Plastic shells have become a fashion trend for hermit crabs across the world. In a new study‚ scientists have looked into how often hermit crabs are using plastic and other human-made materials as their shells‚ concluding that it is likely to be a global problem across many different species.Researchers at the University of Warsaw in Poland analyzed nearly 29‚000 images of hermit crabs that had been uploaded to online platforms such as iNaturalist by wildlife enthusiasts. They identified 386 crabs that had co-opted artificial shells as their homes. The most common human-made material was plastic caps‚ like the ones you find on soda bottles‚ which accounted for up to 85 percent of the artificial shells.All in all‚ they estimated that the problem impacts at least 10 of 16 terrestrial hermit crab species found across the tropical regions of the planet. "When I first saw these pictures‚ I felt it was heart-breaking‚" Professor Marta Szulkin‚ study author from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Warsaw‚ told BBC Radio 4.Examples of plastic-shelled hermit crabs used in the study.Image credit: Shawn Miller via Z. Jagiello et al.‚Science of The Total Environment ‚ 2024 (CC BY 4.0 DEED)“At the same time‚ I think we really need to understand the fact that we are living in a different era and animals are making use of what is available to them‚" she added.Hermit crabs have a soft abdomen with an exoskeleton that needs protection. To save on the energy-intensive process of growing their own shell‚ they’ll simply hijack the disused shells left behind by dead crustaceans. However‚ with the world’s oceans becoming increasingly polluted with plastic‚ it appears many hermit crabs are increasingly tempted to use trash as their shelter.The new study looked into why hermit crabs are ditching their typical natural shells in favor of artificial alternatives and concluded that it likely hinges on a few different things. Sexual selection is a likely factor because females may be attracted to the novelty of the plastic shell. Plastics are also generally lighter than chitin shells‚ which makes it a more practical choice. Additionally‚ hermit crabs may be choosing plastic shells as it helps them camouflage in polluted environments.    It’s not clear if the plastic shells are impacting the well-being of the hermit crabs or whether it’s a benign consequence of living in the Anthropocene. In a follow-up study‚ the team hopes to uncover whether this new behavior is affecting the evolution of hermit crabs.“These analyses will deepen our understanding of the consequences of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems‚ as well as the evolution of species in the context of new evolutionary pressures associated with the Anthropocene‚” the researcher said in a statement.Hermit crabs aren’t alone in their plastic plight. In recent times‚ scientists have documented a myriad of ways that the natural world is being changed by the ever-growing presence of plastic‚ from turtle bellies filled with artificial netting to ants becoming entangled in synthetic fibers.In one particularly jarring example‚ geologists have recently discovered "plastic rocks" on a remote volcanic island off the Brazilian coast.The new study is published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

In the bustling city of Los Angeles‚ a dedicated group named Hope For Paws tirelessly works to rescue animals in dire straits. Their mission recently led them to a heart-wrenching case involving Miley‚ a dog whose plight was nothing short of tragic. Miley‚ a sick and forlorn canine‚ had been surviving in a massive pile... The post Dog rescued from trash pile ‘pays it forward’ and becomes ‘angel’ for another frightened pup appeared first on Animal Channel.

On Thursday‚ NBC's Law &; Order: Special Victims Unit premiered an episode in which a white rape victim agonizes over prosecuting her rapist because he's black. In the episode‚ "Truth Embargo‚" the rape occurs during a mass smash-n-grab robbery of a high-end store. One of the masked looters spots a shopper in a bathing suit near the dressing room and attacks her. At the hospital‚ the victim‚ Natalie (Romina D'Ugo)‚ falsely claims she did not see the rapist because he was wearing a mask. Video store cameras later show he took off his mask before entering the dressing area. Natalie's lesbian partner‚ Brooke (Keeley Miller)‚ is angry at police detectives when she meets them in the hospital‚ somehow blaming them for New York City's spiking crime. Brooke: [Scoffs] What happened to this city? I mean-- are the police trying to prove some kind of point?  Detective Velasco: What point is that? Brooke: That we still need you.  More evidence piles up‚ which points to a black man named Jay Watson (Mykey Cooper). Natalie reluctantly identifies him in a police line-up‚ and he is arrested. During the trial‚ Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) asks Brooke how she's doing. Brooke tells her that the biggest source of angst for Natalie right now is "the systemic inequities that exist within the criminal justice system." Benson: Brooke. How are you holding up? Brooke: Not great. I was up all night with Natalie. She was inconsolable. Benson: That's understandable. Look‚ when a person goes through a trauma like that‚ they can end up in a very vulnerable state. Brooke: Yeah‚ it wasn't about that. Benson: Okay‚ then what?  Brooke: We're acutely aware of the systemic inequities that exist within the criminal justice system. Benson: You mean for people like Jay. Brooke: Yeah. Our concern is that he might not receive a fair trial. Benson: Well‚ I can't deny that there's a history of racial bias. It's certainly not a perfect system. Brooke: How do you do this every day? Benson: My focus‚ my priority is on healing. So I do what I can. Brooke: When does Natalie actually have to take the stand? Benson: She's up next.  On the stand‚ assistant district attorney Dominick Carisi (Peter Scanavino) asks Natalie to identify her assailant in the courtroom‚ but she remains silent‚ forcing Carisi to request a brief recess. Outside the courtroom‚ Natalie tells Carisi and Benson the dramatic story of her adopted brother from Cameroon. When she was twelve years old‚ Natalie dared her black adopted brother to steal a pack of gum. They got caught. Cops gave her a warning‚ but her brother received a night in juvenile detention. This story is‚ of course‚ preposterous. Even if it were realistic‚ it's still not believable that a victim would want her rapist to go free because of it. Benson tries to convince Natalie to change her mind. Benson: But Natalie‚ Jay Watson raped you.  Natalie: Do you think I forgot? How could I? This entire trial has been an exercise in reminding me. Carisi: And this is your chance to do something about it. Natalie: I am going to‚ believe me. Because I can. I can afford therapy. I have that luxury.  And maybe‚ one day...I'll be okay. But if that teenager goes to prison? He may not be. Ever. [crying] I don't want that. Benson: Natalie‚ wait.  Eventually‚ Benson manages to convince Natalie to identify her attacker on the stand. "I hope you know that I wouldn't be here if I didn't think that a fair trial was possible. And I'm not asking you to trust the system‚ Natalie. I'm asking you to trust me‚" she tells the victim. At no point in this episode‚ does any character question Natalie and Brooke's presumptions about "systemic inequity" despite studies showing innocent black men are not unfairly targeted for criminal prosecution. The episode ends with a cringeworthy scene in which Carisi agrees to accept a plea deal despite a slam dunk case that is guaranteed conviction. Why?  Because‚ by golly‚ the rapist feels really‚ really sorry about what he did.   Carisi: I'm listening‚ Mr. Carter. Carter: Go ahead‚ Jay. Watson: That girl‚ Natalie. I did what she said. She ain't lying. Carisi: Okay. Watson: I took something. Something I can't give back. It was just supposed to be a robbery. But when I saw her-- my whole life‚ nobody paid attention to anything I did. Not at home‚ not at school. Always felt kind of invisible‚ you know? So why would this be any different? What I did to Natalie...I did. Changed her life forever. So‚ I guess I finally learned my lesson. Just too late. Carisi: It's never too late‚ Mr. Watson. You'll do time. But not your whole life. When you get out‚ you'll still have some runway ahead of you. And taking responsibility for what you did is only the first step. Let's speak to Ms. Ross.  Lots of young people are neglected. Feeling invisible does not drive them to rob a store and rape a shopper in it.  "Truth Embargo" is eye-rolling in its excuse-making and guilt-tripping. The audience is supposed to feel sympathy for a violent criminal merely because of the color of his skin. No one‚ especially the victim‚ mentions the danger of Watson raping another woman if he is set free or receives a reduced sentence. The whole focus is instead on neurotic white guilt. For a show with the words Law &; Order in its title‚ this episode is oddly uninterested in whether or not society should be protected from a predator.

NBC's medical drama Chicago Med is back on the air with the program’s ninth season‚ and apparently the writers learned nothing from their hiatus and are still inserting elements of the liberal agenda into their shows.  On Wednesday’s episode‚ “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both of Us‚” one of the show’s storylines downplayed the impact illegal immigration has on communities by featuring a ‘violent‚ racist white male’ character who takes issue with the appearance of preferential treatment toward migrants in the hospital over his wife who had been injured in a car accident. In a nutshell‚ "white male" Wade Martin brings his wife to the hospital after they got into a car accident. He was driving and didn’t sustain any injuries. The storyline suggests that he ran into an illegal immigrant with his vehicle on purpose. That same illegal immigrant‚ Luis‚ arrives at the hospital for treatment as well. Later in the show‚ a doctor treating Luis notices that he has a separate issue from the injury that occurred during the car accident. That is‚ he has a rash on his leg and is diagnosed with ‘typhus‚’ which can be caused by flea bites. Dr. Zola Ahmad (Sophia Ali) suspects that the local shelter where the migrants are being housed might have an outbreak‚ which eventually leads her to bringing a van load of migrants to the hospital for a checkup. Martin is frustrated with the hospital for taking too long to do his wife’s MRI scan. He then completely loses it when he notices the hospital staff attempting to move his wife out of her hospital room to make way for the migrants. He confronts them about it and goes into a rant about how the migrants are getting preferential treatment over Americans‚ which eventually leads to him getting into a heated scuffle with the doctors.  Mr. Martin: Wait‚ why are you moving my wife?  Nurse: Sir‚ please‚ it's just temporary.  Dr. Crockett Marcel: Hey‚ Mr. Martin. You okay? Mr. Martin: What's going on? Did you two authorize this? Dr. Ahmad: Mr. Martin‚ my apologies. It appears we're momentarily---- Mr. Martin: You think I don't see what's going on‚ but you're giving all the rooms to them. - Hold on now. - Same thing happened at my kid's school. They commandeered her gym for a shelter.  Dr. Crockett Marcel: Look‚ Wade‚ I assure you we have enough resources to take care of everyone. - Mr. Martin: No‚ we don't. People keep saying that‚ but we just don't‚ okay? The whole volleyball season got canceled‚ and my daughter needed that for her scholarship. And now my wife‚ she's obviously not receiving your full attention. How come nobody's looking out for us?  Dr. Crockett Marcel: I understand that this is an inconvenience‚ but we do need to free up this room. Okay‚ go ahead. Mr. Martin: No‚ get away from her! - Dr. Ahmad: Mr. Martin‚ please. - Mr. Martin: Stop handling me! - Wait! Hey! - No! - Dr. Crockett Marcel: Hey‚ hey. Calm down! - Mr. Martin: No! No! Get away from me! Get off of me! - Security Guard: Calm down‚ Mr. Martin! - Let's go. - Mr. Martin: Get off of me! Get off of me! No! No! - Dr. Crockett Marcel: You all right? - Dr. Ahmad: Yeah‚ I'm fine. I'll go get that blood draw started.  It’s clear Hollywood writers love to produce sympathetic plots when it comes to people living in the U.S. illegally. And if you're frustrated by the millions of people pouring over the border‚ then you're the problem in the eyes of Tinseltown 'progressives.' The reality is‚ border crossings by migrant families have hit record highs‚ and the influx of migrants is creating chaos in communities across the country. For example‚ a Denver‚ Colorado hospital system says it’s ‘at a critical point’ due to the flood of migrants and uncompensated medical care costs. It’s so bad‚ the hospital is having to turn away people who are in need of care.

This week‚ I visited Auschwitz. I had never before visited any of the death camps. The experience is absolutely chilling. Auschwitz‚ of course‚ was a complex of camps‚ the three largest of which were Auschwitz I‚ the camp most famous for the terrifyingly Orwellian German slogan welded onto its entrance‚ “ARBEIT MACHT FREI”; Auschwitz II‚ also known as Birkenau‚ the massive death factory at which the Germans operated four large gas chambers‚ each of which could be used to murder 2‚000 people at a time; and Auschwitz III‚ a large labor camp. Visiting in January‚ with the ice covering the ground‚ is a reminder of the cruelties that are possible when human beings commit to the perverse disease of Jew-hatred. Auschwitz was liberated some 79 years ago this month. But that perverse disease is alive and well. As survivor Marian Turski says‚ “Auschwitz did not fall suddenly from the skies‚ it was all tiny steps approaching until what happened here behind me did happen.” That gradualism masked the greatest evil in world history. As we descended into Krakow for the visit‚ I read the diaries of Victor Klemperer‚ a secular‚ intermarried Jew who had converted to Protestantism and who lived in Dresden during the period of Hitler’s rule. Klemperer details the slow but steady changes that turned Jews into outcasts‚ no matter their ideology or even religious practice. Klemperer‚ for his part‚ considered himself a good German and the Nazis the outliers; even in 1942‚ Klemperer wrote‚ “I am fighting the most difficult of battles for my German-ness now. I must hold on to it: I am German‚ the others are un-German.” His protestations meant nothing. Why? Because Jew-hatred is and was a conspiracy theory rooted in the supposed power of the Jew. And there is nothing new about that theory; it is seductive and easy and ancient. In Egypt‚ Pharaoh spoke thus: “Look‚ the children of Israel are too numerous and large for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them‚ so that they may not increase.” In Persia‚ Haman told Ahasuerus‚ “There is a certain people‚ scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm‚ whose laws are different from those of any other people and who do not obey the king’s laws.” In Poland‚ Bogdan Chmielnicki told the Poles that they had been sold by the Polish nobility “into the hands of the accursed Jews.” In Russia‚ the bestselling “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” alleged a Jewish conspiracy to exploit and control the gentile world. In Germany‚ Hitler wrote that the Jews sought to make the gentile world “ripe for the slave’s lot of permanent subjugation.” Today‚ across the Muslim world‚ the toxic proposition that the Jews control the world is a popular notion and provides justification for murderous terrorist attacks on Jewish civilians: according to a recent poll from the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies‚ only 5% of all Middle Eastern and North African Arabs condemned Oct. 7 as an “illegitimate operation.” Across time and place‚ such ideas sprang from religion‚ from ethnic polarization‚ from nationalistic excess. Today‚ at least in the West‚ such ideas spring from an ideology that suggests a hierarchy of oppression that dominates Western societies‚ in which disproportionately successful groups are victimizers and disproportionately unsuccessful groups the victimized. It is no coincidence that LGBTQ+ and BLM activists‚ who propagate that victim/victimizer narrative‚ side with the genocidal Jew-hating terror group Hamas. According to a recent Harvard/Harris poll‚ some 67% of people aged 18-24 in the United States say that the Jews “as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors.” Visiting Auschwitz‚ one can see the apex results of such perverse ideas. Another Holocaust may not be right around the corner; geopolitical conditions are not what they were in 1940‚ and no serious power has the means and capacity to accomplish anything like the Holocaust today (though Iran armed with a nuclear bomb would be a different story). But certainly the slogan “Never Again” cannot be used by those who currently hand-wave the atrocities of Oct. 7 in the name of fighting supposed “Jewish power.” The only way to stop Jew-hatred is to stop conspiratorial thinking — particularly the conspiratorial thinking of those in the West who despise meritocracy itself and instead see the mirage of the “powerful Jew” hiding behind every problem. Ben Shapiro‚ 39‚ is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School‚ host of “The Ben Shapiro Show‚” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.” To find out more about Ben Shapiro and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

In his attempt to convince people that the Biden economy is actually doing quite well‚ CBS’s Stephen Colbert donned sunglasses and a fake goatee on Thursday’s installment of The Late Show as he played the bongos and sang an awkward song about how people struggling with inflation just don’t get it. Before the musical performance‚ Colbert reported “Oh‚ there's more good news for Biden. The economy is cooking right along. The Dow's north of 38‚000 today‚ wages are up‚ unemployment's below four percent for 23 months in a row‚ and today the Commerce Department announced the economy grew at 3.3 percent rate in the last quarter.”   “Now‚ what does that mean? Well‚ it's a little technical‚ but according to macroeconomic theory‚ number go up equal good‚” Colbert continued.  Colbert then played a montage of media personalities describing the state of the economy as “Goldilocks‚” which was followed by a Biden impression where he claimed to know Goldilocks. Once the impression was over‚ Colbert lamented “But even though it looks like there's no recession and the economy looks good on paper‚ people feel like it's not bouncing back. And this bad feeling the media has dubbed the ‘vibecession’ and I get it‚ but thankfully‚ I have a foolproof way to bring the nation out of a vibecession.” Colbert then put on his costume and proceed to sing his cringe-inducing tune: What's cookin'‚ my fiscal cats? You out there countin' your ducats? Let me brighten your economic outlook with my bongo sonic output. Hit it! Dig‚ you're drowning in dough but you don't feel it 'cause it's not yet... Bread. I'm talking' that sweet pumpernickel baby‚ 'cause I heard from a little bird that in 2023 the U.S. Economy accelerated at a 2.5 percent annualized pace and whole prices for personalized consumption expenditures rose just two percent in the fourth quarter no wonder Janet's... Yellin so no need to go slow‚ Joe‚ the vibecession will be jazz-suscitated‚ and if the economy starts this cookin' in November‚ we'll make Trump a way gone daddy! Somehow‚ that probably won’t help people feel better about the cost of bread. Here is a transcript for the January 25 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 1/24/2024 11:45 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Oh‚ there's more good news for Biden. The economy is cooking right along. The Dow's north of 38‚000 today‚ wages are up‚ unemployment's below four percent for 23 months in a row‚ and today the Commerce Department announced the economy grew at 3.3 percent rate in the last quarter.  Now‚ what does that mean? Well‚ it's a little technical‚ but according to macroeconomic theory‚ number go up equal good. Now‚ is that right? Can you check my math? Can you check me on that? You got that? Okay. For all last year‚ bunch of people predicting a recession‚ but instead‚ every economic indicator of Bidenomics is positive. Or as the news people call it it...  RAHEL SOLOMON: It's an economy that's cooling on the inflation front but still showing growth on the spending front…The Goldilocks.  ALESSIO DE LONGIS: Perfect Goldilocks scenario.  BOB PISANI: We're getting some of that Goldilocks.  STEVE LIESMAN: It is Goldilocks.  SARA EISEN: This is Goldilocks.  COLBERT [JOE BIDEN IMPRESSION]: "That's right‚ Jack! Things are goin' Goldilocks! Now‚ look up‚ lookie‚ I’m serious‚ I knew Goldilocks‚ nice gal. Real particular about her porridge‚ not me though‚ hot‚ cold‚ don't bother me! I'll toss that bowl down tout suite! Soft foods‚ doctor's orders. The old mouth-chicklets aren't strong as they used to be."  [NORMAL VOICE] Lost the words there are a little bit. Can't win them every time. But even though it looks like there's no recession and the economy looks good on paper‚ people feel like it's not bouncing back. And this bad feeling the media has dubbed the “vibecession” and I get it‚ but thankfully‚ I have a foolproof way to bring the nation out of a vibecession. This is...  NARRATOR: Stephen Colbert's vibecession!  COLBERT: What's cookin'‚ my fiscal cats? You out there countin' your ducats? Let me brighten your economic outlook with my bongo sonic output. Hit it! Dig‚ you're drowning in dough but you don't feel it 'cause it's not yet... Bread. I'm talking' that sweet pumpernickel baby‚ 'cause I heard from a little bird that in 2023 the U.S. Economy accelerated at a 2.5 percent annualized pace and whole prices for personalized consumption expenditures rose just two percent in the fourth quarter no wonder Janet's... Yellin so no need to go slow‚ Joe‚ the vibecession will be jazz-suscitated‚ and if the economy starts this cookin' in November‚ we'll make Trump a way gone daddy!

A top union boss conceded an important caveat that undercut his union’s endorsement of President Joe Biden. United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto on the Jan. 24 edition of Your World with Neil Cavuto that union members would “vote with their paychecks” and that most of them would not vote for Biden. “Look‚ let me be clear about this: a great majority of our members will not vote for President Biden. Yes‚ some will. But that's the reality of this: The majority of our members are gonna vote their paychecks. They're going to vote for an economy that works for them‚” Fain said. This follows UAW announcing its endorsement of Biden the same day‚ in which Fain smeared former President Donald Trump as a “scab.” Apparently‚ the workers he represents are not exactly on the same page. Fain gave this shocking answer after Cavuto asked him about “very big Trump supporters” among the UAW membership. “A good many of them are at Trump rallies and MAGA enthusiasts. How do you feel about that?” Cavuto asked.   Despite this‚ Fain defended his union’s endorsement of Biden and repeatedly attacked Trump. Fain said that the former president had never “stood for the American worker” at any point in “history.” Fain added‚ “He stands against everything that we stand for.”  Earlier in the interview‚ Cavuto asked Fain about an enormous looming challenge to the auto industry as it pertains to Biden’s obsession with pushing electric vehicles onto the market. “You know far better than I‚ that [Biden] been a big proponent for EV‚ electric vehicles‚ many automakers have said this is sort of been the bane of their existence that the market just isn't there to support what they call the heavy hand of government to force the issue‚” Cavuto said.  Cavuto referenced struggles at Tesla as an example. “Tesla's shares are falling after the car maker forecast slower growth because of weak–EV sales or weaker than expected. Do you think that's a problem for the automakers? You scored this historic and very generous labor package for your members. It's imperiled by this industry push for EVs.” Fain gave a ridiculous answer that sounded like a public relations push from the Biden White House press office: “Look‚ we have to have an environment where we can all live and we can breathe clean air and have clean water. The UAW has always led the way on environmental concerns going back to our founding and wherever the industry goes‚ we’re gonna be a part of it. Our workers are gonna be part of it. We’re gonna fight for those jobs and we're going to fight for it to be a just transition where it pays good wages‚ good benefits so that people can afford to live off that job.” It is unclear how good wages and good benefits will be maintained in an environment where the Biden Administration mandates automakers sell 50% electric vehicles to a public that clearly doesn’t want them.   Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News at 818-460-7477‚ CBS News at 212-975-3247 and NBC News at 212-664-6192 and demand they hold Biden and his flunkies accountable for how his climate change fanaticism is hurting the U.S. economy

Many young startup founders trying to emulate Steve Jobs‚ Elon Musk‚ or Travis Kalanick move to a hacker house to work on the next big thing. They need to build a sense of mission within the company‚ but sometimes the hacker house itself becomes a cult around the house leader. At scale‚ the more dysfunctional of these cults seed the Valley with a sterile narcissism.Usually‚ there’s one guy who starts a hacker house. He has a rich family. His startup got venture capital funding. He already had success with a previous company‚ so he’s trying to cultivate new ones. Many of the founders in these houses know that they need to build a sense of following a mission within the company. Some are willing to risk that their hacker house might become a cult around its leader. And some invite it.Hacker houses are usually full of young people who are starting new projects and are trying to spin them up as new companies. Life here is characterized by long hours of work and partying hard afterward.The leader of the group is‚ most of the time‚ the founder who has the most funding or connections to the most prestigious people in the industry. “Who follows you on Twitter” is usually a heuristic used for eyeballing how high in the hierarchy someone would perceive you. And in the race to appear as a better version of competitors a lot like you‚ house leaders can’t help but try to convince their charges they’re the next of the best‚ of the biggest: Travis Kalanick‚ Steve Jobs‚ Elon Musk. In the hacker house‚ the leader is the killer app. Get in on the ground level‚ follow his star‚ get to heaven.Silicon dreams KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/gettyLights flashing‚ smoking coming from the stage‚ and the song being played ends with a roar:“Somebody make some motherf***ing noise in here!” The party attendees look at the stage of the backyard rock concert‚ and its screaming lead singer‚ with a shy kind of indifference. “F*** these people‚” the singer grunts into the mic. The roaring music resumes; the flashing lights‚ the fireworks‚ the smoke machines chug on. These are the first seconds for the intro episode of the HBO series "Silicon Valley."In reality‚ for those hoping to make it from hacker house to hacker heaven‚ it often means "I want power." The phrase "we are disrupting the market" – a favorite anti-establishment rallying cry – is a common basis for establishing a rigid and uniform internal culture after employees quit their jobs and start living in a hacker house‚ writing code eighteen hours a day.Inside‚ three hoodie-adorned twinks walk into a neon living room both astounded and disgusted by the size and magnitude of the house they’re in. They trash-talk the software that the homeowners wrote and subsequently sold to Google – “Money flying all over Silicon Valley‚ but none of it seems to ever hit us‚” says one‚ referencing one of the most iconic phrases from the series.Another guy with a spoon in his hand joins them and after being asked what he’s holding‚ he says it’s liquid shrimp and remarks upon its taste with an oddly specific comparison. A fifth guy joins the conversation. “Look‚ Dustin Moskovitz‚ Elon Musk‚ Eric Schmidt‚ whatever-the-guy’s-name-that-created Photrio! I mean‚ Kid Rock is the poorest person here‚ apart from you guys. There’s forty billion dollars walking around this party and you guys are standing here drinking shrimp‚ talking about what cum tastes like – yes‚ I heard that.”The party host wrestles the microphone from the screaming rock star and clinks his glass with a spoon calling for a toast. “I got seven words for you: I LOVE GOOLYBEEP’S INTEGRATED MULTI-PLATFORM FUNCTIONALITY!” Some attendees raise their glasses reluctantly.“But seriously ... a few days ago when we were brunching with ... Barack Obama‚ I turned to these guys and said‚ ‘You know‚ we are making a lot of money ... and yes‚ we are disrupting digital media‚ but most importantly‚ we are making the world a better place ... through constructing elegant hierarchies for maximum code reusability and extensibility.’ ”We are making the world a better place. We are changing the world. In reality‚ for those hoping to make it from hacker house to hacker heaven‚ it often means I want power. The phrase we are disrupting the market – a favorite anti-establishment rallying cry – is a common basis for establishing a rigid and uniform internal culture after employees quit their jobs and start living in a hacker house‚ writing code eighteen hours a day. It’s often accepted‚ if not explicitly‚ that if your startup is not receiving cease-and-desist letters you are really not changing the status quo. In the early days‚ many employees forgo their salaries‚ because they believe in the mission of the company. Bad companies keep this policy even after raising millions from venture capitalists.It’s easy to dismiss the cult of the hacker house as an all-too-characteristic efflorescence of bro-ish narcissism. But instead of sociopathy or some other pathology‚ there’s something bigger at play‚ something that reaches more broadly and deeply into human nature.Most endeavors to suddenly build the next great thing have the feel of a cult. How else can you convince people to give you millions of dollars‚ quit their jobs‚ drop out of school‚ and spend years working on a master plan to remake the world? But a lot of these cults‚ and the outsized personalities that drive them‚ are mostly harmless. They don’t put poison in the Kool-Aid they pass around. They juice up and get to work.As the pandemic of 2020 started‚ Marc Andreessen’s essay “It’s Time to Build” became an instant Valley classic‚ reanimating tech entrepreneurs looking to change the world and venture capitalists longing to get in early on the next startup that does exactly that.It was Andreessen who built Mosaic‚ the web’s first graphic interface browser. Together with Ben Horowitz‚ eventual partner at their eponymous venture fund‚ he built and ran Netscape‚ a company whose name works a bit like a Rorschach test. Whether you think of it as “the landscape of the net” or “the escape into the net” probably says a lot about you. After what many startup founders would see as an epic saga battling against giants like Microsoft‚ Andreessen exited his company‚ started his own fund‚ and rose to exemplar status with a brand of future-focused optimism – one that makes him‚ outside the established tech journalism industry‚ at least‚ hard to hate.Such legend and lore for noobs to imitate can’t help but fuel new cults of personality at the entry level. “Media is important because it’s the narratives about what is good‚ what is bad‚” former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan said on the "Pod of Jake" podcast. “So many people got into tech actually because of the movie 'The Social Network‚' again‚ even that was sort of a left-handed compliment. But at the time‚ Aaron Sorkin‚ he couldn’t help but‚ in a certain way‚ recognize that [Mark] Zuckerberg is a genius‚ the scenes of programming in that movie‚ you know?”And in the Valley‚ as opposed to Hollywood‚ lore control hinges on credibility. Back before journalism turned on tech‚ Vanity Fair plumbed the culture of cred at its 2014 “New Establishment Summit”; in a live interview with Andreessen and Mike Judge‚ creator of "Silicon Valley‚" Kara Swisher asked if the show’s “idiotic” people and situations were “the reality” in the Valley.“People just can pick up when something is real‚” says Judge‚ breaking into a little nervous laughter. “I’d like to say absurd‚ rather than idiotic. It’s absurd‚ it’s a lot of brilliant people‚” he continues with a certain empathy‚ “who sometimes can barely function in normal social situations and have billions of dollars.” The crowd giggles. “Oh‚ hi Marc.”Andreessen interjects. “Well‚ I know every single person in the show‚ like in real life‚ like every single one. And not the actors‚ the actual characters. Every single thing in it is accurate – every line‚ every person‚ every event‚ the way they are combined makes it absurd‚ but is highly true to real life. And hopefully we’ll talk more about that‚ because I think there is a deeper meaning to that. Another reason it’s so good‚ and I don’t think this is well known‚ but Mike started his career as a Silicon Valley engineer. So Mike has a deep grounding in physics and electrical engineer – so‚ unlike a lot of people – Aaron Sorkin” – Andreessen stage-coughs – “he actually knows what he’s talking about.”Andreessen returns to Zuckerberg‚ Sorkin’s "Social Network" semi-antihero. “I’m not defending every aspect of everything Zuck has done‚ but I will say that there is‚ on net‚ genuine heroism to building something of that scale and magnitude‚ from scratch.” More so than tapping out‚ tearing down‚ or policing into oblivion‚ the main alternatives on offer in today’s dominant culture. Even as Zuckerberg’s fortunes flag‚ his legend‚ no less than that of Steve Jobs‚ continues to shimmer‚ larger than life‚ in the mirror eyes of the hacker house lord angling to make tech lord.Srinivasan himself has built a sizable startup following. His captivating views on creating new cities and even new countries – "The Network State‚" as his new book has it – circulate through tweets often lurked by the hungry and ambitious hoping to leverage a hidden gem into the next startup worthy of devotion. Twitter notification – “@balajis is live in a Twitter Space”; roll out of bed‚ make some coffee‚ pop on the headphones; think “this Singapore time-zone difference is killing me” and “this is lore in the making.” Srinivasan’s newsletter project of giving grants away for completing micro-tasks like coding or working out have earned him popularity around the world. From the "Pod of Jake" interview:I’ve been fortunate enough to make it and that’s my contribution to humanity. Hopefully this helps find the next Ramanujans out there in some wartorn area like Syria‚ but hopefully that kid has a smartphone and we can airlift them out‚ right? Give them a shot‚ set up a school in Singapore‚ and I know it’s an idiosyncratic use of capital‚ but I’m not the type to spend on Ferraris.Why? Because‚ he maintains‚ at a time when government truth is breaking down and “decentralized truth” is gaining currency (cryptocurrency‚ to be precise)‚ VCs can make momentous changes poking strategically at the digital reworking of the world. “VCs won’t get most things right by making these big bets‚” as he puts it‚ “but they get the big things right.”In making big bets on getting big things right‚ they make big money. And why shouldn’t it go back into the ecosystem? All that’s needed is a receiving class of aspirants of sufficient intelligence and devotion.Thielian dialectic Stephanie Keith via Getty Images “You don’t like your character in HBO’s 'Silicon Valley.'” This time it’s the New York Times to Peter Thiel. This time it’s 2017.“Deny. I liked him. I watched the first season. My character died. I think eccentric is always better than evil‚” said Peter Thiel in a rapid-fire interview at the New York Times.“Mark Zuckerberg asked you to invest in Facebook while wearing pajamas.”“Deny. The actual story was that Sean Parker convinced him to go to Sequoia Capital wearing pajamas to insult them at some point.”Peter himself is notoriously hard to reach‚ if you are just a startup founder trying to get a meeting with VCs. He’s known to get more than a handful of philosophy professors in his office‚ discussing the meaning of a chapter of Leo Strauss’ "The City and Man" for an entire day. He earned his reputation starting a fintech company before the 2000s. The aim was to create a new digital private currency that would compete with the dollar. His company Confinity later became PayPal after merging with Elon Musk’s rival fintech X.com.His essays are also required reading in the tech world. For some tech bros‚ this is the first time they’re introduced to the ideas from René Girard and Goethe’s "Faust." His interviews talking about politics‚ technology‚ society‚ or the Bible are required listening.Thiel’s watchword‚ following Girard‚ is mimesis – the deeply ingrained human faculty of imitation‚ especially toward rivals and enemies. With his insistence to think for yourself‚ to be a contrarian‚ Thiel strikes at the heart of the mystique of the cult. Two of his favorite interview questions have gone from cliche to archetype in Valley culture: “What is something you know that nobody else knows?"What is something you believe to be true on which no one agrees with you?” Yet he knows how to speak the language the Valley understands. In his book "Zero to One‚" Thiel shows how the longing to wield the will over the world changes once cult-like imitation is warded away: “Every great business is built around a secret that’s hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world; when you share your secret‚ the recipient becomes a fellow conspirator.”His intense mimetic rivalry with Musk led to the PayPal merger – but then a string of big solo bets‚ Facebook‚ Palantir – that paid big. His most recent wager‚ however – on politics – is different. The jury is still out on his national and international-level moves‚ and just what he has learned from them remains something of a secret. Perhaps the best peek in can be gained from contemplating the political upshot of one of Thiel’s biggest investment rules: “Never bet against Elon Musk.”For some tech bros‚ this is the first time they’re introduced to the ideas from René Girard and Goethe’s "Faust." His interviews talking about politics‚ technology‚ society‚ or the Bible are required listening.“'Silicon Valley‚' accurate or not accurate?” South by Southwest‚ 2018. “The show?” Musk replies. “Yeah – um‚ in fact‚ reality‚ the truth‚ is stranger than fiction. All the crazy stuff you see in that show 'Silicon Valley‚' the reality is way crazier than that.”With his hero’s journey lore of working long hours and sleeping on the Tesla factory floor – sometimes seen as a sort of final-level hacker house – Musk has a devout following around the world‚ including many talented engineers who give their youth to Tesla‚ SpaceX‚ and now Neuralink‚ to fulfill Elon’s vision of electric cars‚ spacefaring civilization‚ and human beings who somehow beat advanced digital technology by joining it ever more intimately.Elon’s track record and charisma have helped him through difficult times‚ in his companies and in his life. Most people have now forgotten his early tales of battery-swapping stations instead of charging stations. What sticks is SpaceX rockets landing vertically after returning from orbit. Musk’s current description of his daily life as that of a “tech monastery” feels intuitive now: progress of his sort runs on a kind of wing and a prayer – both the American faith in “making it work” and the faith that such faith is contagious‚ that it breeds authority.Much of Musk’s fan base followed him buying Bitcoin and Doge during the pandemic‚ massively moving the markets of both. And after fighting with other Bitcoin maximalists on Twitter‚ he publicly backed out from Bitcoin‚ tanking the market while most of his followers lost a lot of money after recklessly reacting to every single tweet. In this feud‚ the Bitcoin maximalists follow a different kind of leader‚ Satoshi Nakamoto. Srinivasan has said the controversially mysterious Bitcoin founder is very “Jesus-like” in his sudden appearance‚ disappearing after a while but never selling his coins or the promise implicit in them.Bitcoin maximalists offer salvation by holding their coin and awaiting paradise as crypto protestants fork coins and chains with varying degrees of piety toward Satoshi’s original white paper. Some say they themselves are Satoshi – summoning memories of Jesus telling his disciples to imitate him but not to trust those who claimed to be him. Beyond the cult lies the religion. While hacker houses mimetically reproduce cultish forms‚ the bets made by the ultimate tech lords raise questions about which kind of church will prevail in our age.Tech autocrats Justin Sullivan via Getty Images Antonio García Martínez recounts in his book "Chaos Monkeys" that “the culture is what kept twenty-three-year-old kids who were making half a million a year‚ in a city where there was lots of fun on offer if you had the cash‚ tethered to a corporate campus for fourteen-hours days. They ate three meals a day there‚ sometimes slept there‚ and did nothing but write code‚ review code‚ or comment on new features.” He mentions that a founder is the “keeper of messianic vision” that “presents an overwhelming and all-consuming picture of a new different world. Have a mad vision‚ and you’re a kook. Get a crowd to believe in it as well‚ and you’re a leader.”Zuckerberg‚ he remarks of one characteristic moment working at Facebook‚ “gave us a rousing speech. In this personality cult‚ we had slogans on the walls‚ we were all wearing uniforms‚ it all felt very North Korean or Cuban almost. And in that moment I realized that the mode-force of history: one egomaniac with a drive and the common man’s desire to be part of a compelling story. Which is what we were‚ just bit players in Zuckerberg’s story.” His interviewer asks‚ “What’s bad about that?” “There isn’t anything necessarily wrong at all‚” comes the reply. “Facebook is like the Roman Empire‚ with a strong culture and message‚ with a strong emperor in power trying to conquer the world.” Or was. That was then. What is now?Many of the newcomers to the Valley still want to be like Zuck‚ but most of them fail trying. Engineers and designers whose startups struggle go to someone higher for help‚ in exchange for equity or writing code‚ or‚ more rarely‚ something else. In the worst cases‚ some hacker houses have given rise to cases of alleged sexual assault‚ harassment‚ or simply some form of extortion.Young people with dreams of “making it” become mentally vulnerable after the disfiguring cycle of ninety-hour work weeks punctuated with launch parties for rival startups‚ competitions with fresher talent‚ and waves of departures claiming half their co-workers. Amid these torments‚ founders of other startups can get forlorn bros to join without even negotiating much. How do you negotiate with a savior who has arrived for your salvation?Of course‚ there are alternatives to the hacker house. There is the startup incubator. The most prestigious in the Valley remains Y Combinator‚ whose founder Paul Graham oversaw the rise of portfolio companies like Airbnb‚ Dropbox‚ Reddit‚ Stripe‚ DoorDash‚ Coinbase‚ Instacart‚ and Twitch.It is‚ in a salutary sense‚ more like a mafia than a cult: Martínez recounts in "Chaos Monkeys" how Paul threatened to ban two major blue-chip VCs from “demo day” (where startups pitch to investors with billions of dollars at stake) to protect him from a lawsuit backed by those VCs. The logic was simple‚ familiar‚ and devoid of mind games: If you mess with one of the family‚ even a small company‚ you mess with the whole family.But the incubator is in another sense even more like a factory than Musk’s shop. Bismarck Analysis founder Samo Burja remarked in the Valley magazine Palladium that “there were people who did remarkable things by working in software‚ but once it became commoditized and standardized‚ ironically by people like Paul Graham‚ deeply insightful people‚ they made [YCombinator] like a startup factory. Well‚ as soon as something is a factory‚ then you are a factory worker.”Graham’s 2008 blog post “Cities and Ambition” can be read as a warning about the Valley. The pathologies from the more dysfunctional of these cults come from a high base layer of narcissism throughout the Valley. Now that more of society is encompassed by the technology built in California – all the people in tech‚ from the lowest-level code monkey to the management of a company‚ they all have a feeling of importance‚ and they always want more users to control.When you ask what message a city sends‚ you sometimes get surprising answers. As much as they respect brains in Silicon Valley‚ the message the Valley sends is: you should be more powerful. That’s not quite the same message New York sends. Power matters in New York too of course‚ but New York is pretty impressed by a billion dollars even if you merely inherited it. In Silicon Valley no one would care except a few real estate agents. What matters in Silicon Valley is how much effect you have on the world. The reason people there care about Larry and Sergey is not their wealth but the fact that they control Google‚ which affects practically everyone.The reality is that venturing into a project that requires hundreds of thousands of hours from multiple people to bring into existence requires some sense of purpose. Turning these startups into mere money in and money out will make it impossible to build anything that stands.In an interview‚ Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tells an old parable when thinking about hiring: “There are two men laying bricks‚ and a third guy comes up to one of them and asks ‘What are you building?’ The bricklayer says‚ ‘I’m building a wall.’ The third guy then turns around and asks the other bricklayer what he’s building. He replies‚ ‘I’m building a cathedral.’”“It’s the idea‚” Chesky adds‚ “that you’re not building financial systems‚ you’re not building a website‚ you’re not designing different screens and mockups. You’re building this mission. You’re creating this kinda-world.”Can a kinda-world ever attract true devotion? Maybe Heinrich Heine was right: “People in those old times had convictions; we moderns only have opinions. And it needs more than a mere opinion to erect a Gothic cathedral.”Pablo Peniche is a computer programmer and writer based in Mexico City.

The Maine House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee was poised Thursday to advance a bill that threatened to allow the state to seize custody of children whose parents refused them sex-change mutilations and other irreversible medical interventions. It was evidently not meant to be. Following some Republican backlash and a successful pressure campaign led by the parental rights advocacy group Courage Is a Habit‚ the committee voted 12-0 on the motion that LD 1735 — dubbed the "transgender trafficking bill" by critics — "ought not to pass." Courage Is a Habit said the victory demonstrated "what happens when you stop letting the Transgender cult emotionally blackmail you. The every-day-American Patriot is not helpless." The so-called " Act to Safeguard Gender-affirming Health Care" was the handiwork of Democratic state Rep. Laurie Osher‚ leader of the Legislature's LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. The bill would have: prevented courts from considering the abduction of a child from a parent who has legal custody "if the taking or retention was for obtaining gender-affirming health care"; authorized courts to "take temporary jurisdiction because a child has been unable to obtain gender-affirming health care or gender-affirming mental health care"; and prevented law enforcement from participating in the "arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to an out-of-state arrest warrant" based on laws against the sexual mutilation of children. Republican state Rep. Rachel Henderson warned‚ "This gives the state jurisdiction to effectively come into your home and take your kids based on a medical decision you made for the well-being and mental well-being of your child." Courage Is a Habit president Alvin Lui stressed to Blaze News that LD 1735 was a "sex trafficker's dream come true." Lui previously indicated that an early death for LD 1735 was critical‚ as the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate would likely pass the bill if given the chance. That opportunity was wrested away from them Thursday. State Rep. Katrina Smith‚ a Republican on the judiciary committee who has been critical of the bill‚ confirmed the result of the successful 12-0 vote‚ telling the Daily Signal‚ "Today we won a victory for our children who have been fooled into thinking they are not perfect the way God made them." "With the death of LD 1735 we have proven that when evil is brought out of the darkness and exposed in the light‚ it can be vanquished. The people spoke loudly and it mattered‚" added Smith. Shawn McBreairty‚ a parental rights activist who campaigned against the bill‚ said its defeat was a "massive win for parental rights all over our nation." "This is not Tennessee or Indiana or Oklahoma‚" Lui stressed. "This was 12-0 in Maine." Lui highlighted that even Democrats who have supported other radical legislation — legalizing abortion at nine months and sex-change surgeries for minors without parental consent — were not able to bring themselves to vote in favor of LD 1735. The parental rights advocate does not credit the bill's fate to a change of heart on the part of the committee members‚ but rather to their inability to pass it on the sly. Despite having previously supported the bill‚ Democrats on the committee retroactively claimed its language was flawed‚ reported WGME-TV. While her bill was thwarted Thursday‚ Osher threatened to keep trying. "We will make sure that people are protected‚ that our care providers are protected‚" Osher told WGME. "Today was a moment where we're not getting that done‚ but we will get that done." "The national significance of [the bill's failure] is twofold. First‚ it's one less state where children who have been lured into the Transgender Cult can go to and risk being trafficked‚" Lui told Blaze News. "Second‚ it sends a national message that the emotional blackmail hold the Transgender Cult has over parents is breaking." Lui‚ who credited the hard work of his co-founder Jennifer McWilliams‚ indicated the fight is not over. "Currently there are 15 states with a Transgender Trafficking Bill (12 legislative bills and 3 by executive order)‚" said Lui. He indicated his group will now work to "ensure not another state passes a Transgender Trafficking Bill." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Biden’s border crisis is putting the lives of Americans at risk. One tragic example is Kayla Hamilton‚ a young woman who lost her life at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Now‚ her mother‚ Tammy Nobles‚ is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over the brutal murder. According to Tammy‚ not only did the DHS fail to notice the boy’s MS-13 tattoos or run a background check but neither it nor CPS bothered to secure him after he became a lead suspect in her daughter’s death. Kayla had been renting a room with her boyfriend in a trailer when the woman who owned the trailers placed the illegal immigrant in her trailer. “It was pretty obvious he was not a good guy‚ because he had visible MS-13 gang tattoos on his body‚” Nobles tells Glenn Beck. Then‚ Nobles received a phone call from the police that her daughter was found deceased and that the evidence was consistent with a homicide. The illegal immigrant had used her iPod charger to strangle her and then raped her after she had died. “He’s the reason why your wonderful daughter is no longer here‚” Glenn responds‚ adding that it wasn’t just him who’s at fault. “To know that our own government is responsible for it is just obscene‚” he adds. After testifying in front of Congress‚ Nobles is attempting to raise $10‚000 for travel and legal bills to fight for her daughter’s justice. The fundraiser is called “Bring Kayla Hamilton Justice” and is on GoFundMe for those interested in fighting back. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.