Articles of Distraction

[Paraselene]

A woman is suing the IRS to get pets classified as dependents and eligible for tax deductions

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world...85034.html

[Paraselene]

Don’t hold back, swearing can boost performance by lowering inhibitions, study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025...ions-study

[Fireball]

Don’t hold back, swearing can boost performance by lowering inhibitions, study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025...ions-study

I read that at phys.org this morning. By that logic, I fucking ought to be Superman. 

[Angrboda]

[Paraselene]

I never really liked her anyway.

Pride organisation calls for boycott of Nicki Minaj: ‘She is not our friend’

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/12/26/p...ur-friend/

[Fake Messiah]

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok prompted by users to troll Trump, Modi, and Netanyahu

In response to a user’s post asking the bot to “remove the corrupt leader from this photo”, Grok removed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a group picture. Mr. Modi was also removed from another group photo after a user asked Grok to remove the “uneducated person” from the image.

Other world leaders were also targeted: U.S. President Donald Trump was removed from a photo in which he was standing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The user prompted the bot to remove the “bad leader”.

In a separate post, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Trump were both removed from a photo after a user asked Grok to remove the “war criminal” and the “pedophile” from the photo.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/techno...5.ece/amp/

[Angrboda]

https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-state...k-11297026

[Angrboda]

U.S.-born are not rushing into jobs left by immigrants

There is little evidence that millions of U.S.-born workers rushed into jobs typically worked by immigrants in 2025, as Trump officials have suggested, several economists told The Post.

Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” last month: “When foreign-born workers depart, then it creates jobs for people who are native-born.”

There are likely cases of U.S.-born workers stepping up for jobs previously worked by immigrants. But the rising unemployment rate for native-born workers indicates that native-born Americans are not moving in large numbers into those jobs.

“We don’t know what’s happening definitively, but the fact that the native-born unemployment rate is rising — and over the past year has risen faster than the foreign-born unemployment rate — suggests that it is not simply that native-born workers are taking the jobs of foreign-born workers,” Kolko said.

Immigration restrictions and deportations also could be pushing U.S. citizens out of work. Research on the construction industry has shown that the deportation of immigrants working in lower-skilled positions, such as roofers and laborers, can lead to the disappearance of work for native-born construction workers, especially those in higher-skilled jobs, such as electricians and plumbers.

“A lot of immigrants take low-wage, generally less-skilled jobs in construction on projects that wouldn’t otherwise go forward,” said Baker, the economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “You have native-born workers in higher-skilled jobs, but when the immigrants aren’t there, they aren’t able to do it.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/...nts-labor/

[Angrboda]

Donald Trump’s great Venezuelan oil gamble

Rystad Energy, a consultancy, estimates that $110bn in capital expenditure on exploration and production alone would be required to bring the country’s output back to where it was 15 years ago—twice the amount America’s oil majors combined invested worldwide in 2024. Mr Trump seems to think those firms would rush to sign big cheques. Chevron, which is already present in Venezuela and exporting some 200,000 b/d to America under a sanctions waiver, may well expand its operations. But others have not forgotten the pains of the past. The success of Mr Trump’s plans is hardly guaranteed. He will depart the White House in just over three years, and may lose interest before then. So far American majors have remained silent on the president’s call to arms. Nor are global commodity traders “in the starting blocks”, says Jean-François Lambert, a consultant. Banks and insurers, which would be needed to finance and secure shipments, would be even slower to return.

Even if enough oil firms could be convinced to cough up, it is doubtful that Venezuela’s oil industry could keep pace. In recent years it has suffered a huge brain drain. Tens of thousands of skilled workers, from engineers to geologists, have left the country. PDVSA is now largely run by the armed forces. To form viable joint ventures with Western firms, the 70,000-strong company would have to be reformed wholesale. It may not be able to serve as a viable partner for many years.

Whatever extra oil Venezuela can pump will flow into a saturated market. The International Energy Agency, an official forecaster, expects global crude supply to outstrip demand until at least the end of the decade, because of strong production in countries like Brazil, Guyana and, indeed, America, as well as tepid growth in demand. Many analysts expect surpluses to lower global oil prices towards $50 a barrel, and possibly below, this year and next—under the breakeven price for most existing Venezuelan fields with decent reserves. New projects are often even less competitive.

[Paraselene]

The internet is going wild for hunky LGBTQ+ Traitor Stephen



https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/01/02/q...instagram/