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No, sweetheart. Don’t worry. They’re just pretend.

Oh dear. I left my laptop open, and you read a LinkedIn post from an “Entrepreneur, Change Agent, Futurist, Success Enabler, Innovator & Investor.” And now you can’t sleep. Let me see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense.

You know how you make up those amazing stories about dragons and flying unicorns? And you have all of these really special ideas no one has ever heard before, and we tell you that you have such a big imagination? Sometimes, grown-ups make up stories, too, and post them on LinkedIn. Except their ideas aren’t special at all. Everyone has heard them before, and instead of “imagination,” we call it “thought leadership.”

Why do grown-ups do this? That’s a good question.

Grown-ups make up stories on LinkedIn to get imaginary points. They think that whoever collects the most points has the most people who like them. And that the people who like them will then spend $399 on their online course, “Digital Engagement Optimization: Elevating Stakeholder Interaction for Organizational Growth.”

Donald Trump whines constantly about not being able to campaign around the country because he’s stuck in a New York courtroom facing trial on felony charges. Court is only convened four days a week and he has his own plane so he could certainly be out every weekend if he chose to. He did hold a couple of rallies last week in Wisconsin and Michigan since court was only in session for three days but on his days off he’s usually playing golf at and angrily tweeting rather than glad-handing the MAGA crowd out on the stump. And he’s holding a lot of fundraisers at his Mar-a-Lago beach club. This past weekend, rather than heading out to Arizona or even next door to Pennsylvania, Trump was back in Florida regaling 400 wealthy donors at a $40,000 a ticket with an extended whine about his legal problems and the stolen election of 2020, among other MAGA greatest hits. He also said that the Biden administration is “the Gestapo” and called Special Prosecutor Jack Smith a fucking asshole. He was obviously enjoying himself.

“a direct attack on the rule of law” At the Donald Trump trial in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan addresses Trump’s continued violations of the gag order, Harry Litman reports. Find you in contempt again for the 10th time. It appears that 2k fine not serving as a deterrent . therefore, going forward will need to consider a jail sanction “last thing I want to do is put you in jail. you are the former Pres and possibly the next Pres as well. to put you in jail would disrupt these proceedings. also secret service and others. the magnitude of the decision not lost on me.” “but at the end of the day I have a job to do. . . your continued violations threaten to disrupt processing and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. so as much as I don’t want to impose a jail sentence, I want you to understand that I will if necessary and appropriate” So there it is — next time –> jail. The final warning. It’s in Trump’s hands now. And we’re off. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● For The Win, 5th Edition is ready for download.

Plainfin midshipman fish migrate from the deep sea to spawn—and then things get weird.

The post The Curious Life of a Singing Fish appeared first on Nautilus.

John Ruskin said, “Lay a brick level in its mortar, or take a straight shaving from a plank, and you’ll have learned a multitude of things that the words of man can never tell.”

REVIEW: The BBC/Disney+ era of Doctor Who kicks off with two episodes that crank up heart, humor & sense of adventure to 100 and never let go.

Good luck with that My post on Sunday referenced Ross Douthat’s flop-sweaty warning that President Biden should stop campaigning as if he is ahead. But credit the Washington Post Editorial Board’s warning, at least to Democrats in Congress, that while hoping for the best they should plan for the worst. “Though the emergency powers that the Insurrection Act confers are inherently susceptible to abuse, presidents’ respect for democratic values and constitutional norms has by and large prevented that,” the Board begins. There’s still time to make some tweaks to the Act before January 2025. Golly jeepers, who might they be referencing between the lines? Just so we’re clear: Having gone unused since 1992, the Insurrection Act is perhaps obscure to the public today. It deserves more attention, given that there could be a second term for former president Donald Trump, who not only lacks respect for democratic norms but also actively encouraged a mob to descend on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

It's been nearly one month since Israel bombed Iran's embassy in Syria and since Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel. The dust may have settled but was this all for show? Dr. Mohammad Marandi joins Mnar Adley to discuss the aftermath of these attacks and what it means for Iran and the future of the region.

The post The Dust Has Settled: The Aftermath Of Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes On Israel appeared first on MintPress News.

So, Sam Altman recently said something which seems reasonable, but isn’t:

using technology to create abundance–intelligence, energy, longevity, whatever–will not solve all problems and will not magically make everyone happy. but it is an unequivocally great thing to do, and expands our option space. to me, it feels like a moral imperative...

most surprising takeaway from recent college visits: this is a surprisingly controversial opinion with certain demographics.

(lack of capitalization from original.)

1. Hypothetical Health Badge. When you resolve to start flossing every day. You don’t, of course, but even thinking about doing this is pretty impressive.

2. Reluctantly Pretentious Badge. When you start calling your significant other “partner” because no other label really fits.

3. Intimacy Badge. When you realize that the longest relationship of your life has been with the apple you carry to and from work every day but never eat.

4. Pillow Power Badge. When you realize the amount of energy it takes to resist buying inspirational throw pillows is clearly not worth it.

In today's BCTV Daily Dispatch: Tom Brady, The X-Files, Mayans M.C./Kurt Sutter, Gen V, Doctor Who, Musk/Rowling, SNL, One Piece, and more!

A transcript from memory of an evening conversation with my two older sons: “I heard that Jeff Bezos could run through the streets every day, throwing hundred dollar bills in the air, and he’d still be making money.” “I wonder if that’s true?” “Okay, how much is Jeff Bezos worth?” “Uh [googling]… wow, it says […]

. Absolutely gobsmacking! Jared Bernstein — the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers — obviously needs some good advice about the way monetary systems work. Here’s a book he could start his educational tour with:

In this bonus episode of Lever Time, journalist Byron Tau explains the history of the modern surveillance state.

Profile of the pioneering Canadian architect whose modernist designs disintegrated boundaries between structure and place

- by Aeon Video

Watch at Aeon

New research transports us back to the shadowy firelight of ancient caves, imagining the minds and feelings of the artists

- by Izzy Wisher

Read at Aeon

Unravelling the pathways from different forms of childhood maltreatment to mental illness could lead to better treatments

- by Anne Alkema & Marco Boks

Read at Psyche

Financially, fewer households appear to be living hand to mouth. This may have implications for the effectiveness of certain economic policies, such as stimulus spending.