From Pine View Farm

The ICEmen Cometh 0

Thom predicts that worse is yet to come.

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This New Gilded Age 0

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty.

At the Colorado Sun, Mike Littwin makes a strong case that now, over six decades later, the Trump maladministration has decided to make poverty great again surrender.

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

Sociopathic? At Psychology Today Blogs, Matt Grawitch argues “(t)rusting AI too much can lead to real-world consequences, including emotional or psychological harm.”

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QOTD 0

Claire McCaskill:

I think, first of all, you know, Washington has a bad habit of a very short attention span.

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A Tune for the Times 0

It’s short, but it’s sweet quite a propos.

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Unguarded Rails 0

When I worked for the railroad, we were governed by the “Rules of Conduct” (I probably still have my copy tucked away somewhere). Of course, there were other rules and policies and procedures, but the Rules of Conduct guided them all.

The railroad can be a dangerous place. In the early days, one way that hiring managers would determine whether an applicant for an on-road job had experience was to count his fingers . . . .

Over that years, the culture changed, and one of the rules that was drummed into everyone’s head was this:

Safety is of the first importance in the discharge of duty.

Via The Japan Times, Gautam Mukunda makes a strong case that that rule seems to be unheard of at the Zuckerborg, or, methinks, among much of Big Tech, as they plunge into AI. A snippet:

One of the most recent examples is a Reuters investigation, which found that Meta allowed its AI chatbots to, among other things, “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.” That reporting was a topic at a Senate hearing in September on the safety risks such bots pose to kids — and underlines just how dangerous it is when AI and toxic company cultures mix.

Meta’s chatbot scandal demonstrates a culture that is willing to sacrifice the safety and well-being of users, even children, if it helps fuel its push into AI.

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Suffer the Children 0

One more time, that’s not scripture. That’s Republican policy.

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WWJD? 0

Mrs. Betty Bowers offers 10 tips on how to be a conservative Christian.

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The Recruiting Drive 0

Title:  ICE Target Marketing.  Image:  ICE agent standing in the door of the

Click to view the original image.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

More politeness on the pavement.

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Jerk O’Lantern 0

Florida Man.

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QOTD 0

Theodore Roosevelt:

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president… is morally treasonable to the American public.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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The Rule of Lawless 0

Donald Trump putting the Constitution through a shredeer labeled

Click to view the original image.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Another oxymoronic “responsible gun owner.”

Another improperly secured gun.

Another child sacrificed at the feet of the NRA’s leaden idol.

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Republican Thought Police 0

Thom calls out the Trump maladministration’s selective prosecutions persecutions of persons who criticize Donald Trump.

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Establishmentarians 0

Proposed new reading in Ohio schools: The Handmaid’s Handbook.

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Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0

Legally liable for abetting suicide? Per Joe Pierre at Psychology Today Blogs, that remains to be determined.

One must needs wonder, when Mark Zuckerberg said, “Move fast and break things,” was he thinking about persons’ lives?

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The Climates They Are a-Changing 0

And the coral reefs they are a-dying.

Methinks we are past the tipping point and burning more coal and oil is just going to hasten things along.

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QOTD 0

Leo Tolstoy:

It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.

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From Pine View Farm
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