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Fiverr Freelancers Offer to Dox Anyone With Powerful U.S. Data Tool
  • Probably because it's proprietary to TransUnion. Needless to say it's powerful and thorough.

  • Fiverr Freelancers Offer to Dox Anyone With Powerful U.S. Data Tool
  • Not if it's an estranged husband/wife looking for retribution, or a stalker, etc. Lots of individuals would be interested in a single person's info.

  • How a Gaza 'stunt' divided Australia's parliament
  • Australia is a Commonwealth nation so they follow the Westminster style ... the same as Britain, Canada, etc. Senators would not be elected, they are appointed, and act as a check on Parliament.

  • www.bbc.com Judge puts Young Thug trial indefinitely on hold

    The delay to address misconduct allegations is a new hangup in a trial that has lasted over a year.

    Judge puts Young Thug trial indefinitely on hold

    An Atlanta judge has put rapper Young Thug's trial on racketeering charges on hold indefinitely after his lawyers asked the judge to recuse himself over misconduct allegations.

    The lawyers said Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville held an "improper" meeting on 10 June when he met privately with prosecutors and a key witness.

    Defence attorneys have alleged that Judge Glanville sought to pressure the witness into testifying and they pressed him to recuse himself, motions which the judge had denied.

    Judge Glanville announced from the bench on Monday that he would release the private meeting's transcript and send the recusal motions to another judge.

    2
    www.bbc.com What does a world without Airbnb look like?

    With Barcelona announcing a total ban on short-term rentals from the end of 2028, how will decisions to curb Airbnb and others in the world's major cities change how we travel?

    What does a world without Airbnb look like?

    On 21 June, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni announced plans to ban short term rentals in the city starting in November 2028. The decision is designed to solve what Collboni described as "Barcelona's biggest problem" – the housing crisis that has seen residents and workers priced out of the market – by returning the 10,000 apartments currently listed as short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms into the housing market.

    Barcelona is not the only city to be strongly regulating – or even banning – short-term rentals outright. It has been illegal since September 2023 to rent out an apartment as a short-term let in New York City unless you are registered with the city and you are present in the apartment when someone is staying – a change also made to assuage the city's housing crisis. Berlin banned Airbnbs and short-term rentals back in 2014, bringing them back under tight restrictions in 2018; and in many of California's coastal cities, including Santa Monica, short-term rentals are either banned or highly restricted.

    In British Columbia, Canada, Premier David Eby put the issue succinctly as he clarified new short-term rental rules: "If you're flipping homes, if you're buying places to do short-term rental, if you're buying a home to leave it vacant, we have consistently, publicly, repeatedly sent the message: Do not compete with families and individuals that are looking for a place to live with your investment dollars."

    21
    www.bbc.com Trump asks for conviction to be overturned after immunity ruling

    The ex-president's lawyers cite a new Supreme Court ruling that granted him partial immunity from prosecution.

    Trump asks for conviction to be overturned after immunity ruling

    Donald Trump's lawyers have asked for the former president's conviction in his hush-money criminal case to be overturned and his sentencing this month delayed, US media report.

    A letter sent by Trump's lawyers to the New York judge presiding over the trial reportedly cites Monday's Supreme Court ruling that granted the former president immunity from prosecution for official actions he took while in office.

    In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He will be sentenced on 11 July.

    His team points out that he signed off the records while president in 2017, but one lawyer suggested this was unlikely to be considered an official act.

    33
    How a Gaza 'stunt' divided Australia's parliament
  • The Australian Labor party has strict penalties for those who undermine its collective positions, and acts of defiance can lead to expulsion - a precedent with a 130-year history.

    This is not unique to Auzzie politics. AFAIK every Westernized nation's parties follow the same rule.

    My question is if your nation touts its democracy as the best thing since sliced bread, how do you mesh that with dictatorial leadership forcing politicians to vote along party lines, especially on something like this?

    Enforced conformity is about as undemocratic as it gets, yet I don't see any big names standing up against it.

  • How a Gaza 'stunt' divided Australia's parliament

    www.bbc.com Fatima Payman: How a Gaza 'stunt' divided Australia's parliament

    A senator says she has been "exiled" for voting against her party to recognise Palestinian statehood.

    Fatima Payman: How a Gaza 'stunt' divided Australia's parliament

    When Fatima Payman crossed the Senate floor to vote against her government she knew it would come with consequences.

    The Australian Labor party has strict penalties for those who undermine its collective positions, and acts of defiance can lead to expulsion - a precedent with a 130-year history.

    The last time one of its politicians tested the waters while in power was before Ms Payman was born.

    But last Tuesday, the 29-year-old did just that - joining the Green party and independent senators to support a motion on Palestinian statehood.

    12
    www.404media.co Fiverr Freelancers Offer to Dox Anyone With Powerful U.S. Data Tool

    Dozens of Fiverr sellers are advertising access to TLOxp, a potent data surveillance tool sold by credit bureau TransUnion.

    Fiverr Freelancers Offer to Dox Anyone With Powerful U.S. Data Tool

    Dozens of sellers on the freelancing platforming Fiverr claim to have access to a powerful data tool used by private investigators, law enforcement, and insurance firms which contains personal data on much of the U.S. population. The sellers are then advertising the ability to dig through that data for prospective buyers, including uncovering peoples’ Social Security numbers for as little as $30, according to listings viewed by 404 Media. Fiverr removed the listings after 404 Media inquired about the practice.

    The advertised tool is TLOxp, maintained by the credit bureau TransUnion, and can also provide a target’s unlisted phone numbers, utilities, physical addresses, and more.

    There is a good chance many of these listings are scams, designed to take peoples’ money without providing the requested data, or by sourcing it in another way and presenting the results as a TLOxp search. Regardless, the advertisements' existence presents a content moderation issue for Fiverr.

    404 Media has previously reported on how TLOxp and similar tools have become a secret weapon in the digital underground, with hackers and fraudsters using the capabilities to dox people in minutes. The tools can be especially powerful because some use credit header data, which is personal information people provide to their financial institutions in the normal course of business of obtaining a credit card, which then trickles down to a wide web of other companies.

    4
    Is 13 too young to work? A Saskatchewan proposal has reignited debate around kids and labour
  • I think you forget that women and children still don't have enough power, at any age, to deny any man what he wants. They still die doing that, or are beaten within an inch of their lives, or are fired/written up for refusing sexual advances, or are put in situations where they've received no training but have to run a dangerous machine anyway.

    That is not something any child should 'have' to learn.

    How about instead we crack down on the businesses that do shit like that ... maybe 1st offense they lose their business ... 2nd offense they lose their life.

  • Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’
  • My rule of thumb is if the kid can ask a cogent question (just not the Why? or How come? ones) then they deserve an honest answer.

  • Is 13 too young to work? A Saskatchewan proposal has reignited debate around kids and labour
  • 50+ years ago when I was 12, I got my first job at an ice cream/burger stand making 0.75 cents per hour. The only downside was my creepy old boss who took great joy in pinching my non-existent breasts and child-sized ass.

    2 yrs later I started working at the local pizza joint (legal age to work was 14 back then).

    The real problem these days is owners who would abuse the privilege of having kids work for them. I mean you just know that's gonna happen, esp under Shmoe's 'leadership'.

  • www.bbc.com Hydra fire: Daniyar Abulgazin 'surprised' at Greek allegations over fire

    One of Kazakhstan's richest men denies wrongdoing after organising a superyacht now at the centre of arson charges.

    Hydra fire: Daniyar Abulgazin 'surprised' at Greek allegations over fire

    One of Kazakhstan's richest men has denied wrongdoing after organising a party on a superyacht that is suspected of igniting a forest fire with a fireworks display.

    Daniyar Abulgazin is one of eight Kazakh nationals who were on board the luxury vessel last month, and who are being prosecuted for complicity to arson by the Greek authorities.

    The businessman rented the yacht Persephoni and was in the area when the blaze burnt through 300 acres on the island of Hydra, south of Athens.

    Initially, authorities alleged that fireworks were launched directly from the yacht, but now Greek media report they may have been launched from a beach on the island after people on Persephoni took a boat to shore.

    Kazakhstan has no extradition agreement with Greece so they are unlikely to have to go there to face questioning.

    1

    Sheree Fertuck's murder illustrates Saskatchewan's deep-seated misogyny problem: expert

    Greg Fertuck was the type of man who solved his problems through "intimidation, threats and violence."

    Evidence at his murder trial showed he had to have his way — or else.

    "When [his wife Sheree] would not comply by his own admission he went to his truck, got his rifle, shot her in the shoulder, then coldly shot her in the head. He killed her in cold blood," wrote Justice Richard Danyliuk in his trial decision.

    Danyliuk found Greg guilty of first-degree murder on June 14, 2024, after a lengthy and complicated trial at Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench.

    Greg was also found guilty of indecently interfering with Sheree's remains because he hid her body in a secluded area near some poplar trees after the murder. Her remains have never been found.

    "It's no secret that Saskatchewan has the highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence among the provinces in Canada," Dusel said. "Saskatchewan also has the highest per capita rate of intimate partner homicides."

    1

    NHL reinstates Bowman, Quenneville, MacIsaac after ban for mishandling Chicago sex assault scandal

    The NHL lifted its ban on longtime coach Joel Quenneville and executives Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac on Monday, clearing the way for their return to the league more than two years after they were punished in the fallout from the Chicago's NHL team sexual assault scandal.

    "For more than the last two and a half years, these individuals have been ineligible to work for any NHL team as a result of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that [Chicago] player Kyle Beach had been assaulted by the club's video coach," the league said, "While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals ... has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership."

    2
    www.theguardian.com Melbourne airport staff accused of smuggling drugs for organised crime cartels

    Dozens of workers allegedly breached security checks, and air crew also accused of stashing illegal products in false bottom suitcases

    Melbourne airport staff accused of smuggling drugs for organised crime cartels

    Dozens of Melbourne Airport staff have been accused of working for organised criminals attempting to smuggle drugs into the state.

    Aviation workers were the subject of a Border Force investigation aiming to bust crimes within airport supply chains.

    The probe discovered 70 staff at Melbourne Airport had breached security checks over the past 12 months, including some suspected of working within organised crime.

    Airline crew engaged in illicit drug use as well as distributing illegal drugs in Australia, according to Border Force.

    International airline crew members were also found to have hidden illegal cigarettes and tobacco products in false bottom suitcases. This was allegedly done in an attempt to avoid paying significant amounts of customs tax.

    Two international crew members were found to be under the influence of illegal substances while on duty which led to the cancellation of at least one visa to Australia.

    1
    Cash transactions are way down. These advocates say the feds need to do something
  • Which is kind of surprising because 25 years ago it was the opposite, based on Revelation 13:16 -- "Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead" ...

    which many took to indicate the use of mobile phones as the only way to purchase anything.

    I guess they changed their minds. /s

  • Biden’s family privately criticizes top advisers and pushes for their ouster at Camp David meeting
  • First rule of checking whose voice you should listen to -- the amount of people who are vested in your 'approval rating' vs the amount of people actually stating the facts of what happened.

    Whichever number is greater is usually the one that's right.

  • Biden’s family privately criticizes top advisers and pushes for their ouster at Camp David meeting

    Members of Joe Biden’s family privately trashed his top campaign advisers at Camp David this weekend, blaming them for the president’s flop in Thursday’s debate and urging Biden to fire or demote people in his political high command.

    There is no immediate expectation that Biden will follow through on that advice, according to three people briefed on the family conversations but not directly involved. The three people were granted anonymity to discuss the matter.

    Among the family’s complaints about the debate practice: that Biden was not prepared to pivot more to go on the attack; that he was bogged down too much on defending his record rather than outlining a vision for a second term; and that he was over-worked and not well-rested.

    The blame was cast widely on staffers, including: Anita Dunn, the senior adviser who frequently has the president’s ear; her husband, Bob Bauer, the president’s attorney who played Trump in rehearsals at Camp David; and Ron Klain, the former chief of staff who ran point on the debate prep and previous cycles’ sessions.

    11
    apnews.com US wants Boeing to plead guilty to fraud over fatal crashes, lawyers say

    The U.S. Justice Department plans to propose that Boeing plead guilty to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners.

    US wants Boeing to plead guilty to fraud over fatal crashes, lawyers say

    The U.S. Justice Department is pushing Boeing to plead guilty to criminal fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners, according to several people who heard federal prosecutors detail a proposed offer Sunday.

    Boeing will have until the end of the coming week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee its compliance with anti-fraud laws, they said.

    The case stems from the department’s determination that Boeing violated an agreement that was intended to resolve a 2021 charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. Prosecutors alleged at the time that Boeing misled regulators who approved the 737 Max and set pilot-training requirements to fly the plane. The company blamed two relatively low-level employees for the fraud.

    The Justice Department told relatives of some of the 346 people who died in the 2018 and 2019 crashes about the plea offer during a video meeting. The family members, who want Boeing to face a criminal trial and to pay a $24.8 billion fine, reacted angrily. One said prosecutors were gaslighting the families; another shouted at them for several minutes when given a chance to speak.

    22
    apnews.com Alec Baldwin’s case on track for trial in July as judge denies request to dismiss

    The involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin is on track for trial in July after a judge denied a request to dismiss the case on complaints that key evidence was damaged by the FBI during forensic testing.

    Alec Baldwin’s case on track for trial in July as judge denies request to dismiss

    A court ruling on Friday put an involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin on track for trial in early July as a judge denied a request to dismiss the case on complaints that key evidence was damaged by the FBI during forensic testing.

    Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sided with prosecutors in rejecting a motion to dismiss the case.

    Defense attorneys had argued that the gun in the fatal shooting was heavily damaged during FBI forensic testing before it could be examined for possible modifications or problems that might exonerate the actor-producer.

    The ruling removes one of the last hurdles before prosecutors can bring the case to trial with jury selection scheduled for July 9 in Santa Fe.

    20
    apnews.com For India's garbage pickers, a miserable and dangerous job made worse by extreme heat

    As many as 4 million people in India scratch out a living searching through landfills for anything they can sell.

    For India's garbage pickers, a miserable and dangerous job made worse by extreme heat

    The putrid smell of burning garbage wafts for miles from the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu in a potentially toxic miasma fed by the plastics, industrial, medical and other waste generated by a city of some 740,000 people. But a handful of waste pickers ignore both the fumes and suffocating heat to sort through the rubbish, seeking anything they can sell to earn at best the equivalent of $4 a day.

    “If we don’t do this, we don’t get any food to eat,” said 65-year-old Usmaan Shekh. “We try to take a break for a few minutes when it gets too hot, but mostly we just continue till we can’t.”

    Shekh and his family are among the estimated 1.5 to 4 million people who scratch out a living searching through India’s waste — and climate change is making a hazardous job more dangerous than ever. In Jammu, a northern Indian city in the Himalayan foothills, temperatures this summer have regularly topped 43 degrees Celsius (about 110 Fahrenheit).

    At least one person who died in northern India’s recent heat wave was identified as a garbage picker.

    The landfills themselves seethe internally as garbage decomposes, and the rising heat of summer speeds and intensifies the process. That increases emissions of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that are dangerous to breathe. And almost all landfill fires come in summer, experts say, and can burn for days.

    15
    apnews.com There are 4.8 billion reasons why other leagues are watching the fallout from 'Sunday Ticket' case

    Sports leagues have 4.8 billion reasons to review how they distribute out-of-market broadcasts after the judgement against the NFL in the “Sunday Ticket” case in U.S.

    There are 4.8 billion reasons why other leagues are watching the fallout from 'Sunday Ticket' case

    Professional sports leagues have 4.8 billion reasons to review how they distribute out-of-market broadcasts after Thursday’s judgement against the NFL in the “Sunday Ticket” case in U.S. District Court.

    “It’s going to require other leagues to take a close look at their model and make sure that the means by which they’re providing consumer choice really does ensure true choice,” said Christine Bartholomew, vice dean and professor in the University of Buffalo’s School of Law. “What happened here, at least according to the jury, was that the NFL had really suppressed consumer choice. Not only did they steer the consumers towards using satellite TV, it meant that they had to buy the whole package.”

    The jury of five men and three women determined the NFL violated antitrust laws in distributing Sunday afternoon games not aired locally on Fox or CBS on a premium subscription service that only had one distributor. That kept the cost of the package high and limited those who could subscribe so that it would not impact local ratings.

    The class-action lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV.

    2
    Gathered at Camp David, Biden's family tells him to stay in the race and keep fighting
  • Somebody should tell him he's listening to the wrong people here.

  • apnews.com Gathered at Camp David, Biden's family tells him to stay in the race and keep fighting

    While his family was aware of how poorly he performed against Donald Trump, they also continue to think he’s the best person to beat the Republican presumptive nominee.

    Gathered at Camp David, Biden's family tells him to stay in the race and keep fighting

    President Joe Biden’s family used a Sunday gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his dreadful debate performance, and some members criticized how his staff prepared him for the faceoff, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

    Biden spent the day sequestered with first lady Jill Biden, his children and grandchildren. It was a previously scheduled trip to the presidential retreat in Maryland for a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

    But the gathering was also an exercise in trying to figure out how to quell Democratic anxiety that has exploded following Thursday’s performance.

    While his family was aware of how poorly he performed against Donald Trump, they also continue to think he’s the best person to beat the Republican presumptive nominee. They also believe he is capable of doing the job of president for another four years, according to the people who were not authorized to speak publicly about internal discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    122
    Negotiations Are Underway for Guantánamo’s “Forever Prisoner” From Gaza to Be Released
  • Fuck the Shrubs, fuck Rumsfeld, fuck Kissinger, and fuck the whole American military complex that believes torture will bring out the 'truth'.

    You wanna know where cops get their mindset from? It trickles down from the military, the CIA and the FBI. Cops see what they do and wanna be just like them, so adopt what has been proven they have done ... from kidnapping to torture to outright murder.

  • Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’
  • Just because it's big doesn't mean it shouldn't be opened. Only Sonlight can cleanse the shit that bullshit 'Christianity' has wrought.

  • Cash transactions are way down. These advocates say the feds need to do something
  • The minute money becomes more important than people, it's a problem.

  • Cash transactions are way down. These advocates say the feds need to do something
  • I've lived on the streets. Cash allowed me to buy tampons and other things I needed.

    Besides who am I to judge what someone needs. They know better than I do.

  • theintercept.com Negotiations Are Underway for Guantánamo’s “Forever Prisoner” From Gaza to Be Released

    Abu Zubaydah’s lawyer told a military review board that an unnamed country could admit the “forever prisoner” and surveil him for perpetuity.

    Negotiations Are Underway for Guantánamo’s “Forever Prisoner” From Gaza to Be Released

    DURING AN APPEARANCE before a military review board, an attorney for Guantánamo Bay’s “forever prisoner” revealed that negotiations are underway for his possible release after being tortured and detained without charges for 22 years.

    Abu Zubaydah (whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Husayn) is perhaps the most egregious victim of the U.S. national security apparatus that ran amok after the September 11 attacks and still grinds on. He appeared in a Guantánamo courtroom Thursday, listening to his attorney Solomon Shinerock tell a board of U.S. officials that a “redacted” country could admit Abu Zubaydah and monitor his activities indefinitely. The detainee will agree to any form of surveillance by the host country, said Shinerock, who did not name the country during the unclassified portion of the hearing.

    Unlike Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three other alleged 9/11 plotters, Abu Zubaydah has never been charged with any crime. The U.S. assessment notes that he never swore allegiance to bin Laden because the Saudi militant leader focused on attacking the United States while Abu Zubaydah “had wanted to attack Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.”

    Abu Zubaydah has the funds to support himself upon release, Shinerock told the panel. The detainee was awarded more than $200,000 by the European Court of Human Rights in 2022 as compensation for CIA torture at black sites located in Lithuania and Poland. In 2023, a United Nations human rights panel, U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, urged the United States to immediately release Abu Zubaydah.

    1
    breachmedia.ca Secretive committee in Ontario ministry pushed crackdown on pro-Palestine activism ⋆ The Breach

    A group marked by pro-Israel bias within the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General pushed for more severe charges against Palestinian solidarity protests

    Secretive committee in Ontario ministry pushed crackdown on pro-Palestine activism ⋆ The Breach

    A secretive committee within the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General has given “politically-motivated” backing to the Toronto police’s targeting of pro-Palestine activism, a Breach investigation can reveal.

    The committee has attempted to impose more severe criminal charges against individuals involved in peaceful protests since Oct. 7, or thwart the dropping of charges, multiple lawyers told The Breach.

    Known as the Hate Crime Working Group and formed in 2019, it is composed of nearly two dozen Crown prosecutors, some of whose public comments show pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian bias.

    The committee’s chair has said she is “committed” to the state of Israel, while another member described a pro-Palestinian activist as a “terrorist” and collaborated with a group of lawyers that aggressively defend Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed 38,000 Palestinians.

    0
    Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’
  • I would just turn my head or move further down the beach.

    shrugs

  • Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’
  • I know lots of kids were/are playing those without parental supervision. Those same parents had/have existential fits if their child sees a penis or breasts in a movie.

  • Can Biden be replaced as Democrat nominee? Who could replace him?
  • If the DNC would get their heads out of their asses (a longshot, ik) and voted in another viable, smart candidate they could turn voter apathy around in a heartbeat.

    Too bad they seem to be happy with the power status quo and fail to see the real danger they are in if/when Trump wins ... cause he would not be adverse to using guillotines or nooses to fix that 'problem'.

  • Can Biden be replaced as Democrat nominee? Who could replace him?
  • If Bernie is in, I choose AOC as his running mate instead.

    Fuck Hillary.

  • A private call of top Democrats fuels more insider anger about Biden's debate performance
  • There, a candidate must win support from the majority of "delegates" - party officials who formally choose the nominee. Delegates are assigned to candidates proportionally based on the results of each state's primary election. This year, Mr Biden won almost 99% of the nearly 4,000 delegates.

    According to the DNC rules, those delegates are "pledged" to him, and are bound to support his nomination.

    But if Mr Biden were to drop out, it would be a free-for-all. There is no official mechanism for him or anyone else in the party to choose his successor, meaning Democrats would be left with an open convention.

    Presumably, Mr Biden would have some sway over his pledged delegates, but they would ultimately be free to do as they please.

    That could lead to a frantic contest erupting among Democrats who want a shot at the nomination. Source

  • www.theguardian.com Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’

    Campaigners for the closure cite ‘lewd’ behaviour in nearby dunes but naked bathers say they’re just ‘embracing the beach as Mother Nature intended’

    Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’

    It’s a Tuesday morning, the infinite blue sky of Byron Bay has opened up and the six naturists – four men, two women – have stripped down to their birthday suits for a quick dip in the buff.

    This section of beach – an 800-metre stretch along the vast coastline – forms the only legal clothing-optional beach in the shire. Among those taking advantage of the opportunity to be out in the open is Duncan James, vice-president of Northern Rivers Naturists, who is something of an evangelist for “embracing the beach as Mother Nature intended.”

    “Many of the beach users have described the clothing-optional beach as their happy place, a place where they can disconnect from modern day stresses, a place they can feel at one with nature,” he says.

    There is, however, a metaphorical cloud on the horizon. On Sunday, Tyagarah is set to be stripped of its status as an official clothing-optional beach.

    “I guess these values aren’t shared by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS], who are hell-bent on closing one of Byron’s last alternative community hubs and experiences,” James says.

    135
    www.theguardian.com ‘A death sentence for music’: the battle for America’s last Live Nation-free city

    Portland has no Live Nation concert arena, and fans and artists love its fiercely independent music scene. But with a new venue looming, will all that change?

    ‘A death sentence for music’: the battle for America’s last Live Nation-free city

    From tiny coffee shops where folkies sway to acoustic guitars and mandolins, to thronging dark halls where bodies collide as metal bands and hip hop artists dominate the stage, live music can be heard seeping out of venues across Portland on almost any given night.

    The city is known for its fiercely self-sufficient music scene, where local venues keep ticket prices low and artists experiment for curious audiences. It’s also the only major US city without a venue owned or operated by Live Nation, the controversial entertainment conglomerate that dominates the US concert-going experience.

    That could all be about to change. Over the past several months, Live Nation has made significant inroads toward its first Portland conquest. It appears poised to operate a proposed 3,500-capacity venue, planned for a long-vacant site across the Willamette River from Portland’s downtown. To get here, it has won over a small developer and many city officials.

    “[It] would be a death sentence for the music scene,” says Colescott Rubin, a jazz bassist who got his start busking on streets and booking shows in Portland as a teen. Thanks to Portland’s independence, he says, “you can talk with the people who are calling the shots on the spaces you’ll be performing in directly.” The arrival of Live Nation, he and others in the city’s music scene fear, would send Portland the way of cities such as Austin and Boston, where independent venues have shuttered and local journalists and musicians have lamented the corporatization of scenes that once felt organic and unstoppable.

    13
    www.theguardian.com Trump loyalists plan to name and shame ‘blacklist’ of federal workers

    AAF to publish dossiers of employees they consider hostile to ex-president, with goal of ultimately replacing them

    Trump loyalists plan to name and shame ‘blacklist’ of federal workers

    Armed with rhetoric about the “deep state”, a conservative-backed group is planning to publicly name and shame career government employees that they consider hostile to Donald Trump.

    This “blacklist” of civil servants, which will be published online, is intended to advance Trump’s broader goals, which, if elected, include weeding out government employees and replacing them with loyalists.

    The group behind the list is the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), which was founded in 2020 and describes its mission as “working non-stop to expose the left’s secrets and hold Biden accountable”. A 2022 New Yorker profile described AAF as a “conservative dark-money group” and “slime machine”.

    Backed with a $100,000 grant from the Heritage Foundation, an influential rightwing thinktank, AAF will compile information, including social media posts, about civil servants they suspect will “obstruct and sabotage a future conservative president”. They plan to publish dossiers on those non-public facing individuals, starting with the Department of Homeland Security, and expose them to scrutiny.

    7