lol646 download

Middle East latest: ICC issues warrant for Israel's Netanyahu as Gaza death toll soars past 44,000Middle East latest: ICC issues warrant for Israel's Netanyahu as Gaza death toll soars past 44,000

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Only Tinubu, council of states can sack INEC chairman -ex- gov. Ikpeazu

NEW YORK , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to: Altair Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTR)'s sale to Siemens for $113.00 per share in cash. If you are an Altair shareholder, click here to learn more about your legal rights and options . Sandy Spring Bancorp (NASDAQ: SASR)'s sale to Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation for 0.900 shares of Atlantic Union common stock for each share of Sandy Spring . If you are a Sandy Spring shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (NYSE: AUB)'s merger with Sandy Spring Bancorp. If you are an Atlantic shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYTH)'s merger with Rafael Holdings, Inc. If you are a Cyclo shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options . Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders. We would handle the action on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses. Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com . Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Halper Sadeh LLC Daniel Sadeh, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. (212) 763-0060 sadeh@halpersadeh.com zhalper@halpersadeh.com https://www.halpersadeh.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-altr-sasr-aub-cyth-on-behalf-of-shareholders-302338489.html SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLPAwfis Space Solutions shares will remain in focus on Wednesday as promoter Peak XV Partners Investments and shareholders Bisque Ltd and Link Investment Trust plan to sell a 12.2% stake in the company through a block deal, CNBC-TV18 reported. The stake sale , valued at Rs 583.4 crore, is priced at Rs 680 per share, a 5.2% discount to the last closing price on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Sources said the deal includes a 90-day lock-in period. Peak XV owns a 22.86% stake in Awfis, Bisque holds 23.47%, and Link Investment Trust has 0.36%. Awfis offers flexible workspace solutions, from individual desks to customized office spaces for corporates. Also Read : DLF Camellias' Rs 190 crore Gurugram apartment: How many Bitcoins would you need? In November, Awfis announced a partnership with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to design, build, and manage over 1.65 lakh square feet of office space at Adani Inspire in Mumbai's Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Stock Trading Markets 102: Mastering Sentiment Indicators for Swing and Positional Trading By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Stock Trading ROC Made Easy: Master Course for ROC Stock Indicator By - Souradeep Dey, Equity and Commodity Trader, Trainer View Program Stock Trading Market 103: Mastering Trends with RMI and Techno-Funda Insights By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Stock Trading Derivative Analytics Made Easy By - Vivek Bajaj, Co Founder- Stockedge and Elearnmarkets View Program Stock Trading Options Trading Course For Beginners By - Chetan Panchamia, Options Trader View Program Stock Trading A2Z of Stock Market for Beginners: Stock Market Course For Beginners By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Technical Analysis Made Easy: Online Certification Course By - Souradeep Dey, Equity and Commodity Trader, Trainer View Program Stock Trading A2Z of Stock Trading - Online Stock Trading Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Stock Markets Made Easy By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Ichimoku Trading Unlocked: Expert Analysis and Strategy By - Dinesh Nagpal, Full Time Trader, Ichimoku & Trading Psychology Expert View Program Stock Trading Futures Trading Made Easy: Future & Options Trading Course By - Anirudh Saraf, Founder- Saraf A & Associates, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Market 101: An Insight into Trendlines and Momentum By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Stock Trading Dow Theory Made Easy By - Vishal Mehta, Independent Systematic Trader View Program This agreement covers two floors in one of the city's prime commercial hubs. The BKC area is connected to the Aqua Line of the metro and the Bandra suburban station and is a preferred business destination in Mumbai, the company said. With the addition of this new mandate, the company expands its footprint in the building, where it already operates a coworking centre, Awfis said. The deal was facilitated by Rounak Real Estate Consultants, an advisory firm with expertise across prime residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. Also Read : Vishal Mega Mart IPO opens today. Check GMP, review On Tuesday, Awfis Space shares closed at Rs 716.9, down 0.15% on the BSE, while the benchmark Sensex ended flat. The stock has gained 62% in the past six months, bringing the company’s market capitalization to Rs 5,078 crore. ( Disclaimer : Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )

Kentucky will aim to improve upon its best start in seven seasons when it hosts Western Kentucky on Tuesday night in Lexington, Ky., in the final game of the BBN Invitational. The Wildcats (5-0) are ranked No. 8 in the latest Associated Press poll and are setting impressive offensive milestones even for a program as tradition-rich as Kentucky, which includes eight national championships. The Wildcats have scored 97 or more points in their first four home games for the first time in program history and eclipsed the 100-point mark in three of those games. Their lone trip out of state was a solid 77-72 victory over Duke in a matchup of top-10 teams in Atlanta. Kentucky has also made at least 10 three-pointers in each of its first five games of a season for the first time ever. "I think Kentucky attracts good people," Kentucky coach Mark Pope said after the Wildcats' 108-59 win over Jackson State on Friday. "It's the one place in all college basketball where you represent just a fanbase in a different, unique way." Otega Oweh and Koby Brea have led the Wildcats' early scoring outburst. Oweh, who is averaging 16.2 points per game, had 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting against Jackson State. "He gets us off to unbelievable starts every night," Pope told reporters after that game. "He's probably been our most consistent guy in games." Brea, who scored 22 points against Jackson State and is averaging 16.0 points per game, is leading the nation in 3-point accuracy at 74.1 percent. As a team, the Wildcats are shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. And the few times they miss, Amari Williams has been doing the dirty work on the glass, averaging 10.8 boards in addition to 9.6 points per game. Kentucky faces a different challenge than it's had to contend with so far in the Hilltoppers (3-2), who have won three in a row after losing their first two games to Wichita State and Grand Canyon. Their up-tempo play hasn't exactly resulted in great offensive output, but in the Hilltoppers' 79-62 win over Jackson State on Wednesday, they shot 45.2 percent from 3-point range (14 for 31). "I was happy to see a lot of different guys contribute tonight and, hopefully, get their feet under them a little bit and get some confidence," said Western Kentucky coach Hank Plona, who is in his first season as head coach. "Obviously, Tuesday will be quite a test and challenge for us and we'll need them to be at their absolute best." Western Kentucky has an experienced group, which returned mostly intact from last season. The team is led by Conference USA first-team selection Don McHenry, who is leading the team with 17.2 points and 2.2 steals per game. McHenry is one of four Hilltoppers with scoring averages in double figures. Julius Thedford (11.4 points per game) and Babacar Faye (15.0) are each shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range. Western Kentucky also figures to challenge the Wildcats on the boards as it enters the game ranked in the top 25 in defensive rebounding (30.4 per game). Faye leads the Hilltoppers in that department, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game and figures to battle Williams inside. "We're not the biggest team in the world, but our depth and our quickness are our strengths," Plona said. --Field Level Media

Art viewers are invited to ponder on the delicate balance between environmental conservation and the preservation of local livelihoods in the region at "Net Loss", which is running at SAC Gallery until Jan 11. This is the third solo exhibition by renowned Thai artist Pichai Pongsasaovapark, who continues to explore the intricate relationship between humanity and the environment. This time, his attention is on the southern fishing communities of Pattani, whose livelihoods are now being threatened by government regulations aimed at curbing Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. Born from the personal experiences of his own family, this thought-provoking exhibition delves into the complexities of conservation policies that, while necessary for preserving marine ecosystems, have left local fishermen struggling to adapt. The exhibition's title resonates deeply with both the environmental and economic losses faced by these coastal communities. Through his evocative sculptures, installations and multimedia works, the artist used the residue of ash and sand from burned ship parts; iron filings from ground nails, nuts and screws of ships; and scrap from decommissioned fishing vessels to poetically capture the human cost of these policies. In his piece Boat Spirit, he transforms dismantled boats into gilded vessels, honouring the spiritual bond between the fishermen and their boats. Another key work, 48 Lost Boats, serves as a poignant tribute to the many boats that have been rendered obsolete by regulatory changes. This installation embodies not only the tangible loss of these vessels but also the cultural and economic hardship they represent for those who depend on the sea for their survival. The exhibition calls upon us to rethink our approach to conservation, reminding us that true sustainability lies not only in the protection of nature but in the empowerment of the communities who are its stewards. SAC Gallery is on Sukhumvit 39 and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm. Visit sac.gallery.None

While the rest of the Notre Dame community figures out whether it's worth paying four figures for a ticket to the College Football Playoff first-round home game against Indiana, the men's basketball team continues to figure out how to survive without Markus Burton. Notre Dame (5-5) hosts its next-to-last nonconference game Wednesday night against Dartmouth (4-4), which plays its sixth contest of a seven-game road trip. The Fighting Irish took a promising step -- and snapped a five-game losing streak -- on Saturday by edging Syracuse 69-64 in their ACC opener. "We needed to be in a close game and we needed to win a close game so our guys can build some belief back," head coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "We can't take any steps back on Wednesday." Without Burton -- the stat sheet-stuffing sophomore point guard who injured the medial collateral ligament in his knee Nov. 26 against Rutgers -- the Irish are struggling to find someone to run the offense, as evidenced by their seven assists versus 15 turnovers against Syracuse. At the same time, players are filling the scoring void. Braeden Shrewsberry poured in a career-high-tying 25 points versus the Orange while hitting 6 of 11 3-point attempts. Tae Davis averaged 12.4 points and 7.2 shots per game when Burton was healthy, but he has upped his mean production to 16.6 points and 12.2 shots in the past five games. Micah Shrewsberry, though, prefers to measure progress on a possession-by-possession basis. "Just the toughness," he said. "There have been times when we haven't gotten the key stop. We haven't gotten the bucket when we quite need it. It gets deflating sometimes." Dartmouth knows that feeling. On Sunday, the Big Green took a one-point lead with 4:03 left in overtime at UIC -- and then failed to score on their final six possessions to suffer a 69-68 loss. The Big Green, who haven't posted a winning season since 1998-99, believe whole-heartedly in launching 3-pointers as they take 48 percent of their shots from behind the arc. Senior Cade Haskins (13.6 ppg) has hit a team-high 28 of 68 3-pointers this season, though fellow senior Ryan Cornish stacks up as the team's top scorer (14.3 ppg), passer (3.0 assists per game) and defender (2.3 steals per game). In its only previous game against a power-conference opponent, Dartmouth upset Boston College 88-83 on Nov. 29. --Field Level Media

The Newport News government has applied for an almost $20 million federal grant that — if received — could help address the coal dust pollution that plagues the Southeast Community. For decades, Newport News residents have urged the city government to address the pollution coming from Dominion Terminal Associates and Kinder Morgan coal terminals. Residents say the coal dust blows into the surrounding community and coats homes and schools. In addition to dirtying the atmosphere, residents also worry it’s causing them respiratory problems. During a council work session last week, Chief Strategy Officer Eoghan Miller discussed ways the city is trying to be environmentally responsible. He noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has Community Change Grant funding available for environmental and climate justice activities that benefit disadvantaged communities. The funding is designed to reduce pollution and increase community climate resilience. Miller said the city and a collection of community-based organizations submitted an application in November to address dust issues in the Southeast Community and requested $19.6 million in funding. “We’ve got our fingers crossed,” Miller said. “We hope to hear more.” Mayor Phillip Jones said remediation would take “a lot of money.” While the specific remedy remains to be determined, Jones said some potential solutions could include a coal fence or a dome. “$20 million, I think, will change downtown, especially when it comes to coal mitigation,” he said. The state Department of Environmental Quality is working on a project that deploys monitors to test air quality and assess potential health risks associated with dust from the coal storage and transportation facilities in Newport News and Norfolk. The study, known as the Tidewater Air Monitoring Evaluation project , will measure and analyze toxic metals and particulates in the air in the two communities and use the information to conduct health risk assessments. Miller told the Daily Press that in addition to dust coming from the coal terminals, the grant could also be used to mitigate other environmental factors such as dust coming off the interstate. “Even if we get the funding, there’s probably not a single solution that completely eradicates these fugitive dust issues, and so it’s probably looking at a host of measures to hopefully reduce some of the fugitive dust issues, pollution issues, climate action issues that we have, in the Southeast Community particularly, and citywide,” he said. According to Miller, the city hopes to find out before the end of the year whether it will receive the grant money. Southeast Community resident Yugonda Sample-Jones, a longtime advocate for addressing the coal dust issue, said her organization EmPower All, the Sierra Club, the University of Virginia and numerous other local organizations have been raising awareness about the harm of coal dust in the Southeast Community and she hopes she hopes the city can undergo a holistic effort to create “a truly healthy space.” She said she collaborated with the city on the community change grant application and hopes funding could be used for a dome, fence, or some other barrier to protect residents from dust. “This is the most momentum we’ve had at a local level to do something about environmental justice,” she said. Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com

House panel: Gaetz paid women for sex, violated Florida law

Guessing game over Trump's Treasury pick adds to US bond market's negative mood

S M Krishna learnt the ropes of Lutyens’ politics early in career

EAGLES FALL IN FINALSStock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record

None

Greatman Mocks Themba Gorimbo“THE CULT OF THE FOUNDER.” “THE CULT OF THE TECH GENIUS.” “Beware: Silicon Valley’s cultists want to turn you into a disruptive deviant.” “Tech’s cult of the founder bounces back.” “Silicon Valley’s Strange, Apocalyptic Cults.” “How the cult of personality and tech-bro culture is killing technology.” “Company or cult?” “Is your corporate culture cultish?” “The Cult of Company Culture Is Back. But Do Tech Workers Even Want Perks Anymore?” “10 tech gadgets with a cult following on Amazon—and why they’re worth it.” “13 steps to developing a cult-like company culture.” The headlines seem to write themselves (if that cliché is allowed anymore in the age of ChatGPT and generative AI). Tech is culty. But that is a metaphor, right? When I first saw Michael Saylor’s Twitter account, I wasn’t sure. Saylor is an entrepreneur, tech executive, and former billionaire. Once reportedly the richest man in the Washington, DC, area, he lost most of his $7 billion net worth in 2000 when, in his mid-30s, he reached a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission after it brought charges against him and two of his colleagues at a company called MicroStrategy for inaccurate reporting of their financial results. But I had no idea who he was back then. In 2021 Saylor started showing up in my Twitter feed. His profile picture showed a man with chiseled features, silver hair, and stubble sitting in a power pose and looking directly into the camera, a black dress shirt unbuttoned to display a generous amount of his neck. It was a typical tech entrepreneur’s publicity shot except for the lightning bolts blasting from his eyes, and the golden halo crown. Then there were his tweets: #Bitcoin is Truth. #Bitcoin is For All Mankind. #Bitcoin is Different. Trust the Timechain. Fiat [government-backed currency] is immoral. #Bitcoin is immortal. #Bitcoin is a shining city in cyberspace, waiting for you. #Bitcoin is the heartbeat of Planet Earth. As MIT’s humanist chaplain, I follow a lot of ministers, rabbis, imams, and monks online. Very few religious leaders would dare to be this religious on social media. They know that few of their readers want to see such hubris. Why, then, does there seem to be an audience for this seemingly cultish behavior from a cryptocurrency salesman? Are tech leaders like Saylor leading actual cults? According to Bretton Putter, an expert on startups and CEO of the consulting firm CultureGene, this needn’t be a major concern: “It’s pretty much impossible,” Putter writes, “for a business to become a full-blown cult.” And if a tech company or other business happens to resemble a cult, that might just be a good thing, he argues: “If you succeed in building a cultlike culture similar to the way that Apple, Tesla, Zappos, Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom, and Harley-Davidson have, you will experience loyalty, dedication, and commitment from your employees (and customers) that is way beyond the norm.” Are the cultlike aspects of tech companies really that benign? Or should we be worried? To find the answer, I interviewed Steve Hassan, a top expert on exit counseling, or helping people escape destructive cults. At age 19, while he was studying poetry at Queens College in New York City in the early 1970s, Hassan was recruited into the Unification Church—the famously manipulative cult also known as the Moonies. Over his next 27 months as a member of the church, Hassan helped with its fundraising, recruiting, and political efforts, which involved personally meeting with the cult leader Sun Myung Moon multiple times. He lived in communal housing, slept only a few hours a night, and sold carnations on street corners seven days a week for no pay. He was told to drop out of college and turn his bank account over to the church. In 1976, he fell asleep at the wheel while driving a Moonie fundraising van and drove into the back of a tractor-trailer at high speed. He called his sister from the hospital, and his parents hired former members to help “deprogram” him and extract him from the cult. After the Jonestown mass suicide and murders of 1978 brought attention to the lethal dangers of cult mind control, Hassan founded a nonprofit organization, Ex-Moon Inc. Since then, he’s earned a handful of graduate degrees (including a doctorate in the study of cults), started numerous related projects, and written a popular book on how practices with which he is all too familiar have crept into the mainstream of US politics in recent years. (That 2019 book, , seemed even more relevant in early 2024, when a video called “God Made Trump” went viral across the campaign trail.) Hassan even found himself advising Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, leader of the second impeachment trial against Donald Trump, in 2021, on how to think and communicate about the cultish aspects of the violent mob of Trump followers who stormed the Capitol on January 6 of that year. I wanted to ask Hassan what he makes of the discourse around tech cults, but first it’s important to understand how he thinks about cults in the first place. Hassan’s dissertation was titled “The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: Undue Influence, Thought Reform, Brainwashing, Mind Control, Trafficking, and the Law.” The idea was to create a model that could measure cult exploitation and manipulation, or what Hassan and other experts in related fields call “undue influence.” His BITE model looks to evaluate the ways social groups and institutions attempt to control followers’ behavior, information access, thoughts, and emotions. Because there is no one quintessential, Platonic definition of a cult, what matters is where a given instance of potential cultishness falls on an “influence continuum.” In this continuum model, Hassan evaluates the ways in which institutional cultures attempt to influence people. To what extent are individuals allowed to be their authentic selves or required to adopt a false cult identity? Are leaders accountable to others, or do they claim absolute authority? Do organizations encourage growth in the people who participate in them, or do they seek to preserve their own power over all else? While any kind of person or group can struggle with some of the dimensions on Hassan’s continuum chart (which lists constructive behaviors at one end and destructive behaviors at the other), healthier organizations will tend toward constructive responses more of the time, whereas unhealthier institutions—those more truly worthy of the cult label in the most negative sense—will tend toward destructive responses such as grandiosity, hate, demands for obedience, elitism, authoritarianism, deceptiveness, or hunger for power. It turns out that there are some real, meaningful similarities between cults and tech, according to Hassan. “This is the perfect mind-control device,” he told me, holding up his iPhone. He explained that when he joined the Moonies in 1974, cult recruiters had to get information from the victim. Now, he said, users of everyday technologies are sitting ducks: “There are 5,000 data points on every voting American in the dark web, and there are companies that will collect and sell that data.” The first time Hassan was told about cryptocurrency, he added, it smacked of multilevel marketing to him. The proposition that you can make a fortune in a very short amount of time, with almost no labor, was something he had seen many times in his work. As was the idea that if you become an early investor in such a scheme, you’ll make more money if you recruit more people to join you. “The people who started it are always going to make 99% of the money,” Hassan said. And as in the cults that recruited him and continue to recruit the kinds of people who ultimately become his clients, “everyone else is going to get burned.” All of this would certainly seem to explain why I so frequently hear from people, eager for me to know they are fellow atheists, who tell me to buy some bitcoin because it will rewire my neurons and cure me of the woke mind virus. Of course, it should be noted that some scholars have complained about Hassan’s work, arguing that brainwashing and mind control are concepts for which there is not sufficient evidence. But I’m not claiming that tech uses literal brainwashing, nor is it like when a character in a episode hears “You are getting very sleepy” and then their eyes become squiggles. Hassan probably wouldn’t say so either. Companies don’t need to go to such extremes to exert undue influence on us, though. And as is clear from the headlines I cited above, a lot of companies have been accused of, or associated with, a bit of cultishness. I won’t attempt to evaluate anyone’s cultish tendencies on a scale of 1 to 10. But I see crypto sales techniques as a particularly good example of cultlike behavior, because if there’s one thing cults need to be good at to sustain their existence, it’s separating people from their wallets. Cryptocurrency has specialized in that to extraordinary effect. It’s all a continuum, and it would be hard to find a person whose life is completely devoid of anything cultish, technological or otherwise. But as a culture, we are careening dangerously toward the wrong end of Hassan’s chart. Or to quote a Michael Saylor tweet, “We all stumble in the dark until we see the cyber light. #Bitcoin.” : How Technology Became the World’s Most Powerful Religion, and Why It Desperately Needs a Reformation.Former President Bill Clinton said this weekend he had a feeling “all the so-called swing states would vote together” during this past election, and he wasn’t surprised that Donald Trump won his bid for the presidency. “At least this time, there is no question that he actually won both the popular vote and the Electoral College,” Clinton said , referring to Trump losing the popular vote in 2016 when he faced Clinton’s wife, Democrat Hillary Clinton. In 2024, Trump won all seven swing states: Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Nevada. In the interview with Jonathan Capehart that aired on MSNBC over the weekend, Clinton suggested “the late intervention” of FBI director James Comey’s investigation into his wife’s private email server she used while she was secretary of state helped Trump win. Hillary Clinton said last month in an interview that Vice President Kamala Harris had a better shot at the presidency than her because she didn’t have Comey “waiting in the wings to kneecap her.” That didn’t matter, however, for Harris, because she ultimately lost to Trump earlier this month. “There’s been a lot of change for people to digest,” Bill Clinton said, “a lot of economic adversity and upheaval, a lot of political upheaval, a lot of social developments. And if you think about it, some of the votes that happened in the last election are people who are just exhausted by uncertainty and tired of carrying it around. And that always helps the right.” Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. In that same interview , Bill Clinton responded to Trump’s Cabinet picks, saying Trump is interested in loyal people. “We have to listen to Donald Trump,” Bill Clinton said. “He’s been very forthright about how to use the law. He’s interested in people who are loyal to him 100% of the time, no matter what the issue, no matter what the facts, no matter who gets hurt.” Related From Our Partner

The grant — if received — could help address the coal dust pollution that plagues the Southeast Community. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Newport News triple shooting, police say Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap Al Roker speaks out after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade chair mishap Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees Former Hampton High football coach Mike Smith highlights latest Virginia Hall of Fame inductees German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News German restaurant Deutsche Ecke opens in Newport News Underground fire at Williamsburg Premium Outlets extinguished Underground fire at Williamsburg Premium Outlets extinguished Dad kills wife, shoots 21-year-old daughter on the phone with 911, police say Dad kills wife, shoots 21-year-old daughter on the phone with 911, police say Teel: Chaos abounds in college football, but not when it comes to Virginia Tech vs. UVA Teel: Chaos abounds in college football, but not when it comes to Virginia Tech vs. UVA Editorial: New executive director set to lead Fort Monroe into the future Editorial: New executive director set to lead Fort Monroe into the future Oscar Smith, Phoebus, Maury, Poquoson will host VHSL state semifinals in football Oscar Smith, Phoebus, Maury, Poquoson will host VHSL state semifinals in football Trending Nationally Woman who snuck onto NYC-to-Paris flight foils forced U.S. return by ‘causing such a scene’: source US Senate inquiry into Chicago’s housing of migrants at airports likely to heat up after Republican election wins Homes vs. beaches: Court makes key decision in battle over California seawall construction amid ocean rise Fruit trees and ‘generational learning’ turn this California city into a parrot paradise as temperatures drop Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine’s legal troubles expand with two South Florida lawsuits