[FieryVulpine]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might be. But people have been insufferable assholes since time began. Social Media may have enhanced that, but before Social Media there were First Person Shooters. Those are some totally insufferable assholes, right there.

If only I had a dime for every time a twelve-year-old called me a gay Mexican jew lizard on X-Box Live.

[Thanos]

Disagree. Arguably social media, if not the entire internet, has made things monumentally worse even over the last couple of decades. Online life has turned out to be one of the most rotten Pandora's Box's to ever come down the track.

[PluggyRug]

Thanos Thanos:

Disagree. Arguably social media, if not the entire internet, has made things monumentally worse even over the last couple of decades. Online life has turned out to be one of the most rotten Pandora's Box's to ever come down the track.

Correct. That's why I quit Twatter, Facelessbook and the like. This forum is still reasonable and balanced.

[DrCaleb]

FieryVulpine FieryVulpine:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might be. But people have been insufferable assholes since time began. Social Media may have enhanced that, but before Social Media there were First Person Shooters. Those are some totally insufferable assholes, right there.

If only I had a dime for every time a twelve-year-old called me a gay Mexican jew lizard on X-Box Live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWZLa4AnN5k

[llama66]

FieryVulpine FieryVulpine:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might be. But people have been insufferable assholes since time began. Social Media may have enhanced that, but before Social Media there were First Person Shooters. Those are some totally insufferable assholes, right there.

If only I had a dime for every time a twelve-year-old called me a gay Mexican jew lizard on X-Box Live.

Wow. That's quite the insult. I usually got the standard slights, you know the "I fucked your mom" or "you mom was a cum guzzling c*nt" variety.

I feel cheated.

[DrCaleb]

llama66 llama66:

FieryVulpine FieryVulpine:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might be. But people have been insufferable assholes since time began. Social Media may have enhanced that, but before Social Media there were First Person Shooters. Those are some totally insufferable assholes, right there.

If only I had a dime for every time a twelve-year-old called me a gay Mexican jew lizard on X-Box Live.

Wow. That's quite the insult. I usually got the standard slights, you know the "I fucked your mom" or "you mom was a cum guzzling c*nt" variety.

I feel cheated.

You should hang out in better games.

I like getting in a game with a bunch of Russians. Nothing makes them freaked out more than asking in my gayest voice "What are you wearing?"

[llama66]

That's a dangerous game with me... I'm the youngest of 8. I survived by being able to take things farther than my siblings.

If you ask what I'm wearing, be aware I will not be held responsible for the trauma caused by my answer.

[DrCaleb]

llama66 llama66:

If you ask what I'm wearing, be aware I will not be held responsible for the trauma caused by my answer.

Sit nomen DrCaleb et hoc probant.

[llama66]

Trauma est nomen Llama ostendam. Et faciet quae expresso, si necesse est.

[stratos]

llama66 llama66:

That's a dangerous game with me... I'm the youngest of 8. I survived by being able to take things farther than my siblings.

If you ask what I'm wearing, be aware I will not be held responsible for the trauma caused by my answer.

Well what ever you are wearing I'm sure it hideous

[raydan]

stratos stratos:

llama66 llama66:

That's a dangerous game with me... I'm the youngest of 8. I survived by being able to take things farther than my siblings.

If you ask what I'm wearing, be aware I will not be held responsible for the trauma caused by my answer.

Well what ever you are wearing I'm sure it hideous

This reminded me of the classic pickup line...

Do you know what would look good on you?






Me.

[BeaverFever]

More lies from the lying liars. Why do conservatives feel they have to fabricate stories in order to gain support?

$1:

A Buffalo website is publishing ‘false’ viral stories about Justin Trudeau — and there’s nothing Canada can do about it

By Marco Chown Oved Investigative Reporter Jane Lytvynenko Buzzfeed News Craig Silverman Buzzfeed News
Fri., Oct. 18, 2019
Despite Ottawa’s widespread efforts to prevent online disinformation from distorting the election campaign, a website based in Buffalo, N.Y., has been freely posting viral stories about Canadian politicians that have no apparent basis in fact — and there’s nothing the Canadian government can do to stop it.

Since the beginning of the year, The Buffalo Chronicle has published unsigned articles based on unnamed sources that allege backroom dealings at the highest levels of Canadian government. Several of the stories have been deemed false or unsupported by news organizations, including the Agence France Presse, which was contracted to debunk fake news by Facebook.

Matthew Ricchiazzi runs the Buffalo Chronicle website that has published several popular false stories about Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and emerged as a surprise digital influencer in the current election.
Matthew Ricchiazzi runs the Buffalo Chronicle website that has published several popular false stories about Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and emerged as a surprise digital influencer in the current election. (Twitter)
The website is run by Matthew Ricchiazzi, 33, an Ivy League graduate who has sought office in several New York state elections but never got his name on the ballot.

A BuzzFeed News/Toronto Star investigation has confirmed that Ricchiazzi once offered to publish positive or negative coverage of political candidates for a fee. He also placed ads on his website for individuals and businesses that had never heard of him.

Ricchiazzi would not agree to an interview before next week’s election.

However, in a reply to emailed questions, he wrote: “We report in good faith and would never knowingly publish a falsehood. We are confident in all of our reporting to date, and believe it reflects a fair articulation of information obtained from confidential sources.”

Among the apparently uncorroborated stories published by The Buffalo Chronicle is one alleging former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci “insisted” that former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould be kicked out of cabinet. Another claims SNC-Lavalin’s former CEO and his wife fled Canada to avoid being arrested on bribery charges.

The website found real success with its report earlier this month that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau paid more than $2 million to suppress a report about sexual misconduct.

Despite being debunked by the Star, Snopes and the Agence France Presse, that story and its followup generated close to 100,000 shares, likes, and reactions on Facebook.

While the Buffalo Chronicle has been publishing stories about politics in western New York since 2014, a shift to sensational Canadian content earlier this year has brought Ricchiazzi success on social media.

Eight of the Buffalo Chronicle’s 10 most popular articles on Facebook are about Canadian subjects and were published in the last eight months.

Collectively, they were liked, commented on and shared on Facebook more than 200,000 times by accounts with a total of 4.4 million fans.

Facebook has refused to take down the Buffalo Chronicle posts.

“Misinformation as a whole does not violate our community standards,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

“We don’t have a rule that says that everything you post needs to be true.”

This week, Ricchiazzi and the Buffalo Chronicle have had their Twitter accounts suspended.

However, the posts remain online.

Earlier this year, the Canadian government passed reforms to the Canada Elections Act that ban certain false statements about candidates during an election.

The office of the Commissioner of Canadian elections declined to address any specific examples of potential breaches of election law. Spokesperson Michelle Laliberté acknowledged, however, that “there may be limits to the enforcement action that could be taken against individuals residing outside of Canada.”

Michael Pal, a professor of law at the University of Ottawa, said it’s clear the law applies to foreigners, “but there’s not a lot that can be done.”

“We have to start facing up to what does it mean to have media from across the border violating the law,” he said. “How do we deal with that?”

Ricchiazzi did not answer a question about who wrote the articles about Canada. He told the Star and BuzzFeed News that “there were primarily three individuals who contributed to those reports.”

He said he kept their names off the stories because “many of the folks who write for me would lose their jobs immediately upon it being discovered.”

Ricchiazzi said his involvement in politics does not affect his ability to report news.

“I feel absolutely no need to maintain neutrality, and think that critical journalism with an honest perspective is indeed better journalism,” he said.

In the past, Ricchiazzi has offered to skew his coverage in exchange for cash.

In a 2010 email obtained by the Star and BuzzFeed News, Ricchiazzi asked if a local political candidate wanted to purchase content in The City Politic, another website he runs.

“Fees are as follows: positive articles about your candidacy are $200; negative articles about your opponents are $400; and an editorial endorsement is $300,” the email read.

Asked about the email, Ricchiazzi said: “The value proposition was not appropriately articulated (and wildly underpriced).”

Ricchiazzi has denied that these kinds of transactions continue, but on at least two occasions he has accepted payment from groups that support candidates and provided them with positive coverage.

Earlier this year, Ricchiazzi received $6,000 (U.S.) from a political committee formed to elect Peter A. Reese for Erie County executive, according to campaign finance disclosures. At the same time, The Buffalo Chronicle published three stories supportive of Reese’s legal battle to be added to the ballot. No disclosure of the payments is mentioned in the pieces.

“Peter Reese retained me as a consultant for a very short period of time,” Ricchiazzi said. “Those fees were not in exchange for advertising or content.”

Last year, Ricchiazzi received $2,000 (U.S.) and the Buffalo Chronicle received $1,000 (U.S.) from a political committee supporting Joel Giambra’s run for governor of New York, according to election records.

The website posted at least five articles supporting Gambria’s candidacy, including one headlined: “Giambra, a proud moderate, seeks the GOP nomination with a bold plan.”

Ricchiazzi said the payments were “for consulting services rendered.”

Aside from its content, Ricchiazzi’s site appears to also mislead readers when it comes to its ads. While ads for a local pizzeria owner and retired New York State Supreme Court Judge Frank R. Bayger appeared on the Buffalo Chronicle, both said they had never heard of the site.

“Whoever is doing this, it could be harmful to me. I cherish my reputation. I’m a very active trial lawyer,” Bayger said.

Asked about the ads, Ricchiazzi said that he pays for the Buffalo Chronicle out of his own pocket and gives most of the ad space away for free.

“Some of the advertisements that appear may have been sold through third-party advertising sales agents,” he said. “Given that I don’t charge for ads anyways, I wasn’t too concerned with it.”

Marco Chown Oved is a Toronto-based investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @marcooved

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.thestar ... bsite.html

[fifeboy]

stratos stratos:

llama66 llama66:

That's a dangerous game with me... I'm the youngest of 8. I survived by being able to take things farther than my siblings.

If you ask what I'm wearing, be aware I will not be held responsible for the trauma caused by my answer.

Well what ever you are wearing I'm sure it hideous

Probably just fleas

[Public_Domain]

step father's unionized factory job made sure he knew about the four hour right to vote during work

dollarama (laugh track) definitely did not have the same level of concern and has not told any of the employees lol. honestly it would fuck the store right up for any of our skeletized crew to step out, especially managers

radio got me excited today by talking about a riding with a communist party in it. thought the cpc popped a candidate here, but alas, no. i was this close to actually fucking my monday morning up by walking to a station at 8am before my shift. i considered it, okay? what more do you want from me?? but it was not meant to be.

think i'm gunna make a new shirt, "i voted and all i got was this lousy bourgeois dictatorship" and just tell folks i voted ndp in an ndp stronghold

[Mowich]

Thanos Thanos:

Disagree. Arguably social media, if not the entire internet, has made things monumentally worse even over the last couple of decades. Online life has turned out to be one of the most rotten Pandora's Box's to ever come down the track.

Agreed in full, Thanos.