Notices by Lili Saintcrow (lilithsaintcrow@raggedfeathers.com), page 8

I can't mention this book without the "gratuitous swearing" review, which TO THIS DAY tickles me pink.

"In our testing, TechCrunch discovered that the USPS website shared the postal address of a logged-in USPS Informed Delivery customer with Meta, LinkedIn and Snap." https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/18/usps-shared-customer-postal-addresses-with-meta-linkedin-and-snap/

Right. It's been fun, but I've got a hot date with a cavalry detachment moving through broken country and then planning a (fictional! FICTIONAL!) bank heist, so off I go.

Morning Walk Report: Boxnoggin thrilled at cutting through a deserted park, an army of crows pursuing what seemed to be a an owl (poor thing was out far too late), sprinklers chugging away, small early fallen plums wrinkling as they dry on the sidewalk.

Today's run started out a little late due to a pleasant stop to chat with a neighbour and their blind, deaf dog. (His nose still works just fine.) Turned in slow but reasonable time per kilometer, had another park all to myself. Stress chemicals purged, the walk home was slow and meditative.

I’m having thoughts this morning about why and how abusers—small to large to institutional—always attempt to force both targets and enablers to deny reality, first in tiny ways, then escalating.

It’s a commonality, a strategy, and a tactic. I wonder how conscious it is.

This is of course referred to as DARVO when talking about interpersonal abuse, but the dynamic occurs at large scale with fascist and reactionary movements, which are simply abusers writ large.

The requirement of the Party that one disbelieve one’s own eyes and ears, as Orwell put it.

My childhood abusers were not content to simply physically batter me into submission but inevitably wanted a verbal denial of reality, whether it was their version of the triggering event for their rage confirmed, or a fawning reassurance that I loved them and they were right to beat me.

"The case has drawn attention beyond Mississippi as an example of how public figures can make life difficult for news organizations long before they have ever presented evidence of the “actual malice” needed to prove defamation cases." https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/anna-wolfe-pulitzer-mississippi-welfare-scandal-phil-bryant-rcna159936

“If the bulk of the proceeds from a screenplay book flow directly to a writer, then they should absolutely publish more of them...In my experience, the industry has developed very efficient systems to deprive writers of the money they’re owed.” https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/movie-scripts-as-books-barbie-oppenheimer-pulp-fiction

"The sensational feature of the day was the production of a ragged, blood-soaked, bandanna handkerchief..." https://lithub.com/blood-soaked-handkerchiefs-and-burnt-dresses-the-lizzie-borden-trial-as-told-in-a-newspaper-of-the-time/

"The result is that today, some of the most powerful institutions in our society deploy his concepts and vernacular to perpetuate themselves in a manner that is downright, well, Foucauldian." https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-bleak-genius-of-michel-foucault/

Boxnoggin strolled into my office, denned furiously on his bed, settled for a nap, drifted into sleep...

...and woke himself with his own flatulence, provoking a round of confused barking. I was no help, being unable to breathe from both stench and laughter.

"...his desire to make it apply to as many stories as possible leads him to use extremely vague and imprecise language and, as a result, much of what he says about the supposed stages of the hero’s journey is essentially meaningless." https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/12/31/the-heros-journey-is-nonsense/

It's absolutely wild to me that we're seeing the legitimizing of a mass theft occur, right out in the open. The question is no longer, "how will we hold 'AI' corporations accountable for the thievery they've committed?" but "how do we allow them to monetize what they stole?".

Just *bizarre*.

"Like many powerful men, Rodin equated success with the careful cultivation of powerful people and the exploitation of others — at which he was eminently successful." https://hyperallergic.com/918605/did-auguste-rodin-steal-from-camille-claudel/

Haha Google “Analytics” trying to weasel its way onto my website with “special offers”.

Not falling for that bullshit, nope.

"This suggests these articles are automatically syndicated, and local journalists at affiliates are not able to exercise editorial discretion. When these articles are syndicated, they appear alongside identically formatted articles on local government, weather, and sports." https://popular.info/p/sinclair-floods-local-news-websites

“Instead of providing its workers with legally required worker’s compensation insurance, WorkWhile charges its workers a “Trust & Safety Fee” that amounts to 54 cents per hour for route delivery shifts and 47 cents for other shifts…” https://missionlocal.org/2024/06/sf-city-attorney-files-suit-against-gig-work-company-workwhile/

And yet the media is screaming about some mythical shoplifting epidemic instead.