Name That Billionaire

Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).

How to Debunk:

1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.

2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.

3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.

4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.

5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.

"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.

"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."

"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."

Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge

Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021

Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.

Update:  McQuade, Barbara, "Attack From Within," 2024.  New York Times best seller.

Today’s entertainment is “Name That Billionaire.” Match the name of this 47 appointee with the short description below. This group is the wealthiest group of cabinet members and advisors in the history of the U.S. presidency. Some members of this group are no longer in the Administration.

1. Pharmaceutical Founder/Co-lead of the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

2. Founder of Shift4; Appointed as NASA Administrator

3. Head of Cantor Fitzgerald

4. Founder of Tesla and SpaceX/Co-lead of DOGE. Commonly viewed as an unhinged asshole.

5. Real Estate Developer, Convicted felon, father of Ivanka’s husband. Pardoned by 47.

6. CEO of Stephens Inc.

7. Restauranteur and owner of Landry’s, the Houston Rockets, the Golden Nugget and Wynns.

8. Former WWE Executive and married to a guy worth $3.3 Billion.

9. Hedge Fund founder and Treasury Secretary

10. Former CEO of Fiserv/Social Security Administration

11. Real Estate Investor

12. Tech entrepeneur and former governor of North Dakota

13. Georgia businesswoman named to head Small Business Administration (the loneliest job in Washington. Faced charges for insider trading during her time in the Senate.

*14. Retired Middle School teacher, blogger, singer.

__________________________________________

a. Jared Isaacman

b. Vivek Ramaswamy

c. Tilman Fertitta

d. Elon Musk

e. Kelly Loeffler

f. Doug Burgum

g. Scott Bessent

h. Howard Lutnick

i. Linda McMahon

j. Steve Witkoff

k. Warren Stephens

l. Charles Kushner

m. Frank Bisignano

n. Bruce Halen*

I had a little trouble narrowing down this list. The list changed from week to week. after the ’24 election. Suffice to say that the swamp has been ably filled with mega rich folks committed to making themselves richer.

On the Bright Side

• We have the ability to conduct a sophisticated military operation to “arrest” the leader of a sovereign nation other than our own, but we can’t seem to arrest the felon that is right under our noses in plain sight. Why is that?
• The 47s better figure out how to finish the job they started before we overthrow them and charge the leaders with Sedition. The Supreme Court had best brace itself. The real power is coming from down here and not up there.
• Trump is hinting at no election in 2026. Has he told Flyover country about this yet?
• Keep your eyes on the prize: The Epstein Files and the 2026 Elections. The rest is smoke-and-mirrors fiction. Stay focused.
• Take care of your non-Christian, non-Caucasian and non-Binary friends and relatives. They can’t make us not care. They can try to ban words, ban books and ban ideas but history will once again prove that you can’t whitewash the human spirit.

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*Probably not