And the unemployment rate begin to climb higher

Has Russia been killing families? I didn’t think they would sink that low like Israel.

Wars he’s going to start?

His son in law said it from the get go

Yea… uhhh. I have no happy thoughts on any of this, to be frank. We kind of need a miracle? Historically speaking, though - we are looking at what any other population saw as they went from democracy to dictatorship. Not much comfort in that. All I have been doing is building curated news sources in RSS and getting to know friendly decentralized communities. The sooner I can get off the Meta based socials, the better. Also, I have been reading about past dictatorships. I’m learning about the Nicaraguan one right now. Lot’s of parallels. The one silver lining, I guess, is - after a while most dictatorships turn thier own supporters… violently. Yay?

It’d be great if there was like a uhhh donation fund to help puppies… if you know what I’m saying

Absolutely nothing. Sigh.

It’s just like when reddit…

Trump LOVES Duterte. If that’s any indicator to how things are likely to go. For a small second I was like, no it can’t get that bad. But … no, it can. There’s already been a handful of videos of proud boys dressing up as ICE.

Yea, that and the shit I saw on how to train kids in ballet with adults standing with almost full weight on their hips to “limber them up”. It’s a different culture all together.

I joined but I am not a TT refugee. I joined because I was extremely curious how the CCP was going to deal with this given how… uh how (fill in the blank) US Tiktok users are. Also because I’ve been to China and saw how weird the authoritarian arm is there so this new wave of social media users is really interesting to me. I joined because I’m a nosey b.

He sucks and we all knew that. But here’s the fucked up thing…

Imo, this is the first documented fake “journalist” embedding themselves in what is essentially military aggressions on the mil’s own soil and pretty much against its own people. We see these turdbags embedded with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (Geraldo was never a real journalist)… and this is kind of like that. We are now at the point where the right feels comfortable enough with this shit to start televising the abuse on groups of people they hate.

We all need some major slef defense training. As @[email protected] mentioned below. Like… the proud boys are taking paramilitary training with creeps in the woods. We need self defense.

I can’t believe people still pay for it…

This 2020 meme popped up in my memories today …

That fucking state…lmfao. Back in the aughts I lived in KCMO and often had to bootleg titty mags and beer with higher alcohol content than 3% into it for friends. I have no idea why they’re so entrenched. I suspect oil companies have something to do with it?

Ugh. =)

With his teeny little hands

I am playing and forever willbe playing Hello Kitty Dream Village. It’s a shitty gacha game but I love it. I alos play Torn but I really don’t like it. I’m literally just signing in and collecting points. I don’t like that it’s centered around violence and drugs. No, I’m not mormon. I do belong to the Church of Mr. Rogers. ;P

An easier to read summary -

China’s technology transfers and their impacts -

Key Focus: The article examines whether Chinese technology transfers, specifically from Huawei, help recipient governments expand digital surveillance and repression. The study focuses on Huawei as it’s the world’s largest telecommunications provider and has significant data available about its transfers.

Main Findings: The effects of Huawei technology transfers depend heavily on the recipient country’s political institutions:

In autocracies: Transfers lead to increased digital surveillance, internet shutdowns, internet filtering, and targeted arrests for online content In democracies: No clear or consistent evidence of increased digital repression

Key Data Points: Study covers 153 Huawei projects worth approximately $1.6 billion Spans 64 countries between 2000-2017 About 90% of projects by value are in the communications sector Asia and Africa account for over 85% of total transfers

What Drives Huawei Transfers: Market size (population) Demand for low-cost telecommunications Prior relationships with China through aid Notably, transfers are NOT primarily driven by:

Natural resource endowments Regime type Political instability

Important Context: China has developed sophisticated domestic surveillance capabilities Huawei often incorporates technologies from smaller Chinese firms Technology transfers are “dual-use” - they can be used for both legitimate development and repression

Why Different Effects in Democracies vs. Autocracies:

Different Motivations: Autocracies: Often seek technology to control dissent and prevent collective action Democracies: More likely to use technology for public goods and economic development

Different Constraints: Democracies: Have institutional guardrails (courts, media, civil society) that limit misuse Autocracies: Fewer checks and balances on government power

Limitations of the Study:

• Difficulty measuring digital repression
• Secrecy around Huawei contracts may lead to incomplete data
• Lack of detailed information about specific transfer provisions

The research suggests that while Chinese technology transfers can enable digital repression, this outcome isn’t inevitable - it depends significantly on the recipient country’s existing political institutions and oversight mechanisms.