, Alcon, and Johnson and Johnson, which owns Acuvue, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Companies rarely disclose when they use PFAS because the federal government allows them to claim it as a trade secret. The chemicals are also so widely used that they can be unintentionally added to products throughout the supply chain. Independent and academic researchers in recent years have found them in a range of products from toilet paper to plastic food containers to fruit juice. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/09/contact-lenses-pfas-forever-chemicals
Common food additives known as metal oxide nanoparticles may have negative effects on your gut health, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York and Cornell University.
Gretchen Mahler, professor of biomedical engineering and interim vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, worked in collaboration with Cornell researchers to study five of these nanoparticles. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Antioxidants.
“They’re all actual food additives,” said Mahler. “Titanium dioxide tends to show up as a whitening and brightening agent. Silicon dioxide tends to be added to foods to prevent it from clumping. Iron oxide tends to be added to meats, for example, to keep that red color. And zinc oxide can be used as a preservative because it’s antimicrobial.” https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/4221/food-additive-nanoparticles-could-negatively-affect-your-gut-health
However, with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the rise in cybersecurity activity over the past few years, the FBI has increased its monitoring of Russian cyber threats.
While the Snake malware is an elegantly designed piece of code, it is complex and needs to be precisely deployed to avoid detection. According to the Department of Justice’s press release, Russian cyber spies were careless in more than a few instances and did not deploy it as designed.
As a result, the Americans discovered Snake, and crafted a response.
Snake bites
The FBI received a court order to dismantle Snake as part of an operation code-named MEDUSA.
They developed a tool called PERSEUS that causes the Snake malware to disable itself and stop further infection of other computers. The PERSEUS tool and instructions are freely available to guide detection, patching and remediation. https://theconversation.com/its-being-called-russias-most-sophisticated-cyber-espionage-tool-what-is-snake-and-why-is-it-so-dangerous-205405

Introduction
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is often employed by religious apologists to defend the thesis that the universe has not always existed. This is due to the inherent tendency of particles in closed systems to approach a state of equilibrium. The argument is that the universe would ultimately reach a condition with no available thermodynamic free energy, rendering it incapable of sustaining processes that lead to entropy increase and the generation of useful work (as work derives from ordered molecular motion). Therefore, if the universe had existed infinitely, it should have already achieved a state of maximum entropy a long time ago — indeed, an infinite time ago. However, this is not the case, which implies that the universe had a definite starting point in the past. This is known as the Entropy Argument.
This argument is very old. For instance, Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), the atheist communist who collaborated with Karl Marx to develop communist theory, rejected the Second Law of Thermodynamics because of this purported consequence. He wrote to Marx: “You cannot imagine anything stupider.” The idea of gradual equalization of temperatures, or, as it would later be formulated, increasing entropy, led to a world “that begins in nonsense and ends in nonsense.” Although the second law was seen as “the finest and highest perfection of materialism,” it envisaged a progressive cooling of the universe. Such a development implied “the original hot condition, from which things cooled off, absolutely inexplicable, even absurd, thus presupposes a God.” [1] (For more on this, see Kragh, 2004)
I want to make the case that we don’t have to throw out the second law of thermodynamics to believe in the idea of a universe that lasts forever. I’ll explain that it’s possible to have both an eternal universe and the second law without any conflict.
Objections to the Entropy Argument:

1. The second law is not a fundamental or absolute law (like the law of gravity); it is just a statistical regularity (similar to ‘smoking causes cancer’). Violations are possible, even if statistically unlikely for systems as large as the entire universe. There are so many more ways to be high-entropy (chaotic, disorderly) than to be low-entropy (arranged, orderly) that almost anything a system might do will move it toward higher entropy. But there is nothing fundamentally problematic with entropy reduction in closed systems. [2], [3], [4].
2. Not only are violations of the second law possible, but they are also real and well-documented. Micro-physical systems, given that the second law is primarily a large-scale statistical regularity, frequently break it. This observation has been made in laboratory experiments. The probability of entropy increasing, rather than decreasing, rises as larger and larger systems are taken into account. Therefore, if one intends to conduct an experiment likely to observe such reductions, working with just a handful of particles is more appropriate, a feat accomplished by experimenters in 2002. [2], [4] This could be relevant as it is universally held by cosmologists that the early universe was microscopic. If it remained that way eternally, entropy could have been increasing and decreasing since ever.
3. The main problem with the entropy argument is that we cannot definitively claim that entropy will always increase. It is more accurate to say that entropy typically increases. As Henri Poincaré proved, despite being an extremely rare event in large scales, there will be instances when entropy spontaneously decreases, leading to the recurrence of previous entropic states (if certain conditions are met). If we consider an infinitely old universe (such as Boltzmann’s universe), then the very small chance of such reductions in entropy becoming a reality becomes highly likely — indeed, inevitable. With infinite time, it’s anticipated to happen endlessly. [2], [3], [4], [5] Read my brief examination of objections concerning the plausibility of this hypothesis here.
4. The second law posits that the entropy of large systems tends to either increase or remain constant, but not decrease. Nevertheless, it is perfectly conceivable that entropy remained constant (i.e., did not grow) for an infinite amount of time and only initiated its growth at a finite point in the past (say, at the Big Bang). In such a case, it would still be possible for the universe to have existed eternally and we wouldn’t even need an entropy reversal or reduction. This possibility implies that the beginning of entropy does not entail the beginning of the universe; only the beginning of entropy growth. [5]
5. The entropy argument presupposes that the universe is a closed system. However, this assumption has been forcefully challenged by prominent physicists. For instance, Adolf Grünbaum pointed out that an “inherent limitation on the applicability of the… entropy concept to the entire universe lies in the fact that it has no applicability at all to a spatially infinite universe.” Similarly, Landau and Lifshitz, authors of Statistical Physics, clarified that “in the general theory of relativity the universe as a whole must be regarded not as a closed system, but as one which is in a variable gravitational field. In this case the application of the law of increase of entropy does not imply the necessity of statistical equilibrium.” E. A. Milne, reacting to another physicist embracing the heat-death thesis, provides a similar response: “Jeans’s own studies in the realm of the second law of thermodynamics were all concerned with the kinetic theory of gases, in which the specimen under discussion is supposed walled around in a finite vessel; and to such systems the notion of a heat-death is applicable. But by no means is the same result to be predicted of the whole universe.” [6] Finally, Willem B. Drees points out that even though the universe may not be open in the sense of having interactions with an external environment, it is open in the sense that “the entropy ‘is carried away into the expanding space’ by the background radiation, [and so] the expansion works as if there is an environment, although there is none.” [9]
6. This argument also depends on the assumption that the universe doesn’t receive any energy from an external source. It remains possible that there are physical substances of a radically different nature beyond the universe that intermittently or periodically supply external energy to counteract the continuous rise in entropy. If that is the case, then entropy will reverse again in the distant future, perhaps trillions of years after the last black hole in existence has dissipated through Hawking radiation. [3]
7. In the 19th century, the Catholic philosopher and physicist Caspar Isenkrahe argued that an increasing function doesn’t necessarily require a starting point. If that is correct, it is plausible that the universe’s entropy has been continuously increasing forever with no beginning. More recently, some prominent physicists have revived and explored this idea, proposing that the universe might not have an equilibrium state; there is no maximum entropy for the universe to obtain, and so, even if the entropy has been increasing forever, the universe wouldn’t reach an equilibrium. [4], [10] In other words, it is possible that we find ourselves in a closed system where there is no maximum possible entropy. If entropy can just grow forever, then any state is a state of low entropy, because it is low compared to the maximum, which is infinite. As cosmologist Alan Guth admitted, “an interesting feature of this picture is that the universe need not have a beginning.” [7]
8. Proponents of the entropy argument fail to consider the possibility that there might be an undiscovered natural process within the universe that periodically reduces its entropy, preventing an entropy or heat death. This idea may be considered speculative, but no more so than unproven concepts like immaterial or divine entities. Indeed, it may even be less speculative and much more plausible since it only invokes types of substances we already know exist, namely, physical substances and mechanisms, implying it is much more methodologically conservative than supernatural hypotheses. [5]
9. While the second law is valid within our observable part of the universe, its applicability to the entire universe remains uncertain. As cosmologist Sean Carroll explained: “The Second Law definitely comes about because of the configuration of matter in our local region of the universe… That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not universal — by “local region” we mean the part of the universe we can see, and by definition we can’t see what things are like elsewhere. The 2nd Law might apply everywhere in the real universe, or it might not. The idea that the 2nd Law implies the universe began to exist is obviously wrong. It assumes that the 2nd Law is universal, which it might not be.” [8] And if parts of the unobservable universe do not obey this law, they could serve as the external and eternal sources that periodically pour energy into our system.

References:
[1] Sperber, Jonathan. Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life. p.417. WW Norton & Company, 2013.
[2] Carroll, Sean. A Universe Out of Chaos in Discover Magazine, 2011. (link)
[3] Fodor, James. Unreasonable Faith: How William Lane Craig Overstates the Case for Christianity. Ockham Publishing Group, 2022.
[4] Linford, Daniel. Notes for Majesty of Reason Interview. 2023. (pdf)
[5] Lataster, Raphael. The Case Against Theism. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018
[6] Smith, George H. Atheism: The Case Against God. Prometheus Books, 2010.
[7] Guth, Alan. 2014: What Scientific Idea is Ready For Retirement? The Universe Began In A State Of Extraodinarily Low Entropy in Edge. (link)
[8] Terrab, Younes. Did God Cause the Universe to Begin to Exist? An Extensive Refutation of William Lane Craig’s Case for The Kalam Cosmological Argument. MS thesis. 2019.
[9] Drees, Willem B. Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God. Open Court Publishing, 1990.
[10] Kragh, Helge S. Entropic Creation: Religious Contexts of Thermodynamics and Cosmology. Routledge, 2016. (pdf)

Introduction
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is often employed by religious apologists to defend the thesis that the universe has not always existed. This is due to the inherent tendency of particles in closed systems to approach a state of equilibrium. The argument is that the universe would ultimately reach a condition with no available thermodynamic free energy, rendering it incapable of sustaining processes that lead to entropy increase and the generation of useful work (as work derives from ordered molecular motion). Therefore, if the universe had existed infinitely, it should have already achieved a state of maximum entropy a long time ago — indeed, an infinite time ago. However, this is not the case, which implies that the universe had a definite starting point in the past. This is known as the Entropy Argument.
This argument is very old. For instance, Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), the atheist communist who collaborated with Karl Marx to develop communist theory, rejected the Second Law of Thermodynamics because of this purported consequence. He wrote to Marx: “You cannot imagine anything stupider.” The idea of gradual equalization of temperatures, or, as it would later be formulated, increasing entropy, led to a world “that begins in nonsense and ends in nonsense.” Although the second law was seen as “the finest and highest perfection of materialism,” it envisaged a progressive cooling of the universe. Such a development implied “the original hot condition, from which things cooled off, absolutely inexplicable, even absurd, thus presupposes a God.” [1] (For more on this, see Kragh, 2004)
I want to make the case that we don’t have to throw out the second law of thermodynamics to believe in the idea of a universe that lasts forever. I’ll explain that it’s possible to have both an eternal universe and the second law without any conflict.
Objections to the Entropy Argument:

1. The second law is not a fundamental or absolute law (like the law of gravity); it is just a statistical regularity (similar to ‘smoking causes cancer’). Violations are possible, even if statistically unlikely for systems as large as the entire universe. There are so many more ways to be high-entropy (chaotic, disorderly) than to be low-entropy (arranged, orderly) that almost anything a system might do will move it toward higher entropy. But there is nothing fundamentally problematic with entropy reduction in closed systems. [2], [3], [4].
2. Not only are violations of the second law possible, but they are also real and well-documented. Micro-physical systems, given that the second law is primarily a large-scale statistical regularity, frequently break it. This observation has been made in laboratory experiments. The probability of entropy increasing, rather than decreasing, rises as larger and larger systems are taken into account. Therefore, if one intends to conduct an experiment likely to observe such reductions, working with just a handful of particles is more appropriate, a feat accomplished by experimenters in 2002. [2], [4] This could be relevant as it is universally held by cosmologists that the early universe was microscopic. If it remained that way eternally, entropy could have been increasing and decreasing since ever.
3. The main problem with the entropy argument is that we cannot definitively claim that entropy will always increase. It is more accurate to say that entropy typically increases. As Henri Poincaré proved, despite being an extremely rare event in large scales, there will be instances when entropy spontaneously decreases, leading to the recurrence of previous entropic states (if certain conditions are met). If we consider an infinitely old universe (such as Boltzmann’s universe), then the very small chance of such reductions in entropy becoming a reality becomes highly likely — indeed, inevitable. With infinite time, it’s anticipated to happen endlessly. [2], [3], [4], [5] Read my brief examination of objections concerning the plausibility of this hypothesis here.
4. The second law posits that the entropy of large systems tends to either increase or remain constant, but not decrease. Nevertheless, it is perfectly conceivable that entropy remained constant (i.e., did not grow) for an infinite amount of time and only initiated its growth at a finite point in the past (say, at the Big Bang). In such a case, it would still be possible for the universe to have existed eternally and we wouldn’t even need an entropy reversal or reduction. This possibility implies that the beginning of entropy does not entail the beginning of the universe; only the beginning of entropy growth. [5]
5. The entropy argument presupposes that the universe is a closed system. However, this assumption has been forcefully challenged by prominent physicists. For instance, Adolf Grünbaum pointed out that an “inherent limitation on the applicability of the… entropy concept to the entire universe lies in the fact that it has no applicability at all to a spatially infinite universe.” Similarly, Landau and Lifshitz, authors of Statistical Physics, clarified that “in the general theory of relativity the universe as a whole must be regarded not as a closed system, but as one which is in a variable gravitational field. In this case the application of the law of increase of entropy does not imply the necessity of statistical equilibrium.” E. A. Milne, reacting to another physicist embracing the heat-death thesis, provides a similar response: “Jeans’s own studies in the realm of the second law of thermodynamics were all concerned with the kinetic theory of gases, in which the specimen under discussion is supposed walled around in a finite vessel; and to such systems the notion of a heat-death is applicable. But by no means is the same result to be predicted of the whole universe.” [6] Finally, Willem B. Drees points out that even though the universe may not be open in the sense of having interactions with an external environment, it is open in the sense that “the entropy ‘is carried away into the expanding space’ by the background radiation, [and so] the expansion works as if there is an environment, although there is none.” [9]
6. This argument also depends on the assumption that the universe doesn’t receive any energy from an external source. It remains possible that there are physical substances of a radically different nature beyond the universe that intermittently or periodically supply external energy to counteract the continuous rise in entropy. If that is the case, then entropy will reverse again in the distant future, perhaps trillions of years after the last black hole in existence has dissipated through Hawking radiation. [3]
7. In the 19th century, the Catholic philosopher and physicist Caspar Isenkrahe argued that an increasing function doesn’t necessarily require a starting point. If that is correct, it is plausible that the universe’s entropy has been continuously increasing forever with no beginning. More recently, some prominent physicists have revived and explored this idea, proposing that the universe might not have an equilibrium state; there is no maximum entropy for the universe to obtain, and so, even if the entropy has been increasing forever, the universe wouldn’t reach an equilibrium. [4], [10] In other words, it is possible that we find ourselves in a closed system where there is no maximum possible entropy. If entropy can just grow forever, then any state is a state of low entropy, because it is low compared to the maximum, which is infinite. As cosmologist Alan Guth admitted, “an interesting feature of this picture is that the universe need not have a beginning.” [7]
8. Proponents of the entropy argument fail to consider the possibility that there might be an undiscovered natural process within the universe that periodically reduces its entropy, preventing an entropy or heat death. This idea may be considered speculative, but no more so than unproven concepts like immaterial or divine entities. Indeed, it may even be less speculative and much more plausible since it only invokes types of substances we already know exist, namely, physical substances and mechanisms, implying it is much more methodologically conservative than supernatural hypotheses. [5]
9. While the second law is valid within our observable part of the universe, its applicability to the entire universe remains uncertain. As cosmologist Sean Carroll explained: “The Second Law definitely comes about because of the configuration of matter in our local region of the universe… That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not universal — by “local region” we mean the part of the universe we can see, and by definition we can’t see what things are like elsewhere. The 2nd Law might apply everywhere in the real universe, or it might not. The idea that the 2nd Law implies the universe began to exist is obviously wrong. It assumes that the 2nd Law is universal, which it might not be.” [8] And if parts of the unobservable universe do not obey this law, they could serve as the external and eternal sources that periodically pour energy into our system.

References:
[1] Sperber, Jonathan. Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life. p.417. WW Norton & Company, 2013.
[2] Carroll, Sean. A Universe Out of Chaos in Discover Magazine, 2011. (link)
[3] Fodor, James. Unreasonable Faith: How William Lane Craig Overstates the Case for Christianity. Ockham Publishing Group, 2022.
[4] Linford, Daniel. Notes for Majesty of Reason Interview. 2023. (pdf)
[5] Lataster, Raphael. The Case Against Theism. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018
[6] Smith, George H. Atheism: The Case Against God. Prometheus Books, 2010.
[7] Guth, Alan. 2014: What Scientific Idea is Ready For Retirement? The Universe Began In A State Of Extraodinarily Low Entropy in Edge. (link)
[8] Terrab, Younes. Did God Cause the Universe to Begin to Exist? An Extensive Refutation of William Lane Craig’s Case for The Kalam Cosmological Argument. MS thesis. 2019.
[9] Drees, Willem B. Beyond the Big Bang: Quantum Cosmologies and God. Open Court Publishing, 1990.
[10] Kragh, Helge S. Entropic Creation: Religious Contexts of Thermodynamics and Cosmology. Routledge, 2016. (pdf)

Dear [name],
THE MASTER OF THE VALLEY is an 85k multi-POV queer adult fantasy. It'll appeal to fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope in The Unbroken by C.L. Clark and the historical Chinese-inspired setting of She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, as well as viewers of c-dramas such as The Untamed. [Personalisation]
Bai Bashan has no interest in women, but there's only so long he can keep putting off marriage when he's past thirty with no siblings to carry the family line. When his mother finalizes his engagement, Bashan runs away from his stable existence as a blacksmith and joins the renowned Luo martial arts clan as a new disciple.
The Luo are fighting against another clan in an earthquake-prone valley and after a surprise attack leaves many wounded, Bashan heads a search for healing supplies. He's kidnapped by an elite disciple from the enemy, Gao Zhuyi, who takes him to the Gao clan manor on an island that no Luo has infiltrated before. When Bashan manages to get out a distress message, the Luo ask him to stay and spy on the Gao instead.
The oddly friendly Gao Zhuyi isn't interested in Bashan as a hostage. He needs Bashan's help – or more accurately his impressive qi flow – to stop the earthquakes, because the manor is manned by a surprisingly large number of machines and an equally surprisingly low number of live human beings.
When Bashan starts to suspect that both the conflict and the increasingly volatile earthquakes are the fault of the Luo clan he has to decide whether to betray the clan that took him in before there's no valley left to save.
I'm a Chinese-X writer living in X. I was shortlisted for [Publisher] Prize in 2011 and longlisted in 2012.
-
Hi everyone,
Longtime lurker, but I think I read all the important posts. Couple of questions:

• Are the short/longlist awards are worth mentioning since 2011 was so darn long ago now?
• Is it common enough knowledge that Asian names are in Surname FirstName format to not be confusing?
• Gao Zhuyi is both antagonist and LI. Does this need to be more clear?

Thanks in advance!
​

Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about Martin Scorsese's career here, and as I promised, it's David Fincher's turn.
David Fincher has had an interesting career trajectory. He started his career in 1983 as a visual effects producer, before working as an assistant cameraman and matte photographer on Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But his intent was always in directing, so he founded the production company Propaganda Films, in which he would direct music videos and commercials. Nevertheless, he didn't get a feature film directorial chance until the early 90s.
From a box office perspective, how reliable is he to deliver a box office hit?
That's the point of this post. To analyze his career.

Alien³ (1992)

"3 times the suspense. 3 times the danger. 3 times the terror."
His feature film debut. The movie was stuck so many years in development hell, as Fox executives tried to get Ridley Scott back, but there were no reports of getting James Cameron back. After so many drafts, the Fox executives eventually settled in hiring Fincher, who was just known for music videos and commercials. And even then, the movie still faced many problems during filming, such as reworking the ending and the controversial decision regarding the fate of Newt and Hicks. The movie follows Ellen Ripley on a planet housing a penal colony populated by violent inmates, as she faces the return of an Alien.
The previous Alien films were critical and commercial successes. This, not so much. It disappointed in North America, but earned $100 million in the rest of the world, so it was still a box office success. Critical reception was also unfavorable, while audiences hated it, giving it a poor "C" on CinemaScore.
The disdain didn't come just from the public, but from the previous crew. Michael Biehn was reportedly angry with the fate of his character, so he demanded and received almost as much money for the use of his likeness in one scene as he had been paid for his role in Aliens. James Cameron and Ridley Scott also expressed disappointment with the film. Fincher himself disowned the film, later quoted as saying:

"I had to work on it for two years, got fired off it three times and I had to fight for every single thing. No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me."

• Budget: $60,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $54,927,174.
  
• Worldwide gross: $158,500,000.
  

Se7en (1995)

"Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light."
His second film. The film stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two detectives investigating a serial killer whose murders are based on the seven deadly sins.
After the frustrating experience in Alien³, Fincher wanted something much more creative just to prove he could be taken seriously in the industry. Fincher expressed interest in the story, not for the police aspect, but for the exploration of the John Doe character. Nevertheless, he clashed with New Line executives over the ending, as the executives wanted it changed to a happier note. Fincher refused to do so, and Brad Pitt stipulated he would only do the film if he ending remained intact.
New Line struggled with the marketing, and had low expectations after middling test audience screenings. But the movie surprised in all ways. While it opened to just $13 million, it had incredible legs, eventually reaching $100 million. Worldwide, even better, as it hit $328 million. New Line specifically chose to open it in September, where it would face very little competition and relied on Pitt's presence to appeal to suburban areas and small towns. Critical reception was extremely positive, and the ending is now hailed as an all time classic.

• Budget: $34,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $100,125,643.
  
• Worldwide gross: $328,125,643.
  

The Game (1997)

"Players wanted."
His third film. It stars Michael Douglas as a wealthy investment banker who is given a mysterious birthday gift by his brother — participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his everyday life. As the lines between the banker's real life and the game become more uncertain, hints of a larger conspiracy begin to unfold.
Critical reception was favorable, although not many considered up to the standard set by Se7en just two years prior. It managed to hit $100 million, although it didn't recoup its budget.

• Budget: $70,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $48,323,648.
  
• Worldwide gross: $109,423,648.
  

Fight Club (1999)

"Mischief. Mayhem. Soap."
His fourth film. The film is based on the novel by by Chuck Palahniuk and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. It follows an unnamed narrator, who is discontented with his white-collar job. He forms a "fight club" with soap salesman Tyler Durden, and becomes embroiled in a relationship with a mysterious woman, Marla Singer.
The movie struggled in attaching directors, as some had scheduling conflicts, while others didn't understand the book. Eventually, Fincher was chosen as he has wanted to buy the film rights, although he still hesitated in working again with Fox after the hellish production of Alien³. The Fox executives were not convinced of its commercial appeal, and tried to save the film by marketing it as an action film, even promoting it during WWE (talk about not getting what the movie is about).
The film disappointed at the box office, barely passing $100 million and failing to recoup its budget. Critical reception was polarizing at the time, with many split over the film's messages. The film was also accused of inciting copycat behavior, as many teens started their very own fight clubs. However, the film is the definition of a cult film; it's now often quoted and referenced, and its reputation has grown ever since its premiere in 1999.

• Budget: $63,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $37,030,102.
  
• Worldwide gross: $101,209,702.
  

Panic Room (2002)

"What do you do when your hiding place is their destination?"
His fifth film. It stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars. They lock themselves in a panic room, but the burglars want to enter in order to steal bearer bonds locked inside a floor safe inside the panic room by the previous owners.
After two financial disappointments, Fincher settled for something more simplistic in location, viewing it as a "popcorn movie". Whatever he intended, he succeeded, as his film grossed almost $200 million.

• Budget: $48,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $96,397,334.
  
• Worldwide gross: $197,079,546.
  

Zodiac (2007)

"There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer."
His sixth film. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. The film tells the story of the manhunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing, and ciphers mailed to newspapers.
Fincher accepted to make the film after his attempt to adapt James Ellroy's novel The Black Dahlia as a miniseries failed to materialize. He was drawn to the film for his childhood in Marin County during the murders. He wanted the script to be as accurate as possible, even interviewing many people involved in the investigation, inspired by All the President's Men. Warner Bros. and Paramount agreed to finance the film, even though they were unconvinced of its prospects given the case's unresolved nature.
The film received acclaim, and has appeared in many lists of best films of the century. Nevertheless, WB's and Paramount's concerns proved to be correct, as the film couldn't double its budget.

• Budget: $65,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $33,080,084.
  
• Worldwide gross: $84,785,914.
  

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

"Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments."
His seventh film. It is based on the 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse and Cate Blanchett as the love interest throughout his life.
This movie was in development since the 1980s, with actors like Martin Short, Tom Cruise and John Travolta signing to play Benjamin. After directors like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Spike Jonze passed on the offer, Fincher signed. With a $150 million budget, it is his most expensive film to date and his first film to receive a PG-13 rating. The budget was required due to the period setting, as well as the VFX and make-up needed for Benjamin.
The film was a financial success, becoming his highest grossing film, and received a good response among critics and audience. Fincher received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director, as well as his first movie to be nominated for Best Picture. It would lose both to Slumdog Millionaire.

• Budget: $150,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $127,509,326.
  
• Worldwide gross: $335,802,786.
  

The Social Network (2010)

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."
His eighth film. The film is based on the 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, with Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, Armie Hammer as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Max Minghella as Divya Narendra.
The film was Fincher's most acclaimed work (96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 95% on Metacritic) and has been hailed as one of the best films of the century. It was also a box office success, managing to earn $224 million worldwide. Fincher received another Oscar nomination for Best Director and the film was also nominated for Best Picture. It lost both to The King's Speech. The screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, said he's willing to make a sequel if Fincher returns to direct.

• Budget: $40,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $96,962,694.
  
• Worldwide gross: $224,920,375.
  

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"What is hidden in snow comes forth in the thaw."
His ninth film. It is based on the 2005 novel by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. Starring Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, it tells the story of Blomkvist's investigation to find out what happened to a girl from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years ago. He recruits the help of Salander, a computer hacker.
There was enormous interest in Larsson's Millennium series, and Sony was looking to make an Americanized version of the novel, after the success of the Swedish films. Fincher was fascinated with the size of the story and allowed screenwriter Steven Zaillian to take the story in the way he wanted with minimal interference. They employed a five-act structure, likening to a TV police procedural.
The film received praise from critics and audiences, receiving the first "A" on CinemaScore for Fincher. It was also a moderate success, making $232 million. Nevertheless, Sony and MGM were not satisfied with the performance, as they were hoping for at least 10% more. While Fincher, Mara and Craig were all on board with adapting the other two books, Sony chose to reboot instead.

• Budget: $90,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $102,515,793.
  
• Worldwide gross: $232,617,430.
  

Gone Girl (2014)

"You don't know what you've got 'til it's..."
His tenth film. It is based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the film. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon. In the film, Nick Dunne becomes the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy in Missouri.
Reese Witherspoon bought the film rights, planning to star as Amy, before ultimately settling as just a producer. Despite Fox's poor treatment in Alien³ and Fight Club, Fincher accepted to return to the studio and direct the film, working extensively with Flynn on the script.
While Alien³ and Fight Club were considered financial disappointments, Fincher's third time with Fox was the charm. The movie earned a fantastic $369 million worldwide, making it his highest grossing film ever.

• Budget: $61,000,000.
  
• Domestic gross: $167,767,189.
  
• Worldwide gross: $369,330,363.
  

Mank (2020)

"Netflix International Pictures Presents."
His eleventh film. It stars Gary Oldman as screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for the 1941 film Citizen Kane.
Fincher wanted to do this film for years, as his father Jack Fincher wrote the script before passing away in 2003. The script was polished by Eric Roth prior to filming. Even though he was coming off his biggest box office success, the movie wound up in Netflix, where Fincher had been working for a few years. As such, there are no box office numbers. He received his third Oscar nomination for Best Director and Best Picture, both losing to Nomadland.

Future

His newest film, The Killer, will release in Netflix on November 10, 2023. It just premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, and response seems to be very good.
Unfortunately, a third season of Mindhunter is not in his plans. He said:

"Listen, I don’t see myself gone for two years for a third season; I’d rather dedicate one year to a more modest project, have the luxury of spending six months in pre-production to create two hours of content rather than 10."

Other Projects

As mentioned, he directed music videos before making movies. Some of these are:

• "Dance This World Away" – Rick Springfield (1984)
  
• "Englishman in New York" – Sting (1988)
  
• "Janie's Got a Gun" – Aerosmith (1989)
  
• "Vogue" – Madonna (1990)
  
• "Cradle of Love" – Billy Idol (1990)
  
• "Freedom '90" – George Michael (1990)
  
• "Who Is It" – Michael Jackson (1992)
  
• "Love Is Strong" – The Rolling Stones (1994)
  
• "Only" – Nine Inch Nails (2005)
  
• "Suit & Tie" – Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z (2013)
  

He was also involved with Netflix in the making of two series. The first was their first buzzy show, House of Cards, in which he directed two episodes. He won an Emmy for directing the first episode. The other was Mindhunter, for which he directed seven episodes. However, Mindhunter was not renewed after its second season, with Fincher expressing exhaustion with the TV schedule and the fact that the viewership was not enough to compensate its high budget.

MOVIES (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Gone Girl	2014	Fox	$167,767,189	$201,563,174	$369,330,363	$61M
2	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	2008	Paramount / Warner Bros.	$127,509,326	$208,293,460	$335,802,786	$150M
3	Se7en	1995	New Line Cinema	$100,125,643	$228,000,000	$328,125,643	$34M
4	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	2011	Sony	$102,515,793	$130,101,637	$232,617,430	$90M
5	The Social Network	2010	Sony	$96,962,694	$127,957,681	$224,920,375	$40M
6	Panic Room	2002	Sony	$96,397,334	$100,682,212	$197,079,546	$48M
7	Alien³	1992	Fox	$54,927,174	$103,572,826	$158,500,000	$60M
8	The Game	1997	PolyGram	$48,323,648	$61,100,000	$109,423,648	$70M
9	Fight Club	1999	Fox	$37,030,102	$64,179,600	$101,209,702	$63M
10	Zodiac	2007	Paramount / Warner Bros.	$33,080,084	$51,705,830	$84,785,914	$65M

Across 10 films, he has made $2,141,795,407 worldwide. That's $214,179,540 per movie.

The Verdict

David Fincher sure knows how to make thrillers, creating movies that manage to build an audience with the years (look at Fight Club). Even Alien³ has its fans, whether he likes it or not. His box office track record is quite solid, 7 of his movies are successes. Although two of them (Alien³ and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) fell short of the studio's expectations. But still, it's impressive how almost all of them hit $100 million. He's not close to Nolan or Cameron in box office receipts, but he has a loyal audience who will watch his movies and enjoy a great afterlife in streaming and DVD. Unfortunately, we won't have any idea on how his name translates to ticket sales anytime soon, as Mank and The Killer went to Netflix and he's under contract until 2024.
Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.
I asked you in the previous edition to choose the next director. Next week, I'll delve into the box office receipts of... Stanley Kubrick (credit to u/MistakenIdentity77 for suggesting it). Suggest who should be next, and the top choice will be the one. And heads up: yes, I will definitely write about Christopher Nolan. But I'll do it after Oppenheimer ends its run.

Preface:

Let me preface this by saying my FIRE number ended up being higher than a typical leanFIRE number, but it was the result of two OMY, months of OMM, and weeks of OMW. If anyone is close to their goal, they know the feelings, the fears of not having enough, of never finding another jobs, of changes, and it is just easier to keep chugging. My very first FIRE goal was $750k. When I got there, my expense had increased due to the divorce, so $1M was my 2nd goal. I hit this in 2020 and planned to leave mid 2021, but I was given an offer I could not refuse. I ended up staying while hating it every few months, and therefore my porfolio went up even more. My spending, however, is still leanFIRE and I feel my goals are more aligned to this group vs. the main group. Secondly, I only created one post on Reddit ever for a game I was stuck. This is my 2nd post, so please forgive any formatting issues. This is also not intended to be a bragging post. I was not planning on posting, but I got a request from u/pras_srini to give numbers and since I always felt inspired every time I saw a FIRE post, I decided to make one.

Current status:

I’m 40, divorced with 2 kids in joint custody, housing paid off. Total number of working years: 17. My spending goal is between $36k to $42k. Since we have joint custody, 2 kids half time is equivalent to 1 kid full time. My spending, therefore, is for 2 people. My networth without counting my home is $1.6M, for < 3% SWR.

Monthly Budget:

Housing: $580 (Paid off - insurance/tax/HOA/internet/etc) Car: $320 (Paid off - Insurance/Gas/Maintenance) Kids: $400 (Activities/School/Clothing - Total $800 but half is paid by the other parent) Gym/Phones: $90 Food: $400 (I cook almost every meal. The children rarely have fast food because I don't eat fast food. We don't eat at restaurants because it's sad eating out with just the children) Vacation: $850 (We take trips two times a year. I open one or two credit cards per year for points and free nights in addition) ACA: $150 Misc/shopping/donation/hobbies: $210 Total: $3000/month or $36k/year Nope, there is no car sinking fund, and no home maintenance. This is where the $36k-$42k range comes in. I figured that $6k can cover any gap if needed. I have never spent this much on vacation in any year ($7k at most but mostly $5k), but I'm planning on a trip or two extra without the kids, so I padded this number. I can cut it back if needed. I can also increase the withdrawal rate to $48k for 3% SWR if someone got sick and needs to max the OOP or if something comes up. In the last 7 years, the highest spending was $43k when I was paying mortgage.

The numbers:

401k/Traditional IRA: $780k - probably $80k is mega backdoor Roth Roth IRA: $220k HSA: $50k Brokerage/Bank/Cash: $550k Total allocation: 80% SPY/VTI, 9% VGT/JEPI/misc funds, 11% liquid CD/Cash/MM.
Income history: In 2008, I graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and with minimal student loan ($10k at most since I worked at a decent job and lived at home until graduation). I started out making a base salary of $62k + $2k bonus/stocks and never broke $100k in total compensation until 2014, 8 years after I joined the company. I was getting a typical 2-2.5% raise per year and the salary barely moved until I got 2 promotions. In 2019, I found out my salary was lower than my friend who worked for the government. Being sick low compensation, I moved to another company and my base salary was $122k + around $20k of stocks and bonus. In 2021, when I told my manager I was quitting, they inceased my compension by giving me a $30k one-time bonus and up my base salary to $150k - the offer I could not turn down. My total compenstation before I put in my notice was $170k/year.
Liquid Investment: Graph: https://imgur.com/JeTbCjE. There is a bump due to selling the house and had not split the money yet with the ex. In the earlier years I also did not input all my accounts, so there is a jump in 2012. You can see how money grows exponentially. Compound works. < 2007: negative 2008: $9k - shared living cost with my ex 2009: $44k 2010: $65k - married, bought a house at the low of the market for $235k 2011: $100k 2012: $178k 2013: $232k 2014: $309k - sold the house for $323k. Most went to downpayment for a bigger house 2015: $358k 2016: $438k 2017: $410k - divorced, sold some investment to buy a cheap place 2018: $520k - $43k spending. Sold the joint property - barely broke even after fees. 2019: $770k - $32k spending. No mortgage, no more private school, minimal daycare. 2020: $1.05M - COVID. $16k spending (no travel, no gas expense, no daycare, and no kid activities). 2021: $1.43M - COVID. $20k spending with one vacation but same as above. 2022: $1.33M - $34k spending Now : $1.60M - on track for $34k spending - including $4k dental work.
Note 1: Even before I got married, the ex and I had a joint checking that we put the same amount of money in for all the spending. The rest went to our individual accounts. At the time of the divorce, we split joint assets evently. Each of us, however, kept anything that had been in our names. We also agreed on joint custody and no alimony or child support, though we made roughly the same money at the time. Overall, I came out pretty well after the divorce. My networth had certainly increased faster due to DINK for a while and the first house was also the ex's idea. I was hesitant but it turned out to be a great investment.
Note 2: A huge thanks to my parents for my networth. When I first had a job, my parents sat me down and told me to contribute to Roth. I put the max in that year. Then they told me about 401k and I started maxing it out every year to lower taxes. I was warned to never invest in any single stock. I was also frugal and invested any extra I had in a brokerage account. Not everything was smooth sailing, however. I listened to no single stock advice, but I bought EU funds, bought dividends funds, bought target funds and bonds in Brokerage and got huget tax bills. My 401k was in a high expense global fund. I also listened to my mother and bought healthcare sectors and barely got any growth for a few years. I paid a lot of taxes selling equity to buy my current home. However, a few years after I got married, I learned more about investing and since then most of my investment were in SPY/VTI. Overall, my networth was from the very long bull market and a high saving rate. It could have been a lot more had I known more about "all in vtax", but no real regret. Lessons cost money and I learned mine for a relatively good price.

My plans:

1. Withdrawal: The liquid allocation is enough for the rest of the year and the next 4 years. During the last 2 years, instead of putting in the market, I saved up the cash for a "bond tent" to soften any market downturn. It was very temping to buy when the market was low, but I had a big red note to remind myself that I cannot time the market and to stick to my allocation. I will start spending down the cash until 2 years remain. At that point, I may spend down more or withdraw from taxable investment. I'm not sure yet. Once my taxable is gone, I will pull from Roth. I also plan on not increasing my withdrawal by the inflation amount for at least 5 years. My current budget still has plenty of padding.
2. Health insurance: ACA. Next year, Roth conversion ~$39k and take $14k of capital gain, giving a total of $53k income to keep my child out of Medicaid (the other child is covered by the other parent). This will make insurance ~$150/month. The reason is I do not know how good Medicaid is in my area. There are conflicting details. I feel better going with what I know. In the year after, I may convert only $39k to Roth and let the kid go on Medicaid. The income to keep me out of Medicaid is low but the income to keep a child out of Medicaid is very high. I may not have enough capital gain to keep the kid out of Medicaid for years.
3. College: I have ~$120k in 529s for the children that is not counted, which hopefully will double by the time they go to college. I plan on supporting 1/2 of their tuitions and some expenses from this fund. The other 1/2 should be the responsiblity of the other parent. If it's not enough, they will need to take a loan. If the market does well, I will help them out more. But I think they should pay something for their living costs.
4. Backup: I think I should be ok with ~2.75% SWR and a fake, short "bond tent". I can cut my budget to $30k by going on less trips and more if I eliminate it all (hopefully it won't come to that. I want to travel at least once a year with the children). I will not get panic and come back to work even if the market is down 50% unless my spending without the fat will have increased to more than 4% of that 'crashed' porfolio. If that scenario happens, I may find some part-time/seasonal job and tide over for a short while. I'm not opposed to a fun part-time job. And if I really really need to work full-time due to SORR, at least I will have had enjoyed a few years of my life with the children and my aging parents, time when the kids are still young and the parents are still mobile. When the children go college, my spending will also be lower. I do not forsee spending a lot on traveling without the children. Then there is also social security in the far future, which should be something, even if not at full promise. At 3% SWR, assuming a flat market, only inflation adjusted, I will still have enough for at least 33 years. I'll be 73 years old by then with $26k SS income, assuming 70% payout. It's not great but not a bleak outcome. If the market cannot even stay flat for 30+ years, inflation adjusted, we may have a bigger issue. I will just take SS early, cry, and survive.
5. The future: Short term - rest and recharge for the next 4 weeks. Play games in my backlog, clean, declutter, and do home maintenance projects. I have an upcoming international trip for 2 weeks that needs some planning. Long term - Nap whenever I want. This is what I look forward to the most. Since my children are still young, I still need to do parental duty: homework, play dates, sports, school, etc. I have a long list of home projects to do and a long list of games too. I plan on visiting my aging parents more frequently. I plan on continuing reading novels and learning Spanish, start learning piano, go to the gym every day, watercolodigital painting, cook all the recipes from one cookbook, and take a trip or two off-season cheaply with just me and my parents on top of the usual summespring break trips. I will also volunteer at school next year. There are plenty to do! My list keeps growing. I may run out of things once the children go to college, but that is still a long while to go. I'll figure it out once I'm there.

Tools:

These are what I used to calculate and double check and triple check my number: 1. https://www.firecalc.com/ 2. https://engaging-data.com/will-money-last-retire-early/ 3. https://www.reddit.com/financialindependence/comments/mqbo6g/reducing_stress_with_modified_variable_percentage/ 4. https://earlyretirementnow.com/2017/01/25/the-ultimate-guide-to-safe-withdrawal-rates-part-7-toolbox/

Introspection:

I didn't truly hate my job, but I hated how I was chained to a specific time. I debated with myself over and over on the what-ifs. I agonized over how to send the resignation, how I would let my team down, etc. I let the unknown scared me into working more than I should. Once I turned in my notice, I felt so free and so happy. My stress suddenly just disappeared. Wow. I should have done that months ago. And if you can't pull the trigger, u/Eli_Renfro can be very convincing with his blog (BonusNachos.com), and u/stck123 also reminded us that we do not have infinite time and we risk losing our precious time on other unimportant things. And last but not least, make sure you avoid most of the posts in the main subreddit since your number will never be enough there.

TLTR:

Family is important. Don't let your employer underpay you. Invest early. Don't time the market or chase return. Set an allocation and buy broad markets. If you have enough to FIRE and keep delaying, don't. Get your OMY in and go for it.