Anons have begun to visit the UK thread here at midnightriders
If the Federal Government insists on ignoring State Sovereignty a Convention of the States is more needed than ever. If the Delegates so choose, convene quickly for a Constitutional Convention. If the Dominion of Corruption cannot be bothered to remember this Republic is a Union made of the States, then it is time to replace the current Federal Government.
Alliance of American States
I stole this from next door
Anybody got Linked-In?
Joseph Gamp - PR Manager - makemepulse | LinkedIn
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joseph-gamp-4766358a
Joseph Gamp Pr manager at Makemepulse.com News Reporter at Express.co.uk London, Greater London, United Kingdom 322 connections
Originally Australia #13 >>13076630
Disinformation experts aren’t happy about the trailer for HBO’s QAnon series
It teases what looks like a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a serious documentary
Kim Lyons - Feb 28, 2021
The teaser video for Q: Into the Storm, an upcoming documentary series from HBO about the QAnon conspiracy movement has a lot of deplatforming experts concerned; it looks more like a preview for a spy thriller than a careful examination of the umbrella group of conspiracy theories.
The breathless tone might be effective at building hype, but it has many disinformation experts concerned. Ben Collins, one of the leading journalists covering online radicalization, tweeted that the trailer was “being marketed in a way that could recruit more people.” Promoted by HBO as a series that “charts a labyrinthine journey to unmask the mastermind behind QAnon,” critics pointed out that the trailer felt a lot like “a recruitment video for Q.”
Joan Donovan, research director at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard, told The Verge that, by portraying Q as edgy and exciting, the trailer risked attracting even more people to the cause.
“The most concerning aspect to me is that the reuse of footage found online pieced together in 6 hours of conspiracist content will be validation for the contemporary movement and drive more content/interest,” Donovan said in a message to The Verge. “It’s not like we are 5 years from the insurrection. Q influencers will use the fact of their participation in the documentary to sap more people for donations and build a more loyal audience at a time when many are struggling to contain this anti-Semitic and racist networked conspiracy.”
It’s hard to say how much of those concerns will carry over to the documentary itself. The trailer is less than a minute long, and the docuseries was the result of a three-year global investigation, according to HBO. So it’s possible the series strikes the right tone in how it presents QAnon and its origins, as well as its future. The press release announcing the series says it will “examine the influence of QAnon on American culture and question the consequences of unfettered free speech permeating the darkest corners of the Internet.”
Donovan said she hoped the trailer was a hoax, and that the actual film will show people speaking about how believing in QAnon ruined their relationships with their families and friends, but she wasn’t optimistic. “Somehow I doubt that will be the case,” she said.
QAnon began on 4chan in 2017, when an anonymous person posting as “Q Clearance Patriot” said they had access to classified information showing then-President Donald Trump was fighting a global cabal of pedophiles, whose ranks included celebrities and Democratic politicians. QAnon’s followers also strongly ascribed to the view —falsely pushed by Trump— that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and many Q proponents have been linked to the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.
Journalists have struggled with how to best cover QAnon; reporting on it without being adequately up to speed, news outlets ran the risk of amplifying and legitimizing some of the group’s more dangerous views. At the same time, ignoring QAnon’s followers or dismissing them as fringe could allow it to metastasize. One of HBO’s promotions for Q: Into the Storm promised that the series will “pull back the curtain” on the group, but without the right context, could further muddy the public’s understanding of QAnon and its reach.
During its heyday, there were thousands of Q-related Facebook groups and Q-related accounts on Twitter and Reddit. Most platforms have banned, or tried to ban, Q-related content and hashtags, but with mixed success. “QAnon depends on centuries-old anti-Jewish tropes and anti-Black narratives about the modern civil rights movement,” Donovan says. “But it’s not that complicated.”
HBO declined to comment.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/28/22304518/hbo-trailer-upcoming-qanon-movie-disinformation-researchers
Originally Australia #13 >>13039139
Resignations in the news
Austal’s US boss resigns amid probe over navy contract
A regulatory probe into Australian shipmaker Austal’s $11.4b combat vessel project for the US Navy has taken a scalp with the resignation of the company’s US boss.
Western Australian-based Austal said it had accepted the resignation of its US president Craig Perciavalle following the completion of the company’s external investigation into cost overuns on the project. A separate probe by US regulatory authorities and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is ongoing.
Shares of ASX-listed Austal sank 11.5 per cent to $2.18 on Tuesday after the resignation was announced. Former Honeywell executive Rusty Murdaugh will replace Mr Perciavalle as interim president while a permanent candidate is sought.
The investigations centred on the company’s decision in 2016 to write back profits following additional construction costs required to meet US naval vessel standards, allocation of labour hours for the project and procurement of ship components.
It also conceded certain valves on some the ships did not meet all of the required military specifications but contractual clams in relation to the issue had been resolved with the Navy.
Austal was engaging with US regulatory authorities on their investigation but it was not known what action, if any, they would take following the completion of their probe. The company said last year it was not aware of any wrongdoing.
“The company is confident that the proactive steps it has already implemented to strengthen internal reporting and compliance practices will be taken into account in determining whether there are any potential consequences arising from matters identified by the investigation,” the company said. Comment has been sought from the Department of Justice and the SEC.
Founded in 1988, Austal is Australia’s largest defence exporter with shipyards in Australia, the US, the Philippines and Vietnam. It has built more than 300 vessels for more than 100 commercial and defence operators in 54 countries.
Austal said its relationship with the US Defence Department remained strong and it had already expanded its compliance and governance practices in the US.
“This demonstrates the seriousness with which Austal is taking this issue and its determination to meet and exceed its global risk and compliance responsibilities,” the company said in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.
Austal said the vessels had cost more to construct than originally anticipated due in large part to additional measures to ensure they could withstand shocks, such as underwater explosions, in combat conditions. “The company announced a one-off write back of WIP (work in progress) in July 2016 to fully reflect these additional costs,” the company said.
The company, which will report its half-yearly results on Friday, warned last year that the investigation could lead to civil or criminal penalties along with debarment from future US Government contracts. It said its financial provisions were based on an assumption that the matter does not proceed beyond an investigation.
“Any of these potential changes could have a material adverse effect on consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows,” the company said in its 2020 annual report
Austal has built and delivered 13, $600m Littoral Combat Ships for the US Navy, with another eight contracted and in various stages of construction.
The last vessel, the USS Mobile, was delivered to the navy from the company’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, in December. The 127m trimaran-hulled ships can carry two helicopters and travel at 40 knots.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/austals-us-boss-resigns-amid-probe-over-navy-contract/news-story/ab44e31043e00ca656a9fc23810733d3
Tonight's episode of Spy Vs Spy