From the Texas Tribune. Yes, they just happened to be Russian. What sort of mischief is being caused by others, with goals we might not even understand? Yet another reason I am not interested in anything remotely political coming from Facebook.
A Russian Facebook page organized a protest in Texas. A different Russian page launched the counterprotest.
An article from the Baffler that explores the long connection between the modern American Conservative movement and, well, dishonesty. This article is back from the days when Mitt Romney was running for president (Nov. 2012). Not that actual political conservatism has any inherent connection with dishonesty, it is just that the goals of modern American conservatives, living in modern America, seem to do better when objective reality can be ignored. Worth a read if you find some of the statements from our conservative leaders especially disturbing. Nothing new here, really.
The Long Con
A good article from the BBC (thanks again, Yadu). I remember at the end of the Cold War wondering with friends what would happen to unity in the US without the existential threat of nuclear Armageddon. Also the lid that was kept on the powerful, of those seeking power. We saw the collapse first in the Soviet Union and cheered at the splintered politics, substance abuse, falling life expectancy and rising oligarchy of our former enemy, not realizing we were just two steps behind them.
The time when America stopped being great
So, the Las Vegas shooter was losing lots of money. The casinos knew this immediately. All of this is just part of the cost of doing business, when your business is preying on human weakness.
Been listening to BBC 6 Music lately. Didn’t know BBC went past 5 (Thanks Yadu). Ran into two nice podcasts today:
‘Nobody wanted to touch us’ – 40 Years of ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’
and
The Fats Domino Story (5 parts total)
I have been a fan of William Grieder since reading “Who Will Tell the People?“, a book about the undermining of American Democracy by big money in politics. This was decades ago. In a recent article in The Nation he discusses the losses by the modern Democratic party.
What Killed the Democratic Party?
A new report offers a bracing autopsy of the 2016 election—and lays out a plan for revitalization
From oilprice.com: How Many Barrels Of Oil Are Needed To Mine One Bitcoin?
The Bitcoin mining industry consumes 22.5 TWh of energy annually, which amounts to 13,239,916 barrels of oil equivalent. With 12.5 bitcoins being mined every 10 minutes, that means the average energy cost of one bitcoin would equate to 20 barrels of oil equivalent.
Nice day for a ride. Went on my old trails. Most are the same, maybe a little rougher, but they are putting in some paved ones.
An article about Amazon from Quartz:
There’s precedent for Amazon competing with so many companies. It doesn’t end well.
Cats, chicken leg and chicken egg ramen.
Is this enough garlic?
Steven A. Guccione 