Matt Brown

[Sridhar Ramesh @RadishHarmers]

Jacobian conjecture 2: It works for everything except that particular counterexample.

[levent @__alpoge__]

hello there the jacobian conjecture is false thanx to my close friend akhil for asking about it and my other close friend fable for working during the world cup final

((1+xy)^3 z + y^2 (1+xy) (4+3xy), y + 3 x (1+xy)^2 z + 3 x y^2 (4+3xy), 2 x - 3 x^2 y - x^3 z): \C^3\to \C^3, has jacobian determinant -2, and sends (0, 0, -1/4), (1, -3/2, 13/2), and (-1, 3/2, 13/2) to (-1/4, 0, 0)

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

Calling free speech a partisan political issue is a massive self-report.

[Toby Young @toadmeister]

Earlier today a @Guardian journalist sent me this query:

Dear Toby Young,

I'm Aisha Down, a journalist at the Guardian. I'm getting in touch because we're planning to report that the US state department is considering a grant of $5m to Free Speech Union, your organisation, as part of a new grant-making scheme, and wanted to give you the chance to comment. We would appreciate receiving your comment by 14:30.

We are considering reporting the following:

- The grant to the FSU is part of a package to Maga aligned groups that former US officials have condemned as a misuse of public money to seek influence over foreign politics and interfere with democracy.

- It is rare for the US government to fund partisan political organisations in western countries.

- These grants are likely to pose a challenge to Andy Burnham, who has said he will be "very upfront" with Trump about any disagreements.

- These grants - including to your organisation - are "sole source" grants, meaning they are to be awarded without any competitive process. This is unusual for a highly regulated process which usually requires grantees to show they have a track record for handling funds and clear plans for the money.

- This lack of process has been criticised as "outrageous and absurd" by former US officials, and as "gross incompetence" and "horrible stewardship" of US taxpayer money.

- Your organisation does not appear to have a track record of handling grants of this amount.

- We describe your organisation as "a rallying point for “anti-woke” grievance" which "frequently allies itself with rightwing causes" and say that you, Toby Young, appeared on Rees-Mogg's GB news show earlier this month to warn about 'Soviet-style' censorship in the UK.

- The state department says that its grant to FSU will “support campaigns promoting free speech and countering digital overregulation across the UK, Europe and Australia”. The sole-source award is justified “due to FSU’s global network of free speech activists”.

We would like to fully and fairly reflect your point of view and look forward to your statement. Thank you,

--
Aisha Kehoe Down
Senior Tarbell Fellow,
Guardian News and Media

I replied as follows:

It sounds like a pretty garbled story.

Free Speech Union International, which is the umbrella group that FSU UK, FSU Australia, FSU New Zealand, FSU Canada, FSU South Africa and FSU Brazil sit within, has expressed interest in applying for grant funding from the US State Department. This would be to promote the right to freedom of expression in those countries, which, far from being a partisan cause, is a universal human right. But it hasn't submitted a formal application and, consequently, has been awarded no grant from the State Department or any other branch of the US Government.

You've mischaracterised the FSUs, all of which are non-partisan organisations that defend people who get into trouble for exercising their right to feee speech regardless of their political views. The FSU UK, for instance, is currently paying for the legal defence of a protestor who's being prosecuted for holding up a sign saying "I support Palestine Action", as well as a protestor for wearing a t-shirt at a Unite the Kingdom rally for saying "Fuck Islam Christ is King". Yes, we helped Lucy Connolly appeal her sentence -- we thought a prison sentence of over two-and-a-half years for a single tweet was excessive -- but we also tweeted yesterday, condemning the arrest of Heather Herbert and offering our support. Yes, we came to the defence of Nigel Farage when he was debanked, but we've also offered to help the Canary in its recent debanking case. So to describe the FSU UK as a "rallying point for anti-woke grievance" is misleading. We are a rallying point for those who want to defend the right to freedom of expression.

Best,

Toby

The @Guardian then ran this story:

https://t.co/1l4K0PABvM

You be the judge of whether you think this is good journalism.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@esjesjesj The UK regularly refuses entry to political voices across the spectrum. I think it’s a bit restrictive, but it’s likely more about being seen to apply a consistent rule after having recently refused entry to right-wing commentators, rather than acting at the behest of Israel.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@LondonNewLibs We carry a few “emergency ketchup” sachets but it’s more for convenience than a money saving thing. Cheeky McDs after a gig and they only put 1 sachet in? Sorted.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@ZackPolanski What is your solution? Force them to lend to government at a rate of the government’s choosing? Print money & cause inflation? Cut spending so that borrowing is no longer needed?

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@sophielouisecc Juries have an absolute right to return any verdict. You can only retry if there is a mistrial i.e. jury can’t reach a verdict or if substantial new evidence comes to light that wasn’t available at first trial. Can’t just keep trying people until jury returns “correct” verdict.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@francesweetman What is the solution? I agree there’s something rotten going on but if juries don’t have the absolute right to return any verdict, the trial is a show trial. Stronger vetting to deselect jurors likely to acquit based on ethnic/religious/ideological grounds? Creates own problems.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@SumoZeki @gew984757 Mission accepted.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@ReiteConMig0 @visegrad24 In what way are they a strategic resource for Germany?

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@FarRightSkip I have read there is a cultural aspect where being concerned about danger is seen as weakness, to the point that people will deliberately put themselves in dangerous situations to show off. That and they don't seem to realise trains can be wider than the tracks.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@RichardJMurphy What are you suggesting? That the government should force the market to lend to it at whatever rate it sees fit?A moratorium on selling gilts around policy announcements? I probably shouldn't be giving you ideas.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@TwisterFilm I’m no particular fan of the guy but is there any evidence he chose the name for this reason? It’s not exactly an uncommon name, this feels like a stretch. I could construct a similar thread saying he named himself after Zack from FF7.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@politicalmath Pretty much, yes.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@WokeratiMarty They are policed differently because one is mocking a religious belief and the other is advocating for there being nowhere on the planet that Jews are safe.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@PartySammael @JerryBarnett *taps sign*

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@owenjonesjourno The retweet matters. It’s amplifying a dangerous message that makes the police more likely to second guess their actions, which puts the public at risk. It’s absolutely right a party leader amplifying dangerous nonsense should be called out, regardless of their election schedule.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@Ye_Olde_Holborn I've got a heat pump one and it took a bit of getting used to how long it takes, but other than that they use less electricity overall and are gentler on clothes. No vent = fewer mice in the house. Should be personal choice ofc.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@SholaMos1 Because he'd just stabbed 2 people and was refusing to let go of the knife.

[Matt Brown @mbrown839]

@Ye_Olde_Holborn I'm not even that old and when I was a kid it was pretty common for these to still exist in town centres, usually underground. They're not completely gone, but mostly. I remember finding the absolutely horrendous graffiti really funny.