An accused man pleads guilty to stealing over $1 million in precious metals

News Leviathan Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan Is Headed to Netflix as an Anime Series We’re ready to take to the airship-filled animated skies By Molly Templeton | Published on June 7, 2024 Image: Netflix Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Netflix Barking spiders! Would you like to take to the skies in a bioengineered whale-zeppelin? Stroll around Europe in a big clanking walker? These things are possible in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan, which takes place in an alternate 1914 where Darwin discovered DNA and created a biology-based military for England, while the Austro-Hungarians and Germans went full steampunk. The middle-grade series, with illustrations by Keith Thompson, began in the late 2000s and was a delight—and now it’s getting the anime treatment courtesy of Netflix and the animation studio Orange (Beastars). There’s a very tiny little summary from Netflix: “In 1914, on the eve of war, a fugitive prince and a girl in disguise meet aboard a bioengineered airship, the HMS Leviathan, and change the course of history.” This is accurate, but does not really get at the scale of Westerfeld’s invented world, which includes a whole lot of very intriguing creatures and colorful (in an age-appropriate way) language courtesy of Deryn, the young Scot (in disguise as a boy) who sneaks off onto the titular airship. Eventually she crosses paths with Alek, the fictional son of Archduke Ferdinand, who is, as you might imagine given the date, not having a great time. The adaptation is directed by Christophe Ferreira, produced by Qubic Pictures (Star Wars: Visions), and has original songs by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky). It’s coming in 2025—but if you’re feeling impatient for a Westerfeld adaptation, the Uglies film is still set to arrive this year.[end-mark] The post Scott Westerfeld’s <i>Leviathan</i> Is Headed to Netflix as an Anime Series appeared first on Reactor.

Books Terry Pratchett Book Club Terry Pratchett Book Club: Snuff, Part III I would not like to be present for the damn slam. By Emmet Asher-Perrin | Published on June 7, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share You did not just fire a crossbow at Feeney’s old mum. Summary The goblin harp performance moves Sybil to tears, and she tells Sam that she knows she was short with him before, but she does want him to pursue this murder, and to bring Willikins with him. Vimes does and collects Chief Constable Upshot as well, who was told not to help Vimes by one of the local magistrates—the very same one who told him to arrest Vimes earlier. They head to a turkey farm and meet Mr. Flutter, who Vimes corners and questions about the the death of the goblin girl. Flutter didn’t kill her, but he accompanied the man who did, Stratford. Vimes goes to the cellar, finds the Summoning Dark and gets the whole story from it. When he gives it to Flutter all laid out, he tells the man to turn King’s evidence. Flutter agrees. A few people from town gather to watch Vimes open the contraband tobacco they’re hiding on Flutter’s farm; the turkeys mask the smell of it. In the barrel, they also find Crystal Slam, and then many more of the drugs that kill troll kids. Vimes plans to send Flutter on to Ankh-Morpork as soon as he can and keep him locked up in Pseudopolis yard. Flutter tells him that Stratford claimed to be in with Lord Rust, and admits that they talked about Jethro being sent to see the queen, though Vimes isn’t sure what that means. Back in Ankh-Morpork, Carrot and Angus go to visit Harry King and ask if any of the goblins working for him might be willing to talk to them. Harry points them in the direction of Billy Slick and his grandmother, the only goblins who’ve stayed in his employ. They ask Billy about unggue, but he doesn’t hold with any of the goblin traditions, and advises them to ask his gran (but only if they’ve got brandy on them). They grab some of Harry’s and meet Regret of the Falling Leaf—who is actually Billy’s great-gran. They tell her about the pot Fred found, and she explains that this sort of pot is created when a goblin mother is starving and has to eat her own infant to survive. She stores the spirit of the child in the pot until she can imbue it into her next child. Fred might die from being in contact with the pot, and she suggests they bring her more liquor and snuff before she’ll say anymore. Carrot and Angua send Cherry and Wee Mad Arthur to the tobacconist, who confirms that the cigar came from Howondaland. Wee Mad Arthur tells the group that he can get there and back in two days owing to a Feegle trick he learned; he jumps on an albatross and is off. Vimes wakes and briefly wrestles with the implications of listening to Summoning Dark in his investigations, wondering if it works for him, or the other way around. Young Sam tells Vimes to come downstairs; Mr. Stoner, clerk for the magistrates, is there to issue him a Cease and Desist order. He’s also there to arrest him, having been named a temporary policeman after Feeney Upshot’s removal. Vimes refuses this outright and heads to the lockup, where Feeney’s mum is yelling at a gang of young men who’ve shown up. Feeney tells his mum to go inside and starts telling the young men off for upsetting his old mum. He also lets them know that he’s appointing Stinky as the first goblin constable. Vimes tells Mr. Stoner to run to Ankh-Morpork and throw himself on the mercy of the actual law, which is most certainly not what’s going on around here. He also finds out from Feeney that Flutter admitted several goblins were put on a ferry boat and taken away from here just the past evening. In Howondaland, Wee Mad Arthur finds a plantation full of goblin slaves who are being beaten and dying. He beats and chains up the guards before setting the goblins free. Vimes finds out more about the boat carrying the goblins from Flutter, a transport called the Wonderful Fanny, and decides he’ll have to set about catching it. He deputizes Willikins to look after the prisoner at the Hall while he’s gone. Vimes and Feeney intend to catch up to the ship on horses, which Vimes is terrified to ride. Thankfully, Stinky shows up, insisting that he join them and making Vimes’s steed entirely amenable to the proceedings. It begins to storm heavily and Feeney explains that the river here, Old Treachery, is sometimes home to a “damn slam” where a storm pulls enough debris into the river to create a dam that eventually bursts. They find the Fanny, which is about to deal with a slam. The group dismount and jump aboard the barges. They meet a chicken farmer named Mr. False who is too afraid to go to see what’s happened because he heard screaming. Vimes gets weapons from the man’s toolbox, and they get to the next barge, which is holding the goblins—all weak, dying, or dead—with enough food for a long journey. They free them and find the captain’s wife and child being guarded by Mr. Brassbound, who turns against his comrades and offers to help. When Vimes makes it to the captain and finds Stratford, it turns out to be a bluff: Brassbound is Stratford. But Vimes had already guessed and handed him a useless weapon. Stratford is taken out by a branch that runs through the boat. Vimes then has to fight with both Sillitoe and his man Ten Gallons to get the goblins on board when they have to cut the rest of the barges loose. Commentary There’s a thing we’ll have to get into in the next time about recognizing sentience through art—which is simultaneously a lovely thought and also a horrible method of “proof” to require anyone to provide. We’ve only just started with the harp-playing, though, so I think I’ll bring that up in the final part. The way that Vimes’ relationship with the Summoning Dark plays out in this book really does make me wish that Pratchett had the chance to write more Watch books because this arc seems like something he intended to build upon, and I’m incredibly curious to what end he meant to take it. There’s a question within this about whether Vimes can use the Dark to his own ends, or he’s an agent of it, which is fascinating on its own from a sort of mythological standpoint: What does it mean to be the servant/wielder of an embodiment of affronts to justice? What’s more interesting is the fact that Vimes keeps using the Summoning Dark to get information on what happened, and there’s a very clear ethical difficulty in that: Can he trust its version of events? Sure, when he goes to Flutter with the information it provides, he seems to corroborate the story, but we know that this is a method police often use to coerce confessions from people. So we’re being given a problem through fantastical means that asks a very real question about how the police obtain information and interrogate witnesses. And as usual, the only reason we’re given wiggle room to trust it here is because Sam Vimes is—in the broadest sense of the term—doing The Right Thing. He’s trying to free an entire race from slavery—obviously this is what we want him to do. But there’s the Summoning Dark. And we don’t fully understand its motivations or desires, if it can be said to have any. And it is imbuing Sam Vimes with power that he otherwise would not have. And you have to assume that Vetinari knows about this state (or at least suspects it) because how could he not? So there’s an acknowledgement that the stacking of power here is getting really off-balance, even if we’re glad that Vimes is here to sort a few things out. And I’m so glad that Pratchett does this, that he never imparts magical power without the acknowledgement—not that “all magic comes with a price” (sorry, I hate that trite crap), but that all magic in the world isn’t just a neat little energy drink that makes things easier. I also must point out that this is the first book where Sam Vimes actually acknowledges that he does need rest no matter how much he would like his body to carry him forever beyond any sense of exhaustion. Granted, the rest he takes is simply sitting down next to Willikins for a moment, but I’ll take it. Apparently age has finally imparted that small bit of wisdom. (Well, that and age also forces you to take those lessons to heart, but let’s not go there right now.) Sam Vimes also may hate that Vetinari put him in an oversight position on the Watch, but those are lessons he’s taken to heart too. Vimes is so good at delegating now that he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it: He sets up Willikins to take care of the prisoner; he accepts help and expertise from Feeney and Stinky as they offer it; and he’s always listened, but now he’s better at it. He extrapolates faster; his head is clearer; he’s working more efficiently. He levels up, and it’s easy not to notice it because we’re always so deep inside his head that we’re mostly just getting his self-loathing and worry. But it’s all there. And he does have a knack for inspiring people to stand on their own two feet. Feeney Upshot is actually a pretty smart kid, but he had no chance of coming into his own before Vimes showed him that he was more competent than he felt. And that’s a particularly important skill for people in high-up positions to have—not controlling others, but empowering them to take responsibility for their own lives and work. Vimes just comes that way, he gets it intrinsically. Feeney already seems like a completely different person from when we met him. This book is also scathing in reminding us that so many among us are comfortable thinking of entire groups as Not People. We get a plethora of moments where we’re casually told that no one cares about the goblins because they’ve simply decided to agree with the magistrates: The rich nobs said they’re vermin, so we’re all allowed to think it—and treat them accordingly. Good thing we’re about to get that sorted. Asides and little thoughts I cannot help the fact that my brain has decided that Stinky sounds exactly like Fidget in the The Great Mouse Detective. Things are more enjoyable that way, and I highly recommend trying out that voice in your head. Sometimes I wonder if there were further plans for Carrot, or if what Pratchett does with him was always the point: Carrot kind of finds his place, settles in, and grows like this huge steady tree. The Watch books center on Vimes because he’s always going to be the person who gets things done, but also because he has a capacity for change that Carrot largely lacks. I dunno, I just kinda love that about them. Love Mr. Sillitoe trying to get Vimes to use “port” and “starboard,” only to have Vimes reply, “Wouldn’t know about that, Gastric, never drank starboard.” Nerd. Pratchettisms The Street was talking to him even if it was in fact nothing more than a wide lane. Mrs. Gumption would be very pleased about that and certainly more pleased than she was to be called a Gumption. Meanwhile, on one astonished surreptitious albatross sat one hugely satisfied Feegle, who settled down in the feathers and began to eat a piece of the single hardboiled egg and two-inch slice of bread that were his rations for the tripe, while the universe rushed past them making a noise like weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. He held in front of him a scroll with a red wax seal affixed, the kind of thing believed to make a document official—or at least expensive and difficult to understand, which, in fact, amounts to the same thing. At this point there was a roll of thunder, not really appropriate to the last comment, and therefore without occult significance. There was so much water in the air and so little light left that the difference between the river and shore could only be judged by seeing which one you fell into. Next week we finish the book! The post Terry Pratchett Book Club: <i>Snuff</i>, Part III appeared first on Reactor.

The Irony Is Strong With This One

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that contaminated cucumbers could be the cause of a recent Salmonella outbreak in the US, which has seen people across 25 states become sick.People first started getting ill back in mid-March, with investigations revealing that they had been infected with a strain of the bacterial nasty known as Salmonella Africana. Since then, a total of 162 cases have been confirmed, with 54 people needing to be hospitalized.This map shows where in the US cases in the outbreak have been reported.Image credit: CDCThe CDC, however, has said that the true number of cases is likely to be much higher, as most people recover without medical care and without getting tested. It can also take up to a month to determine if someone is part of an outbreak, or simply an unfortunate isolated case.When such outbreaks occur, it’s routine for public health officials to investigate the cause. To find the source of the Salmonella, investigators conducted whole-genome sequencing on samples provided by sick people and found that the bacteria within them were closely-related – this suggests everyone probably got sick from the same type of food.That food appears to be cucumbers (not for the first time). When investigators interviewed 65 of the people who had become ill in the outbreak, 72 percent of them reported eating cucumbers in the week before they got sick. On top of that, in Pennsylvania – which has seen the highest number of cases – officials collecting cucumbers from retailers in the state identified Salmonella in one sample, although testing hasn’t yet confirmed if it’s the same strain.The CDC is now investigating whether the outbreak is linked back to cucumbers sold by Florida company Fresh Start Produce Sales, Inc. Earlier this month, following a recall by the company, the Food and Drug Administration also issued a recall for whole cucumbers shipped to 14 states between May 17 and May 21, after it was discovered that they had been contaminated with Salmonella.Though it’s expected the recalled cucumbers are no longer on the shelves, the CDC has warned people to check that any cucumbers they’ve purchased are not part of the recall and if unsure, not to eat them.Salmonella symptoms typically include stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, usually starting anywhere from six hours to six days after ingestion of the bacteria. Most people get better within a week, but young children, elderly people, and those with weakened immune systems can have more severe symptoms. When that’s the case, it’s recommended to contact your healthcare provider.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.  

Many centuries ago, this was the pavilion of a villa where Rome’s rich and famous would relax and drink wine while they overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. As the years passed, the structure became lost to the waves and continues to lurk there to this day. The submerged ruins can be found on the coastline of Campo di Mare in Cerveteri, a short journey from Italy's capital of Rome. It consists of a circular structure with a diameter of around 50 meters (164 feet), formed of two chunky walls approximately 3 meters (~10 feet) from each other. Among the ruins, there’s also some remarkable preserved “opus spicatum" flooring, a type of masonry used in Roman times where bricks are laid in a herringbone pattern.Another aerial view of the circular structure found in Cerveteri, Italy.Image credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the province of Viterbo and Southern EtruriaUsing divers and drones, the sunken ruins recently underwent a restoration project by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, an arm of the local government, together with CSR Cultural Property Restoration, a private company. Commenting on the ruins, the government authority said they belonged to an “extremely elegant” pavilion attached to a grand villa, most likely owned by a wealthy member of the Roman aristocracy.In the days of the Roman Empire, the house was located along Via Aurelia, one of the main highways that led straight to the capital. They believe the ruins of the villa are likely to be found along the coastline buried beneath the sand, but they are yet to be discovered.The stunning "opus spicatum" flooring, a type of masonry used in Roman times where bricks are laid in a herringbone pattern.Image credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the province of Viterbo and Southern EtruriaAn underwater view of the chunky walls that made up the circular structure.Image credit: Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the province of Viterbo and Southern EtruriaFollowing this renovation project, the team hopes to carry out geophysical surveying of the site, which might be able to uncover more remains that aren’t yet visible to the human eye. By gathering this evidence, it will help to build the case that the site deserves protection and safeguarding.Cerveteri had its heyday during the era of the Etruscan civilization, a culture that flourished in central Italy between the 8th and 3rd century BCE until it was conquered or assimilated by the region’s growing power, Rome.Among the numerous Etruscan and Roman remains in the town, it’s home to the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean, used from the 9th to the 1st century BCE. Known as Banditaccia, UNESCO describes the site as having “thousands of tombs organized in a city-like plan, with streets, small squares, and neighborhoods.”

Aliens passing as humans meet an advanced reptilian race living in a subterranean kingdom. Sounds like the script of a Mork and Mindy vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover episode, but it’s actually the contents of a fantastically speculative new paper about UFOs.Penned by researchers from Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program and Montana Technological University, the wild study – as yet not peer-reviewed – delves into the slightly insane world of "cryptoterrestrials", which encompasses a bizarre cast of “intelligent beings concealed in stealth here on Earth (e.g., underground), and/or its near environs (e.g., the moon).” According to the authors, these clandestine Earth-dwellers may in fact be responsible for many of the unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that are typically attributed to intergalactic visitors.Jumping down the rabbit hole, the researchers present their first category of potential UFO pilot, which they call “human cryptoterrestrials”. These are described as “a technologically advanced ancient human civilization that was largely destroyed long ago (e.g., by flood), but continued to exist in remnant form.” Possibly lurking in volcanoes or deep beneath the ocean, these few surviving ancient superhumans were apparently exposed by Albert Einstein’s former assistant Dr Shirley Wright, who claimed that she and her famous boss were invited to inspect the “biological entities” recovered from the supposed Roswell UFO crash in 1947. Speaking in 1993, Wright said the pilots were “just humans, but an advanced form,” and that their species “reside underground on our planet.” Other subtypes of cryptoterrestrials may include highly-advanced non-human primates or reptiles that store their aircraft beneath mountains. For instance, the Popocatepetl volcano in central Mexico and California’s Mount Shasta are both UFO sighting hotspots, and have therefore been identified as possible residences for these secret yet highly intelligent beings.Navy personnel reports of Unidentified Submersible Objects (USOs) traveling at incredible speeds, meanwhile, have fuelled speculation that some of these cryptoterrestrials may in fact reside in the ocean. In one such report from 1987, a New Zealand frigate was supposedly followed by a 243-meter-long (800 foot) USO that traveled at a top speed of around 4,800 kilometers per hour (2,980 miles per hour).The authors also cite wild claims by the highly controversial Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb - who, surprisingly, had nothing to do with the study - that the Moon may in fact be a cryptoterrestrial base, and houses many of these strange creatures and their incredible spacecraft. Finally, the researchers say that the engineers behind most UFOs could be hiding in plain sight, and may just be aliens that have mastered the art of blending in as humans.Admittedly, this all pretty fanciful stuff, and much of the rationale for these claims comes from sources even more dubious than Loeb – including podcaster Joe Rogan and believers in the sunken realm of Atlantis.Recognizing the many flaws in their proposals, the authors explain that “although this idea is likely to be regarded sceptically by most scientists, such are the nature of some UAP that we argue this possibility should not be summarily dismissed.” They also admit that they themselves consider the existence of cryptoterrestrials to be “unlikely” – but not impossible.Based on all the available evidence regarding UFOs, the researchers rate the possibility of cryptoterrestrials actually existing as 10 percent. Most observers will probably see that figure as pretty generous.The study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Philosophy and Cosmology, is currently available as a preprint.

Never Trump lawyer and frequent MSNBC and CNN talking head George Conway traveled over to Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on Thursday. During his conversation with temp host Ronny Chieng, Conway would encourage the show and its network counterparts to keep making fun of Donald Trump while claiming that “we” need to “deprogram” his supporters. Conway was mid-ramble when he declared that Trump is “a narcissistic sociopath. He has narcissistic personality disorder and he is a sociopath. And what needs to be done is that needs to be talked about openly. It needs to be pointed out, when he is doing things that meet those criteria, and it's got to be pointed out, and it drives him nuts when people do that. And that is the other thing is what you can do is you can have this cycle where you drive him nuts by saying, he's crazy. He acts nuts. Then you have more video and say, look at how nuts he is. And that is what has to be done.”     He then offered some advice to liberals, “The other thing that I would recommend to liberals is, don't get mad. The people who support Trump like when liberals get mad. That is why they like Trump. They say, ‘oh, he makes all these people, these snotty liberals mad.’ It's like, make fun of him. Don't-- you can make fun of him and mock him the way, you know, I mean, this is what these shows are.” Chieng observed that “you are kind of addressing the whole premise of the show right here.” Conway agreed with the notion that late night comedians need to be partisans first and comedians second, “Right. Exactly. You all play an important role. Kimmel at the Oscars plays an important role. Laugh at him. Now, that doesn't mean you don't appreciate the seriousness of what would happen to this country, which is the other message to the rich people who want their taxes cut.” According to Conway, the message those people need is that “If this guy is elected president, we’re going to have civil disorder like you have never seen because he will try to violate every law and people will start objecting, you’re going to see people on the streets, and what that's going to do to the economy is not great. We are going to see capital flow, both human and financial, like we've never seen from the United States before and so all of these reasons, I think, I think we are going to be able to explore this between now and November.” Conway seemed confident that Trump will lose, but lamented that his work wouldn't be finished even if that were to happen, “I think that is the reason why ultimately I think common sense will prevail and this guy will win. But the problem will be, there will be 60, 70, 80 million people who will vote for the guy and we still have to live with those people and we are going to have to deprogram them at some point.” While Conway muses about reeducating others, his dreams about the comedy shows will not come true. Sure, liberal audiences will laugh at Trump and his supporters, but that is just another form of an echo chamber and laughter will continue to get replaced with clapter therapy. Here is a transcript for the June 6 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 6/6/2024 11:27 PM ET GEORGE CONWAY:  He's a narcissistic sociopath. He has narcissistic personality disorder and he is a sociopath. And what needs to be done is that needs to be talked about openly. It needs to be pointed out, when he is doing things that meet those criteria, and it's got to be pointed out, and it drives him nuts when people do that. And that is the other thing is what you can do is you can have this cycle where you drive him nuts by saying, he's crazy. He acts nuts. Then you have more video and say, look at how nuts he is. And that is what has to be done.  The other thing that I would recommend to liberals is, don't get mad. The people who support Trump like when liberals get mad. That is why they like Trump. They say, “oh, he makes all these people, these snotty liberals mad.”  It's like, make fun of him. Don't-- you can make fun of him and mock him the way, you know, I mean, this is what these shows are. RONNY CHIENG: You are kind of addressing the whole premise of the show right here. CONWAY: I'm in the right place. Exactly. CHIENG: That is what we are trying to do here. CONWAY: Right. Exactly. You all play an important role. Kimmel at the Oscars plays an important role.  CHIENG: Sure. CONWAY: Laugh at him. Now, that doesn't mean you don't appreciate the seriousness of what would happen to this country, which is the other message to the rich people who want their taxes cut. CHIENG: Sure. CONWAY: If this guy is elected president, we’re going to have civil disorder like you have never seen because he will try to violate every law and people will start objecting, you’re going to see people on the streets, and what that's going to do to the economy is not great. We are going to see capital flow, both human and financial, like we've never seen from the United States before and so all of these reasons, I think, I think we are going to be able to explore this between now and November. I think that is the reason why ultimately I think common sense will prevail and this guy will win. But the problem will be, there will be 60, 70, 80 million people who will vote for the guy and we still have to live with those people and we are going to have to deprogram them at some point.

What are the survivalist’s basic tools? Where does the toolkit end equipment begin? The post What are Your Basic Survival Tools? appeared first on Survivopedia.

Under Elon Musk's leadership, X — the social media platform formerly known as "Twitter" — will now officially allow pornographic material on the platform. Adult content has never been censored on X. At the same time, the platform never advertised a precise policy on NSFW content. 'There’s no such thing as ethical porn. It’s all exploitative and ruinous on both an individual and a societal level.'But that recently changed with a new policy. The policy reads: We believe that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume material related to sexual themes as long as it is consensually produced and distributed. Sexual expression, whether visual or written, can be a legitimate form of artistic expression. We believe in the autonomy of adults to engage with and create content that reflects their own beliefs, desires, and experiences, including those related to sexuality. X, moreover, claims to "balance this freedom" of hosting adult content by restricting children from being exposed to it. However, the policy does not state how X will do that. The policy explains that "users under 18 or viewers who do not include a birth date on their profile cannot click to view marked content." But how will the platform verify the actual age of users? As the policy stands, underage teenagers could access adult content on X by lying about their age. The policy — and the lack of safeguards — is drawing criticism.'Distinction without a difference' In a statement, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said it believes the policy does nothing to safeguard underage users from adult content. "X’s new ‘policy’ is a distinction without a difference," said Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the NCOSE. "It has already allowed illegal nonconsensual content including child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking, and other sexually abusive content to flourish by simply allowing pornography on its platform. Users will not mark their content as ‘sensitive,’ nor does X have the willingness to monitor for nonconsensual content. ‘Requiring’ users to label the content as pornography is a lazy way for X to continue to avoid responsibility for perpetuating sexual abuse," Hawkins explained. The NCOSE, moreover, believes X's policy "will fail to prevent image-based sexual abuse from continuing to flourish on the platform." "Inevitably, X and all tech platforms that allow pornography must enact meaningful age and consent verification of everyone depicted in images or videos, otherwise image-based sexual abuse and child sexual abuse will continue to run rampant," Hawkins added. Pro-human?Being pro-human is a central tenet of Musk's worldview. But according to BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey, X's adult content policy is antithetical to his pro-human value."If Elon Musk is as pro-human as he says he is, he will do everything possible to banish porn from X," she told Blaze News. "There’s no such thing as ethical porn. It’s all exploitative and ruinous on both an individual and a societal level."Is it a free speech issue? BlazeTV host Steve Deace called the policy a "trade-off" to the beneficial free speech implications of Elon Musk's ownership. "Musk views himself as a free speech absolutist, and while that has been pretty beneficial to our side since he took over X, this is the trade-off," Deace told Blaze News. "It also means we need to make the argument whether or not pornography is free speech. If a someone receives money to have for sex, we call it prostitution and it is a crime, so why is it free speech if they then film it?" he questioned. Deace, moreover, warned that X's policy "will circumvent the states that are passing laws demanding porn sites do age verification in order to be seen." DeactivationDanny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said he is deactivating his personal account and the SEBTS X accounts because of the new X policy. "It should not surprise us when the world acts according to the world’s sinful system, but that does not mean that Christians should participate or stand by," Akin said."I plan to disassociate myself from the ungodly and offensive content on X and will be deactivating my personal account tomorrow," he explained.What's the big deal?Blaze News has reported on the growing concern that pornography is harmful and exploitative."It's not a free speech issue," Dr. Donald Hilton, M.D., a Texas-based neurosurgeon, told Blaze News. "That's what the pornography industry and its apologists will say, 'Well, yes, we don't want children to be exposed, but what you're doing with this law is you're hampering the free speech of consenting adults,'" he explained. "And so what they're saying is, 'We need to be able to continue to have a system that harms children until you find a system that protects children but doesn't hurt adults.' So they want to be able to continue to harm the children.""Unless consenting adults can figure out a way to completely protect the children first, the impetus should be from that direction, not the other way around," he said.Dr. Gail Dines, a progressive feminist and anti-porn scholar, believes the poison of pornography threatens society."There has to be a national debate with government involved," she told Blaze News. "Is this the kind of culture we want to live in? Do we want our kids to have access to this? Do we want grown men to have access to this given what we know the effects are?""What's at stake is the well-being of our next generation. What's at stake is the levels of violence against women and children — sexual violence increasing," she added. "In fact, the very nature of the society is what's at risk."X's policy, then, normalizes pornography access and exposes more people to adult content who might not otherwise seek it out.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!