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BertramDitore

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Alameda County prosecutors allegedly excluded Black people and Jews from death penalty juries ( oaklandside.org )

In an order issued today, U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria said that the hand-written notes of prosecutors from a 31-year-old murder case ā€œconstitute strong evidence that, in prior decades, prosecutors from the [Alameda County District Attorneyā€™s] office were engaged in a pattern of serious misconduct, automatically...

BertramDitore ,
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If you feel you have to exclude certain types of people because you think they might demonstrate too much empathy or compassion, then the system obviously needs more empathy and compassion.

BertramDitore ,
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Mmm I love bok choy. Hot and fast is my preferred method. Get a quick char going and youā€™re done.

BertramDitore ,
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Lots of good points have already been made in this thread, Iā€™ll just chime in to say Iā€™ve really enjoyed Discovery. It definitely has its problems, and Iā€™m kinda bipolar when it comes to Burnham, sometimes I love her, sometimes I canā€™t stand herā€¦she never really learns any lessons. But the show is gorgeous and tried to do something a little different. I respect that.

The action sequences and cinematography are better and more exciting than any other Trek I can think of. That sequence in S05E01 where Burnham is blown out into space, has a suit materialize on her, jetpacks towards Discovery and then transports through the viewscreen directly into her captainā€™s chair was BAD ASS.

I just wish the show was released in 4K HDR. Seems like a waste of beautiful visuals.

BertramDitore ,
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I started reading it, but the very first paragraph is already spilling over with bullshit. So Iā€™m done.

Israelā€™s unpreparedness on Oct. 7 shows that even powerful nations can be surprised in catastrophic ways.

First of all, of course powerful nations can be surprised, what a silly thing to say. But thatā€™s not what happened here. Israel should have been fully prepared, because Israel was warned about the exact thing that happened on Oct. 7th. Their intelligence was quite specific on what was about to happen, itā€™s just that they didnā€™t believe their own intelligence for what I would call ironically racist reasons. They didnā€™t believe that Hamas was organized enough to be capable of carrying out such an attack, but they were so obviously wrong.

So without finishing the article Iā€™m gonna guess these clowns are using an intelligence failure to justify more intelligence.

BertramDitore ,
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Two Thousand Billion is not a number Iā€™m capable of conceptualizing.

BertramDitore ,
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Yup, it is. I canā€™t really conceptualize a thousand billions or a trillion, though. These are not numbers that translate to reality in any practical way for me.

BertramDitore ,
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Now thatā€™s a price I can get behind. My 2019 Kia Soul cost $14,000, and I love that car. This might actually start making a difference in the market.

Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom ( apnews.com )

One woman miscarried in the restroom lobby of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her. Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room...

BertramDitore ,
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Why the hell are security guards and front desk staff making medical decisions? Iā€™m sure their jobs arenā€™t easy, but this isnā€™t their job.

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah I spent probably 80% of my childhood out of the house around the neighborhood, at the park, playing with random kids who happened to be around, exploring, riding bikes, walking around town, finding cool new spots in the woods, finding old playing cards with pictures of risquƩ ladies stashed in a tree somewhere. No direct adult supervision.

The rule was to be back by dinner, or to call from a friendā€™s house with a good reason for being late.

I frankly think the world is a lot safer now than it was then, so itā€™s really sad that this isnā€™t as common in the US anymore.

BertramDitore ,
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Leaving aside the overall quality of the show, you canā€™t just recast the beloved main character and expect people to still be excited about it. Especially when the original actor is also a gamer who raved about how much he loved the source material, left the show for the right reasons, and connected with the fans so well.

Theyā€™ve mishandled this property spectacularly.

BertramDitore ,
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Oh damn, I didnā€™t realize that. Such a bad call.

BertramDitore ,
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Wait, what the fuck? This is inexcusable. This means even if you werenā€™t born in CA, parts of your genome will still be in their database if youā€™re related to anyone who was, and those parts are often enough to identify you. This isnā€™t just about personal privacy, itā€™s about our collective ability to retain ownership and control over the most fundamental parts of ourselves and our families. And this data will obviously be abused by law enforcement, if it hasnā€™t already, because thatā€™s what they do.

Babies deserve even more privacy protections than adults, since they canā€™t consent to anything.

If you're selected for jury duty (US), should you give up your anonymous social media accounts?

I have old Facebook and Twitter accounts, maybe some others. Iā€™m old so thereā€™s a MySpace account out there. But Iā€™ve mostly been using reddit the last decade or so, and have migrated to Lemmy. Now, Lemmy is the only social media i use. Recent news got me thinking about this question.

BertramDitore ,
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I was just about to ask this same question in a different thread. Iā€™m in a similar situation, in that Lemmy is the only social media I use (Reddit before the API crap), but Iā€™ve never used my real name. Iā€™d happily own all my comments, but the point of an anonymous account is that I donā€™t have to. I guess when youā€™re under oath it doesnā€™t matter, you have to truthfully answer the question thatā€™s asked.

BertramDitore ,
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Because itā€™s in everyoneā€™s best interest that people with overt bias are dismissed. In high profile cases itā€™s standard practice for both sides to do pretty intensive research on individual prospective jurors (they get a list), and that often includes scouring the web for their social media accounts. If they find something you posted, and you didnā€™t disclose your account when asked, you could be in trouble.

I donā€™t think itā€™s usually standard to ask specifically about social media accounts, at least in normal mundane cases, but in a crazy case like this, it can say a lot about a personā€™s ability to be impartial.

BertramDitore ,
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This is really helpful, thanks.

can you help me formulate an answer to a colleague who is not my boss but feels entitled to tell me how I have to work?

the colleague in question feels that only her way of doing things is the right one and expects me to adapt to her way of thinking and her logic. This is tiring and burdensome because I have to force me to stop doing things automatically and efficiently, but think how she wants it done and do it her way. I work worse when this...

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah this is how Iā€™d handle it, simple and to the point. As a bonus I might add ā€œIā€™ll let you know if I need a handā€ which takes the impetus away from her so she knows her ideas are unwanted, but stays professional and polite.

BertramDitore ,
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I think the whole neighborhood just heard me sigh.

No one can argue that Israel doesnā€™t have the right to legitimately defend itself, itā€™s just that no one could reasonably look at what Israel is doing right now and say their actions are defensive, proportionate, or at all justified.

Itā€™s so patently obvious that the onslaught of indiscriminate violence and the direct targeting of aid convoys and civilians, is an offensive war against a population of human beings who are incapable of defending themselves in any meaningful way. This is an absurdly lopsided assault on an entire population of innocent people who just want a country of their own so they can finally have a fair shot at life.

Sorry, but bombing Iran is not defensive (Israel been doing targeted strikes against Iran and Syria for years). Bombing a hospital is not defensive. Guiding your precision missiles so they perfectly strike the WCK logo on the roofs of their vehicles is not defensive. How can killing a child, let alone tens of thousands of children, ever be defensive? It canā€™t.

BertramDitore ,
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Wow, that explanation actually clicks for me in a totally fucked up way. In the past when Israel has used disproportionate violence against Palestinians, theyā€™ve used rhetoric like ā€œmowing the lawnā€ (look it up, youā€™ll be disgusted) to try to rationalize this kind of preemptive defense.

BertramDitore ,
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The billā€™s passage comes after the stateā€™s most populous county, Miami-Dade, considered local heat protection rules that would have been among the most stringent in the country. That proposal would have required employers to provide shade, water and 10-minute breaks to workers every two hours on days over a certain heat threshold.

The fact that that would have been among the most stringent protections in the country is incredibly sad. Those protections should be in place nationwide by default at a minimum. Nobody benefits from overheated workers, who are human beings by the way. I feel like itā€™s so much easier to just be decent and take care of peoplesā€™ basic needs.

Youā€™re a monster if you donā€™t think your workers deserve to have a few minutes in the shade whenever the fuck they want. People will work harder if they feel like theyā€™re safe and respected. Everybody wins.

BertramDitore ,
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I love this.

BertramDitore ,
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I tried the alarm on the other side of the room thing and it consistently ruined my day. Put me in a frustrated and pissed off mood from the start. Now I just force myself to get out of bed immediately when the alarm goes off, no excuses and no snoozing allowed. It sucks, but Iā€™m never late.

All bets are off on the weekend, alarms are only for a damn good reason.

BertramDitore ,
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Michigan who? The state? The school? The team?

Iā€™m guessing they mean the school? But the word University never appears in the article. I know nothing about sports, so this is all extremely confusing to me.

BertramDitore ,
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I wish there was a robust drafts feature linked to our accounts so I could go back and see all the comments I started but didnā€™t have the energy to back up or source. Voyager is pretty good about saving comments you accidentally close, but as far as I know thereā€™s no way to save unfinished drafts to your account for later.

Also, dicks out? Is that something you often do to draw attention? Your HR file must be a fun read šŸ˜

BertramDitore ,
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Same. This is why words matter, and sensational headlines do more harm than good. I always feel like Iā€™m screaming into the void on this point. Headlines should not have cute puns or misleading language. They should be simple and direct. We need words to mean what they mean, especially in times like this. No more slamming, slicing, bleeding, or flaming unless those things actually happened.

BertramDitore ,
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As a peasant who used to spend a lot of time in Marin for work, Iā€™m not sure what you mean by this.

BertramDitore ,
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It most-likely wonā€™t be the thing that ends the war, but it does add to the pressure on Biden. The pressure is now coming from so many different directions, that if he doesnā€™t act soon heā€™ll be in serious political peril, which means American democracy could be nearing its end.

With stakes that high and tens of thousands of dead children, every bit of extra pressure helps.

BertramDitore ,
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As a descendant of Jewish victims and survivors of the Holocaust, aside from all the dead children and innocents in Gaza, this is the thing that bothers me most. I am not Israeli, but I am deeply ashamed of any Jew who thinks this genocide is okay or can be justified for any reason.

BertramDitore ,
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I was happily chomping away on my massive Tonyā€™s chocolate bar during that episode. When he started the main segment, I sheepishly put it down and vowed to never buy chocolate again. Then he got to the part about Tonyā€™s being one of the only ethical brands and I glanced at the half-eaten bar with relief and gladly scarfed down the rest. Itā€™s nice when you donā€™t inadvertently support slavery.

BertramDitore ,
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This is totally right, because the majority of those ideals come from a place of genuine empathy. Being honest about personal experiences is the fastest way to jumpstart that empathy in those who are out of practice.

BertramDitore ,
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Oh THATā€™S where I parked my spaceship. I hope I didnā€™t get a ticket.

BertramDitore ,
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Yesss! I grew up with one of these and didnā€™t realize it was unconventional until I lived on my own and tried to find one in a store. Had to buy it online. I use it nearly every day.

BertramDitore ,
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If god existed, theyā€™d be annoyed that weā€™re discussing a 14 year old article instead of fixing all the problems they created.

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah, I think this is it right here. While the protests might not have done much for those of us who were already painfully aware of the copsā€™ racism, behavioral issues, and lack of accountability, it did make it so that everyone else had to pay attention. You couldnā€™t ignore the protests, they were everywhere. I donā€™t have numbers, but I think a whole lot of white people who by default didnā€™t believe there was any real injustice in the system finally saw it, at least for a little while.

That said, it was unfortunately fleeting, and there hasnā€™t been enough sustained motivation to address the systemic issues that would need to be fixed for law enforcement to ever be properly held accountable. The people doing that admirable work are still doing it while the cops still have too much power. They might think twice before murdering someone in front of a camera. Maybe. Theyā€™ll still do the murder, theyā€™ll just make sure thereā€™s no evidence.

So, a net positive, but the bar was already so damn low.

BertramDitore ,
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I donā€™t know anything about the context of this photo; but I imagine itā€™s the hundreds of riot police surrounding a bunch of history nerds.

BertramDitore ,
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Iā€™m not excusing any of their actions, because Iā€™m genuinely horrified by Israelā€™s conduct, but the IDF is a conscripted military force. Every Israeli, excluding some ultra-orthodox extremists who get a controversial religious exemption, is required to serve a certain amount of time in the military after they turn 18. There are alternative public service options for conscientious objectors, but most 18 year olds end up with a rifle in their hand. Thatā€™s pretty fucked up if you ask me.

That means the majority of the soldiers perpetrating these atrocities are basically children themselves. They didnā€™t join so they could do a genocide, they joined because they had to, and are doing a genocide. Iā€™m sure some of them are sick fuckers who enjoy it, but most are probably just following despicable, immoral, unforgivable orders from superiors. Thatā€™s not a justification, just an unfortunate likelihood.

That said, yes, it does seem like theyā€™ve dropped the pretense.

BertramDitore ,
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The closest Iā€™ve been able to get to it is to submerge the arms in hot (nearly boiling) water for a bit, and then make the adjustment. Itā€™s not quite as effective, but depending on what the frames are made out of it can do the job in a pinch.

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah Iā€™ve basically stopped reading axios because I find their articles to be condescending more than anything else. If you canā€™t trust your readers to understand a short article without spoon feeding them with silly bullets like this, you donā€™t deserve my limited attention. Their articles are harder to read now, which is clearly the opposite of their intent.

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah, I can definitely see that. Personally, Iā€™d rather they just write a normal narrative article and then have a summary with these bullets or something at the end. Maximal accessibility.

BertramDitore ,
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I really like SoundCore earbuds. I have a pair of Life A2 NCs that I primarily use to listen to podcasts and make work calls. I usually leave the sound on normal, but when Iā€™m vacuuming or doing something loud, Iā€™ll switch them to noise canceling and Iā€™m always really impressed how well it works.

In my experience SoundCore microphones are pretty inconsistent across their models, but Iā€™ve found the A2ā€™s mics produce really high quality sound, good enough for clear work calls. Other SoundCore mics have been unacceptably bad.

how should I tell my new trashy neighbors to keep their puppy off my property

They let their new puppy outside without a leash and it just comes over to my property and gets into my things that arenā€™t confined to my fence and scares my ducks. This puppy is a pit and is going to get huge. Iā€™m afraid itā€™ll get to my birds or dogs....

BertramDitore ,
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Ugh Iā€™m sorry, I feel your pain. I used to have neighbors exactly like that. They were absurdly loud at all hours and had the cops called on them a number of times. I tried being polite: ā€œHey guys! Hope youā€™re doing well, just wanted to let you know I have to wake up super early for work, so would it be cool if you kept the volume down after 10pm?ā€ They laughed, slammed the door in my face and cranked up the volume. The only thing that worked was telling the landlord I didnā€™t feel safe with them as my neighbors (helped that it was 100% true). He evicted them within days after I described all the shit they got up to.

BertramDitore ,
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OR, and hear me out, you could just not be a total asshole? Maybe have a baseline of tolerance and respect for the people who made you a billionaire? No? Then fuck right off and accept the consequences of your hatred.

BertramDitore ,
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No, not even a little bit. There is a difference between being an asshole and committing a hate crime. Hate crime laws, when properly crafted and enforced, are an important component of a functional society. They can act as a deterrent, but they are also a way for those materially harmed by a hate crime to get justice. Free speech is never a universal right, anywhere in the world. There are always legitimate restrictions to ensure the publicā€™s overall health and safety.

Former Spokane Valley teacher gets no jail time for sex with student ( www.spokesman.com )

A former Central Valley High school teacherā€™s ā€œpredatory actionsā€ stripped a student of his dreams and significantly harmed him and his family after the teacher had sex with the 17-year-old, the studentā€™s mother told a judge Thursday....

BertramDitore ,
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There always needs to be a human making the calls. I never want the robots to make life and death decisions, and sentencing is just that. It definitely seems like they got this one wrong, but AI is not the answer.

The criminal justice system is completely fucked right now. There are multiple tiers of justice, and it is by no means blind. But large language models (we donā€™t have anything remotely like an AI that could do consistently what you want) are a warped and biased reflection of humanity, and would only intensify and perpetuate the systemic injustice.

BertramDitore ,
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Same here. Iā€™ve got one of their dressers and night tables, and I love them! Thinking about getting a bed frame next. Their prices are awesome, and the quality is way better than it has any right to be.

Settler leader calls for military action in West Bank 'with the same force as we're using in Gaza' ( www.timesofisrael.com )

ā€œThe Palestinian Authority is waging a war against us, and only action with the same force as weā€™re applying in Gaza will eliminate all threats throughout the West Bank,ā€ he says in a statement cited by Hebrew media.

BertramDitore ,
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For those not familiar with the geography of the area, the West Bank is significantly larger than the Gaza Strip, and it is not a contiguous region. It is made up of Palestinian villages and cities separated by illegal Israeli settlements that were purposely placed in and between the Palestinian land to minimize the ability of Palestinians to control themselves and their security.

A large-scale attack in the West Bank at the level of the genocide in Gaza would be absolutely catastrophic for every single person living in the region. It would be devastating and unforgivable. Which Iā€™m sure is the point.

BertramDitore ,
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Yeah Iā€™ve always thought about it that way. Even if itā€™s not a guarantee that youā€™ll be sexually assaulted, the chances are high enough and it has become ā€œacceptableā€ enough in mainstream American culture that itā€™s apparently okay to joke about it.

ā€œDonā€™t drop the soapā€ jokes genuinely fill me with rage, and always have. Our criminal justice system is far from perfect, and plenty of innocent people end up in prison. But I donā€™t care if youā€™re guilty or innocent. Were you sentenced to be raped? No. Sexual assault is a heinous crime, so joking about it being an expectation or feature of the penal system is despicable and normalizes the behavior.

Our prison system is completely broken, so yes, I would confidently argue that nearly every sentence that includes prison time has a strong possibility of also including sexual assault. And thatā€™s not okay.

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