Capitalism

Elon Musk, $50 billion, and Financialization – from production to extraction

Much is being made of a Delaware court blocking Musk’s $50 billion compensation contract. See the reporting in the NYTimes: Elon Musk’s Tesla Pay Package Is Voided by Judge. The court found that the compensation was set by a Board of Directors of Tesla who are in Musk’s pocket. “The —>> read more –>>

Empire

American soldiers killed in Jordan – why are American soldiers there?

The drone attack on US military outpost, Tower 22, that killed three and injured dozens more has provoked the predictable American call for revenge. Irony of ironies: the incoming drone that did the killing was mistaken for an American drone returning from some mission. Who got killed by our drone?? —>> read more –>>

Briefly Noted

What Americans can learn from Danish masculinity – a reposting

(reposted from https://theconversation.com/us) Denmark’s King Frederik X wipes away a tear as he waves to a crowd of 300,000 people. Martin Meissner/AP Photo Marie Helweg-Larsen, Dickinson College When a leader cries in public, is it a sign of weakness? On Jan. 14, 2023, Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik was crowned King —>> read more –>>

Human Nature

So…my question is…how better to organize societies?

A reader of my recent post, “Nation-States Are A Plague On Our Species” has posed this question: “So…my question is…how better to organize societies?” It’s sort of the who wants to be a trillionaire question. As I suggested in my response to Mark Schlack’s comment, the evolution of our existing —>> read more –>>

Capitalism

Neoliberalism in action: The Scheme 26: The Myth of the Unelected Bureaucrat – Senator Whitehouse video

As I have argued regularly, we are in an era of neoliberal wealth supremacy. This is the most successful social movement of the last hundred years. For an introduction to neoliberalism, read my About Neoliberalism. If you are wondering why it is the most successful social movement of the last —>> read more –>>

Technology

Could a court really order the destruction of ChatGPT? The New York Times thinks so, and it may be right

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license Old media, meet new. Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images João Marinotti, Indiana University On Dec. 27, 2023, The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging that the company committed willful copyright infringement through its generative —>> read more –>>

Other

Church for Atheists

I have commented many times that atheists need to develop social platforms (not the web type), social groups, that provide a common space for atheists to come together and share. Every organized religion has some form of Sunday school to indoctrinate children. Parents and other adults enjoy the opportunities for —>> read more –>>

Human Nature

Nation-States Are A Plague On Our Species

Organized Religion – My First Plague For many years, I have said, when confronted by religious people, that organized religions are a plague on our species. I am not really troubled by individuals who believe in some god. The universe is a big place, and our insignificance in it causes —>> read more –>>

Other

Ornamentation and Function in Architecture – a couple of examples

I’ve long been troubled by ornamentation in and on buildings. My approach to architecture – built spaces – focuses more on the program for the structure and how occupants actually experience the structure. What life problems are posed to the architect? This is the program of uses that the building —>> read more –>>

Capitalism

Three charts that define the last 45 years in the US

Its the time of year for summations, usually for just the previous year. My selection of charts explains much of the past 45 years for the rich, middle-class, and poor in America. The Great Divide The dark blue line describes the growth in productivity. That is the dollar value of —>> read more –>>