- cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

China is the world's 'biggest captor of journalists' with 127 detained, report says.
by professor rat 09 Dec '21

09 Dec '21

And in related news... WikiLeaks hasn’t spread a word of support for the Hong Kong protesters or for ANY of the lands and countries oppressed by nowadays Chinese government, including Chinese citizens. They just highlight "ooh the US govt is supporting the protests!" http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/-wikileaks-related-news/23/no-comment-wikile…

1 0

Cryptocurrency: The Metaverse MANA Matrix
by grarpamp 09 Dec '21

09 Dec '21

NFT... the harvester of souls... These Are The Things Real People Are Spending Millions Of Real Dollars On, In The Metaverse https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fintech-nft-land-idCAKCN2DU1GA https://twitter.com/AxieInfinity/status/1463876867245625346 https://twitter.com/joinrepublic_re/status/1468280732460228612 While billions are joking about Facebook's "metaverse" plans, real people are spending millions (and soon billions) in real cash to buy imaginary objects. As BofA's Alkesh Shah writes, metaverse land (and yacht) purchases are accelerating as blockchain-enabled applications and new frontiers continue to develop. Here are some examples of what people are spending all too real money on: Metaverse Group, a subsidiary of Tokens.com, purchased a 116-parcel estate in Decentraland’s Fashion Street district for ~$2.4 million (618k MANA) on Nov 23.1 If you’re wondering where Decentraland is on the map, it’s not.The 6,090 square feet of digital land purchased exists solely in the metaverse. The purchase was the largest acquisition of metaverse land to date and equates to 0.13% of all land to ever exist in Decentraland. And as Decentralands monthly users are expected to reach an all-time high of 300k this month it is not surprising that so many individuals and organizations want a piece of the action. Republic Realm, a digital real estate firm, purchased 259 parcels of land in Decentraland’s Metajuku district for ~$914k (1.3mn MANA) on Jun 18. The firm plans to transform its 16,000 square feet of digital land into a virtual shopping district where users can purchase digital wearables. Retail stores are leased and operated by third parties with current occupancy at 40%. If the idea of digital clothing sounds a bit farfetched, Balenciaga, Burberry,Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, among others, have already released digital collections. Axie Infinity, a play-to-earn gaming platform, announced on Nov 24 that it had sold a “Genesis” plot of digital land – one of 220 – for ~$2.3 million (550ETH). Yesterday, an Axie Genesis Plot sold for 550 ETH! This was the largest sale ever for a single plot of digital land ✨🔥 Learn about Land 👇https://t.co/6zPh0roPqG pic.twitter.com/4h5yERCwwO — Axie Infinity🦇🔊 (@AxieInfinity) November 25, 2021 Worried about inflated land prices? You probably should be... although it is likely that they prices will get much higher before they pop: the largest known sale of metaverse (sur)real estate took place at the all too real price of $4.3 million. Republic Realm said it paid $4.3 million for land in the world Sandbox, the biggest virtual real-estate sale publicized to date. Republic Realm bought the digital land from videogame company Atari SA and the two firms said they plan to partner on the development of some of the properties. .@JanineYorio on @CNN with @richardquest on how buying digital real estate now is like buying land in Manhattan when it was still forest and farmland. Watch clip here: pic.twitter.com/CBnPdNNEeB — Republic Realm (@joinrepublic_re) December 7, 2021 That acquisition broke a record set just last week by a subsidiary of Canadian investment firm Tokens.com Corp., which said it paid around $2.5 million for land in the world Decentraland’s Fashion District: “This is like buying land in Manhattan 250 years ago as the city is being built,” said Andrew Kiguel, chief executive of Tokens.com. Then there are yachts: Republic Realm sold its Metaflower Super Mega Yacht, a virtual yacht, on Nov 23 for ~$650k (149 ETH) in The Sandbox to an anonymous buyer. Participants can buy a virtual yacht or paintings for their virtual homes The yacht includes a relaxing Jacuzzi, two helipads, lounge areas, and even a dance floor to entertain its guest. Needless to say, such "meta" investments are extremely risky. Unlike actual real estate, which tends to retain some value even during a market downturn, the value of virtual properties could fall to zero if the world they are in goes out of fashion and people stop visiting it. Prices can also be slammed by the volatility of cryptocurrencies, said Zach Aarons, general partner of the real-estate-focused venture-capital firm MetaProp. “If I buy a building for 40 ETH, and then ethereum goes from $4,000 to $100, that’s a fundamental risk that I’m not really taking when I’m buying a piece of physical real estate,” he said. That hasn't stopped the meta craze from reaching all the way to the very top: Sotheby’s created a virtual replica of its New Bond Street Galleries headquarters in London in Decentraland’s Voltaire Art District, where its Natively Digital NFT auction on Jun 3 was streamed. The structure features all five ground level gallery spaces as well as the figure of Sotheby’s London Commissionaire, Hans Lomulder, on hand to greet visitors. Michael Bouhanna, specialist and head of sales at Sotheby’s said that “we see spaces like Decentraland as the next frontier for digital art where artists, collectors and viewers alike can engage with one another from anywhere in the world and showcase art that is fundamentally scarce and unique, but accessible to anyone for viewing.” BofA's take: "the metaverse consists of persistent virtual reality platforms, powered by blockchain technology, which allow users to interact through augmented reality (AR) headsets. Similar to the Gold Rush, investors and speculators are securing what they expect to be valuable assets within this new frontier. We expect the development of infrastructure (railroads) in the form of on-ramps and interoperability of digital assets. The Metaverse is worth paying attention to, given a potential market opportunity of $1tn.4 We expect development of this new frontier over the next decade, leading to interoperable environments that allow users to interact, play games, attend concerts and visit art galleries, as well as buy, sell and trade NFTs." To be clear, "the metaverse has already arrived with ~$392 million spent this year on metaverse-related digital assets."

1 0

Sputnik and FoxNews in lock-step
by professor rat 09 Dec '21

09 Dec '21

andrewsweiss - 7h Sputnik and FoxNews are completing each other’s sentences—again. #Ukraine Quote Tweet Sputnik @SputnikInt Russia state-affiliated media · 7h #TuckerCarlson Warns of Danger of ‘Hot War’ Between US and #Russia Over #Ukraine http://dlvr.it/SF0JM3

3 3

Civil Asset Forfeiture: Criminal Govt Pirates aka Cops Steal $100K From Woman
by grarpamp 09 Dec '21

09 Dec '21

'David Burge' Goes Ballistic Over Civil Asset Forfeiture After Dallas Cops Snatch $100K From Innocent Woman https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468323146352807938 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468342716039901186 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468359312762601473 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468574046858235910 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468596882821857293 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468615115884871682 https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1468621964306788356 https://dcids.substack.com/ On Tuesday, CBS Dallas glorified an incident at Dallas Love Field Airport in which a 25-year-old woman traveling with $100,000 in cash had it seized by the cops in what's known as civil asset forfeiture. If you need a primer, see our previous reporting here and here. CBS reported: High praise for a K-9 officer at Dallas Love Field Airport after more than $100,000 was found in a passenger’s luggage. On December 2 the canine — named ‘Ballentine’ — alerted on an individual checked suitcase. It turns out the bag, that belonged to 25-year-old woman from Chicago who was on a layover at the airport, contained blankets and two large bubble envelopes filled with $106,829 in cash. The woman who owned the bag was not arrested, but the money was seized and police say it will be subject to the civil asset forfeiture process. In short, the network spun an egregious theft from an innocent, uncharged citizen by making it about a 'cute' police K-9. High praise for a K-9 officer at Dallas Love Field Airport after more than $100,000 was found in a passenger's luggage. https://t.co/lJoDg5lWfh pic.twitter.com/sA1unHSCCB — CBSDFW (@CBSDFW) December 7, 2021 The report infuriated many, maybe none more so than Twitter user 'David Burge' (@iowahawkblog), an opinionator perhaps best known for his amazing knowledge of all things vintage automotive (seriously, he's an encyclopedia). D.A.R.E. to Keep Kids Off Cash — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 7, 2021 Continued... true story, I once sold a very nice car to a guy who drove from TX to Chicago to get it. Paid in cash, and it was... a shit ton of money. Gave me phone # of his bank in TX, and they verified that he had made the cash withdrawal 2 days earlier, so not counterfeit. I asked him if he was nervous driving 1200 miles with that much cash on him, and he sorta laughed and said, "nah, I always travel with my friend," and showed me the .45 he kept under the seat of his truck. Never asked him why he wanted to pay cash, cuz none of my business. I thought he was nuts. Not because of the threat of robbers, but because of the threat of asset forfeiture cops. At that point his .45 would be useless, or get him thrown in jail. Or killed. And I'm pretty sure telling the cop "I'm using it to buy a car" wouldn't wash. Anyway, he was an older white guy in a pickup with a trailer, so maybe he really didn't have much to worry about. Now imagine two younger black or Hispanic guys, traveling to buy a cheap old car for $7000, and they get pulled over. Now it's asset forfeiture open season. Fact is it's at the discretion of the cop. If you can't explain to the cop's satisfaction why you have that much money, they can conclude it was acquired illegally, and Fuck You buddy, hire a lawyer to prove it wasn't. Which will cost you more that the cash itself. And where does that confiscated money go? It stays right there with the cops, natch, so they can spend it on surplus armored MRAPs and such, a reward for keeping us citizens safe from the danger of people driving around with cash. real Sheriff of Nottingham bullshit. There are plenty of legitimate reasons for people to carry large amounts of cash, no matter how "sketchy" or "suspicious" or "nervous" the cops find them. For crissakes, who wouldn't be, talking to an armed bandit with a badge? /8 — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 7, 2021 How this abomination against due process is allowed to continue in this country simply boggles my mind. I have to believe it's an issue that should unite people across the political spectrum. Who the fuck could possibly defend it as policy? Are you going to charge the suspect with committing a crime? No? The it doesn't matter how he came by the cash, it's none of your fucking business. Good day, Officer O'Greedy. And even if you are, say, like a speeding ticket, it's still none of you fucking business. Take for example the two young black or Hispanic dudes driving to buy a beater car, with $7k cash and oops, 2 grams of weed in the glovebox. When O'Greedy pulls 'em over for speeding that 2g of weed better not be probable cause to conclude they're carrying Cartel cash. I've been bitching about this for 20 years, and the most frustrating thing is that everyone, left and right, seems to agree with me. And yet nothing changes, because the only beneficiary of CAF is The State. /13 — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 7, 2021 On Wednesday, Burge continued after someone accused him of a 'bad take.' I am somewhat perplexed by the number of people in my replies who think that there is no legitimate reason for carrying large amounts of cash, that it's evidence of crime, or that it is itself a crime. Lemme give some examples from the old car biz. — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 8, 2021 Continued... I know lots of people who make their living in antique cars, buying/selling cars, and car parts, at swap meets and auctions and such. The majority of those transactions are done in cash. "Oooh, nice old Guide headlights, how much?" "$300, cash only." I know plenty of people who bring a trailer full of parts, rolling projects, etc., to big swap meets. At the end of a good weekend, they might have $10k, $20k or more in cash, heading home. You are crazy if you don't think they're gonna conceal it. Now imagine a state trooper pulls them over for a busted taillight, and they make the mistake of letting the trooper search their vehicle. Because of CAF you can bet the trooper is walking away with their cash. And >0% chance he might just impound their vehicle, too. You see, the mere fact that he had a $20k wad of cash hidden in his truck is evidence that he's a mule for the Mexican cartels and stuff. "Old car swap meet"? Yeah likely story pal, here's your receipt, tell it to the judge. Oh, hey, no problem. All he has to do now is hire a lawyer, spend a few months convincing a kindly judge how it was all just a big misunderstanding, after which the cops and will cheerfully return all his cash, and everyone will share a laugh about the wacky mixup, freeze frame. sorry, I was hallucinating there for a minute. There are people who buy cars at salvage auctions, or conduct estate sales, sell at farmers markets or art fairs, on and on. All have legitimate reasons for carrying large amounts of cash. But there's no legitimate reason they should have to explain that to a cop so he won't just take it away from them. The crazy thing is that CAF has no *floor* on what might be considered "sketchy" amounts of cash. There are case of $200 or less being taken. Take for example the young woman who had $100k in cash taken from her at the Dallas airport yesterday, or the former Marine who had his $87k life savings swiped by the Nevada highway cops a few days ago. Neither were arrested, nor charged with a crime. — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 8, 2021 But sure, let's have heroic Sniffy the Drug Doggie pose with the uncharged woman's confiscated cash that he found, because it, like 90% of bills in circulation, has trace amounts of cocaine residue on it. Rrrrufff! Help take a bite of cash! The legal theory, as I understand it, is that the young woman might not be guilty of anything but her money was guilty of looking suspicious. And since 4A rights only apply to people and not green pieces of paper, she has the burden of proof to show her money was innocent. Here's a contrary opinion from a professor from the Twitter University Center For Constitutional Legal Studieshttps://t.co/v7j3uFEmrV — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 8, 2021 Good thing the State of Nevada doesn't have any industries there based on cash transactions — David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 8, 2021

1 0

Feds Offer Portland Police $400,000 to Investigate the “Dark Web” and COVID-19 Fraudsters
by jim bell 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

Feds Offer Portland Police $400,000 to Investigate the “Dark Web” and COVID-19 Fraudsters https://share.newsbreak.com/836clf67

1 0

The Bank of London
by Gunnar Larson 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

How queer is the Bank of London? Have you heard of this? Gunnar

1 0

3D-Printed Suicide Booths
by grarpamp 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

Switzerland Legalizes 3D-Printed Suicide Booths By:Blueapples Perhaps the only thing mankind has contemplated more than life itself is death. For as much as the social constructs of religion, law, and governance have encapsulated our attitudes about death, the superiority of natural law is impossible to curtail. Underlying philosophical positions skew a nation, people, or culture's outlook on the matter to the point that permeates into governance. Few better facets of dying convey this than suicide. In some nations suicide is viewed as an acceptable, if not honorable, way to die. Yet in most of the western world it is perceived as the gravest of sins. Balancing those interests through the rule of law is a delicate task which juxtaposes the state's interest in preserving life along with its respect for the autonomy of its citizens. The complexity of this moral argument is made particularly evident when examining the legality of assisted suicide. As governments of developed nations across the world have begun to confront this macabre issue, Switzerland's latest action on the matter illustrates the startling reality of the matter. The country's medical review board has authorized the use of a 3D-printed suicide pod as a method of legal assisted suicide. The Sarco Suicide Pod is a portable assisted suicide device made possible by 3D-printing. The device was invented by Philip Nitschke. With a surname bearing similarity to Friedrich Nietzsche, it should be no surprise that Nitschke has a strong philosophical position on the issue of assisted suicide. From the humanist position on dying with dignity to espousing the importance of personal autonomy in matters of life and death, he has advocated for the safe practice of assisted suicide through his public interest group Exit International. Nitschke is credited with performing the first doctor in the world to perform a legal lethal injection in 1996 following the passage of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act by the government of Australia's Northern Territory in 1995. Once the law was repealed in 1997, Nitschke turned to advocacy by starting his foundation. Since the repeal of the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in Australia, other nations have legalized assisted suicide. In the United States, it's legal in 8 states (Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, and California) as well as Washington DC. In Montana, it is also legal for terminally ill patients to request lethal medication from a physician. In Switzerland, the legality of assisted suicide is made possible by Article 115 of the Swiss Penal Code which allows the act in instances where the motive of doing so is altruistic. This makes Swiss law on the matter much more ambiguous compared to other European nations where it is legal, namely Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Unlike those countries, the statutory construction of Swiss law makes legal assisted suicide possible even without a physician. Switzerland's unique legal climate presents Nitschke with a unique opportunity given that he himself is not a physician. The inventor has expressly conveyed the importance of removing psychiatric review and other medical oversight in instances of individuals seeking assisted suicide. All Nitschke requires is that those who apply to use the suicide pod fill out a questionnaire which determines they are capable of consenting. From there, the portable device can be transported to a location of their choosing. Once immersed in the suicide pod, the person activates an AI process which gradually reduces the oxygen by flooding the interior with nitrogen. Once the process begins, all the person using the device has to do is lay down and die. As of its approval by the Swiss Medical Review Board, no Sarco Suicide Pod has gone into operation yet. The device is presently in development with just 3 prototypes to have been constructed thus far. No cost estimates for the device have even been calculated. Needless to say, there aren't any user reviews on the device available either. Though Switzerland's approval of this machine comes at a time where polling reflects a positive outlook on assisted suicide, that also intersects with a period of increased mental illness onset by restrictive government policies made under the pretense of protecting public health in the midst of a pandemic. This duality reflects that the changing attitude on assisted suicide by the government lacks the altruistic intent referred to under the Swiss penal code. Economic shuttering, rigid policies restricting the free association of individuals in public, and the mental strain of terror imposed by a medical technocracy demonstrate a callous disregard for human life and individual autonomy. While the Swiss have viewed legal suicide as a right under personal freedom, they have also recently upheld the use of vaccine passports which is a stark contradiction of law making done in the interest of protecting individual freedom, especially in consideration of medical care. Formative French sociologist Émile Durkheim is regarded as contributing one of the most compelling philosophical examinations of suicide through his aptly titled monograph Le Suicide. Durkheim's work was published in 1897 at a time where shifting views on suicide were happening within a much more conservative society. Influenced by his era, Durkheim's work takes a much more objective insight into suicide by cataloging it among four classifications: egostic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic. He also notes the varying suicide rates across different cultures and demographics. Le Suicide was innately expectant of criticism upon its release given the gravity of its subject matter. One of the foremost criticisms of his work was that Durkheim's view on individual autonomy was formed by the amalgamation of aggregate statistics from external factors. As such, given that individuals are choosing to commit suicide because of those external forces, there is reason to question how freely they are making the choice given the influence of the duress that they are under. This criticism provides a compelling argument seemingly absent from advocacy promoting assisted suicide in the most liberal conditions. It begs the question about whether or not a state that doesn't care whether you live or die is earnestly being altruistic in reshaping its laws on assisted suicide.

2 1

Gizmodo: Someone Is Running Hundreds of Malicious Servers on the Tor Network and Might Be De-Anonymizing Users
by jim bell 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

Gizmodo: Someone Is Running Hundreds of Malicious Servers on the Tor Network and Might Be De-Anonymizing Users. https://gizmodo.com/someone-is-running-hundreds-of-malicious-servers-on-the…

3 3

[spam][ot][rambling][crazy] Are Frozen Water Bottles Dangerous?
by Karl 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

I don't know.

4 12

Re: Libertarianism... parties, borders, property, abortion, roads, taxes, guns, death, etc
by professor rat 08 Dec '21

08 Dec '21

Ha! Even a one-man-Russian Troll Farm and certified Batshit-Crazy NAZBOL coprophage can see through rolled-gold frauds like Gramps and Dumbell. >>> what is this 'grarpamp' thing but a trumpofascist KKK US turd trying to lecture anybody about 'libertarianism'? A trumpofascist turd babbling about 'libertarianism'?? Really??? Please. > faux-freedom psyop 'grarpamp' being a fanatical US nazi he certainly knows a lot about faux-freedom psyops. Starting with the nazi cesspool that jefferson, franklin and the rest of slaveowners 'founded'. For the record, europe is the fascist cesspool that created the US empire. I hope that's enough praise for europe. And last but not least : bell stated > i'm against GOVERNMENT borders. > I'm not aware if there are any "open-borders" nations on Earth. So what do those two sentences mean? Why would somebody who pretends to be against 'government borders' say that there are no open borders nations? That's a textbook example of a US nazi excuse. Every time US nazis are reminded of what kind of garbage they are, they 1)first deny it and then 2)babble "but, but, EVERYBODY DOES IT"! So yeah, saying "I don't know any open borders country" is a twisted, stupid and dishonest way of saying "look government borders aren't that bad!". <<< Scratch a Trotskyist - find a Stalinist Scratch a Libertarian - find a statist.

2 1