BC CULTURE
Saved by @jacobhtml

Great article from @AsheSchow. I lived thru the 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980's/early 1990's asking myself "Has eveyrbody lost their GODDAMN MINDS?!"

 The 3 big things that made the 1980's/early 1990's surreal for me.

1) Satanic Panic - satanism in the day cares ahhhh!

2) "Repressed memory" syndrome

3) Facilitated Communication [FC]

All 3 led to massive abuse.
"Therapists" -and I use the term to describe these quacks loosely - would hypnotize people & convince they they were 'reliving' past memories of Mom & Dad killing babies in Satanic rituals in the basement while they were growing up.
Other 'therapists' would badger kids until they invented stories about watching alligators eat babies dropped into a lake from a hot air balloon. Kids would deny anything happened for hours until the therapist 'broke through' and 'found' the 'truth'.
FC was a movement that started with the claim severely handicapped individuals were able to 'type' legible sentences & communicate if a 'helper' guided their hands over a keyboard.
Never mind most of these disabled people weren't even looking at the keyboard while their helper guided their hands over it to spell out words. Or that most never went to school and learned to spell in the first place.

People WANTED TO BELIEVE it worked, so they did.
Moral panics/hoaxes like the Satanic Panic, Repressed Memory Syndrome, and FC flourish because they are abuses of the POWER OF BELIEF.

"I believe the children!" - no matter how absurd the stories got.
"I believe the therapy!" - I just remembered my dad killed 20 people!, etc.
FC was the most sympathetic hoax, since these parents desperately wanted to believe actual communication was happening, that their kids were typing real words.

But a delusion is a delusion. Humoring people has limits.
Once a moral panic gets started it's hard to stop. That's why there MUST be good solid evidence, and assuming it gets to the court state, all due process rights for the accused.
We had a minor panic just a year and a half ago where some moron looking for the satanic dungeon in the basement of a pizza parlor that didn't have a basement showed up with a f**king rifle to investigate and 'free the kids'.
Social media is not reality. 1 of the most troublesome aspects of it is how quickly bullshit spreads on here.

I'd ask people to be smarter and far more skeptical, but I know I'd be wasting my time if I did that.
Frontline documentary on the Facilitated Communication scandal:

https://t.co/RX0QIN0IiA
To get an idea of what massive problems were created by FC, watch this segment when a 'therapist' helping a child to spell, 'spelled out' that her parents were sexually abusing her & the legal case that resulted.

https://t.co/chxOwMofy5
Mistype: the child was a male, not a female.

this court case resulted in one of the FIRST attempts to scientifically verify whether FC was actually real or not.

Ponder that.

It was already being used in many schools by that time.
Of course, in a double blind test, the investigators proved the facilitator was faking it. They would show the child a cup, and the facilitator would type out the hat that they saw.

Even with this evidence, many parents refused to believe FC wasn't real.
The brutal truth is these facilitated communication facilitators who were 'helping' their students to type words were putting these words in their mouths. And it turned out many of these facilitators had very active imaginations.
Like the child therapists in the McMartin & Little Rascals day care cases, the stories tended to get more and more fantastic over time.

As you can see from the video, like the McMartin/Little Rascals cases, FC ended up with people facing CRIMINAL CHARGES.
A simple double blind test NOBODY had thought to try before managed to keep a man from being sent to prison based on a bogus hoax.

Now watch this part, which points out most of the students aren't even LOOKING at the Keyboard while typing:

https://t.co/uJ15ugs0gZ
What you're watching there is the power of belief; people simple WANTED some thing to be true so badly, they simply discounted all the evidence against it.

That's your first sign. BACK AWAY. TAKE ANOTHER LOOK. Put your skeptic cap on.
Wow. People are not too bright. I am in no way saying Jeff Sessions didn't spent the last 2 years rolling up sex trafficking & pedo rings like a mofo. That's one of the main reasons Sessions was an awesome AG.

Are people really this stupid?
I guess have to explain to the stupid people out there the Satanic Panic in the daycare centers in the 1980's, that wasn't real.

You don't like my pointing that out? I could care less.

More from Brian Cates

STEALTH JEFF
STEALTH JEFF
@drawandstrike
LOL ok let's see a show of hands. Who *really believes* this meeting on board Air Force One between President Donald J. Trump and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein was about *Rosenstein begging Trump for his job*?

This was a high level briefing to the President by the guy *directly in charge* of handling the declassifying/unredacting of all the DOJ/FBI #SpyGate documents.

But the NYT's was leaked a cover story abour RR plotting to get Trump impeached by using the 25th Amendment.

Trump's already given the order that this must happen. So this was RR briefing Trump just before the documents start being rolled out with 28 days to go until the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
ALL
STEALTH JEFF
STEALTH JEFF
@drawandstrike
Here is Editor-in-Chief of the @EpochTimes, @JasperFakkert's response to the slanted hit piece that @Buzzfeed's @HayesBrown put up 2 days ago:

Brown's article at Buzzfeed starts off pretending it's some kind of really off-the-wall notion that Hillary Clinton paid for the creation of the Steele Dossier that was then used to justify the FBI's spying on the Trump campaign & transition team.


After that awful start, he swerves to making accusations that the Epoch Times is connected to the 'cult' Falon Gong.

You can read the article here:

Brown insinuates with no real evidence whatsoever that the Epoch Times is 'Falon Gong-linked'.

The 'evidence' he supplies in his article to 'prove' @EpochTimes is 'Falon Gong-linked is this:

1) the Epoch Times' extensive *news coverage* of China's attempts to wipe out Falon Gong with intense persecution directed at the group since 1999.

2) a reporter *shouting a question in 2006* at then-President George W. Bush about China's persecution of Falon Gong members.
ALL
Advertisement
STEALTH JEFF
STEALTH JEFF
@drawandstrike
OK this means either the rumors that they were looking to cast a non-white girl as Ciri were wrong, or the fan pushback steered them away from pursuing that idea:

https://t.co/stXtZamQcG

#Witcher #Netflix #Witchernetflix
ALL
STEALTH JEFF
STEALTH JEFF
@drawandstrike
Thread in progress that makes an excellent point: Far Left Progressives thought they had ALREADY WON. And I mean already won *permanently*.

After Obama won in 2008 there were numerous articles/books about the New Permanent Democratic


James Carville among others were crowing "The DemuhKRATS are gunna beah in POWAH faw FAWTY YEAHS!"

Obama easily beating Romney in 2012 only entrenched this notion.

Republican gains in the House in 2010/12/14, hey just minor setbacks, soon to be corrected!

The arrogant triumphalism on the part of the Progressives was insufferable in 2008 and by 2012 it was even worse.

Republicans had a dying party, I was told. Democratic Presidents & an activist judiciary would keep that GOP house in line until 'common sense' prevailed.

This is why 2 years later, Progressives are still throwing tantrums and refusing to accept what happened.

They truly believed what they were told, that it was all over and they had won.

You're watching people go through an existential crisis.

Control of the Executive branch and control of the Judicial branch were key essentials to enacting and then enforcing a large part of the Progressive agenda for America.

And they'd won, you see. The redneck bitter clingers out there couldn't stop the coming transformation.
ALL
STEALTH JEFF
STEALTH JEFF
@drawandstrike
My new column is up: More Evidence for the Real Collusion in the 2016 Election Comes

Don't miss the key revelation of @jsolomonReports article at @thehill: DOJ/FBI officials involved in #CrossfireHurricane #SpyGate deliberately lied & claimed national security in order to HIDE the fact they got #SteeleDossier info from Hillary's lawyers at Perkins Coie.
ALL

More from Culture

Sister Outrider
Sister Outrider
@ClaireShrugged
The best way to honour Toni Morrison is to continue her legacy by celebrating and supporting Black female writers. So here’s a thread of fantastic women whose work you should read.

[email protected] is one of the most interesting and exciting writers I know. Her commentary is always spot on, and has a way of getting you to think deeply about things we’re encouraged to take for granted. She co-authored Slay in Your Lane with the phenomenal @lizuvie.

[email protected]’s poetry nourishes the soul. She’s brilliant at recognising inequalities without ever being defeatist. There is so much joy in her words. And Salena’s autobiography is luminous from start to finish.

[email protected] has written some of the most gripping YA fiction going in modern day Britain. Her characters are compelling and full of complications - their stories remind readers of how important compassion is.

I always recommend @JackieKayPoet - not just because she gave a blueprint for life as a Black Scottish lesbian, but because there is so much delight and generosity of spirit in her work. Every word counts. She’s also really funny. Proud that Jackie is our Poet Makar.
CULTURE
Pulp Librarian
Pulp Librarian
@PulpLibrarian
Are you writing a sci-fi or fantasy novel? Are you struggling to choose a title for it?

Well good news! I've just analysed the titles of 1,500 DAW sci-fi and fantasy novels, and I think I've found the secret!

Come with me...
CULTURE
Advertisement
Pulp Librarian
Pulp Librarian
@PulpLibrarian
Today in pulp I look at the scandalous history of lady jeans!

Well there's a turn-up...


The denim jean and its predecessor the dungaree have a long history, and were traditionally seen as work wear for men.

But WWII changed all that...


As women headed for the factories and shipyards they found that a sturdy denim bib-n-brace, paired with a stout headscarf, was the way to go!


Coarse heavy 'jeens' were fine for riveting work, but 1940s women didn't take a shine to them as leisure wear. For one thing they were voluminous and shapeless.


Jeans were also seen as clothing for children. No adult wanted to be seen wearing kid's dungarees in public.

Or did they?
CULTURE
Kahaniyan, Bas Yun Hi
Kahaniyan, Bas Yun Hi
@geetkahani
Amongst my absolute favourite musicians of all time, one name that is certainly near the top is of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab. I don’t know if any such data exists, but I am pretty sure he would also be among the most widely sold international artists in India. (1/43)

This is a thread about Nusrat sahab’s connections with India - his first performance here, songs blatantly copied from his compositions, his non-film albums done here, and also his work in Bollywood. So buckle up, coz this is gonna be very very loooong. (2/43)

The story starts in 1979, when a certain legend by the name of Raj Kapoor was invited to a Qawwali show in Birmingham, and heard Nusrat sahab performing there. So impressed by his music was Kapoor sahab, that he made up his mind to invite Nusrat sahab to India. (3/43)

Soon after, in early 1980, Rishi Kapoor was getting married to Neetu Singh, and Raj Kapoor promptly invited Nusrat sahab to perform at one of the sangeet ceremonies. The invitation actually was sent through Pakistani actor Mohammad Ali, a mutual contact of the two. (4/43)

Nusrat sahab accepted the invite, and was apparently excited with the prospect of also visiting Ajmer Sharif. His performance at the sangeet was attended by the who’s who of Indian film and music at the time, and he is said to have performed for hours through the night. (5/43)
CULTURE
It's TEGAN!
It's TEGAN!
@tegan_oneil5000
on a very basic level it is astounding to me that seemingly half the country is hooked on the adventures of The Vision & Scarlet Witch, whose last series together was a precise contemporary of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, and which was quarter box fodder for decades

in hindsight, of course, the idea of framing a superhero story as a suburban dramedy seems novel and fresh to people, but that’s only because other people spent literally three and a half decades sleeping on it


now, of course, many new fans who look into the history of the matter might wonder why such a seemingly popular and fecund direction for these two characters was permanently shelved in the late 80s, what set of factors could possibly have -


they were able to put back some of what was broken - in time - but they never were able to get back to the marriage, and by the time the characters had new status quos in the early 90s the company had moved away from those kinds of genre experiments, and the rift became permanent

the Vision was a humorless drip for years, doing much the same schtick as Data during the precise years ST:TNG was airing

and as a consequence of those stories Wanda permanently became the poster child of women who cannot handle their power because of female inconstancy ...
CULTURE

You May Also Like

Kieran Snyder
Kieran Snyder
@KieranSnyder
1 There's a chasm between an NLP technology that works well in the research lab and something that works for applications that real people use. This was eye-opening when I started my career, and every time I talk to an NLP engineer at @textio, it continues to strike me even now.

2 Research conditions are theoretical and/or idealized. A huge problem for so-called NLP or AI startups with highly credentialed academic founders is that they bring limited knowledge of what it takes to build real products outside the lab.

3 A product is ultimately a thing that people pay for - not just cool technology or user experience. But I’m not even talking about knowledge gaps in go-to-market work. I'm talking purely technical gaps: how you go from science project to performant + delightful user experience.

4 Most commoditized NLP packages solve well-understood problems in standard ways that sacrifice either precision or performance. In a research lab, this is not usually a hard trade-off; in general, no one is using what you make, so performance is less important than precision.

5 In software, when you’re making something for real people to use, these tradeoffs are a big deal. Especially if you’re asking those people to pay for what you’ve made (can’t get away from that pesky GTM thinking). They expect quality, which includes precision AND performance.
MACHINE LEARNING
Jonathan Ware
Jonathan Ware
@ReassessHistory
So when it first appeared in Normandy, the Sherman Firefly and it's meaty 17 pounder represented an ideal combo of reliable chassis, great gun and devastating firepower right?

Ummm...

Truth is a bit more complex. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History


Deliveries of Firefly to units only commenced in April 1944,
just a few weeks before Overlord & left minimal time for familiarisation.

Armoured Regiments mostly utilised Fireflies on a basis of 1 per troop of 4 tanks. /2


Finally each armoured regiment troop had access to integral, meaty, anti-tank firepower capable of dealing serious damage to any German AFV likely to be encountered. /3


The dual purpose 75mm gun was quite capable of laying down a reasonable HE shell or AP round for dealing with Panzer III or IV.

Firefly's 17 Pounder had.... problems with HE, but excelled at tank killing. So Tigers and Panthers would need to be wary. /4


Firefly's design history dated back to March 1943 when the General Staff published "Policy on Tanks" which effectively stated the majority of tanks should have a good HE weapon and...

[See image below] /5
HISTORY
Advertisement
Anshul Pandey
Anshul Pandey
@Anshulspiritual
IMPORTANCE OF SATYA NARAYAN KATHA AND ITS ORIGIN.

We all have heard and read the Satyanarayan katha. But none of us dont know the original stories that Shatanand or Sadhu or Kalavati must have heard. Also, as a habit we hear or read this katha


but dont know the proper way it should be conducted.

We find its mention in Skanda puraan(Reva khand) and Bhavishya Puraan(Pratisarg parva).
Both Bhagwatam and Gita call Bhagwan Narayan as Satv or Truth. So Satyanarayan denotes this name as the one which is Truth incarnate.

The story began in Naimisharanya when Vyasji asked Sutji about a way to eliminate all the sorrows and fulfill all the desires and about who is the devta who can grant these at the same time.

So Suutji first prayed to Bhagwan Satyanarayan who is no one else but Vishnu ji.

Then he remembered all his avatars.After that he narrated the story of Narad. Once while visiting Mrityulok, Naradji was pained to see the sufferings of People around. He was deeply moved by these sufferings and wanted to know the means by which we could rid ourselves from these.

So he went to Vishnu ji and after paying his respects stood in front of him. Naradji narrated the purpose of his visit.

So Bhagwan Vishnu said to him that in Satyug and Tretayug, Bhagwan eliminates sorrow in Vishnuswarup. In Dwapar he assumes different forms to help people.
RELIGION
Paul Krueger
Paul Krueger
@NotLikeFreddy
In 2013, I woke up and said, "I want to write a book about Pokémon."

In 2017, I finally wrote it.

In 2019, thanks to the fine folks at @DelReyBooks, you'll all get to read it.

I'm pleased to announce my epic fantasy debut. Formerly: "Fullmetal Pokémist." Now:

STEEL CROW SAGA.


Seriously, everyone, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to share this one with you. The world is far-flung and weird, and the characters live lives so far removed from mine, but STEEL CROW SAGA is honestly the most personal and autobiographical thing I've ever written

Yeah, I guess I should address that early. STEEL CROW SAGA is not a trilogy. This is a standalone book. I left doors open for someday, but my plan right now is for each of these three books to be its own


Last thing I'll say here: I couldn't have asked for a better team than @DelReyBooks to work with--particularly @tnarwani, who just Gets this book. In our call, she casually cited a semi-obscure Korean movie from ten years ago, unaware it'd been a key influence. That's when I knew

Anyway. Plenty more to tease in the coming year. Thanks again to my friends who got me through it, and especially to @dongwon who saw this weird Toonami regurgitation and immediately believed in it. Today is my triumph, but it's also theirs.
WRITING
foone
foone
@Foone
An interesting set of games that I've been vaguely interested in since I was a kid, after seeing one at a friend's house and never being able to find it again, was the BATTLES IN A DISTANT DESERT/BATTLES ON DISTANT PLANETS series.


These are turn-based wargames for windows 3.x, sharing the same engine.
Battles in a Distant Desert is from 1992, and is based on the first Iraq war (Desert Storm)


and Battles on Distant Planets is from 1991, and takes place in SPACE!
I'm pretty sure this is the one I played as a kid.


They've got 3 options to play with:
* Player vs. Player
* Player vs. Computer
* Computer vs. Computer

So it's a 0-2 player game!


They also did a DOS strategy game called "STARDATE 2140.2: GALACTIC CONQUEST" in 1990, but it seems to be lost.
All the games share an experimental AI system based on neural networks.
FUN