Dear anons and Secular Maldives proponents: 12,020 is over, and we made a lot of progress on the #SecularMaldives front. We pushed many important conversations publicly, drove controversial positions in the country while exposing those ideas to a bigger audience. 🧵 /1

We also engaged with the public and started discussing secular politics by injecting our selves into strategic conversations and we forced ourselves into relevance hile changing the entire face of public discourse in the country. /2

We gave a strong message that we exist and we matter. Now we must scale up the activism. Recent Vaguthu article showed the extent of problem. Regular folks were scared and silenced off while Islamists dominated comments and conversation around the article. /3

This needs to change and that change can only be achieved through sustained engagement and dialogue. Keep this up, and we will start chipping away their ideological dominance in the country, eventually towards a win. This is in your hands. /4

When you engage, and gain traction, you begin changing public perceptions. This is described in political science as shifting the Overton Window. /5

Wangxian post canon where one night, Lwj is late home. Wwx knows Lwj has been teaching today, so he goes to find his husband instead. When he reaches lwj’s classroom and slides open the door he sees Lwj, and in his arms is a gently snoozing baby disciple

Lwj blinks slowly in a gesture to tell Wwx to move quietly, but Wwx is already barely breathing in fear of waking the sleeping little one.

The little body rises and falls with each slow breath, and lwjs hand is a cradle on the back of the child’s head

‘How long have they been sleeping?’ Wwx mouths at lwj, who replies ‘since the end of class’

The child’s breath catches and they both freeze, then let out a silent sigh when no further reaction happens.

Wwx treads carefully over to the pair

As he kneels, he catches sight of a chubby cheek, smushed against the shoulder of his husbands white robes. His heart clenches. “Hello little one,” he reaches forwards and with one finger gently strokes back the hair from the child’s face. Big eyes blink open sleepily

“Morning,” Wwx smiles, and the child stretches out two chubby arms towards him, a silent demand to be carried. Wwx accepts, of course he does. He lifts the Lan disciple into his arms, shifting to lean against lwjs side

1/ Regulations are ultimately about managing risk, whether that risk is fraud, unsafe practices or someone building an ugly building.

The more (actually or performatively) worried you are about the specific risk, the more checks, approvals, rules and guidelines you put in place.

2/ Governments on both the left and right actually have similarly low appetites for risk, they just focus primarily on different risk categories and operate from an assumption that different groups are bastards that must be watched.

3/ Left wing governments have a tendency to focus on risks arising from business activities and capital.

Their regulations tend to assume that management are bastards, and must be monitored and constrained lest they exploit people or generate negative externalities for profit.

4/ Right wing governments have a tendency to focus on benefits fraud risks.

Their regulations tend to assume folks are out to scam any benefits scheme, and must be monitored and constrained lest they take advantage of the tax-payer's generosity.

5/ Both left wing and right wing governments also use regulations to target social behaviors they deem undesirable.

The specific behaviors targeted tend to be different (criminalizing hate speech vs criminalizing drug use, for example), but it's still all regulation.

Ten thoughts on today's decisions by the Facebook Oversight Board:
1. The Oversight Board is actually up and running and functional. This was not a forgone conclusion. Whatever its decisions, it is the beginning of an experiment that will affect the future of speech on line.

2.The results in these decisions are less important than the signals/precedent set for how the board will operate, how it considers its jurisdiction, what info about FB and its posts will be revealed in the decisions, and how ambitious the Board will be in checking Facebook.

3.The absence of signed opinions, the noting of minority views but not extensive dissents, the significant use of experts, the willingness to issue advisory opinions on policy – all are precedent setting as to how the Board (and public) will view its role.

4The considerable reliance on international human rights standards gives us a sense of the body of law that will govern. Not a foregone conclusion & is bound to trigger some conservative reaction in the US as int'l standards are not as speech protective as the 1st Amendment.

5.However, the fact that the Oversight Board overturned four of the five takedowns gives us a sense that it is likely to take more libertarian and speech-protective positions than Facebook.

@BaddCompani When DT as a candidate said Russia, if you got the emails. I smelled the bs & knew they were in on it together. At this point, Putin & DT had been bro jockeying each other in the media for the last 6 months. Putin, who is a talented politician had the understanding that his (1)

candidate needed a prop. Putin knew he couldn’t over compliment or people would smell through it. At this point Trump had no credibility as a candidate from world leaders! More so, his stock was falling fast. This is during the winter of 2015. In the beginning of DT’s campaign (2

So, he called him “colorful” Which was just enough to give DT a start on his worldwide credibility problem that he needed to establish. While acting as the interaction was purely genuine. These numerous interactions in the last couple of months of 2015 & first 6 mos. of 2016. (3)

Additionally, why was DT/fam/associates in Russia so much during the years of 2013 & 2014. Smells like a lot more than just building skyscrapers in Moscow. DT’s little ego was hurt bc he felt like a lot of Americans did not give him the respect that he felt he deserved. Typical(4

of a small man. DT may be large in stature but he is small in character. That has always been his downfall & he knew it yet he has made the same mistakes repeatedly and failed numerous times because of it throughout his life. Do you remember the faces he would make during his (5)

Downplaying your Intelligence

In the hierarchy of conceit, intelligence reigns.

Thread

If you want to soften people’s guard, the evident faculty to downplay is intelligence, but the other two facets to downplay are judgement and experience as both draw up close to intellect on the hierarchy of conceit.

Make them feel superior to you in these faculties, and you will have them at the tip of your fingers.

It is the ideal camouflage to seem less clever than you are and at times, somewhat of an idiot to confound people.

The sense of intellectual superiority you can induce in people by means of cognitive reassurance through indirect modes will lay down their doubt and suppositions and will be coerced easier to your side.

Do not communicate this implication through direct means, though, utilise concealed and roundabout methods as these are more subtle and potent.

A gesture of admiration at their intellectual ability, for instance, can go a long way.

A very happy birthday to National Defence Academy #NDA , that made men out of all us boys and taught us some valuable lessons like:

1. Being hungry is state of mind. If you missed your meal and end up mentioning it, you’ll be made to do more exercise to forget about it.

2. Everything is mental. Only academics , academics are physical. If you don’t remember what is the answer to a question in exam, just shout your squadron name, it’ll come galloping to your mind. Like shouting “Limaaaaa” in my case ensured I passed all my exams. Such battle cries

in otherwise Peaceful and quaint exam halls are not considered weird.

3. Sports like hockey, football, basketball etc have a component called ‘ball’ in them just to distract you from main aim of the game. Bring the other players down !!! Focus on that, always!

4. 10 meter jump is not a test of your swimming skill. It’s not even of diving. And definitely not of courage. It’s just to check how much you want to pass out with your batch.

5. Drill instructors are messengers of Gods. You’re allowed to forget Diwali, Id, Holi etc but if

he’s said “ be there at 10” and you’re not, you’ll see a preview of hell and will start believing in God pretty soon.

6. The likelihood of a senior to call you for some extra ‘care’ in mud and slush is directly proportional to cleanliness of your uniform or ‘just your face’ !

Good Morning Pristine Sovereign Paradise, StarSeeds, Earth & Galactic Guardians, Protectors, Exchequers
Executioners, Enforcers, Diplomatic Guest & Loved Ones

Anyone know what an Estate is? Besides the oversight fiduciaries of the Chancery probate courts?
https://t.co/LwordekVU3

Regina Wamuyu Githaiga purchased a ticket number 003096663 for Sh65 on December 3, 2005. She was given part ‘A’ of the ticket and First Lotto sales agent — at an outlet managed by Sammy Kariuki Wambugu — retained part ‘B’ and ‘C’ of the coupon as per the rules. - @NationAfrica

Her combination won a jackpot of Sh12 million during a draw the next day. Excited, she rushed to the company to claim her prize, but soon learnt that getting her Sh12 million would not be a walk in the park.

Wamuyu presented her winning coupon on December 6, but the joke was on her. The lottery she had won was only in her dreams. The company disowned its own tickets and said no one had ever won the jackpot on offer.

Shocked, she moved to court, but the firm rushed to block her application as well as challenge the jurisdiction of the court. Presiding judge Festus Azangalala allowed the case to proceed to trial as he noted that a few issues caused him anxiety in the application.

One issue was the rules and regulations section of the lottery, which stated that winning claims would only be paid out upon comparison with and verification of slips “A” and “B” .

*** THREAD ***

Accuracy or Entertainment, Which Do You Prefer?

The Importance of Listening to Experts

1/

As you no doubt already know, Twitter is a vast universe of unbridled lunacy.

The most obnoxious and incorrect voices are often amplified, while the truth is drowned out, stifled, then beaten to death through groupthink, and mass pile-ons.

2/

I am not an expert in Active Measures, Information Warfare, Geopolitics or Counterintelligence.

I'm a student, loosely.

But there ARE experts and I have always tried to point my followers to them.

3/

Today, I have an opportunity to show you the difference between an actual intelligence expert with years of experience and a Twitter personality with zero intelligence creds, so that you may see the difference.

Let's compare...

4/

This take comes from a foreigner, who is not even an American citizen, with zero intelligence credentials.

I daresay it IS entertaining.

But, alas, it isn't accurate, which I will soon show

@alshalloway Thinking of the current enterprise I work for, we have specialist in each team that we borrow for project,however, the problem is they say I’m a X specialist so call me when you have a story for me and that it is waste of time to participate in agile ceremonies for the project

Coming to you live from the back of a police van

I was on my way from getting beer walking back to the car bangvala

Yerr it's hot back here. There's no air at all

We're driving around Kasi now. I hope we see some action. Shootout nyana

We just made a stop at a car wash. Ziyasha

Bede's Sources: A Thread 📚

Bede gives James the Deacon, a companion of Paulinus (first Northumbrian missionary) surprisingly short shrift. Esp as Paulinus was resolute enough to remain in the North when Paulinus’ mission broke down (& he lived to play a part in the Synod of Whitby).

It’s difficult to see why James (who lived mostly nr Catterick) didn’t become one of the great legendary figures of the Northumbrian Church, unless he was either really dull or his oral record didn’t survive until the point a monastery could jot it down.

Earliest extant life of an English saint is the anon. Lindisfarne Life of Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne and hermit of Farne, written c.699.

Whitby is rly the star of Bede’s work. It was to Whitby that the relics of Edwin were translated and traditions about Edwin were included in the Whitby “Life of Gregory [the Great]” written c.704. It was at Whitby that Oswiu was buried etc.

Today, I picked up my final paycheck from Colorado Community Media. I am going to miss working with the company’s outstanding roster of journalists. I want to thank CCM for the opportunity it has provided me.

I was let go Friday, Jan. 22, following a series of events…(1/21)

(2/21) In short, I was fired following my reluctance to sign a document agreeing to punishments placed upon me. They included: limiting my social media use to only share CCM stories/reach out to sources and…

(3/21)…Requiring me to receive approval from my editor to reach out to a source more than 3 times. (More on that later). I was able to slightly negotiate out words like “harassment” and “personal agenda,” however the list of reprimands themselves seemed non-negotiable.

(4/21) My publisher told me I had two options: Sign the document or resign. He had previously agreed to let me turn the document in on Monday (today). On Friday, I said I would consider signing the document on Monday.

I was fired that afternoon.

(5/21) I was willing to sign the disciplinary document, despite my disagreements, with the condition that my company show support for me, on my behalf, in a battle for information I had with the Town of Parker. They refused.

Going to write this out, knowing full well that what I am about will make me sound insane, or something I should be sharing with a personal diary or a therapist or something but if I don't get this outside of my body and put it back in the atmosphere, not confined to a page 1/

where it is locked away safe inside ink and a cover of cardboard. I cannot step away, unless I can teleport like Dr Manhattan to Mars, where I am breathing another air, where the world through which I must navigate is not charged with rage and anger 2/

I have long thought but always denied that I am a weird sort of absorber, and today I am just overwhelmed and not coping. I took a long long break, I tried to work through this. It did not help, because it is in the air that I breathe. 3/

This feels like what insanity must feel like, what having insane thoughts feel like, like madness, like paralysis, like one of those people who don aluminum hats to prevent whatever the fuck they're trying to stop from getting in. Am I fucking losing my mind? 4/

I tell myself this cannot be, that this is not real, that I am only imagining it, yet I cannot explain how I know what I know because I should not know or feel these things. What is wrong with me? /