Mammon category archive
A Sure Thing 0
At The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jonathan Zimmerman looks at the effects of the sudden burst of sports betting and, in particular, the advertisements therefor. He is less than optimistic. A snippet:
Methinks he makes some good points and commend the article to your attention.
Aside:
I find the spate of solicitations for suckers to be most off-putting.
And the thought of a betting app on a phone, well, that’s an invitation to dumb scrolling.
This New Gilded Age, One More Time 0
The rich get richer . . . .
Due in part to the 2017 tax overhaul by Republicans, led by Donald Trump, this small group has seen an explosion of wealth in an extremely short amount of time.
Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, U.S. billionaire wealth has doubled, from an already staggering $2.9 trillion. In 2017, none of the richest Americans were centi-billionaires, meaning that they did not have over $100 billion; now, the top 10 U.S. billionaires are all centi-billionaires, according to the report.
More numbers at the link.
This New Gilded Age 0
Robert Reich explains that monopolies are back (mostly, in my opinion, thanks to Reagan’s trickle-on economics) and points out that the Biden administration is trying to bust it some trusts.
Or you can read the transcript.
Nor Any Drop To Drink 0
More mean for the sake of mean.
The Crypto Con 0
Yes, indeedy-do, it seems that there’s an app for that.
Self-Made Men Lucky Ducks
0
Sam talks with Professor Ingrid Robeyns about the tendency of persons to attribute to virtue or divine favor that which is actually the result of pure dumb luck.
Giving America the Business 0
NJ.com reports on what Barry Diller, a businessman with a long track record of success, has to say about Donald Trump’s taking Truth Social public. A snippet;
“Why are you even talking about this? It’s a scam just like everything he’s ever been involved in is some sort of con.”
Fly the Fiendly Skies . . . 0
. . . and meet the fee hand of the market.
The New Believer 0
F. T. Rea has a question:
Why has Donald Trump recently decided to become an unabashed, self-styled religious figure?
He also has some answers.
They’re at the link.
Driven to Destruction 0
The other day, I had a very scary experience.
I was behind a Tesla with a little bumper sticker that said, “I’m probably on autopilot.”
I’m just glad I wasn’t in front of it.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
AI CTO goes all “I don’t know” when asked what data was used to “train” her company’s software. Emma and the crew discuss the potential licensing and copyright issues. (Warning: Mild language.)
The Privatization Scam 0
At the Inky, Joshua M. Cowen debunks the school voucher bunk. A snippet:
As I testified to Pennsylvania lawmakers last fall, however, vouchers are the education equivalent of predatory lending.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
It’s All about the Algorithm 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Christine Louise Hohlbaum discusses David Donnelly’s documentary, The Cost of Convenience, which explores the extent to which corporate digital surveillance has been woven into our society and economy. Here’s an excerpt:
She ends the article with some suggestions as to how to fight back.
Me, I’m going to keep an eye out for the film.
Twits Own Twitter X Offenders
0
San Francisco judge dismisses Elon Musk’s empty suit.
Some of the judge’s comments, as quoted in the news story, delight the soul.
Misdirection Play: Hot Air about Windmills 0
Rebecca Burns, author and journalist based in Georgia, to discuss her recent piece in The American Prospect entitled “Against The Wind.”
Aside:
I think that this story, which appeared in my local rag yesterday, may be an example of the misdirection play discussed in this clip.
Most of the valid reports I’ve seen of harm to whales involve collisions with boats, not with stationary objects.