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Comment Maduro is a gangster facing charges in court (Score 2, Informative) 204

Maduro has had a part in moving thousands of tons of cocaine into the United States (killing how many?) and has been in league with drug cartels, narco-terrorists, and terrorists. He is a gangster that had been running a corrupt gangster government with a history of human rights abuses. Venezuela 2024 Human Rights Report

With the aid of US Special Operations forces, United States law enforcement officers arrested Maduro today and brought him to the United States to face charges in a court of law. Below is an extract of the indictment.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT - SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. NICOLAS MADURO MOROS . . . . (click on the Not A Robot button)

For over 25 years, leaders of Venezuela have abused their positions of public trust and corrupted once-legitimate institutions to import tons of cocaine into the United States.

NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, the defendant, is at the forefront of that corruption and has partnered with his co-conspirators to use his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States. Since his early days in Venezuelan government, MADURO MOROS has tarnished every public office he has held. As a member of Venezuela's National Assembly, MADURO MOROS moved loads of cocaine under the protection of Venezuelan law enforcement. As Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs, MADURO MOROS provided Venezuelan diplomatic passports to drug traffickers and facilitated diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drug proceeds from Mexico to Venezuela. As Venezuela's President and now-de facto ruler, MADURO MOROS allows cocaine-fueled corruption to flourish for his own benefit, for the benefit of members of his ruling regime, and for the benefit of his family members.

NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, the defendant, now sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking. That drug trafficking has enriched and entrenched Venezuela's political and military elite, including Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace DIOSDADO CABELLO RONDON, the defendant, and former Minister of the Interior and Justice RAMON RODRIGUEZ CHACIN, the defendant. That massive-scale drug trafficking has also concentrated power and wealth in the hands of MADURO MOROS's family, including his wife, the purported First Lady of Venezuela CILIA ADELA FLORES DE MADURO, the defendant, and MADURO MOROS's son, member of Venezuela's National Assembly NICOLAS ERNESTO MADURO GUERRA, a/k/a "Nicolasito," a/k/a "The Prince," the defendant. This cycle of narcotics-based corruption lines the pockets of Venezuelan officials and their families while also benefiting violent narco-terrorists who operate with impunity on Venezuelan soil and who help produce, protect, and transport tons of cocaine to the United States.

At various times since in or about 1999, Venezuelan officials, including NICOLAS MADURO MOROS, DIOSDADO CABELLO RONDON, and RAMON RODRIGUEZ CHACIN, the defendants, have partnered with narco-terrorists from the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia ("F ARC"), Ejercito de Liberaci6n Nacional ("ELN"), the Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas, and Tren de Aragua ("TdA"), including TdA's leader, HECTOR RUSTHENFORD GUERRERO FLORES, a/k/a "Nifio Guerrero," the defendant. In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most
violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States.

------

Venezuelans across the globe celebrate US capture of Nicolás Maduro
Venezuelans worldwide celebrate as exiles react to Maduro’s capture
Joyful crowds gathered in Miami, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Madrid after Maduro capture

The question now is, "What comes next?"

Comment Re:Everyone should become plumbers and electrician (Score 4, Interesting) 359

by cold fjord (#65692768) Attached to: 'America's Elite Universities Have Lost Their Way'

“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” -- John Gardner:

Submission + - Cyberattack Takes Down Asahi - Japan's Largest Beer Brewer (theregister.com)

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: A cyberattack has disrupted operations at the Asahi Group, the largest beer brewer in Japan. The attack is reported to have stopped operations at 30 plants in Japan, responsible for 50% of company profits. The time to restore service is currently not known. Operations at facilities outside of Japan are reportedly unaffected. In addition to well known Japanese brands Asahi Super Dry Beer, Nikka Whisky and Mitsuya Cider, the Asahi Group owns brands such as the UK's Fuller's brewery chain, Peroni, Grolsch, and others. The attack on Ashi follows attacks in April that cost Marks and Spencer an estimated $300 million, and an attack on the Co-operative Group which cost it an estimated $108 million.

Submission + - Actor James Earl Jones Dead at 93. Agreed to AI Recreating His Voice. (nypost.com)

Submitted by cold fjord
cold fjord writes: Actor James Earl Jones, star of stage and screen has died at 93. Jones is famous for roles in such films as the Star Wars series, Field of Dreams, The Hunt for Red October, the Lion King, Conan the Barbarian, and Doctor Stragelove. Jones also appeared as a guest star in various television shows such as the Big Bang theory, and others, Jones defied expectations as he was mute between ages 6-14, after which he spoke with a stutter for years. Jone's high school English teacher inspired Jones to memorize and recite poetry, and eventually engage in debate and dramatic readings. Jone's favorite? Edgar Allen Poe. Jones went on to college at the University of Michigan where he joined ROTC. After graduation Jones was commissioned as an Army 2nd Lieutenant and completed Infantry Office Basic Course and Ranger school. After leaving the Army Jone's theater career blossomed. Early on Jones had a reputation as a Shakespearean actor which soon widened into a number of roles in other plays, eventually leading to television and movie roles. Jones won a number of awards, including two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a special Tony for lifetime achievement, a Grammy, and an honorary Oscar.

Jones retired from voicing Darth Vader in 2022, but agreed to have an artificial intelligence program re-create his voice in future shows.

Submission + - A Paralyzed Man Can Walk Naturally Again With Brain and Spine Implants (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Gert-Jan Oskam was living in China in 2011 when he was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the hips down. Now, with a combination of devices, scientists have given him control over his lower body again. “For 12 years I’ve been trying to get back my feet,” Mr. Oskam said in a press briefing on Tuesday. “Now I have learned how to walk normal, natural.” In astudypublished on Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers in Switzerland described implants that provided a “digital bridge” between Mr. Oskam’s brain and his spinal cord, bypassing injured sections. The discovery allowed Mr. Oskam, 40, to stand, walk and ascend a steep ramp with only the assistance of a walker. More than a year after the implant was inserted, he has retained these abilities and has actually showed signs of neurological recovery, walking with crutches even when the implant was switched off. “We’ve captured the thoughts of Gert-Jan, and translated these thoughts into a stimulation of the spinal cord to re-establish voluntary movement,” Grégoire Courtine, a spinal cord specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, who helped lead the research, said at the press briefing.

In the new study, the brain-spine interface, as the researchers called it, took advantage of anartificial intelligence thought decoderto read Mr. Oskam’s intentions — detectable as electrical signals in his brain — and match them to muscle movements. The etiology of natural movement, from thought to intention to action, was preserved. The only addition, as Dr. Courtine described it, was the digital bridge spanning the injured parts of the spine. [...] To achieve this result, the researchers first implanted electrodes in Mr. Oskam’s skull and spine. The team then used a machine-learning program to observe which parts of the brain lit up as he tried to move different parts of his body. This thought decoder was able to match the activity of certain electrodes with particular intentions: One configuration lit up whenever Mr. Oskam tried to move his ankles, another when he tried to move his hips.

Then the researchers used another algorithm to connect the brain implant to the spinal implant, which was set to send electrical signals to different parts of his body, sparking movement. The algorithm was able to account for slight variations in the direction and speed of each muscle contraction and relaxation. And, because the signals between the brain and spine were sent every 300 milliseconds, Mr. Oskam could quickly adjust his strategy based on what was working and what wasn’t. Within the first treatment session he could twist his hip muscles. Over the next few months, the researchers fine-tuned the brain-spine interface to better fit basic actions like walking and standing. Mr. Oskam gained a somewhat healthy-looking gait and was able to traverse steps and ramps with relative ease, even after months without treatment. Moreover, after a year in treatment, he began noticing clear improvements in his movement without the aid of the brain-spine interface. The researchers documented these improvements in weight-bearing, balancing and walking tests. Now, Mr. Oskam can walk in a limited way around his house, get in and out of a car and stand at a bar for a drink. For the first time, he said, he feels like he is the one in control.

Submission + - US Senators issued satellite phones (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by SonicSpike
SonicSpike writes: Amid growing concerns of security risks to members of Congress, over 50 senators have been issued satellite phones for emergency communication, people familiar with the measures told CBS News. The devices are part of a series of new security measures being offered to senators by the Senate Sergeant at Arms, who took over shortly after the protest an the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The satellite phone technology has been offered to all 100 senators. CBS News has learned at least 50 have accepted the phones, which Senate administrative staff recommend senators keep in close proximity during their travels.

In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson said satellite communication is being deployed "to ensure a redundant and secure means of communication during a disruptive event."

Gibson said the phones are a security backstop in the case of an emergency that "takes out communications" in part of America. Federal funding will pay for the satellite airtime needed to utilize the phone devices.

Comment Re:Are the Social Media Companies (Score 2) 21

by cold fjord (#62257819) Attached to: Twitter Misses Ad Revenue, User Growth Estimates

They may be trying to force more people that visit into getting accounts to see content, so the situation may be more advertising for what may be the same number of people visiting the site. Ad growth, yes, but maybe not real growth in site users. If they keep banning interesting accounts they may start bleeding followers to other sites. It would be better if Twitter as a company recognized its shortcomings, but not likely to happen. Twitter has blocked newspapers announcing their stories, people with serious professional, scientific, or medical credentials from sharing their expertise, and arbitrarily blocked political statements. They aren't good actors. Twitter has been compared to a sewer. Sewers server a vital role in civilization which is something I doubt can be said about Twitter.

Comment Re:Virtual Terrorism? (Score 1) 98

Perhaps you could share your thinking with us? How do you think the possibilities offered by Minecraft to recreate buildings and cityscapes as shown in the first link suffer in comparison to the use of sand tables for rehearsals such as that shown in the second link? Keep in mind that the use of sand tables for rehearsals is common for the military, and they have their limits.

Sandt table: This string represents the street, and the paper cup is the building.
Minecraft: The street scene represents the street, and the building is the building. Oh, and the layout of the streets and the floor plan of the building are the same as the real ones. Sure, you can enter the building.

Comment Twitter freedom (Score 3, Insightful) 21

by cold fjord (#62257601) Attached to: Twitter Misses Ad Revenue, User Growth Estimates

On Twitter you are free to mouth the politically correct position held by the monoculture of the company or their hired "fact checkers.". Expressing anything that departs from the view of the monoculture for long periods of time seems to eventually lead to trouble. It's a poor choice to bet your professional life, business, political campaign, or public life on Twitter without a robust backup plan if you are a normal person. There is a strong argument that they abuse their Section 230 protections.

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