2018: "Virginia’s largest public university granted the conservative Charles Koch Foundation a say in the hiring and firing of professors in exchange for millions of dollars in donations, according to newly released documents. \ The release of donor agreements between George Mason University and the foundation follows years of denials by university administrators that Koch foundation donations inhibit academic freedom."
Chris Smalls, American labor union leader, reportedly tortured by Israeli security forces
Chris Smalls, an American trade unionist and leader of the Amazon Labor Union, has been subjected to torture by Israeli security forces, reports say. Smalls was aboard of Gaza-bound Handala aid ship which was seized by Israeli forces near the Gaza coast on Saturday night, with 21 unarmed civilians on board, including lawmakers, medics, and volunteers. “When he reached the Israeli prison, U.S. human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said on X.
“They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back,” the statement said. The FFC highlighted that “when his lawyer met with him, Chris was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. This level of force was not used against other abducted activists.”
Smalls, 37, became particularly known in 2022 following the successful foundation of a labor union at a Staten Island Amazon factor, which counts more than 8,000 members. The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) became the first unionized Amazon workers recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.
The image shows a social media post by a user named "staceysobelman" who posted 6 hours ago. The post is on a black background with white text. The post begins with a statement about ICE offering a $45,000 signing bonus plus a $100,000 starting salary. It then compares this to the $55,000 salary of a teacher with a Master's degree in their 8th year. The post argues that the lack of higher pay for teachers is intentional, stating that education has been intentionally defunded for decades because an educated populace is a threat to power. The text is formatted with some words capitalized for emphasis, such as "SIGNING BONUS," "INTENTIONAL," and "TERRIFIED." The post includes a call to action, encouraging readers to "Read the books. Do the work."
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@Piggo :verified_horse: @Fish of Rage @feld I think populace is the right word here, right now the rich have the best government money can buy, but what happens when it fully builds out a police force that answers to no one? The rich go on the menu then if'n they don't offer enough fealty to the government.
@hobart @piggo @feld I wouldn't be so picky if it was just a misspelling wrong with the post, the department of education's existence has no correlation to the quality of education nor does it pay teachers
@sun @feld I dont know what she is complaining about, she is an apparatchik that is getting paid to do some brainwashing of kids, ICE workers are another kind of apparatchik who are likely way more useful to the regime so they naturally get paid more, and also there is a shortage while there is no shortage of teachers I assume.
@sun @Ergo @feld Wife of sensei in my dojo retired as (middle school) teacher and went to a "Python bootcamp". She landed a data scientist job and pulls about $90k. I helped them move and they had an individual school desk, covered in signatures and well wishes for her retirement. My point is, teachers escape all the time, if/when they can.
@sun @feld in my experience is not that they love it but rather its a safe position that they can keep for life and they dont have to do any real labor, they can just coast and get as much holidays as students (which is way more than pretty much all other professions)
Also they get to be the alpha monky of the classroom and feel cool about themselves, and they can play with their phone, or do whatever in their offices when they are not in class, or like my teachers used to do, they can just leave the classroom and go have a coffee and tell us to wait until the bell rings.
Basically it is a very comfy job and still pays better than some other jobs.
But my experience is in Spain so its probably very different.
of course, not to be that guy, but this has been apparent for DECADES. The conservatives and neoliberals hate public education, or any education for the masses.
Finally, someone using their brain to a certain extent. 👍😃
Ever wanted to know why people of the USA are viewed as simple or ignorant, even blatantly dumb in a way, in other countries around the world? 😐 Now you know the answer to it.
That didn't start with Trump but way back. 🙄
Education of citizens is seen as a real threat to those in power, no matter if Republicans or democrats. @oliver
I've tried to tell people for years the right's agenda is to 'keep them poor, sick and stupid' because that populace is much easier to control. But they still vote for them because White is more important than anything else.
@OddOpinions5 Considering how worthless Google is, I wouldn't put much faith in those results. The starting salary is a little bit of a stretch, but considering the signing bonuses they offer, its not unbelievable:
many governments are doing stuff just like that.. just take the massive investment in weapons in Europe.. We are cutting down on education of our children etc - but we have plenty of money to buy and build weapons 🤦♂️
💬 111 🔁 9214 ❤️ 15599 · FINALLY got around to dumping Spotify after their CEO continued to prove he's a fresh turd. (As if being a billionaire, not paying musicians, shoving AI garbage at us, and…
We’ve finally got a Stalin to call our own. Just like Soviet Russia, homelessness is now basically a criminal offense, thanks to Trump’s latest executive order, which pretends it’…
A federal court just made it a whole lot harder for blind people, people with disabilities or people who cannot read, to protect their rights at the ballot box.
Opera has filed a complaint in Brazil against Microsoft. Opera alleges that Microsoft uses “manipulative design tactics” to keep Windows users on Edge.
I’m chuffed to again collaborate with R.E. Ryan. TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON This cartoon has four panels, plus a tiny fifth “kicker” panel underneath. All panels show the same scene. T…
Uggh, nasty weather today. Woke up, and all the windows were fogged up. The humidity is so high that when doing deliveries, my glasses fogged up the second I stepped out of the car, and I felt wet.
💬 19 🔁 3224 ❤️ 5493 · Did you know that JRR Tolkien wrote an unpublished epilogue to Lord of the Rings? It's achingly, beautifully wistful in the way that only Lord of the Rings is. I revisited i…
(To all readers: the use of “God” in this post refers to the generically Christian ideal of God, and not any particular god or gods referenced/respected by other religions. The capitali…
The image features a vast, open field with a single tree in the center, under a partly cloudy sky. The background is a mix of blue and white, with scattered clouds. Overlaid on the image is text in white font, which reads: "The Los Angeles Olympics will be the first hosted by a fascist country since 1936. 🇺🇸 I wonder how many athletes will be refused entry?" The text is centered and spans the width of the image. The American flag emoji is placed between the two sentences. The overall composition is simple, with the text and flag being the focal points against the natural backdrop.
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The image features two men in suits, one holding papers, walking in what appears to be an office or formal setting. The man on the left is wearing a blue suit with a red tie, while the man on the right is in a dark suit with a light purple tie. The background is blurred, suggesting a busy environment. The image is overlaid with text, which reads: "I keep seeing 'DOJ to meet with Ghislaine Maxwell today.' Yes, that would be Donald Trump's CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY TODD BLANCHE. This is beyond parody. It's an open, screamingly stupid cover up of Donald Trump's crimes with Jeffrey Epstein." Below this, another text states: "I'm old enough to remember when this was called witness tampering." The image is a meme, combining a photograph with critical commentary.
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Valve Corporation recently came under pressure from payment processors to purge Steam, the popular PC gaming storefront, of “certain kinds of adult-only content.” The news rippled across tech …
The image features a black background with white and green text. The text reads: "I live in a world where I can be jailed for feeding the homeless, growing the wrong plant, asking questions that challenge the status quo, collecting drinking water, recording public servants. Something is seriously wrong with this situation." The word "jailed" is highlighted in green, as is the phrase "seriously wrong." In the bottom right corner, there is a white silhouette of a person with their hand covering their face, suggesting distress or contemplation. At the bottom of the image, the logo "GE collective EVOLUTION" is visible. The overall design is simple, with a focus on the text and the silhouette.
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The image features a quote overlaid on a blurred background with a mix of red, blue, and purple hues, resembling bokeh lights. The quote reads: "All the king's horses and all the king's men can't hide who Dumpty humped with his friend." The text is in white, bold font, centered in the image, with the attribution to Stephen Colbert at the bottom. The background has a soft focus, with no distinct shapes or objects, creating a dreamy effect. The overall composition is simple, with the text being the focal point against the colorful backdrop.
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The image features a group of people and Muppet characters, including Big Bird, Ernie, and Bert, sitting on steps in front of a building. The group includes both adults and children, with a mix of black and white individuals. The setting appears to be from the 1970s, as indicated by the clothing styles. The text overlay reads: "In 1970, Mississippi banned Sesame Street for showing black and white kids playing together. If you're wondering why Republicans have always hated PBS, it's the usual reason." The image is a meme that uses the visual of the Sesame Street cast to highlight a historical event related to racial integration in media.
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Hey everyone, I’m #newhere. I’m interested in #bloomscrolling, #humor, and #raspi. Well that is not exactly true. I'm new here, but the pod I've been on is currently malfunctioning.
Altbot
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •The image shows a social media post by a user named "staceysobelman" who posted 6 hours ago. The post is on a black background with white text. The post begins with a statement about ICE offering a $45,000 signing bonus plus a $100,000 starting salary. It then compares this to the $55,000 salary of a teacher with a Master's degree in their 8th year. The post argues that the lack of higher pay for teachers is intentional, stating that education has been intentionally defunded for decades because an educated populace is a threat to power. The text is formatted with some words capitalized for emphasis, such as "SIGNING BONUS," "INTENTIONAL," and "TERRIFIED." The post includes a call to action, encouraging readers to "Read the books. Do the work."
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B
🌱 Energy used: 0.193 Wh
Green Hombre
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Susi
in reply to Green Hombre • • •feld
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Fish of Rage
in reply to feld • • •like this
Jeff Cliff, B.Sc. 😷 🇮🇷🇱🇧🇨🇦🧯🏴☠️🦝🐙 🐧 and Disinformation Purveyor :verified_think: like this.
Piggo :verified_horse:
in reply to Fish of Rage • • •> can't spell "population"
like this
Fish of Rage likes this.
Fish of Rage
in reply to Piggo :verified_horse: • • •Vinnewed Goblin likes this.
Piggo :verified_horse:
in reply to Fish of Rage • • •🌴 Seph 💭 👾
in reply to Piggo :verified_horse: • — (STL, MO, US, Earth) •Jasper 🍉
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Piggo :verified_horse:
in reply to Jasper 🍉 • • •Hobart
in reply to Piggo :verified_horse: • • •@piggo @feld @sun
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ She knows how to spell it, and posted a correction, but screenshots don't carry that.
threads.com/@staceysobelman/po…
Stacey Sobelman (@staceysobelman) on Threads
ThreadsFish of Rage
in reply to Hobart • • •Ergo
in reply to Fish of Rage • • •Fish of Rage
in reply to Ergo • • •Pete Zaitcev
in reply to Fish of Rage • • •Fish of Rage likes this.
Ergo
in reply to Pete Zaitcev • • •@zaitcev @sun @feld
>woman
>python bootcamp
>lands data science job $90K
kill me now
Ergo
in reply to Fish of Rage • • •@sun @feld in my experience is not that they love it but rather its a safe position that they can keep for life and they dont have to do any real labor, they can just coast and get as much holidays as students (which is way more than pretty much all other professions)
Also they get to be the alpha monky of the classroom and feel cool about themselves, and they can play with their phone, or do whatever in their offices when they are not in class, or like my teachers used to do, they can just leave the classroom and go have a coffee and tell us to wait until the bell rings.
Basically it is a very comfy job and still pays better than some other jobs.
But my experience is in Spain so its probably very different.
craignicol
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •🌴 Seph 💭 👾 likes this.
Adam Moe
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •relentless_eduardo
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •🌴 Seph 💭 👾 likes this.
Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺
in reply to Elon Muksis 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇪🇺 • • •Pepperbike
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Charlie the Anti-Fascist Dog
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Stefan
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Finally, someone using their brain to a certain extent. 👍😃
Ever wanted to know why people of the USA are viewed as simple or ignorant, even blatantly dumb in a way, in other countries around the world? 😐
Now you know the answer to it.
That didn't start with Trump but way back. 🙄
Education of citizens is seen as a real threat to those in power, no matter if Republicans or democrats.
@oliver
#uspol #us #education #citizens #USA #threat
🌴 Seph 💭 👾 likes this.
Noel Kelly
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Jasper 🍉
in reply to Noel Kelly • • •Noel Kelly
in reply to Jasper 🍉 • • •@jasper
Lucky, some of the good Chinese opium is open source.
The oligarchs can sack more worker-customers using other people's opium.
Chuck
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •🌴 Seph 💭 👾 likes this.
avatastic :enby_rebel:
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •🌴 Seph 💭 👾 likes this.
K_L_Cooper
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •OddOpinions5
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •$100,000 starting salary made by bullshit rader ping very loudly
and a quick google suggests this is in fact a bullshit number - yes some people hired at a senior level may make 100k, but the vast majority won't
🌴 Seph 💭 👾
in reply to OddOpinions5 • •@OddOpinions5 Considering how worthless Google is, I wouldn't put much faith in those results. The starting salary is a little bit of a stretch, but considering the signing bonuses they offer, its not unbelievable:
That's from: dhs.gov/news/2025/07/29/dhs-la…
David Mitchell :CApride:
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •Søren Kröger
in reply to 🌴 Seph 💭 👾 • • •