Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

BlueWaveNeverEnd

BlueWaveNeverEnd's Journal
BlueWaveNeverEnd's Journal
October 23, 2024

Florida hurricane victims are selling their homes "as is"

woman highlighted in video:

purchased home 3 years ago: $575,000

Listing it for $425,000 "as is"

October 23, 2024

Existential uncertainty: Constant doomscrolling and worrying damages the brain

To cope with this uncertainty and anxiety, one common response people use is information seeking – where we seek out information about an event or situation in order to feel more certain and less anxious.

But this coping mechanism can lead to doomscrolling on social media, where negative content tends to be shared more frequently and feelings of existential uncertainty are exploited for financial or political gain. Our brains also remember negative information better than positive information, which is why negative content is often used for manipulation.

Our attempts to make sense of existential uncertainty can also make some people more susceptible to conspiracy theories. This is because when we feel threatened and uncertain, any explanation for what’s happening seems better than none – and this brings some short-term relief from our worries.



These coping mechanisms may only provide short-term relief from feelings of anxiety – and even worsen our mental health in the long run. To better cope and protect your mental health during times of existential uncertainty, here are some more effective things you can do instead:

It can be helpful when experiencing existential uncertainty to remind yourself that others are probably feeling the same way. Acknowledging the common humanity of our worries may help reduce the feelings of threat we have.

Awe-inducing activities, such as spending time outdoors, making art or meditating, or praying, can all expand feelings of connectedness and reduce worry.

https://studyfinds.org/existential-uncertainty-damages-brain/

October 23, 2024

Man carjacked, beaten, shot to death for parking outside stranger's L.I. home, for parking in "her" spot. 7 indicted

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/10/22/long-island-parking-spot-carjacking-shooting-murder-linver-ortiz-ponce-kayla-alvarenga-christopher-perdomo/

SEVEN INDICTED FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER, ABDUCTION, AND CARJACKING
Christopher Perdomo, Kayla Alvarenga, and Five Adolescents Allegedly Killed Linver Ortiz Ponce Because He Parked in Front of Alvarenga’s House
22 October 2024


(SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Christopher Perdomo, 27, of Georgia, was indicted for Murder in the First Degree, and other related charges, for his role in the killing of Linver Ortiz Ponce, 29, of Central Islip, for simply parking in front of Perdomo’s friend’s home. That friend, Kayla Alvarenga, 22, of Bay Shore, and five others, all adolescent offenders, have also been charged with murder and other crimes for assisting Perdomo.

“The alleged murder in this case occurred with no provocation and for no good reason. No one deserves to suffer a violent death for simply parking a car. The alleged brutality showed here is unconscionable,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We will seek justice for Mr. Ortiz Ponce and his family by aggressively prosecuting this vicious crime.”

------------------------------

According to the investigation, on September 16, 2022, just before midnight, Ortiz Ponce, parked his vehicle, a red Chevrolet Camaro, in front of Alvarenga’s home on Fifth Avenue in Bay Shore. Angry that he had parked in front of her house, Alvarenga allegedly confronted Ortiz Ponce and ordered him to move his car.

During the ensuing verbal dispute between Alvarenga and the victim, Alvarenga allegedly placed a phone call to friends, including Perdomo, instructing them to come and take care of the victim in front of her home. None of the defendants knew the victim; he had been a complete a stranger to them.

After receiving the alleged phone call from Alvarenga, Perdomo and three adolescents who were, at the time, ages 16, 16, and 17, allegedly drove to Alvarenga’s house in a BMW that they had allegedly stolen just hours earlier, after allegedly car jacking a young woman in Bay Shore.

After watching Ortiz Ponce get away on foot, Alvarenga allegedly instructed the group, including Perdomo and the adolescents plus two additional adolescents, age 16 and 17 at the time, to find Ortiz Ponce, abduct him, and kill him.

---------------


Church surveillance video captured the occupants of the BMW and the Camaro exiting the vehicles. After each of the seven defendants allegedly beat the victim severely, Alvarenga allegedly ordered Perdomo to kill him. Perdomo then allegedly repeatedly shot the victim as he attempted to crawl away.

https://suffolkcountyny.gov/da/Newsroom/Press-Releases/ArtMID/2343/ArticleID/12560/SEVEN-INDICTED-FOR-FIRST-DEGREE-MURDER-ABDUCTION-AND-CARJACKING





October 22, 2024

Orange County supervisor resigns, will plead guilty to corruption charge

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/orange-county-supervisor-resigns-will-plead-guilty-to-corruption-charge/

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, 1st District, has resigned and agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges.

Do funneled COVID-19 relief money into the Viet America Society, a nonprofit for which his daughter, Rhiannon Do, served as an executive.


Investigations by LAist and other outlets discovered that VAS received millions through the county, and Rhiannon Do, 23, purchased a million-dollar home.

Do’s brief resignation letter did not include any details about the scandal, only explaining that the resignation takes effect immediately.

Do’s now-former colleagues lambasted him in individual statements.
October 22, 2024

Why does Donald Trump tell such blatant lies?

he lies because it works for him. He knows he just needs to peel off a few voters.

Just yesterday, he stood before the cameras and lied about the federal gov not helping NC recover from Hurricane Helene. Even when he's called on it by the reporters, he continues to lie. 2 weeks ago, he was lying his ass off, a reporter called him on it, said that what Trump was saying was not true. Trump, without missing a beat "it is" and walked away.


https://theconversation.com/why-does-donald-trump-tell-such-blatant-lies-241192
Why does Donald Trump tell such blatant lies?
Published: October 21, 2024 11:30am EDT
Author
Geoff Beattie
Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University


When it comes to lying in politics, Donald Trump is in a class of his own. According to the Washington Post, he made 30,573 false or misleading claims in his four years as president, increasing year-on-year from six per day in his first year to 39 per day in his fourth.

Although other presidents have lied to the public, none have lied like this. Some of Trump’s lies are trivial, and many are self-aggrandising (“Nobody builds better walls than me”). Then there are his more egregious lies, like the one about the 2020 presidential election being “stolen” – demonstrably and dangerously contrary to the facts, with serious consequences for the nation and public trust.

And these lies can cut through. Research by political scientists Kevin Arceneaux and Roy Truex found that this “big lie” about the stolen election was very “sticky”. Around 50% of Republican voters believed it, regardless of any emerging contrary evidence. The researchers also found that belief in this lie boosted Republican supporters’ self-esteem – as they weren’t “losers” after all.

Politicians who lie can gain a strategic advantage. If you can successfully embellish the truth or construct a new reality, this often tends to be more interesting and engaging than the complicated truth. The truth may be a bit dull and uninspiring; the lie can be whatever you want it to be. You know what your audience wants to hear.

To work, according to Hitler, big lies must also be able “to awaken the imagination of the public through an appeal to their feelings”. They are not aimed at our rational selves, but our unconscious and emotional selves.

------------

Perhaps Trump managed to convince himself that they really were eating the dogs and cats in Springfield. Or perhaps he thought to himself: “Plant the emotional image, that’s all you need for the faithful.”
October 22, 2024

USC admitted rich kids through an alternate path with 90% acceptance rate, as walk-on athletes

long article detailing how all these rich kids got special admitted into USC. behind paywall though.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-10-22/usc-donor-kids-walk-on-athlete-admission-fundraising-scandal

Beyond Varsity Blues: In pursuit of donations, USC admitted affluent kids as walk-on athletes
Internal records show how USC admitted children of the wealthy and well-connected through an alternate path with an acceptance rate of up to 90%.



-----------------

“The founder of Jersey Mike’s - Peter Cancro is coming to show his son USC…at 1pm,” Kristi Seiter Simmons, the chief financial officer of a company that owned franchises of the hoagie chain, wrote in an email. “I said I would see if anyone could meet with them and give them a little usc pep talk. He would be a major big donor.”

Ronald Orr, then-head of athletic department fundraising, and a colleague arranged their schedules that day to give the sandwich chain CEO, his wife and stepson a campus tour, according to an email memorializing the visit. The discussion turned to how the athletic department could help the stepson bypass the regular admissions process, where his 3.3 grade-point average might prove an obstacle.

------

At the time, USC men’s tennis was the most dominant team in the country, having won five of the previous six NCAA team championships. Cancro’s stepson had played tennis for years but never ranked higher than 362nd in his age group, according to a resume he submitted to USC.


“In his essay he states that he became tired of practicing tennis from 5-9 Pm every night so he quit playing tennis,” Heinel emailed his stepfather on Feb.12, 2015. “It is hard to present a candidate as a walk-on tennis player when he states in his essay that he quit playing.”

The records do not reflect how Cancro responded, but the committee approved the teenager for admission two weeks later. His name does not appear on any USC tennis roster.

Cancro and his wife made a $500,000 pledge after his admission, according to an email from the couple that Orr forwarded on to colleagues.

------------

Some donor children considered by Subco had impressive credentials that might have gotten them in through normal channels. But the walk-on route offered a near-guarantee in the unpredictable and highly competitive admissions process. As a Las Vegas real estate agent pursuing admission for his son explained in a 2016 email forwarded to USC, “I believe that [he] will be admitted on his own merits, however, we both would appreciate a sense of security.”

Profile Information

Member since: Wed Nov 16, 2022, 02:52 PM
Number of posts: 9,934
Latest Discussions»BlueWaveNeverEnd's Journal