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Judge blocks California law that targeted deepfake campaign ads

AB 2839 aimed to label AI-generated content in political ads as "manipulated." A federal judge says the law violates the 1st Amendment.




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Supreme Court turns down challenge of California labor lawsuits by Uber, Lyft

The Supreme Court refuses to shield Uber and Lyft from California state labor lawsuits that seek back pay for tens of thousands of drivers.




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FTC adopts 'click to cancel' rule to make it easier to end subscriptions, mirroring California law

A divided FTC adopted a powerful rule that requires companies to make it just as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up for one.




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Abcarian: Former California Rep. Devin Nunes once sued media companies. Now he's struggling to run one

The former California congressman, consummate Donald Trump lackey and Trump Media chief executive is being accused of mismanagement and cronyism.




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RGIII says 'without a doubt' being ready for start of camp is realistic

Robert Griffin III continued to throw during practice; he continued to run and he continued to be optimistic about his chances for being ready at the start of the season. That’s why, when asked if the start of training camp was a realistic possibility for his return, Griffin didn’t hestitate.




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DC to follow California controversial electric vehicle mandate

Washington, D.C., is on track to follow several states in implementing California's electric vehicle mandate to eliminate the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.




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Louisiana lawmakers convene task force to help distressed municipalities

(The Center Square) — A legislative task force "to study the dissolution or absorption of fiscally distressed municipalities" set the tone in its first meeting with a vote to change its name.




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Driverless cars in California can get out of almost any ticket: Report

California will ticket a driver for violating the rules of the road, but for driverless vehicles, there is reportedly no mechanism to ticket the person responsible because of a loophole in some jurisdictions.




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Kyiv rallies behind Mayor Vitali Klitschko, ex-world heavyweight champion

The mayor of Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and his brother, a champion boxer, have been photographed in military uniform after pledging they would fight to protect the city.




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Facebook and Instagram to Display Less Personalized Ads in the EU to Appease Regulators

Facebook and Instagram users in the EU users are getting a new option to use these platforms for free with less personalized ads, and Meta is also slashing the price of its ad-free subscription by 40%.

The post Facebook and Instagram to Display Less Personalized Ads in the EU to Appease Regulators appeared first on Thurrott.com.




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Sarah Borghi Malia Thigh-Hi Stockings 20d.

Satin sheer thigh high stayups stockings from Sarah Borghi. 20 deniers. With Lycra and precious siliconed lace border. Meryl labelled. Colors Bianco,Playa,Chiaro,Sabbia,Fume`,Nero. Sizes 1,2,3. See Sizechart. Price: USD9.73




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"Some Things Cost More Than You Realize"




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Narrative, Fiction and World-Building Reality

Ursula K. Le Guin's Revolutions - "Le Guin's work is distinctive not only because it is imaginative, or because it is political, but because she thought so deeply about the work of building a future worth living."

"Imaginative fiction trains people to be aware that there other ways to do things, other ways to be; that there is not just one civilization, and it is good, and it is the way we have to be," Le Guin says in Arwen Curry's new documentary, The Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin.[1,2,3,4] Le Guin spoke in defense of science fiction and fantasy, which were and often still are maligned or outright ignored by critics. But her statement admits another, deeper necessity: We must be trained to imagine. But imagine what? ... A feminist and a critic of capitalism, Le Guin must have known that progress was as much a necessity as it was an uncertainty. Nobody knows exactly what will happen when they set out to do what no one else has ever done. Le Guin's work is distinctive not only because it is imaginative, or because it is political, but because she thought so deeply about the work of building a future worth living. She did not just believe that a society free of consumerism and incarceration, like Shevek's homeworld, could exist; she explored how that society could be built and understood the process would be hard work, and probably on some level disappointing. The future is not a static thing; to its architects, it is always in motion, always mid-creation, never realized. Le Guin's utopianism perhaps explains why her characters exhibit a certain adaptability, as did Le Guin herself. In her work, she mostly eschewed great battles; a reader of her work should not expect to find a clash at Helm's Deep. A Le Guin character may be at war with his basest self, but the health of the body politic can be at stake at the same time. In The Left Hand of Darkness, Genly Ai only completes his mission to bring Winter into the Ekumen after he overcomes his own prejudicial beliefs about the people who live there. Le Guin found herself embroiled in a similar struggle, which she recounts to Curry. As acclaimed as The Left Hand of Darkness became, feminists criticized it because, while Le Guin's alien race changed genders, in their default state they used male pronouns. Genly is male, too. "At first I felt a little bit defensive," she told Curry. "But as I thought about it, I began to see that my critics were right." There's a quiet radicalism about her admission.
Yuval Noah Harari & Natalie Portman - "Yuval Noah Harari sits down with the award-winning actress, director, and Harvard graduate Natalie Portman to discuss his new book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century."[5]
0:57 The myth factory 2:22 The role of fictions 4:38 Fictions and co-operation ...
Balance of power: The Economic Consequences of the Peace at 100 - "Ann Pettifor finds astonishing contemporary resonance in John Maynard Keynes's critique of globalization and inequity."[6]
In December 1919, John Maynard Keynes published a blistering attack on the Treaty of Versailles, signed in June that year. The treaty's terms helped to end the First World War. Keynes's The Economic Consequences of the Peace[(fre)eBook] revealed how they would also pave the way to the Second... This is a bold, eloquent work unafraid of the long view. It contributed to the economic stability of the mid-twentieth century. And in a world still grappling with the socio-economic and environmental costs of globalization, Keynes's critiques — not least of the era's international financial system, the gold standard — remain powerfully germane.[7] Keynes censures the disregard of world leaders for the "starving and disintegrating" people of war-torn Europe. "The future life of Europe was not their concern; its means of livelihood was not their anxiety," he wrote. Keynes, however, was concerned for Europe's future. His book's significance lies in his revolutionary plan for financing recovery not just in Europe, but across the world. Keynes called for a new international economic order to replace the gold standard, which had held from the 1870s until the start of the war. That system had led to a form of globalization that benefited the wealthy, but impoverished the majority and ultimately destabilized both the financial and political systems... For a book published 100 years ago, the contemporary resonance is unsettling. Keynes writes: "England still stands outside Europe. Europe's voiceless tremors do not reach her ... But Europe is solid with herself." In another passage, he notes that the "principle of accumulation based on inequality was a vital part of the pre-war order of society". And in an era innocent of Amazon and containerized shipping, Keynes wrote that wealthy Londoners could order by telephone "the various products of the whole earth" and expect "their early delivery" to their doorstep. The globalized pre-First World War economy was the template for the modern one. Driven as it was by the international financial sector, the consequences of this economic system were predictable: rising inequality, economic instability, political volatility and war. Thus, a bankrupt Germany and its allies (the Central Powers) — all heavily indebted sovereign governments — were to endure increasingly frequent economic crises after 1919. Their creditors, the victorious Allied Powers, made no effort towards a sound and just resolution of these crises.[8,9,10]
Now's the time to spread the wealth, says Thomas Piketty - "His premise is that inequality is a political choice. It's something societies opt for, not an inevitable result of technology and globalisation. Whereas Marx saw history as class struggle, Piketty sees it as a battle of ideologies."[11]
Every unequal society, he says, creates an ideology to justify inequality. That allows the rich to fall asleep in their town houses while the homeless freeze outside. In his overambitious history of inequality from ancient India to today's US, Piketty recounts the justifications that recur throughout time: "Rich people deserve their wealth." "It will trickle down." "They give it back through philanthropy." "Property is liberty." "The poor are undeserving." "Once you start redistributing wealth, you won't know where to stop and there'll be chaos" — a favourite argument after the French Revolution. "Communism failed." "The money will go to black people" — an argument that, Piketty says, explains why inequality remains highest in countries with historic racial divides such as Brazil, South Africa and the US. Another common justification, which he doesn't mention, is "High taxes are punitive" — as if the main issue were the supposed psychology behind redistribution rather than its actual effects. All these justifications add up to what he calls the "sacralisation of property". But today, he writes, the "propriétariste and meritocratic narrative" is getting fragile. There's a growing understanding that so-called meritocracy has been captured by the rich, who get their kids into the top universities, buy political parties and hide their money from taxation. Moreover, notes Piketty, the wealthy are overwhelmingly male and their lifestyles tend to be particularly environmentally damaging. Donald Trump — a climate-change-denying sexist heir who got elected president without releasing his tax returns — embodies the problem... Centre-right parties across the west have taken up populism because their low-tax, small-state story wasn't selling any more. Rightwing populism speaks to today's anti-elitist, anti-meritocratic mood. However, it deliberately refocuses debate from property to what Piketty calls "the frontier" (and others would call borders). That leaves a gap in the political market for redistributionist ideas. We're now at a juncture much like around 1900, when extreme inequality helped launch social democratic and communist parties.
Ideological differences in the expanse of the moral circle - "Do clashes between ideologies reflect policy differences or something more fundamental? The present research suggests they reflect core psychological differences such that liberals express compassion toward less structured and more encompassing entities (i.e., universalism), whereas conservatives express compassion toward more well-defined and less encompassing entities (i.e., parochialism)."[12,13,14,15,16,17]
  • In Our Time, The Rapture - "Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the idea that believers will vanish from the world, touching on religious entrepreneurialism, William Miller, dispensational modernism, premillennialism, and other such eschatological battiness."
  • Medieval cannibal babies - "How a collective of intellectuals can engage in the production of unlikely stories to protect a cherished theory."
  • Three Decades Ago, America Lost Its Religion. Why? - "'Not religious' has become a specific American identity—one that distinguishes secular, liberal whites from the conservative, evangelical right."[18,19]
Zadie Smith: Fascinated to Presume: In Defense of Fiction - "I could never shake the suspicion that everything about me was the consequence of a series of improbable accidents—not least of which was the 400 trillion–to-one accident of my birth. As I saw it, even my strongest feelings and convictions might easily be otherwise, had I been the child of the next family down the hall, or the child of another century, another country, another God."[20] We should all be reading more Ursula Le Guin - "Her novels imagine other worlds, but her theory of fiction can help us better live in this one."[21]
"The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction,"[pdf] an essay Le Guin wrote in 1986, disputes the idea that the spear was the earliest human tool, proposing that it was actually the receptacle. Questioning the spear's phallic, murderous logic, instead Le Guin tells the story of the carrier bag, the sling, the shell, or the gourd. In this empty vessel, early humans could carry more than can be held in the hand and, therefore, gather food for later. Anyone who consistently forgets to bring their tote bag to the supermarket knows how significant this is. And besides, Le Guin writes, the idea that the spear came before the vessel doesn't even make sense. "Sixty-five to eighty percent of what human beings ate in those regions in Paleolithic, Neolithic, and prehistoric times was gathered; only in the extreme Arctic was meat the staple food." Not only is the carrier bag theory plausible, it also does meaningful ideological work — shifting the way we look at humanity's foundations from a narrative of domination to one of gathering, holding, and sharing. Because I am, despite my best efforts, often soppy and sentimental, I sometimes imagine this like a really comforting group hug. But it's not, really: the carrier bag holds things, sure, but it's also messy and sometimes conflicted. Like when you're trying to grab your sunglasses out of your bag, but those are stuck on your headphones, which are also tangled around your keys, and now the sunglasses have slipped into that hole in the lining. Le Guin's carrier bag is, in addition to a story about early humans, a method for storytelling itself, meaning it's also a method of history. But unlike the spear (which follows a linear trajectory towards its target), and unlike the kind of linear way we've come to think of time and history in the West, the carrier bag is a big jumbled mess of stuff. One thing is entangled with another, and with another. Le Guin once described temporality in her Hainish Universe (a confederacy of human planets that feature in a number of her books) in the most delightfully psychedelic terms: "Any timeline for the books of Hainish descent would resemble the web of a spider on LSD." This lack of clear trajectory allowed Le Guin to test out all kinds of political eventualities, without the need to tie everything neatly together. It makes room for complexity and contradiction, for difference and simultaneity. This, I think, is a pretty radical way of looking at the world, one that departs from the idea of history as a long line of victories. Le Guin describes her discovery of the carrier bag theory as grounding her "in human culture in a way I never felt grounded before." The stick, sword, or spear, designed for "bashing and killing," alienated her from history so much that she felt she "was either extremely defective as a human being, or not human at all." The only problem is that a carrier bag story isn't, at first glance, very exciting. "It is hard to tell", writes Le Guin, "a really gripping tale of how I wrested a wild-oat seed from its husk, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then another, and then I scratched my gnat bites, and Ool said something funny, and we went to the creek and got a drink and watched newts for a while, and then I found another patch of oats..." As well as its meandering narrative, a carrier bag story also contains no heroes. There are, instead, many different protagonists with equal importance to the plot. This is a very difficult way to tell a story, fictional or otherwise. While, in reality, most meaningful social change is the result of collective action, we aren't very good at recounting such a diffusely distributed account. The meetings, the fundraising, the careful and drawn-out negotiations — they're so boring! Who wants to watch a movie about a four-hour meeting between community stakeholders? ... We will not "beat" climate change, nor is "nature" our adversary. If the planet could be considered a container for all life, in which everything — plants, animals, humans — are all held together, then to attempt domination becomes a self-defeating act. By letting ourselves "become part of the killer story," writes Le Guin, "we may get finished along with it." All of which is to say: we have to abandon the old story.[22]
Future Tense Fiction: Stories of Tomorrow Has Arrived - "A thought-provoking excursion into the futures we would and would not want to live in."[23]




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Locos' chef Victor Lewin brings Texas brisket and hospitality to the Hillyard neighborhood

"After all is said and all is done, it's just me and you."…



  • Food & Cooking

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Kamala Harris throws support behind federal cannabis legalization

Vice President Kamala Harris announced last week her intention, if elected president, to "legalize marijuana at the federal level."…




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Family fun centers offer experiences for children and parents alike

When it's too hot — or cold — to enjoy the great outdoors, family fun centers are a great option to keep the whole family entertained while getting some physical movement in…



  • Outdoors & Recreation

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A cherished resource in this moment: our region's writers, poets and journalists

Our staff of reporters and photographers at the Inlander has been working tirelessly to cover the coronavirus pandemic and all of its implications for the Inland Northwest — on jobs, schools, employment, the restaurant industry, arts organizations, hospitals and much, much more. However, we’ve also tapped into a boundless resource that is our region’s community of writers, and in recent days they’ve shared with Inlander readers an awe-inspiring series of essays and stories that has left us inspired, hopeful, heartbroken and more than a little grateful…



  • News/Columns & Letters

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C'mon C'mon delivers a tender tale of healing driven by a never-better Joaquin Phoenix and newcomer Woody Norman

The work of Oscar-nominated writer-director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners) has always been grounded in an inescapable sense of empathy — for the world, the people who live in it, and the characters he crafts a film around…



  • Screen/Movie Reviews

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show still draws crowds of superfans and virgins alike nearly five decades after its initial release

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is unlike anything else…



  • Arts & Culture

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Journalist Nate Schweber shares a historic story of public lands conservation for the Palouse's Everybody Reads program

Like the main characters of his latest book, author and journalist Nate Schweber is shaped by his upbringing in the Western United States…



  • Arts & Culture

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Seed banks around the world guard against the perils of industrialized farming and disasters. One of the most diverse banks in the U.S. can be found on the Palouse

Tucked inside a nondescript building on Washington State University's Pullman campus is a bank holding an abundance of the world's wealth, where row after row of temperature-controlled filing cabinets store something far more precious than savings bonds or artwork: seeds…



  • News/Local News

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Royal Blue Fine Woodworking: Going with the grain to create lasting beauty and functionality

Josh King’s Royal Blue Woodworking is named for his first dog, Bud, a blue Great Dane. For six years King studied at Colorado’s Red Rocks Fine Woodworking College, where, as he puts it, he got to learn from “eight different Michael Jordans.” King has now been a full-time fine woodworker for 12 years, though Bud has sadly passed on…




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We went behind the scenes at Scarywood to understand what it takes to bring the theme park alive with fright

Fear is an instinctive, innate biological response that's kept humans safe for many millennia…



  • Culture/Arts & Culture

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As Afghanistan falls to the Taliban, Spokanites try, mostly in vain, to rescue their Afghan friends and family

It's a Sunday in late August, eight days before the last American soldier will leave Afghanistan…



  • News/Local News

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The Childhood Cancer Coalition eases the disease's burden on Inland Northwest families, one kindness at a time

On Meagan Glubrecht's right forearm is an unmistakable tattoo…




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Seven stories above Lake Coeur d'Alene, Beverly's continues its top-notch hospitality in a recently updated, casual fine dining environment

Beverly's has all the physical markings of a traditional fine dining experience: fancy cutlery, a robust wine collection, a menu that's actually a digital tablet and a stunning view…



  • Dining Out Guide

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Frank Turner chats about music universality, his new album Undefeated and being an “angry man”

Folk punk hits different in the UK…




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'RHOA' Reunion: Porsha Williams Hints at LaToya Ali Hookup at Cynthia Bailey's Bachelorette Party

The reunion episode also sees Kandi Burruss and Porsha opening up about where their friendship stands today as they're now following each other on social media after years of ups and downs.



  • tv
  • The Real Housewives of Atlanta

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"The Last Letter from Your Lover" - cast: Felicity Jones, Shailene Woodley, Callum Turner, Nabhaan Rizwan, Joe Alwyn, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Appleton, Christian Brassington, Alice Orr-Ewing, Lee Knight, Zoe Boyle, Ben Cross, Diana Kent

Release date : July 23, 2021
Synopsis : Based on the best-selling novel by Jojo Moyes, "The Last Letter From Your Lover" follows Ellie (Felicity Jones), a young ...




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Jamie Lee Curtis Backs Will Smith's 'Dad Bod' Post With Reminder of Realistic Self Acceptance Goal

In a since-deleted post on the photo-sharing site, the 'Halloween' actress joins 'The Pursuit of Happyness' actor to discuss body positivity and health issue.




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Caitlyn Jenner Calls for Restoration of Californian Dream in 1st Ad Campaign for Governor Run

Describing herself as 'compassionate disrupter' in the 3-minute video, the former 'I Am Cait' star takes aim at 'career politicians' Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi for breaking COVID health protocols.




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Jamie Lee Curtis Backs Will Smith's 'Dad Bod' Post With Reminder of Realistic Self Acceptance Goal

In a since-deleted post on the photo-sharing site, the 'Halloween' actress joins 'The Pursuit of Happyness' actor to discuss body positivity and health issue.




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Angelina Jolie Finds Her Comeback as 'Broken Person' in New Film After Brad Pitt Split 'Very Healing

The 'Maleficent' actress explains she was drawn to her character in new thriller 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' because the woman is broken but manages to overcome it.





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‘Birmingham Look Book’ to inspire journalists to visit region

The Birmingham Look Book – a go-to resource for journalists designed to raise the profile of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull with national and international media




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Midlands company helps deliver sports qualifications

Digital platform leads to 18,000 sports qualifications during lockdown.



  • Employment
  • Sport
  • Training
  • Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity
  • ReTrain to Retain



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Air purifier sales stagnate as marketers fail to capitalise on worsening pollution

Despite severe air pollution in Indian cities, particularly in Delhi-NCR, the market for air purifiers and anti-pollution personal care products remains small. Consumers perceive limited tangible benefits and sales spike only during peak pollution periods. While some growth occurs after Diwali, the overall market remains stagnant, with some companies exiting or scaling back operations.




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Xiaomi India president Muralikrishnan steps down due to personal reasons

Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B has resigned to pursue a doctorate, marking the end of his tenure during a period of recovery for the leading smartphone company. Muralikrishnan, who joined in 2018, will transition into a six-month gardening leave. His departure follows strategic executive appointments aimed at boosting offline sales and premium market presence.




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Diwali sees silver lining with 20 year sales record, gold lacks lustre

Indians purchased 220 tonnes of silver during this year's Dhanteras-Diwali. This is the highest amount in two decades. The surge in silver sales is attributed to its rising prices and its appeal as a safe-haven asset. Gold sales, however, declined by 15% this year. Experts predict silver prices will continue to rise.




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Business Process Automation Specialist (Cleveland, OH or Framingham, MA)

Looking for someone with experience automating business processes with tools like PowerAutomate, VBA and Powershell. Detailed posting here.




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Receive a package (clothing) and ship it to the US (California )

I'd like to buy suit separates from Mödstrom, who only ship to the following countries: Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greenland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Lithuania Poland The Netherlands I'm in the United States. So ideally, I'd like someone in one of the above countries to receive the package for me and ship it on to the US. I would pay for all shipping costs, and either order the item or give you the money to order if you'd like to keep your address confidential. I'll also pay you for your time, please feel free to make an offer (I don't know how much effort this will require on your part depending on your location, but if you'd like me to make an initial offer I can do so). I'd prefer to be contacted through MeMail, but you can use the email address here if you prefer.




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Federal Gov't Administrative Support Specialist (445 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20024-2101)

Want to work at one of the Federal Government's "Best Places to Work" and protect the retirement security of millions of workers and retirees? The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's (PBGC) Office of Policy and External Affairs (OPEA) is looking for a DC-area Administrative Support Specialist. The GS-11 position will: Provide administrative support for PBGC' s Advisory Committee, comprised of Presidentially appointed members, including travel, budget, payroll, speaker presentation coordination (including audio/visual support) and meeting preparation. Manage Congressional Correspondence tracking system in a confidential capacity and handling sensitive Congressional correspondence. Work closely with leadership to coordinate a variety of essential services through various PBGC organizations, e.g., budget, procurement, human resources, information technology, etc. Perform research assignments, special projects, and a broad range of administrative functions, including matters of a sensitive nature, for leadership as necessary in executing the missions of the office. The candidate is required to be on-site at least one day per week and may be asked to be onsite to support in-office staff for special meetings and events as needed.




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Comics artist with "cartoon realism" style. (London)

I'm a published writer with a completed script for a non-fiction graphic novel, but no-one to draw it. It's a real-world setting and cast with no fantasy or superhero elements. The story's a serious one, so the art needs to match that tone. Initially, I just need ten pages of finished B&W art (pencils & inks) to use as I pitch the project round suitable publishers. For the right artist this could grow into a paid commission for the full book. I'm happy to agree either a page rate deal or a 50/50 ownership split (including ancillary rights). The story has proven TV/film potential. If you'd like to be considered, please Metamail me with a link where I can find your samples and details of any comics work you've done before. Thank you.




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Cinema Chat: 'Sing Sing,' 'Didi' and 'Alien: Romulus' open downtown

We're halfway through August, so there's still time to catch a summer flick! WEMU's David Fair is away this week, so Mat Hopson steps in to discuss the newest movies and upcoming special screenings at your favorite downtown movie houses with Marquee Arts executive director Russ Collins!




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Rest, Relationships and Healing (Lesson #7)

This week we will look at forgiveness and what it can do for restless human hearts. Without forgiveness, we remain victims. Forgiveness has more to do with ourselves than with the person or persons who have wronged us.




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Lawmakers Consider Repealing Citizen’s Arrest Law Used As Defense in Ahmaud Arbery Death

According to Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law is rooted in medieval times and is an “outmoded concept” in this age of “increased police forces.” Porter made those remarks at a Georgia House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee hearing on Monday.




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By salishsea in "Respecfully agree to disagree" on Ask MeFi

I actually got paid to do this.

For three years (from 1996 to 1999) I worked as a Public Information and Consultation Advisor for the Federal Treaty Negotiation Office in British Columbia. It was essentially my job to talk to angry and racist non-native people about the land claims settlements we, the federal government, were negotiating with First Nations.

One thing that helped me do this job was a story I heard Utah Phillips tell at the 1997 Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Seems one day he was told of an old cowboy in New Mexico who was dying. This old cowboy had ridden on some of the last cattle drives on the Great Plains in the 1800s and had scores of songs in his head about that time. Utah made an effort to go visit him on his death bed way out in the desert. When he got to the cowboy's cabin, a nurse answered the door, said he was expected and asked him to wait in the sitting room while she got the cowboy ready for the visitor.

The cowboy was an avid reader and had many hundreds of books. As he was waiting Utah scanned the shelves and saw what was what. He was surprised and shocked to see tract after tract from the John Birch Society, a virulent right wing political movement that clashed deeply with Utah's own hard left politics. Utah reflected on the predicament he was in. Here was this cowboy full of all of these songs, and there was this irresolvable political gap between them.

But thinking on it more, Utah realized that the REASON the cowboy had so many political books is that he didn't actually KNOW much about politics. In fact if he were to ask the old man about politics, he knew the old man would only give him lies, stuff that he didn't believe but that was recited out of the books. Utah Phillips noted that there was not one book on cowboys or cowboy music on the book shelves, and that's what Utah was there for. He entered the bedroom of the dying cowboy and passed a lovely day trading songs and stories of the cattle drives of the 19th century.

In conclusion Utah said "You know, if you talk to people about what they know, they will always tell you the truth."

That line stayed with me as I ventured in cowboy country shortly afterwards. I was meeting with a group of loggers and ranchers in Williams Lake, in the interior of British Columbia and they were a hard crew. Every month we met and every month they told me that they didn't want any land claims settlements with the "goddamn Indians" in their area. One guy, a man I'll call Bob used to go on and on about "you can't make deals with Indians, they can't be trusted, they're no good with their word..." That sort of thing.

Now I am Aboriginal myself, and this rankled after a while. But keeping Utah's words in mind I challenged Bob one day and said, "Bob, you know, I'm Indian and I'm trustworthy and you can make deals with me. I know for a fact that what you're saying is bullshit. It's lies. So I'm not going to ask you about Indians anymore. Instead I'm going to talk to you about something you do know about, and that is logging. Why don't you take me out to see your operation?"

Bob agreed and the next day I met him at 5:00am with a thermos of coffee and a box of Tim Hortons and we climbed into his F350 and headed out into the Cariboo Mountains. We drove for two hours and the whole time we talked about logging and what it's like being in the business, what kind of markest he was trying to develop, and how much he loved his new machinery He talked about his new feller-buncher like he was a dad with a newborn. Gone was the intransigent racist and here beside me was an interesting man, telling me the truth about what he loved.

When we got out to the cut block where his crew was working, he radioed them in and they came down to get coffee and donuts. Of the 12 guys he had working for him, six were First Nations. I laughed when I met them and asked them if they knew Bob's opinions on the trustworthiness of Indians. "Oh yeah," One of them laughed. "He's an old blowhard!"

But Bob countered by saying that THESE guys were great, that they had been with him for coming on 20 years. THEY were different.

We laughed. Really hard. We talked for a while about what THESE guys felt about land claims and they all had different opinions. Respect arose in the space of nuance and reflection.

So many people parrot opinions. In fact opinions are so often just a front for something else, the yawning abyss of ignorance. Very few people hold fixed opinions about things that matter deeply to them. Instead the hold nuanced and thoughtful interests. That's not to say that I wouldn't claw your eyes out if you hurt my child, but that's different from having an opinion on Tiger Woods or abortion or whether or not Obama is doing a good job. Most of us aren't Tiger, a pregnant woman facing a choice or the President. Most opinions are shallow, and the holder of them guards their superficiality with outrage and emotion to prevent you from getting close and discovering nuance. People hold opinons out of fear or loyalty. But when it comes to something you really care about, it's less about an opinion and more about the nuanced, many layered, complex fabric of knowledge, practical, theoretical, aspirational and emotional

From that day on, I never again talked to Bob about First Nations people, but he became a very involved person in our advisory committee because he had a piece of his heart staked in the process. I came to respect him very much, even though he continued to blow hard against my rookie colleagues and say stupid racist things that somewhere he must have believed. He did it just to put them off guard, to protect his own vulnerabilities and mask his fear. I came to respect what lay beneath the opinion, which was a real fear that land claims would ruin his logging operation. I dismissed the racism but respected Bob and what was really at stake for him. And I think he came to respect me too.

It was the best job I ever had.




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OST Full Show: AJC Unravels 'The Imperfect Alibi' In Georgia Cold Case; Author Mary Beth Keane

In 2003, Brunswick prosecutors convicted Dennis Perry of killing a couple in their church back in 1985 — while another suspect had admitted to the murder on tape. Renewed interest in the case from the Georgia Innocence Project and a true crime podcast spurred Joshua Sharpe, criminal justice reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , to revisit an early suspect’s alibi. Sharpe's research unveiled new DNA evidence, and prompted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to reopen the case. Sharpe joins On Second Thought to talk us through what he learned in his nearly year of reporting on the 35 year-old case.