Senate Republicans flagged thousands of grants as “woke DEI” research. What does that really mean?
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In war against DEI in science, researchers see collateral damage
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Even though this is a DEI project, it's worth calling out for anyone who thinks this is a waste of money that it is absolutely not. There are clear economic benefits to such a program, it's not just increasing diversity and equity - it's about increasing participation. It's to increase the number of people in STEM overall by tackling the source issues on why people don't enter the field.
It's not just the government that does this. In Australia, the likes of Rio Tinto and BHP hoover up a substantial portion of engineering (not computer engineering) students in this country and the more the better. So they promote diversity and inclusion right down to the school level, because they know that relying on men alone to fill STEM roles isn't enough. Particularly when more women than men go to university in general, yet fill out a minority of STEM roles.
I worked in HR at a mining company, anyone looking from the outside would see it all as woke policies. But when the wages are ridiculously high, the talent pipeline non-existent, the historical issues of having a predominantly white male workforce embedded in the culture to fight again, it was all about the bottom line on how we seriously tackle diversity. I really hope that if someone cuts off this grant, a mining company steps in to fund it instead.
Even though this is a DEI project, it's worth calling out for anyone who thinks this is a waste of money that it is absolutely not. There are clear economic benefits to such a program, it's not just increasing diversity and equity - it's about increasing participation. It's to increase the number of people in STEM overall by tackling the source issues on why people don't enter the field.
It's not just the government that does this. In Australia, the likes of Rio Tinto and BHP hoover up a substantial portion of engineering (not computer engineering) students in this country and the more the better. So they promote diversity and inclusion right down to the school level, because they know that relying on men alone to fill STEM roles isn't enough. Particularly when more women than men go to university in general, yet fill out a minority of STEM roles.
I worked in HR at a mining company, anyone looking from the outside would see it all as woke policies. But when the wages are ridiculously high, the talent pipeline non-existent, the historical issues of having a predominantly white male workforce embedded in the culture to fight again, it was all about the bottom line on how we seriously tackle diversity. I really hope that if someone cuts off this grant, a mining company steps in to fund it instead.
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Koga Onutalepo
Ars Legatus Legionis
Anyone else notice how posts defending musk/doge and/or attacking "DEI" both regularly fail the Turing test?
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Amazing how many women and minorities voted to prevent their own freedom. What did they think would happen?
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where does Elon’s riches come from
and I’m not referring to his pampered privileged upbringing
or family emerald mines
like where did he get cash to invest/buy Tesla and SpaceX?
the Paypal mafia. or more exactly the sale of Paypal to Ebay
what was Elon’s status with Paypal when the deal was done
- he was ousted- fired- driven out for incompetence
what was his contribution to that sale ?
well it wasn’t the name Paypal
he wanted it called X.com
it wasn’t design - Paypal wasn’t from his side of the merger it was a pre-existing project that did what he claimed x.com could but actually function- unlike x.com
(which was basically a sham)
it wasn’t technical- he couldn’t handle unix/linux and wanted it re-built back to basic ontop of M$
- of course he was overruled
- Elon got his wealth from the sale of a company he’d been fired from
a company whose primary worth was projects he not only had no hand in producing but had campaigned (and failed) to replace with his own nonfunctional project
and yeah. he ramped that up with relentless self promotion and an incredible disregard for the truth
and he’s like super super rich now
you ever hear of Jesse Livermore ?
once the Richest man in the world
you should look up his story
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Back in the day I didn't know much about Musk other than PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX. I didn't admire him, but I did respect him. I had heard about what an asshole he could be, but so are a lot of eccentric intelligent people so I didn't think much of it.
The turning point for me was when he publicly called that guy a pedophile for having the audacity to criticize his weekend garage project submarine when children's lives were on the line. From then on he just kept showing more and more of what a piece of shit he really is.
So yeah, if he had kept his mouth shut and stuck with building EVs and rockets that did cool things, I would have thought it was a shame if he wrapped his car around a tree on a ketamine bender. Now, I would gladly give him the needle or the pipe or the pills or whatever it is you do ketamine with and point him at the tree.
To quote Maya Angelou,
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A harmless pie
Ars Centurion
musk's family was extremely wealthy for one, and as for the rest, you've been fooled by propaganda, and there's plenty of internet you can search to find exactly how.
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Canadian here. My step-daughter, studying CS in Canada just sent me an email asking if she could go to a computer competition in Kansas. For the first time, we are saying no to an extra-curricular educational opportunity.
While we will not be boycotting all of America, we will certainly not spend a single cent in any red state, period. That is for the foreseeable future. And to be perfectly frank, what possible merit could there possibly be in a technical competition in Afkansastan? I mean, that's like sending her to a conference on political freedom in Belarus.
While we will not be boycotting all of America, we will certainly not spend a single cent in any red state, period. That is for the foreseeable future. And to be perfectly frank, what possible merit could there possibly be in a technical competition in Afkansastan? I mean, that's like sending her to a conference on political freedom in Belarus.
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Emerald mine elmo who grew on on the rich side of apartheid.
Could you lie more?
As for the rest of your bs. He got kicked out of PayPal because he sucked and he was worse than useless.
Tesla is failing. Twitter is failing. Hyoerloop doesn't exist. Boring is a joke. Xai is just him throwing money at it.
The only successful one is SpaceX and only when he's off screwing up his other ventures or getting car cheating in video go to look cool.
Anyone who thinks he is smart or talented is an imbecile.
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The Widow’s Resolve
Wondrous Item, legendary (requires attunement by a creature of good alignment)
This unassuming, well-worn handbag, typically carried by elderly women of firm moral conviction, holds the righteous fury of those who have lived through tyranny and refuse to see it rise again. It smells faintly of lavender and contains an arsenal of unseen justice.
Properties:
Hefty Swing. The Widow’s Resolve can be used as a melee weapon with the stats of a +3 mace. On a hit, it deals 1d8 + Strength bludgeoning damage. Against any creature with the Evil alignment or that actively promotes tyranny, oppression, or fascist ideals, it deals an additional 3d6 force damage.
No Tolerance for Fascists. When striking a creature that belongs to an organization dedicated to oppression, violence against the innocent, or authoritarian rule (DM’s discretion), the handbag delivers an overwhelming shockwave of historical defiance. The creature must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. If it fails by 5 or more, it is instead knocked unconscious for 1d4 rounds.
Bottomless Preparedness. The Widow’s Resolve functions as a Bag of Holding, but its contents are limited to everyday essentials that an elderly woman might carry (DM’s discretion). Items retrieved from the bag are always in perfect working condition, including useful tools like knitting needles (can function as improvised daggers), peppermint candies (restore 1 HP when eaten), and reading glasses (grant advantage on Investigation checks involving reading).
Indignant Smite. The wielder may invoke the handbag’s righteous fury to cast Holy Smite (as Divine Smite, but dealing radiant or force damage) once per long rest. This smite deals an additional 6d10 radiant damage to any creature classified as Evil, Lawful Evil, or that the DM determines fits the category of a tyrannical enforcer.
Legacy of Resistance. If the wielder is reduced to 0 HP by a creature that promotes tyranny or oppression, the handbag emits a defiant aura. All allies within 30 feet gain advantage on saving throws and +2 to attack rolls against the offending creature for the next minute. If the wielder dies, they may choose to speak one final phrase, which is magically projected across a 1-mile radius in a booming voice.
Curse (Optional, DM’s discretion):
If wielded by someone who is indifferent to oppression or seeks power for personal gain, the handbag grows unbearably heavy, imposing disadvantage on all Strength-based checks and attacks until it is willingly relinquished. Attempting to sell or destroy the bag results in the wielder being haunted by the disappointed sighs of generations past, causing 1 level of exhaustion per day until they atone.
This item has been passed down through generations, carried by those who refuse to let the lessons of history be forgotten. It does not choose its bearer lightly—but once attuned, it will protect them with the weight of the world’s defiance.
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Nevermind the economics of it, why would you take the risk of assault ... Kansas not exactly friendly to foreigners right now.
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Said another way, these assholes did a google search for everything NSF was researching and randomly picked shit to fill out blanks on a boilerplate "i want to bitch and moan" speech.
About what I'd expect from a bunch of Yale/Harvard graduates who routinely bitch and moan about "elitists ivy league schools"
About what I'd expect from a bunch of Yale/Harvard graduates who routinely bitch and moan about "elitists ivy league schools"
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Broadly speaking they are stupid in a way; deeply incurious. They have little regard for information they aren't already hooked on. Their worlds are closed, and new ideas threaten their closed little world. It's one of the reasons they react so violently against trans people. It offends the view of the world they had ossified when they reached adulthood. The simple, explicable world where everything follows easy-to-understand rules. They are allergic to ambiguity, and to genuine self-criticism. They aren't interested in being corrected when they're wrong because they don't allow themselves to be in such an embarrassing state as "wrong." And if someone tells them otherwise, that person is wrong; not just factually, but maybe morally.
They will take all the benefits of science but also reject its power to frame them as mistaken on anything, or to imply a sacrificial action on their part. Climate change? They militantly don't care about it. Worse than mere apathy, they're antipathetic to it because it might inspire some measure of self-restraint and self-denial on them. Might cause them some sense of guilt.
They're also cynical. Since they have no use for science they don't agree with, they are willing to attack the integrity of science no matter how strong the evidence for something is internally; they will sow Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt about it to the public. What do they care? Especially since those stupid scientific ideas make people upset at them. "Why aren't you doing something about climate change? Why don't you accept that humanity has gender separate from physical sex? Why aren't you doing something about this pandemic?" Shut up, stop attacking me! You're wrong! I don't have to do anything! I don't have to change anything about myself! I don't owe you anything!
There are social dominators like Musk and Trump who can't exist outside their warped personalities, that require adulation and external validation by subjugating other people. There are also right-wing authoritarian personalities, like their followers, who crave the certainty of conforming to an in-group of right-thinking peers and reflexively attack and dehumanize anyone they deem an out-group that would undermine their ideologies and identities. Science, as an independent source of counter-intuitive facts and reliable information, and as a method of thinking critically and privileging no sacred cows, is anathema to both of them.
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And require them to wear modest clothes, covering their heads so that they don't tempt men to sin?
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To answer that, you need to understand the two core groups running this shitshow, because it's the melding of these two groups that has enabled this depravity. One group can be broadly called Christian Nationalists, and what they want is to create their "Christian utopia" on America's ashes, by any means necessary -- because "God" wills it -- and use their power over this nation to subjugate the entire population to their warped and depraved concept of Christianity, which is fundamentally incompatible with all the scientific progress made over the last century or two. And notably, these groups are helmed by 'charismatic' con artists, selling a version of Christianity, called Prosperity Gospel, based on 'wealth' being equivalent to "God's" divine blessing. Donate to them even harder, and you'll see God's blessing too. They promise.
The other group are wealthy, white-nationalist capitalists (like Musk but far less public). In the 70s, their power was steadily declining as a result of an increase in access to high-quality, higher education for average, and notably, less 'white' Americans. So they used the electoral college and senate to prevent their power from slipping further while they systematically dismantled the education systems in their power bastions (which conveniently bolstered the numbers of people falling into the first group). But even that wasn't enough to beat back the growing tide, so they allied with the first group, creating an insurmountable voting bloc. This ensured their stranglehold on the federal government, their ability to wield it for personal gain, and to attack anyone or anything they didn't 'like' -- such as Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, DEI, etc.
Power and wealth. Wealth and power. The relationship between these two groups is symbiotic, as it enables both groups to get and do what they want. At least for now. Because they've never been anything more than allies of convenience. As such, they're headed for a show down, with the rest of America caught in the crossfire as 'acceptable' collateral damage in their ongoing culture war and eventual power struggle.
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That's xai. Not ex twitter.
Users are leaving twitter and without users there is no value.
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They don’t like evidence based facts - especially ones that disagree with their views, but in general since they don’t control them. They much prefer “alternative facts” - things they make up to support their views but claim are real, and which are accepted as real by their supporters. They probably don't actually need to kill science for this, since their supporters believe them regardless of how idiotic their “facts” are, but it reduces the possibility that a few might be swayed by reality.
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Wealth != Moral or decent human being (very frequently, and certainly in this case, it means the opposite)
Who gives a shit about Soros? Who, aside from the conservatives, has given a shit about Soros in the last 15+ years? I only ever hear about him from the people that talk about him like he's some Jewish Boogeyman.
Also, to you and anyone else trying to "own the" whichever political party has been designated enemy of yours by the people telling you not to question them... Seek help
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'BOY PLUNGER' ENDS 'FAILURE'
Jesse Livermore Takes Own Life In Hotel Lounge With Revolver.
By United Press)
NEW YORK-Jesse L. Liver- more's widow tearfully studied his suicide note today. It said he had been a "failure."
One-time "boy plunger," "wiz- ard of Wall Street." "Cotton King," winner and loser of four fortunes, Livermore shot and killed himself last evening in the gentlemen's lounge of a fashion- able Fifth avenue hotel.
The body of the 62-year-old speculator, one of the nation's most spectacular market oper- ators, lay in a morgue, formally identified for the police by his son, Jesse Livermore, jr.
The note had been written in the bar of the hotel during the luncheon hour yesterday. Liver- more sat at a table and furiously wrote in his note book while eating lunch. It was addressed to "Nina," and signed "Laurie."
It said he was "tired of fight- Ing" and could "not go an any longer." Full of endearing terms, it asserted: "I am not worthy of your love. I am a fail- ure."
When he had finished his lunch and his composition, Livermore left the hotel, presumably for his office in a nearby skyscraper. Later, Livermore returned to the hotel and went to the lounge ad- joining the men's room. Ten min- utes later an attendant saw him in a chair, thought at first he was asleep. Then he saw blood trick- ling from a wound in his head. A 32 caliber Colt automatic revolver was on the floor at his feet.
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Surprised no one else noticed but you wouldn’t have had “shares” to sell after Musk took it private there super-chief.
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I was only ever ambivalent towards Musk (though thought the cars were neat until the QC problems got out of control and then significantly less so once he went full fascist).
Again, why are you so damn stuck on a 90+ year old Holocaust survivor that no one else gives a shit about? What the hell did he invest in that struck such a nerve with you? No one else gives a shit about him, I can't understand why some people get so fixated on him.
You need help because your obsessed with a 90 year old man, convinced he's doing something nefarious while ignoring the people actively looting the country in front of our very eyes.
Look, I'm not even a Democrat (at least by choice). It pains me that the Republican party refuses to put a viable decent human being forward as a candidate. Drives me crazy that the party only exists to rob the poor to pad the wallets of the rich. I think the team sports that American politics has become is toxic... So I'm not inherently against you; this isn't a competition, I don't see it as a someone wins the other loses... We're all losing. All of us. You, me, everyone who doesn't have 1 mil kicking around in their bank account. So get help, dude.
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actually did noticed ..
just seemed par for the course for mister big boy pants
frankly
the ignorance was overwhelming
like picking a out specific poop in a tidal wave of sewage
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dude
yir literally whining now
its like I can almost smell the stress and frustration in your BO
it’s like you’ve just gotten rejected by your prom date
and am seething with resentment
and feelings of inadequacy
why are you so so twisted up inside?
and all for some pathetic parasocial relationship with someone who’s security team wouldn’t let you get within a hundred feet of
seriously…
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I strongly recommend you read Hannah Arendt's "The Origins of Totalitarianism" and "1984". A goal of the totalitarian is to make it impossible to distinguish between truth and falsity. In 1984, Winston Smith is tortured over how much 2 +2 is. At one point, he is informed that 2 + 2 might be 4 or it might be 5. The point is that it will be whatever the state says it is. Reality is whatever the state says it is.
That is exactly the reason why Trump insisted at the start of his first term that he had the largest crowd ever at his inauguration. Everyone babbled on about how Trump's fragile ego and narcism was the cause. It's to the country's everlasting shame that people weren't noticing the obvious connection to 1984. The orange bastard was insisting that everyone should agree that his inauguration was the biggest ever because everyone must accept his definition of reality was the only reality. That's exactly what totalitarians do.They destroy the ability to see what reality is or is not.
Science is the process of better understanding reality. It unveils fundamental truths that have nothing to do with whatever nonsense the totalitarians are claiming to be true. Science therefore must be destroyed because it has the audacity to submit to the objective truth of reality and such submission destroys the power of the totalitarian to decree what reality is. The ideology these people have is the desire to wield totalitarian power. It's as simple as that.
Edited: removed extra word.
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dude if you read 1984 just make sure before you get near to finishing
you have a safe place - hopefully with a dear reliable friend- to go.
seriously- I don’t qualify this so much as spoiler more a warning
recommendation in the best practices when approaching reading it
just beware
that books’ ending can cause trauma
especially now
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Respectfully:
A modern American Second Civil War cannot happen with clean territorial lines and North + West vs. South. The old North is too fragmented, the West and Southeast have been battered by natural disasters and Texas and Florida are preoccupied with the Mexican drug cartels controlling 2/3rds of that country (and doing everything they can to fail to control it while tooting their own horns to the contrary)
Tit-for-tat escalating domestic terrorism spread by social media is the only way such a civil war can even happen. It's also the most likely form for it to occur, with the highest culmination being more lone wolves that the GOP is busily producing by firing this many federal workers that know where all the bodies are hidden.
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Agree. My stomach still tightens when recalling that book's ending, even though it's been more than 40 years since I read it. The reality is that the monsters described in that novel and the actual monsters analyzed by Arendt are the same kind of monsters that were given power with the last US election. We need to understand the nature of the beasts we are facing. We should have figured that out with Trump's first inauguration, but we didn't.
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On Thursday evening, as Musk promoted his new AI chatbot—the “anti-woke” Grok 3—on Twitter, Grimes, the mother of three of his kids, desperately tried to get his attention. “Plz respond about our child’s medical crisis,” she tweeted at him. “I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation. This requires immediate attention. If you don’t want to talk to me can you please designate or hire someone who can so that we can move forward on solving this. This is urgent, Elon.”
One user questioned why Grimes was doing this publicly, though I think it was pretty self-explanatory since she stressed he wasn’t responding to her. “I’m not giving any details but he won’t respond to texts call or emails and has skipped every meeting and our child will suffer life long impairment if he doesn’t respond asap, so I need him to fucking respond,” she replied, “and if I have to apply public pressure then I guess that’s where we’re at.”
https://www.jezebel.com/is-elon-musk-the-worlds-biggest-deadbeat
Musk and Grimes share three children: their son, X Æ A-Xii, born in May 2020 and who’s constantly seen at Musk’s side in public (often without Grimes’ knowledge or permission); their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, born December 2021; and son Techno Mechanicus, born in June 2022. It’s unclear which of their children was in the midst of a medical crisis.
As the world waited with bated breath for Musk to acknowledge Grimes’ pleas, we were treated to videos of Musk live on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He was stuttering, visibly struggling to walk upright, and wearing highly questionable sunglasses covering half his face. He giggled about his plans to cut $500 billion from social security and Medicare, joked that he isn’t living his “dream” but living his “meme” (he is 53 years old and the father of 13 known children), and, at one point, he stood up and swung around a gold chainsaw, yelling, “Chainsaaaw!”
One user questioned why Grimes was doing this publicly, though I think it was pretty self-explanatory since she stressed he wasn’t responding to her. “I’m not giving any details but he won’t respond to texts call or emails and has skipped every meeting and our child will suffer life long impairment if he doesn’t respond asap, so I need him to fucking respond,” she replied, “and if I have to apply public pressure then I guess that’s where we’re at.”
https://www.jezebel.com/is-elon-musk-the-worlds-biggest-deadbeat
Musk and Grimes share three children: their son, X Æ A-Xii, born in May 2020 and who’s constantly seen at Musk’s side in public (often without Grimes’ knowledge or permission); their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl Musk, born December 2021; and son Techno Mechanicus, born in June 2022. It’s unclear which of their children was in the midst of a medical crisis.
As the world waited with bated breath for Musk to acknowledge Grimes’ pleas, we were treated to videos of Musk live on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He was stuttering, visibly struggling to walk upright, and wearing highly questionable sunglasses covering half his face. He giggled about his plans to cut $500 billion from social security and Medicare, joked that he isn’t living his “dream” but living his “meme” (he is 53 years old and the father of 13 known children), and, at one point, he stood up and swung around a gold chainsaw, yelling, “Chainsaaaw!”
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