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Agrees with observed
Another home run for Compact Mag after a few weeks of bunts and fouls. John Judis writes a comprehensive and clear article on the New Left in 1969 vs the New Left now. He agrees with what I saw then. Judis was more of an insider, while I was just a random protester, but I…
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Shared Lies of Gaia
The latest Wolf Richter podcast mentioned a VERY important development that cuts against all the standard Shared Lies. Canada has just completed a new crude pipeline from Alberta to Vancouver, opening up a new export channel. Previously Alberta crude only flowed southward through US to Houston and New Orleans for refining and shipping. This IMPORTANT…
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I hate to defend…
Denyse has fun with an AI-generated police sketch. The twitterites who trolled the original had even more fun, comparing it to various ancient PC game graphics. I hate to defend AI, but this one isn’t bad. The suspect was in the north of England where quite a few people do look like that. Flat face,…
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Four, not three
The classic division of Aristocrats and Courtiers and Peasants was recognized commercially by car dealers as Conservative Prospects, Step-up Prospects and Luxury Prospects. Other marketers recognized the same three with different names. The bottom of each chain is minimalist and satisfied. The top of each chain is maximalist and satisfied. Top and bottom have a…
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Parallel failure
The jokes in previous item reminded me of another modern problem that Duane Jones, writing around 1951, would understand. Jones’s primary rule for advertisers and marketers: REPEATS WHEN SAMPLED. First get the customer to SAMPLE the product, for free or for a nominal price. If the product satisfies a need or desire, the customer will…
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’51 memes
Some jokes from a 1951 magazine, probably distributed nationally as Features, the earlier version of today’s Memes. We don’t see Memes in mainstream publications now. “Journalism” has rigorously insulated itself from ALL feedback and connection to popular wisdom. The postwar inflation and shortage was still around in 1951, just starting to fade out. Our postwar…
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One new fact
Real lawyers discuss Sammy’s sentence. Good clear info but mostly old news, with one exception. The federal board decided to put Sammy in medium security rather than a Country Club Camp. These lawyers think the decision was more about protecting Sammy from his “victims”, not preventing escape. Makes sense, given that his “victims” were mostly…
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Sounds familiar
Paying attention to Zimbabwe now. One story about Mugabe’s corruption mentioned ‘farm invasions’, which needed more explanation. From Cato’s account, which may be biased: = = = = = START CATO: In the early 2000s, Zimbabwe’s former dictator Robert Mugabe gave the green light to his paramilitary supporters to invade commercial farms, seizing some 23…
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Zimbabwe’s Powell
Bloomberg has a new podcast series on Africa, which is highly appropriate. Africa is where the world is changing for the better. Africa is the future. This short feature is about Zimbabwe’s new central bank head, and his new attempt at a stable currency. The new unit is firmly tied to gold. Too soon to…
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Soft power reprint
Linked in previous, worth a reprint. Soft motors, soft governments Following immediately on the Surace dystopia. When all the carefully designed feedback mechanisms of culture and government have been ripped out or paralyzed by the Goldman virus, is there any hope? Probably not, but here’s a half-formed thought. Returning to an earlier realization, triggered rather…
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The good part
Yet another boring and repetitive piece of evidence that “journalists” are utterly incapable of handling reality. They continue to pretend that they want to be read and trusted. Every word they write reveals their real attitude. They don’t want to be read or trusted. Maximum distrust and disgust among the Neanderthals is the Quality Control…
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Foy vs Elon
Since I’m having fun with Elon cultists, here’s a beautiful example of tech thinking vs human thinking. The grotesquely dangerous CBRTRK has unsurprisingly turned out to be dangerous to its idiot buyers. The front trunk, like everything on the mobile sword, has sharp edges. The frunk, also like everything on the mobile sword, is fully…
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The purpose of Libertarians
From a delicious report on the current state of Elon cultists: = = = = = START DELICIOUS: He claims the recording was made at a Los Angeles Tesla supercharger station that is underequipped — with just five or six chargers, two of which are designated for handicapped use — for the high demand in…
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Worth watching
Vivek’s latest interview is worth watching. He’s talking with Darren Beattie, an academic in political science who was Trump’s speechwriter for a while. Beattie, like Vivek, is a HARDASS realist. Beattie sees things from a high-level perspective that feels ‘over my head’ at times, but I always listen when a speaker demonstrates total Machiavellian realism…
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What do they really owe?
Compact mag says colleges owe students transparency about the actions and investments of their endowments. Maybe, but that’s not the FIRST thing colleges owe students. For 70 years all media and culture and corporations have been falsely advertising college as necessary for life and work. Purely false, and most parents and youngsters have figured it…
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