Chris Sledzik

#Social #Digital Ops. #CLE/Akron. MiamiOH, PRKent MA. Digital Strategy, #SEO #Content #Martech #PR #Media. Funk music. Arctic canoeist. Husband/girl dad/chef.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

Interesting to look back at my reflections from a few weeks ago as I prepare for a life change.

A few key "hopes" for our collective future stand out as share worthy during the #COVID19 crisis...

[Curtis Houck @CurtisHouck]

Chris Christie UNLOADS on Vivek Ramswamy losing the Ohio governor’s race...

“You not only have to question the judgement of a man who would take a woman — an elderly woman, out of the car she was living in out of the parking lot in a church in Pennsylvania with her cats and put her in front of a video camera, and make that a TV add in the gubernatorial race. We know what Vivek Ramswamy is, and voters have judged him as such. But here is the real problem going forward. J.D. Vance stood 100 percent with Vivek Ramaswamy. Not only as a person and a candidate, but he stood behind that advertisement. And Vivek Ramaswamy will be forgotten. He is going to be sent to the dustbin of history. But J.D. Vance is going to be remembered, I think, for this campaign, for more than anything else, David, that he stood by that ad, a man who wrote a book on Catholicism, stood behind that ad. It’s a disgrace.”

[Joe B @JoeB_inCLE]

Politics really have rotted people’s brains. It’s sad that so many have let propaganda and just flat out bullshit infiltrate their daily living.
We’ll be sitting here 30 years from now hearing the same talking points with zero action. That’s the game.

[Armand Domalewski @ArmandDoma]

With 90% of precincts in, the NYT projects that we're back to calling it "Twitter" now

[Mary Margaret Olohan @MaryMargOlohan]

National GOP operative tells me: "People will try to overcomplicate this, but its really simple: This is 100% because of Iran. It's all in the data and has been since a week after the war started. The economic anxiety is directly correlated with the war. We got our asses kicked because of it."

[Connor Ewing @ConnorMEwing]

I just wish Mitch McConnell were alive to see this.

[Brett Erickson @BrettErickson28]

NEW ANALYSIS: Tucker Carlson's nuclear strike warning seems to be drawing all the headlines right now, and in many ways, rightfully so.

But it's missing the point in my opinion.

Undoubtedly, a nuclear strike against Pickaxe Mountain would open up Pandora's Box on the use of nuclear weapons, with no shortage of countries that would be itching to use them. As a result, this should certainly be condemned.

However, in my own assessment, I think that the LIKELIHOOD that President Trump uses nuclear weapons against Iran is fairly low. Possible? Certainly. Likely? No.

But there IS something that is highly likely, and while not as truly existential to humanity, would come with enormous consequences... And that is the maintenance of the current status quo in the Iran War, or any continuation of the war whatsoever at this point.

In anything short of a return to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, or a removal of American forces and the blockade from the region, there WILL be global economic devastation that would rival the Great Depression. This isn't "unlikely", this is HIGHLY likely, and I think that it is something that is being sidelined right now as a result of this nuclear warning.

There is no credible argument that Iran can escalate across the Gulf at will. Look at how easily Ansar Allah (Houthis) are penetrating Saudi airspace and blasting energy infrastructure and airports, including the Aramco Headquarters in Dhahran. Simultaneously, Iran is striking moving vessels, under US air cover, with multiple Marines on board in the Strait of Hormuz... And your argument is Iran CAN'T devastate the Gulf if forced to?

As of now, there are effectively four options in the Iran War for President Trump to pursue. Three are catastrophic, and one is not.

1) First use nuclear strike on Pickaxe Mountain - Catastrophic

2) Comprehensive bombing campaign on economic and civilian infrastructure in Iran that would warrant immediate and devastating Iranian retaliation - Catastrophic

3) A continuation of the current status quo, which if you believe would eventually risk the collapse of Iranian society, Iran will respond and we can't defend - Catastrophic

4) Make the necessary concessions to Iran that President Trump AGREED to under the MOU at Versailles, or lift the blockade and remove our troops from the region and reset the negotiations under non-aggressive circumstances for Iran that do warrant retaliation - NOT CATASTROPHIC

Whether it be the first use of nuclear weapons, whether it be a comprehensive bombing campaign, or whether it merely be a continuation of the current status quo, there is ZERO scenario in which there is not enormous and catastrophic consequences imposed on all of humanity.

Except an end to war.

Tucker Carlson's nuclear warning should be taken very seriously, but don't miss the forest for the trees here:

All of this is catastrophic unless President Trump deescalates this conflict.

[Tucker Carlson @TuckerCarlson]

Under pressure from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran. The target would be Pickax Mountain in central Iran, where Israeli intelligence claims the Iranian government has restarted its nuclear enrichment program. No conventional weapon in the American arsenal can penetrate 300 feet of solid granite to destroy the tunnels where enrichment is supposedly taking place. The only military option is a nuclear strike. Netanyahu has been pushing hard for one. “Bibi calls Trump about it every day,” says an informed observer.

Netanyahu is cornered and desperate. After last week’s election results, he can’t form a government unless Trump intervenes directly in Israeli politics and brokers a deal with other parties that gives Netanyahu 61 seats in the Knesset. Otherwise, he is out as prime minister and on his way to ignominy, investigations and possibly jail. Netanyahu must stay close to Trump. He needs this war.

To that end, he’s applied maximum pressure to his closest allies in the administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper. Both oppose a negotiated settlement to the war they’ve so grievously mismanaged; both are pushing to restart major combat operations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA director John Ratcliffe are also following Netanyahu’s lead, as are leaders of the Democratic Party. In a recent meeting on the subject, former president Barack Obama said he opposes the current Iran peace deal being drafted in Doha.

The rest of America’s longtime allies in the Middle East are terrified by the prospect of more war. On September 27th, Netanyahu flew secretly to Abu Dhabi to enlist the UAE in his lobbying effort for a final attack on Iran. The Emiratis refused. After eight months of conflict, Gulf economies are teetering. So are global energy and fertilizer markets. They won’t recover soon. Globally, there are a total of about 850 supertankers used to transport oil from producers to the rest of the world. In October alone, 11 of them were badly damaged in Hormuz. At this pace, a global depression is imminent. A nuclear strike would radically accelerate the destruction. Fallout from a ground explosion at Pickax Mountain would contaminate the Persian Gulf, poisoning the water supply for 100 million people.

And those are just some of the immediate consequences for the region. The rest of the world is every bit as exposed. No country other than the United States has ever used a nuclear weapon in war. Some would like to. An American nuclear attack on Iran would set a new precedent. The Russians have already told at least two other governments that an American nuclear strike on Iran would free them to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Pakistan and India would be tempted to do the same against each other, as would North Korea against Seoul. After the first nuclear strike, World War Three is inevitable. That war would be short and final.

We’ve been sleepwalking toward this moment for months. Since February, the administration has quietly rewritten America’s nuclear doctrine to make first use of so-called “battlefield nukes” easier and therefore more likely. No one in Washington in either party seems bothered by this. Now we’re on the brink of it.

Close observers say Trump is likely to decide by next weekend whether or not to use nuclear weapons. That would be November 7, six days from now. To his credit, he’s hesitating. At the moment, Trump is listening to his vice president, JD Vance, and to his envoy and friend Steve Witkoff, both of whom argue a deal with Iran can be made.

They’re right, though it won’t be simple. The Iranians are famously frustrating to negotiate with under any circumstances, and elements of that government have become more radical since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family were killed in February. After decades of isolation, even relatively moderate Iranian leaders seem confused by how decisions are made in the West. (There is a widespread belief in Tehran, for example, that the United States government controls Israel.) But overall, people who have spoken to decision-makers in Iran say there is consensus there that more war is bad for everyone and a deal is worth making.

One group that hasn’t been consulted so far is the global population — the hundreds of millions of people who will be killed along with their children if Trump is pushed by Netanyahu into launching a nuclear strike next week. Now would be the time for them to speak up.

[Tyler @TylerDurden]

If you’re a man and you’re struggling right now - just remember nobody cares and it gets worse.

Cheers.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

🫣

[Adam Parkhomenko @AdamParkhomenko]

Vivek has his private plane on standby for after polls close. Kind of like Bolsonaro.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

Citizens United ... for unread text messages.

[Andrea Thome ❤️📚⚾️ @AndreaThome]

Most expensive midterm election ever. I hear that and wonder: how many hungry people could have been fed? How could that money have been better spent to help others? 😞
Instead, the machine got fed. Again.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

@AmandaHarnocz @ChipotleTweets I need a glass of water from just looking at the picture. 🤢

[Lexi Ross 📸 @LexiRossMedia]

For my Cleveland friends ❤️ any share, repost, tag to big accounts would be appreciated ❤️

[Jerin @Jerin_AI]

2021: Paid $139 for Prime. Packages late.
2022: Paid $139 for Prime. Packages late.
2023: Paid $139 for Prime. Packages late.
2024: Paid $139 for Prime. Packages late.
2025: Paid $139 for Prime. Packages late.

2026:
Customer: "This package missed the guaranteed delivery date."

Amazon Bot: "We are so sorry for the delay! It is still in transit and should arrive tomorrow."

Customer: "I am not asking for a tracking update. Two-day Prime shipping is a paid retail contract. Since you missed the delivery window, apply the $15 monthly Prime fee credit to my account balance immediately."

48 hours later...

[Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 @AndrewYang]

Americans are a lot better people than our politics would suggest.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

Yup. Corporate capitalism gives me confidence in a brighter future. Yup.

[Derek Devicemanager @IT_unhinged]

Finance called IT because a customer owed us $240,000 and nobody could find them.

Customer name: TEST CUSTOMER DO NOT USE.

I recognized it immediately.

I created that account two years ago to test our billing software.

It had a fake address.

A fake phone number.

The contact email was [email protected].

Apparently Sales found the account last quarter and used it to demonstrate our new quoting system.

Someone accidentally converted the demonstration quote into a real order.

That triggered an invoice.

The invoice went unpaid.

Our collections software sent seven payment reminders to [email protected].

Nobody responded.

Finance escalated the account to a debt collection agency.

The agency spent three weeks trying to locate TEST CUSTOMER DO NOT USE.

They reported the company had no registered address, no employees, and no known assets.

Finance classified the account as high-risk.

Yesterday Legal asked me for the customer's original contract.

I explained there was no customer.

They asked whether we could prove that.

I said I personally invented the company.

Legal said that wasn't sufficient documentation.

Apparently writing "DO NOT USE" in the customer name doesn't legally establish that the customer doesn't exist.

We're now paying $8,000 for an external auditor to determine whether a company I made up owes us $240,000.

Finance has asked me not to delete the account until the investigation concludes.

It's our third-largest customer this quarter.

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

Okay, I'm back on the bandwagon. At least for Thursday. I can't quit you, Browns. 😭😭😭

[Daryl Ruiter @RuiterWrongFAN]

Todd Monken on his Dawg Pound victory lap after #Browns 21-18 win over #Panthers

[Chris Sledzik @csledzik]

Yup. There it is. Yup.

[TB EGO @TomBradyEgo]

The last time each NFL team started 2-0

[Joe B @JoeB_inCLE]

Does he not know he’s been a bottoms 5 QB since 2020?
I just think people expect the guy that got a $230 million dollar deal to not be objectively one of the worst QB’s in the game.

[Pop Base @PopBase]

Kyrie Irving says he will cover a $11,492 fine that Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair incurred for writing the name of a young Palestinian girl killed by Israel’s military on his eye black.

[Headquarters @HQNewsNow]

Financial disclosures have revealed that Ohio Republican Gov. nominee Vivek Ramaswamy owns holdings in every component of data center construction.

Ramaswamy would stand to profit from his campaign promise to ramp up data center construction, if elected governor.