Politics & Stuff

[Fulham Broadway 16,808]

39 minutes ago, Vesper said:

when you have hyper-violent, systemically embedded criminal entities like MS-13, The Bloods, The Crips, and the different US arms of the Mexican narcotraficante cartels (The Sinaloa Cartel, The Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel, etc etc), not to mention other assorted ethnic 'mafias' from around the globe, operating at massive levels on US soil.

The most violent gang, well armed and protected by law are the police 

[Vesper 28,729]

Just now, Fulham Broadway said:

The most violent gang, well armed and protected by law are the police 

Good point!

And they have qualified immunity, so it is extremely hard to personally hold them liable in civil judgements.

[Fulham Broadway 16,808]

Just now, Vesper said:

Good point!

And they have qualified immunity, so it is extremely hard to personally hold them liable in civil judgements.

One of my post grad modules was Violent Behaviour. Funnily enough it was taught by this scary ex Israeli paratrooper but he was great - despised the Zionist entity Israel had become - and when we looked at gang war, he was adamant the most violent and protected gang was the police - and that applied to every state in the World.

[Vesper 28,729]

Sweden jails former banking boss over 'swindling'

👏🏽

https://www.thelocal.se/20240910/sweden-jails-former-banking-boss-over-swindling

Former Swedbank CEO Birgitte Bonnesen. Photo: Stina Stjernkvist/SvD/TT

A Swedish court on Tuesday sentenced the former chief executive of Swedish bank Swedbank to 15 months in prison for deceiving investors about the bank's links to a money laundering scandal.

Birgitte Bonnesen was found guilty of "gross swindling".

Her lawyer, Per Samuelsson, told Swedish news agency TT he was "in shock" over the conviction and would file an appeal.

The Svea Court of Appeal overturned a district court ruling from 2023, which had acquitted Bonnesen, and comes five years after the eruption of a money laundering scandal implicating Swedbank.

In 2019, Swedish public service broadcaster SVT alleged that at least 40 billion kronor (equivalent at the time to $4.4 billion) of suspicious and high-risk transactions had been channelled to Baltic countries, notably Estonia, from Swedbank accounts.

The revelations, which saw the bank's share price tumble, led to Bonnesen being fired. The following year, Sweden's financial regulator fined the bank four billion kronor and warned it to follow anti-money laundering laws.

Prosecutors later charged Bonnesen, accusing her of "intentionally or by aggravated negligence" providing false or misleading information about the steps the bank had taken to prevent and detect suspected money laundering.

"The court concludes that the former CEO disseminated misleading statements in interviews with the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and the Swedish news agency TT in connection to the bank's release of its third quarterly report for 2018," the court said in a statement.

"The statements conveyed the misleading message that there did not exist any suspicious money laundering links to the operations in Estonia of another bank," it added.

Bonnesen's comments were deemed to be "liable to influence the assessment of the Swedish bank from a financial point of view, and thereby cause a loss", according to the court.

Prosecutors had also charged Bonnesen with revealing insider information by informing the bank's main owners that the investigative documentary was coming.

However, the appeals court found that the information shared with the owners was not of "specific enough nature to be considered insider information", it said in its ruling. It – like the district court – therefore acquitted Bonnesen of the charge.

 

[Vesper 28,729]

MAGA Goggles

[Vesper 28,729]

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,808]

Just now, Vesper said:

 

Utter cuntery

[Vesper 28,729]

Explainer: the Russian influence operations targeting the 2024 US elections

The September 2024 deplatforming of Operation Doppelganger demonstrates how US voters are being targeted by Russian influence operations

https://dfrlab.org/2024/09/06/how-doppelganger-and-other-russia-linked-operations-target-us-elections/

On September 4, 2024, the US Treasury Department announced that it had sanctioned ten Russian citizens and two entities for participating in malign influence efforts targeting the November 2024 US presidential election. The sanctions featured high-ranking staff members of RT, including editor Margarita Simonyan, as well as a Russian organization called ANO Dialogue, which the department accused of participating in the Russian influencer operation known as Doppelganger. Simultaneously, the US Department of Justice seized more than thirty online domains operated by Social Design Agency, which has previously been linked to Doppelganger.

Operation Doppelganger

Creating forged versions of news articles, websites, and reports, among other things, is nothing new in the world of Russian influence operations. Individually, a single fake article or website may cause confusion among internet readers, but generally doesn’t infiltrate much deeper into public discourse. In contrast, persistent efforts to impersonate authoritative news websites and promote their content at scale in a coordinated manner can have tangible impact, casting propaganda narratives far and wide on a systematic basis. Doppelganger is such an operation; among the most documented Russian influence operations, it has continued to evolve since at least 2022. Also sometimes referred to by the Microsoft designation of Storm-1099, Doppelganger creates online clones of well-established media outlets and government websites, propagating them with anti-Western, anti-Ukrainian, and pro-Russian messaging intended to deceive Internet users into thinking they are legitimate online sources. When it comes to distribution, the techniques vary.

The primary method used by Doppelganger to infiltrate the US information space is through the reply sections of Twitter posts. The operation employs bot-like networks for engaging with audiences. These are referred to as originators and amplifiers, depending on their function. Originator networks concentrate on producing large quantities of similar but not identical posts that serve as fodder for dissemination, while amplifier networks exclusively repost the originator content to high-profile accounts in the form of replies. The targeted high-profile accounts could include politicians, celebrities, influencers, meme accounts, and the like; usually, their audiences range from hundreds of thousands to millions of subscribers. This approach indicates an attempt to engage with influential segments of society by consistently disseminating pro-Kremlin content.

The operation also utilizes single-use accounts (or “burner” accounts) that typically publish a single post, making no effort to establish an account’s online presence or authenticity. These posts are then promoted by amplifier networks, whose accounts are often more active and appear more authentic. Burner accounts are used on Facebook as well, as previously documented by Viginum, the French government agency tasked with fighting disinformation. Similarly, the DFRLab uncovered a network of thousands of burner accounts on TikTok in conjunction with the BBC in late 2023.

Doppelganger posts often include geo-fenced URLs leading US users to bogus news websites with familiar but incorrect domain names, such as fox-news.in, while showing a blank page to non-US users. Before landing a user on the bogus website, the operation employs different staging domains for redirection purposes.

Inauthentic accounts also promoted URLs directing readers to Doppelganger’s flagship website, known as Recent Reliable News (RRN). Before it was deplatformed in September 2024 by the US government seizure, RRN camouflaged itself as a legitimate media outlet and was available in ten languages. On Facebook, Doppelganger bought advertising to promote posts, using burner accounts for launching a single ad before abandoning these accounts.

 

Doppelganger might also be involved in hybrid activities combining physical and online operations. Following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, graffiti featuring the Star of David appeared on walls across Paris, likely aiming to inflame fear among France’s Jewish community. Photos of the graffiti quickly spread on social media. Viginum exposed the involvement of Doppelganger in both the initial distribution and broader dissemination of graffiti images across social media.

RRN was by no means the only Doppelganger domain operating in the information space. The latest announcements from the US government cite more than thirty seized domain names. These domains featured content sowing political division regarding US immigration policy, the ongoing Middle East conflict, LGBTQ+ rights, the economy, and other hot-button election issues.

Information laundering via social media

Information laundering is the process of placing narratives on the fringes of public discourse and slowly normalizing them by quoting them via more credible sources, in an attempt to gradually legitimize them. Such practices date back to the Soviet era, including Operation Denver (or Operation Infektion), whose methods were recycled decades later in 2019 by pro-Kremlin actors in a similar effort uncovered by the DFRLab, which became known as Secondary Infektion.

Information laundering techniques continue to evolve, particularly since the COVID pandemic and Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Immediately after the invasion, Russia lost its primary tools for information spreading, like RT America, when it was dropped from DirecTV and subsequently went off the air. This forced Russia to develop other means to reach audiences.

According to Pew data, 12 percent of the US adult population consumes news from Twitter, while 14 percent do so from TikTok; 59 percent and 36 percent of these users go to these respective platforms specifically for political news. In recent years, Twitter introduced monetization for so-called blue tick accounts, following TikTok’s model for rewarding creators based on engagement levels. Blue tick accounts were previously limited to verified users, but this changed when Twitter abandoned the service and repackaged it as a subscriber service that any platform user could purchase without ID verification. This exacerbated an ecosystem in which sensationalism in news and politics became profitable for individual influencers, making the platform attractive for malign actors.

Laundering campaigns often start from some obscure corner of the internet, during the ‘placement’ stage. It might be a fringe YouTube channel, an anonymous TikTok account, a video on an Instagram account, a publication on a Russian Telegram channel, or a Russian TV channel. It is intentionally not prominent, providing a launching point for disinformation and propaganda to spread to more mainstream online locales.

This allows such content to be a low-hanging fruit for influencers, news aggregators, link farms, pro-Kremlin websites like DC Weekly, and others involved in Doppelganger to pick up the story and amplify it further, adding a veneer of credibility known as ‘layering.’ These messages, due to their sheer volume, popularity, and emotion-provoking nature, create a sense of credibility so that regular users, platforms, and influencers pick up the story and push it deeper into the public information space, making it indistinguishable from credible and truthful information. The stage is known as ‘integration.’

Russia uses this approach to inject stories into Western discourse, including in the US. Microsoft linked these efforts to a campaign they designated as Storm-1516, while the Washington Post published leaked Russian dashboards that provided evidence of Kremlin-tied actors monitoring the success of similar campaigns. Even once discovered, these efforts can be recycled again and again to influence audiences in the US and elsewhere, effectively creating a pandora’s box for generating malign influence.

While Doppelganger and information laundering might seem distinct, they are intrinsically linked because their activities overlap and reinforce each other. The Russian influence operations deplatformed by the US government in September 2024 are the latest example of Kremlin activities targeting the US election; they likely will not be the last.

 

[Vesper 28,729]

Unlearning Zionism

Israel is not automatically good.

It takes honesty and humility to de-program from Israel’s propaganda. Co-founder of IfNotNow Simone Zimmerman explains her journey, the pressure on Kamala Harris, and the sickening bedfellows between high-powered Zionists and white nationalists. And comedian Eliza Skinner joins Francesca to talk about Olympic boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yun-Ting both winning gold, and Trump’s dentured lisp in his awkward interview with Elon. Finally, taking stock of some conservative lunacy in this week in WEIRD.

Unlearning Zionism with Simone Zimmerman & Eliza Skinner (Ep 244)

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-nchjn-204ccc48

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,919]

2 hours ago, IMissEden said:

Worth adding that the Haitian mentioned, called BirdmanZoe, can find him on Instagram, isn’t even from down there, and isn’t part of Zoe Pound it ended up. Yet he threatened, to utilise them. Showing that even the spread out diaspora retains its very unique culture, even millionaires still lean into it. 
 

If I moved to Sweden, Australia, China, and in came lots with me because we feel the UK is in a bad state, would we set up BritainTown, and constantly emphasise our different values. Or integrate. 
 

By and large, the influx of Haitians choose not to integrate. They started The most violent gang in America, and from south to north, lean into it. Facts. 

Integrate into what exactly?

 

Black Americans have the same language, religion, and history as white Americans and most white people move out if even one moves into a neighborhood with them.  I live literally less than an hour away from the largest airport in the country(and world) and when I was in high school less than 20 years ago we still had segregated proms. Who do you think is going to allow Haitians to immigrate in with them?  This is still a fundamentally segregated nation.

[robsblubot 3,496]

26 minutes ago, Sir Mikel OBE said:

Integrate into what exactly?

 

Black Americans have the same language, religion, and history as white Americans and most white people move out if even one moves into a neighborhood with them.  I live literally less than an hour away from the largest airport in the country(and world) and when I was in high school less than 20 years ago we still had segregated proms. Who do you think is going to allow Haitians to immigrate in with them?  This is still a fundamentally segregated nation.

"the Haitian" may mean that one crazy roaming downtown (plenty of Americans doing that and some are vets too), a family, a small group of people, a peoples. That's the language Trump uses too, and it's intentionally ambiguous.

Now, on the merit, some don't adapt, others do. Some never learn English, while some do. It goes into a number of different factors which are often outside of their control. Some are too ignorant to know what's important, that often takes a generation to change.
Most just want a better life.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,919]

2 minutes ago, robsblubot said:

"the Haitian" may mean that one crazy roaming downtown (plenty of Americans doing that and some are vets too), a family, a small group of people, a peoples. That's the language Trump uses too, and it's intentionally ambiguous.

Now, on the merit, some don't adapt, others do. Some never learn English, while some do. It goes into a number of different factors which are often outside of their control. Some are too ignorant to know what's important, that often takes a generation to change.
Most just want a better life.

Even adaption takes on a different view depending on where you are.

 

In Southern Florida? I mean , if a person is going to live around Haitians, work with Haitians, and live in Little Haiti. Long as they pay taxes I dont care if they ever learn to speak English. Lord knows theres no shortage of Spanish-only speakers in this country who do fine for themselves.

[robsblubot 3,496]

2 minutes ago, Sir Mikel OBE said:

Even adaption takes on a different view depending on where you are.

 

In Southern Florida? I mean , if a person is going to live around Haitians, work with Haitians, and live in Little Haiti. Long as they pay taxes I dont care if they ever learn to speak English. Lord knows theres no shortage of Spanish-only speakers in this country who do fine for themselves.

Certainly. It does limit opportunity tho.
Some of their kids would have the opportunity to break away, which is the case for most immigrant families.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,466]

Springfield Ohio is what is making the news. An economically depressed town that went from 80k population to 60k because factories closed and there were not enough jobs. So bring in 16k Haitian refugees over 5 years. When listening to the residents, it has been a positive experience. The Mayor is making waves because the town doesn’t have the resources to meet the demands of a population that does not speak English in large numbers. Some do come knowing English. The MAGAs are blowing this wayyyyy out of reality. This is a PBS report that speaks with residents. Some long standing, some Haitian immigrants 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/ohio-city-with-haitian-migrant-influx-thrust-into-political-spotlight

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,808]

8 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Springfield Ohio is what is making the news. An economically depressed town that went from 80k population to 60k because factories closed and there were not enough jobs. So bring in 16k Haitian refugees over 5 years. When listening to the residents, it has been a positive experience. The Mayor is making waves because the town doesn’t have the resources to meet the demands of a population that does not speak English in large numbers. Some do come knowing English. The MAGAs are blowing this wayyyyy out of reality. This is a PBS report that speaks with residents. Some long standing, some Haitian immigrants 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/ohio-city-with-haitian-migrant-influx-thrust-into-political-spotlight

 

Thats the same here people say areas are 'swamped' and it just deosnt work -it doesnt work because of lack of resources, infrastructure not thought about premeditatively, and thats when it breaks down.

The other thing is in the UK and US, come on, we're all fucking immigrants at some point -unless you can trace your genes back to that fish that flopped out of the ocean 20 million years ago.

[robsblubot 3,496]

6 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Thats the same here people say areas are 'swamped' and it just deosnt work -it doesnt work because of lack of resources, infrastructure not thought about premeditatively, and thats when it breaks down.

The other thing is in the UK and US, come on, we're all fucking immigrants at some point -unless you can trace your genes back to that fish that flopped out of the ocean 20 million years ago.

😅 
Now the part that hurts dems is the "illegal" part, and I have a hard time defending that.

There are a lot of people in South America who could improve their lives by moving to the US. Should the USA take 100m people in just because? Of course the who's responsible for this mess part gets a bit more nuanced, but the situation does benefit the Republican Party more (politically).

[Fulham Broadway 16,808]

5 minutes ago, robsblubot said:

Now the part that hurts dems is the "illegal" part, and I have a hard time defending that.

😅👍

6 minutes ago, robsblubot said:

There are a lot of people in South America who could improve their lives by moving to the US.

Much of the reason for that is those countries have been plundered by US corporations, divided by installing puppet regimes - be it Brazil 1964 Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Guatamala etc. Not blaming the US it was the Cold War and CCCP were doing the same in Cuba, South east Asia, Korea, etc 

The US in terms of geo political terms is the Rome of the Americas, the hub of an Empire -just as the UK ruled two thirds of the World in 1870. Heres the thing, though -all empires collapse. Its collapsing from within now thanks to a massive polarisation partly through billionaires, partly through Russian influence. The most potent weapon for this is Social media.

[robsblubot 3,496]

16 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

😅👍

Much of the reason for that is those countries have been plundered by US corporations, divided by installing puppet regimes - be it Brazil 1964 Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Guatamala etc. Not blaming the US it was the Cold War and CCCP were doing the same in Cuba, South east Asia, Korea, etc 

The US in terms of geo political terms is the Rome of the Americas, the hub of an Empire -just as the UK ruled two thirds of the World in 1870. Heres the thing, though -all empires collapse. Its collapsing from within now thanks to a massive polarisation partly through billionaires, partly through Russian influence. The most potent weapon for this is Social media.

While that's part of it, speaking of Brazil which is what I'm familiar with, it goes back farther than that. The differences between Brazil and US, for example, go back to independence (Brazil did not get a clean slate) and even the kind of immigration before that.

Brazil is also held back by having had a military dictatorship not so long ago; there are traces of that everywhere still. The economy is growing steadily though, but it's just so very slow to change status quo.

BTW, I know nothing of Mexico and it's very typical for people there to know little about Mexican culture and history given it's really a North American country.

Edited September 10 by robsblubot