PeaceWave
PeaceWave's JournalYour kids only deserve two Xmas toys, you're using credit to buy groceries, but Trump deserves a 90,000 foot ballroom...
At a certain point, it's so bonkers that it feels as though we've all crossed into unreality. Something to think about it while you eat dinner at your sofa, since the average new American home doesn't even have a dedicated dining room, let alone an enormous fucking banquet hall.
Janet Mills takes big lead over Graham Platner in Maine Senate poll...
https://themainemonitor.org/platner-reddit-posts/A nonpartisan survey has Gov. Janet Mills leading Graham Platner by ten points in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, though the sizable number of undecided voters coupled with the political novice’s hold on younger Mainers shows the race is still anyone’s game.
The findings were among the results of Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research’s 67th statewide poll, which surveyed 820 likely Maine voters between Nov. 29 and Dec. 7.
Overall, the two-term governor leads Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan, 47% to 37% among a subset of 318 likely Democratic primary voters, with 1% voicing support for David Costello, another candidate. The pollster notes that the margins of error for specific sub-samples are higher than the ±3.7% margin of sampling error for the entire sample.
Why does it matter?
Platner, now infamous not only for a Nazi tattoo emblazoned across his chest, but also for a history of disturbing internet posts, had previously been leading Mills in polls. However, Maine voters - and, in particular women - appear now to be increasingly distancing themselves from a man who once wrote things such as the following:
https://themainemonitor.org/platner-reddit-posts/
“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is. Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”
“(Sexual assault victims) should take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f—-ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”
Pro Choice groups back Janet Mills over Graham Platner for Senate...
Reproductive Freedom for All is throwing its support behind Maine Governor Janet Mills in a heated Democratic Senate primary contest with progressive candidate Graham Platner, Axios has learned.https://www.axios.com/2025/12/09/abortion-rights-maine-senate-mills-platner
Why it matters: It's the second major abortion-rights organization to back Mills in the race that's pitted leadership against the party's progressive wing.
EMILYs List, a Democratic group that works to elect pro-choice women candidates, claimed in an internal polling memo in November that Platner is a political liability.
The memo highlighted comments Platner made in deleted Reddit posts about victims of sexual assault, including saying victims should "just take some responsibility for themselves" to avoid attacks and "act like an adult for f–cks sake."
https://emilyslist.org/sound-the-alarm/sound-the-alarm-graham-platner-says-sexual-assault-victims-should-take-some-responsibility-in-now-deleted-reddit-posts/
EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:
“Graham Platner’s comments blaming victims of sexual assault are unacceptable and disqualifying. They’re also the fastest way to hand Susan Collins a victory, should Platner advance in this race. In the past 24 hours alone, we have learned that Platner blamed victims for sexual assault, called the Maine voters he is seeking to represent “racist” and “stupid,” and promoted violent political action. Taking back control of the Senate relies on winning this seat and the stakes are much too high. We cannot afford to put that responsibility in the hands of this man. It is clear that Janet Mills — with a proven record of winning elections and delivering for Maine — is the only candidate who can beat Susan Collins and flip this seat.”
For the umpteenth time, Gavin Newsom is a Californian...And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that...
But, how will being a Californian play in places like Iowa or Georgia? I'll tell you how it's going to play. Like gangbusters, that's how. Why? Because, instead of waiting around for someone else to DO SOMETHING, Gavin Newsom has a long track record of actually getting it done.
Whether it's from a Republican or a Democrat, when we hear arguments that amount to bull shit, we (again, whether we're a Republican or a Democrat) should know to handle it. Why? Because, we've been here before and the words could just as easily have been...
I gotta ask you a question. I do not believe in, I can’t trust Newsom. I have read about him and he’s not, he’s not…he’s an evil Californian. No?
No, ma’am. No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with.
For the umpteenth time, the man's name is spelled N-E-W-S-O-M...
As in awesom, handsom and wholesom. Of course, if you're a Republican snowflake, you might think him fearsom. Regardless of the case, the fact that some of you have yet to figure this all out is irksom, worrisom and tiresom. Get it together, get the man elected - so that we can finally evict the current loathsom, wearisom and decidedly unawesom resident of the White House.
Meet the 22 year old billionaire who got paid big time so you don't have to get paid at all...
Meet Brendan Foody, the 22 year old founder of Mercor, the AI-powered hiring platform shaking up Silicon Valley. Foody is what my father, back in the day, would have referred to as an "interesting character." He's a young man "defying the stereotype that Gen Z doesn’t like hard work" which Foody says "on a long week could feel like 40 hours." And, what does one get for all this "hard work?" Following Mercor's recent $10 billion valuation, Foody's stake in the company has crowned him as the world's youngest billionaire.
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/world-youngest-self-made-billionaire-102200455.html
How does such a thing happen you ask? Well, in Foody's case, you have a father who is a former founder of a graphics interface company who now works as a startup advisor. Then, you get accepted to, become bored with and finally drop out of college at Georgetown because you've got an idea. Next, you present that idea to Republican mega donor venture capitalist Peter Thiel who, in turn, grants you a coveted Thiel Fellowship - a fellowship said to be "designed to support young entrepreneurs in dropping out of college to pursue their startup ventures." As part of the program, you receive a $200,000 grant and imprimatur to Thiel's extensive network of tech entrepreneurs and investors so that you can build your company more quickly and attract further investment. Congratulations, dude, you're now a Tech Bro.
https://thielfellowship.org/
Right about now, you might be saying - This doesn't sound like a bad deal. All I need is the right parents, the right idea and the right connections and I too can be a Tech Bro billionaire. But, here's where things get a bit squirrelly - because all these other Tech Bros investing in your idea might actually expect a return on their investment. Don't fret too much though, because all you really need to get over this hurdle is an absolute lack of any scruples whatsoever. So, for instance, in the case of an "AI-powered hiring platform" like Mercor, what you need is a business model structured on a simple premise:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtificialInteligence/comments/1onvdcp/mercor_ai_what_the_actual_hell_is_going_on/
(1) Invite individual job applicants to a “free online interview” for an unnamed business client (which, in reality, is actually a means of helping that business client to train their AI model by having a natural conversation with an actual human being).
(2) Inform the individual job applicant that the business client is impressed with their interview performance and inform them that they have progressed to the next step in the hiring process.
(3) Offer the individual job applicant an unpaid assignment for the unnamed business client to review. This assignment will be composed of two or three part tasks and will typically take around 6 hours to complete. In reality though, the job applicant is once again only providing more free data to train the business client's AI model.
(4) Finally, after the individual job applicant has invested six to eight total hours of their time, inform them that the unnamed business client has decided not to move forward - but that the individual is more than welcome to "stay in the system for future job opportunities.”
Business clients paying you to not pay hopeful job applicants to build their AI models. Don't worry if you don't understand how any of that should add up to a multi-billion dollar company. You're probably just too old to understand.
My nephew just sent a text saying he'll only attend our Thanksgiving if we're serving an "indigenously sourced turkey."
He says his decision is based on "ethical and political" reasons. I don't know what he's going on about. Back during the pandemic, he was suddenly insisting that Thanksgiving be referred to as Indigenous People's Day. Maybe it's related to that. All I know is that we got our turkey from Safeway and it weighs damn close to 25 pounds, which was a son of an itch to carry since I'm currently suffering from tennis elbow in one arm and a pain unlike anything I've ever experienced. Will he even know the difference, one turkey from another?
Okay, I have an update per Google AI:
"Indigenously sourced turkey" can refer to turkeys with a direct cultural connection to Indigenous peoples or, more recently, turkeys raised on farms that prioritize sustainable and natural practices, often locally. To find such a turkey, search for local farms, especially those raising heritage breeds, and inquire about their sourcing and farming methods.
Modern "indigenously sourced" or "heritage" turkeys
Modern farms, particularly those that promote sustainable and natural practices, are sometimes described as offering "indigenously sourced" turkeys. Many farms raise "heritage breeds" which are a result of the original domestication process from Indigenous populations in North America. Look for farms that raise these birds with specific methods:
(1) Pasture-raised: Allow birds to roam and forage on pasture, often supplemented with organic feed.
(2) No antibiotics or hormones: Raised without the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, or other non-therapeutic chemicals.
(3) Sustainable practices: Some farms have breeding stock on-site and do not rely on commercial hatcheries, which can involve vaccination programs that are not considered "natural" by some standards.
The Democratic Party should change it's symbol from the donkey to the cat and here's why...
First off, there is nothing official about the donkey being the symbol of the Democratic Party. While widely recognized today to be the logo of the Party, the donkey has never been officially endorsed. It's all based on tradition, and an old outdated tradition at that. Way the hell back in 1828, opponents of Andrew Jackson referred to him as a "jackass" - an insult to imply he was stupid and stubborn. Instead of rejecting the derogatory reference, Jackson embraced the label and started using the image of a donkey as part of his presidential campaign. But, why need we follow in the footsteps of Andrew Jackson? The man was a prolific slave owner throughout his life, acquiring his first slave in 1788 and owning over 150 slaves by the time of his death in 1845. Today, our Party should not be bound to a symbol chosen by and representative of such a man. If anything, the cat, an animal with over 75 standardized domesticated breeds in addition to approximately 40 wild species, far closer symbolizes the diversity of our Party. Smart, adaptable, vigilant and protective, the cat is everything the donkey is not. It is also a creature that has, in this modern age, been used as a symbol of derision directed at us by our opponents, both in discussion and in debate. Let the Republican Party taunt the cat - at their own peril.
An isolated tropical locale where girls were taken to be sexually molested...
One can only wonder what the girls thought the first time they arrived at this place. The air was warm and thick with barely perceptible droplets, so fragile they burst merely walking through and past them. The property was dotted with tall palms, an azure expanse overhead ending only where it kissed an ocean only slightly bluer in color. Someone had taken great care to maintain these grounds, the lawns expertly manicured, the flowering bushes pruned to reveal every exotic flower. Centered amidst this paradise was the Estate. A series of Spanish Revival structures, curved tiles baking beneath the hot sun, gave way to a main house the architecture of which bore a Moorish influence, endless columns and arches beckoning one to enter the edifice beyond.
The girls, barely teenagers, must have been awe struck, their thoughts spinning like tea cups in a county fair, the likes of which their parents had taken them to not so very long ago. With the amazement though, there must also have been bewilderment. Why had they been chosen to be brought to this place? What made them "special?" It was a word everyone associated with this place used to refer to the girls. "You are special." And, what did that word mean really? Different. Unusual. Rare. A thing to be collected. Far from home, entirely out of their element, perhaps these were among the many thoughts the girls dreamt in the way we only can when we are young and before we have been hurt. Absent fear, they had no way of knowing they truly were entering a Garden of Eden, a place where innocence collided with evil.
And, what was the name of this isolated tropical locale where girls were taken to be sexually molested? Mar-a-Lago. Which, in so many ways, was the template for Little Saint James, another tile roofed palace where inside - far beyond the reach of the blinding sun above - unspeakable darkness existed. But now, under the weight of truth, the ceilings of both structures are caving in and the light is shining in.
I'm sorry. Since when did threats against each other's family become accepted here? Perhaps I missed that memo...
I logged in this morning only to find this...
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