Category Archives: Ayn Rand

A Psychological Analysis Of The Core Archetypes

In September 2021, I wrote a piece called Bitcoiners Are The Remnant, The Masses Dont Matter.

It was inspired by the incredible 1930s essay by Albert J Nock, Isaiahs Job.

In it, I covered the differentiation between two broad archetypes, (the Remnant and the masses) and made the case for why Bitcoiners are the former, while the general, the lemming-like population is the latter. I used it to present some ideas on selective adoption versus mass adoption, how zero-to-one moments happen, and how trends then perdure with the inertia-like force of the lagging masses.

I also took a moment to explore the Remnant within the Great Stories, particularly some of the best of our era, such as The Matrix and Fight Club.

The idea of the Remnant is generally thought of as a biblical one, but its essence is far older and permeates all of human existence. The story of the Remnant is the story of the survivor, the hero, the pioneer and the noble individual. Its been with us from the beginning of time, and will be there until the end.

Ayn Rand, one of historys most powerful thinkers, depicted them as the Prime Movers, or Men Of The Mind, particularly in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. She also juxtaposed them against those who she described as the moochers and the looters. It is here where I want to dig a little further.

My initial article lacked an exploration of each archetypes psyche and did not accurately differentiate a third and very important archetype: the parasite.

This is perhaps why some people got triggered, calling me elitist, Klaus Schwabs spawn, megalomaniac, etc. Of course, those comments came mainly from lemmings who have bought into the idea of being a homogenous part of the masses, or from natural parasites who are always threatened by that which is true. And thats fine.

In this second part, I hope to trigger them further, while providing a little clarification for a few of the Dormant Remnant seeking it.

Rands work has been a great inspiration for me, not just because of the ideals and strength of her message, but for how eloquent and precise she was in designing characters that embodied attributes of each of the three archetypes. Her protagonists embodied the values and virtues of the ideal man or woman, the antagonists were flawed, fearful parasites, and they were presented against a backdrop of hopeless masses who, while often good at heart, were weaponized by the parasites (to their own detriment).

I will use this model to describe and explore each of the general archetypal psyches in the great game of life.

Do with it what you will. Glean from it what you can. Be offended if thats your thing, or be inspired if youre a Remnant.

Before we delve into who these parasites are, or why the masses do what they do, lets review the archetype that matters: the Remnant.

While I was riffing on a Bitcoin Magazine Spaces about the prior article, an idea formed in my mind. The idea is that the number of Remnant out there is much larger than we know, and the ratio of those who are versus those who need to be unplugged is probably also an 80-to-20-type of distribution.

In other words, within the broader 20% of the distribution of humans who are Remnants, perhaps only 20% are active, and of those, 20% may be considered radical. Its basically 80/20 all the way down.

Its turtles all the way down man Source.

Of course, we can take this to an extreme and continue segmenting until we discover the one true Remnant of the Remnants Remnants Remnants Remnant, but that would be ridiculous. So lets focus on three broad classifications:

1. The Dormant Remnant

2. The Active Remnant

3. The Radical Remnant

If 20% of humans are archetypically Remnant material, then 80% of them are dormant.

They are either bogged down in jobs they dont like, theyve been subject to poor parenting, theyve been indoctrinated at school or by the media, they live in broken societies or are in some way, shape or form hampered by their environment (nurture).

They are in The Matrix, yet to be unplugged, but have that itch, that splinter in their mind telling them that something is off.

They are the really gifted engineer or artist who you know, whos just about there, and has all the ingredients to be great, but has not taken that leap of faith. Perhaps theyve bought into some garbage ideology that theyre a slave to society and that their self interest does not matter.

In some cases, theyre partially red-pilled individuals, awake enough to know that were living in a clown world simulation, but are yet to take the orange pill, i.e., they are pre-Bitcoiners.

As with all things, its a numbers game. There are more Dormant Remnant than there are Active Remnant. They are the silent majority, but when push comes to shove, they will line up on the right side of history, intuitively and instinctually.

If the signal is strong, pure and direct enough, it will wake them from their slumber. These are the ones we must focus on unplugging. These are the people who will actually listen, and not just passively hear only to ignore.

These are the 20% of the 20%, those who have taken the orange pill. Those who are out of The Matrix, who have woken up, who have seen the endless fields of human batteries with their own eyes, and can now see beyond the lies and propaganda. They can not only identify that which is true, but can articulate it.

They are the intolerant minority. The 4% of the whole who make up the last bastion of hope and freedom. They make up Zion.

A member of the Active Remnant is most likely a Bitcoiner. No, that does not mean some lemming who bought a bitcoin IOU on PayPal for the USD gains. That means a Bitcoiner who knows why were here, may be running a node, is orange pilling their loved ones, respects private property, freedom, responsibility and independence, and refuses to bend over to the blind mandates of the parasitic class.

If youre reading this, youre probably in this group.

This final category is the 20% of the 20% of the 20%.

These are the natural elites, the true 1%, the leaders, the renegades, the fearless warriors on the frontlines who not only refuse to back down, but who march forward, despite the insurmountable odds, reminding all Remnants that the truth is worth dying for.

They are the 300, William Wallace, Alexander the Great, Nikola Tesla, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Steve Jobs, Morpheus, Neo and Trinity.

The Spartans vs. the Arcadians. Source: MakeAGif.com.

Despite being the ultimate minority (less than 1%), they set the standard. They set the pace and they drive progress. Like the very tip of the spear, they pierce the veil, allowing the rest of the arrow to enter, followed by the inertia and weight of the staff (the masses).

Its reminiscent of the ancient warrior fable (I cannot remember where I have heard it): In any group of 100;

This warrior is the Radical Remnant. And while he may not inherit the earth, for he is often a martyr, he shall be remembered forever. It may be tragic, but that is his role, and he accepts it, dons his armor and strides forth with the courage of a lion.

As God said to Isaiah, you can be sure of two things:

The Remnant are out there. I meet them wherever I go. They come up to greet me and tell me the message rang true. Whether at a conference, at a dinner, in my DMs, on a Twitter Spaces or that one other guy at the airport who also refuses to wear his mask. You know who you are.

As the clown world simulation continues to erode the fabric of reality, we must remember that it is we who shall inherit the earth, for we are the meek in the ancient sense of the term which Jordan Peterson helped me re-define:

The meek are those who have swords, know how to use them, but choose to keep them sheathed.

Post every catastrophe or grand cycle, it is those who remain by virtue of being prepared or through sheer will and strength of character who are defined as the Remnant. It is they who shall inherit the earth alongside a few lucky sheeple who happened to trip over and fall into paradise.

So, find the Remnant. Build bonds with them, strengthen ties. If youre not sure where they are, here are some hints:

Of course, use discretion. The masses have flooded every layer of society, as have the parasites. A pareto-type distribution will likely apply here too, so seek authenticity.

This is the archetype that I did not describe in part one. Rand called them the moochers. Most people call them the elites, which is fundamentally incorrect, because to be elite implies one is exceptional at something.

Parasites are those who have failed to compete on merit and must concoct methods of extraction that benefit themselves at the expense of another. In other words, they are a net negative on the system.

Ive been on a crusade to re-classify the best of us as elite, while applying the word parasite where it belongs. I even wrote an entire piece about it two years ago:

In Support of the ELITE

The way I see it, the masses are still 80% and the Remnant are 20%, but a subset of each seem to devolve into the type of human who subsists by extracting value from the system.

They are either:

If a Remnant, they were unable to compete in the free market of merit so they instead applied their skill and ingenuity toward stealing from others better than they. If a member of the masses, they bought into the victimhood mindset espoused by midwits like Marx and decided it would be better to band together and steal from their superiors, instead of learning from and working alongside them to become better humans.

They have proliferated in the modern, fiat-driven clown world because broken incentives enable the growth of parasites, much like a poor diet makes for an environment where they grow in your body, and unclean places allow them to proliferate in nature or especially man made regions.

Their most powerful innovation is proof of stake, and their crowning achievement is fiat money.

Proof of work is the law by which the Remnant lives. In fact, so too do the masses in general, despite them being largely unconscious of it, and many being desirous of getting something for nothing.

Proof of stake was designed by parasites as a mechanism via which they can extract wealth from the system without having to work. In fact, over millennia of generations, they have become so allergic to work that the level of parasitic concoction has reached heights never before seen, the Democratic state being one of the primary examples:

Whatever the name, and however it may disguise itself, you can always recognize the parasite and their ploy when they refer to the emancipation of the masses and rally them around a cause to bring down more productive members of society who just want to be left the fuck alone.

Tax the rich comes to mind from parasites such as AOC, a failed model who too closely resembled Donkey from Shrek, and so became a waitress. Perhaps she got fired for doing something dumb, or was just envious of a boss who likely had worked an extra decade to build a business, thus earning more, so she then decided to go off and join the elaborate game of theft known as politics. The ultimate game of the parasite.

Bureaucrats, politicians, central planners and modern bankers, they are all the parasite class.

Theyll always use the message of were all in this together to fool the sheeple into believing a lie, and weaponizing their fear toward more theft and pressure on the Remnant.

According to liberation psychologist and Bitcoiner Nozomi Hayase, the parasites of the world resemble a class of psychologically-variant human known as a psychopath.

This is someone who lacks that innate wiring for empathy and as a result does not see, feel or experience the world through the same lens.

I recently recorded a podcast with her which has challenged my views on the prevalence of nurture alone in the psyche of a parasite.

Perhaps there are people born who are fundamentally and naturally predisposed to behave in a particular way, devoid of empathic values and, as such, function more like an incentive-driven machine. They may be more likely to not only thrive in a fiat society, but look to enhance that type of environment so that they can take full advantage of it.

And while this may suit their ends in the short term, or for whatever timeline they see fit, life developed empathy, love and a void that binds in humans as a way to exist on a longer time frame, and perhaps one that might even transcend the temporal.

I dont know but I will definitely be following Hayases work and dig deeper into this in part three of the Remnant series.

In the cracks and crevices where value is being created, progress is being made and innovation is occurring. Parasites require true progress and wealth creation to extract from, and the greater the progress or wealth, the easier they can camouflage themselves and their processes.

Furthermore, if the relationship between parasites and psychopaths is accurate, then their inherent nature means that they look for places to hide.

Bureaucracies, proof of stake and stale, hierarchical institutions are examples of where these cancerous cells can be found, and the following examples are variations of how the cancer manifests:

Note the kinds of people that work in these committees.

Rand depicted them brilliantly, eloquently and accurately in Atlas Shrugged, e.g., Jim Taggart, Robert Stadler, Wesley Mouch and Lillian Rearden.

In real life, they are Janet Yellens, Christine Lagardes, Joe Bidens and the like. Raoul Pal is also a great real-world example of the Parasite, masquerading as a Remnant, and fooling only the masses.

In a free market, we must continue to call out the scammers.

There is a reason why the committee man or woman hates bitcoin. There is no committee, there is no room for them. They are unable to concoct elaborate plans in which they can slowly extract the wealth others have created.

Sure, bureaucracies will exist on a Bitcoin standard, and Im sure there will be many parasites across every industry and dimension of human existence, but the difference is this:

On a Bitcoin standard, bureaucracies go bankrupt. They cannot grow into the abominations we see around us today, in which useless idiots work bullshit jobs just to pretend like theyre doing something, when in fact, theyre leeches.

On a Bitcoin standard, the organization with the most inefficient bureaucracy and the greatest infestation of parasites dies. It does not live long and prosper.

This is the inherent natural advantage of an economic standard rooted in reality, one which exists as proof of work, one which is time incarnate energy money.

The parasite cannot survive, let alone thrive in such a place.

Herein referred to as sheep or lemmings, they are simultaneously the most innocuous and most dangerous of all innocuous in a functional society because they add their two sats of value and continue on living, sometimes excelling and rising up, but mostly remaining average; dangerous in a fiat society (e.g., democracy) for their stupidity, fear, envy and lack of character which is most easily weaponized.

But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid and unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh, God, the terrible tyranny of the majority.

Faber to Montag, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

There is not a lot to explore in the minds of the masses, for they are largely mindless. You find them working bullshit jobs, like as a TSA agent, bag packer at a grocery store or a mask checker at airport and shopping mall entrances.

They are the kinds of people who consume a consistent diet of CNN, Facebook, Netflix, Uber Eats, Real Vision and McDonalds, while idolizing the lowest kinds of bipedal creatures, whether they be Anthony Fauci, Pal, Lagarde or Biden.

They value conformity and certainty above all else. They believe compliance is a virtue, and will signal it with all their pathetic might. They will believe whatever theyre told by their overlords, and will be the first to dob or snitch on their neighbors for the illegal act of having family members over for Thanksgiving during a fake pandemic.

The image below depicts them in all of their glory:

Thanksgiving 2021, source.

Pablo, a good friend of mine, helped me analogize the masses really well during a conversation in El Salvador. They are the people who operate as if the orders are reality, and when confronted with an actual reality that does not conform or fit within the model theyve been ordered to follow, they begin to malfunction and repeat themselves like mindless, broken automatons.

The image that comes to mind is of a Roomba repeatedly running into a wall.

The masses. Source: MakeAGif.com.

I dont know what else to say about them here other than that the only Earth they shall inherit is either the one the Remnant or the parasite manifest. They will be oblivious as to how it came about and largely indifferent toward whether its right, wrong or neutral. For their sake, and for ours, and for the survival of humanity, one can only hope the Remnant prevails.

Otherwise, we have the following to look forward to:

There may be exceptions to the rule perhaps.

The complexity and multi-dimensionality of humans means it is hard to generalize who might be a Remnant, a parasite or member of the masses.

The truth is that everybody can be exceptional at something. Were all unique and the application of our intent and effort toward a particular end can lead us not only to mastery of our craft, but to renown for what we do and a deep sense of fulfilment.

So one could argue that people are all remnants in their own field, and while I would agree, Im not sure this is a mastery of a unique craft question, despite how enticing it is to hope that we are all Remnants.

Yes, we are all good at our own unique thing, but Remnant is a character. There is something innate about it. Its an energy and an instinct. Its a natural frame. It seems to represent the zeitgeist of the time, in whatever era it emerges.

So, in my mind, it goes beyond a craft or an input and is more a way of being.

Of course, character is a blend of nature and nurture. So, through conditioning, perhaps Remnant values can be learned and acquired. Nobody knows what the mix of nature and nurture is when it comes to character, but this is of course where incentives matter because they set the framework for the development of either a morality or immorality.

Read more:

The Remnant, The Parasite And The Masses - Bitcoin Magazine

Reality is something we have to internalize by relying on history, research, personal observation and the wisdom of others. The reality is, this country is experiencing unprecedented accelerated societal and governmental change. There is great wisdom in this famous quote by Ayn Rand: You can ignore reality, but you cannot ignore the consequences of reality.

Many Americans are looking at todays too-far-left Democratic party and see us moving toward a socialist state. I do not necessarily believe the Biden administration set out to create a socialist America, but having said that, we should look at the current direction of the U.S. and ask, what are the potential consequences of todays reality?

Since March 2020, we have passed four spending bills that cost over $9 trillion and added over $5 trillion dollars to our national debt. What are the consequences? Lets pull that thread.

Massive spending will continue to increase the size of an already massive federal government bureaucracy. Much of the new spending is for new entitlements that could continue to grow with ever-increasing funding.

Entitlements lead to unprecedented government control over the daily lives of every American, cradle to grave. With size and control come government regulations and the resulting negative impact on entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth.

Massive federal regulation and control leads to reduced states rights. Our Constitution tells us that governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Todays massive federal government spending and control are certainly not based on consent of the governed, but we the people are on the hook to pay for every cent of it.

Furthermore, increased tax burdens are the consequences of massive government spending. Corporate taxes, wealth taxes, death taxes, increased individual income taxes, taxes on capital gains and perhaps taxes on unrealized capital gains the consequences of massive tax increases are reduced capital investment (the life-blood of capitalism), disincentivization to expand and grow, reduced entrepreneurial spirit and the rich moving their wealth out of the country.

Then theres debt. After a decade-plus of deficit spending, our debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio is about 127 percent. A 2013 study by the World Bank found that if the debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 77 percent, it slows economic growth.

Massive spending also leads us to artificially increasing the nations money supply, aka printing money. Large increases in the money supply lead to inflation.

What has happened in just the past 10 months has caused alarm bells to ring. Optimism is waning. Our feel-good spirit is being crushed. Is the American dream no longer a possibility?

Surely socialism cannot happen to America. But what if we cannot stop printing money? What if we cannot control inflation? What if we do nothing about deficit spending and national debt ($28 trillion now) that is increasing at a rate of $45.50 per second?

What if interest rates go to 6 percent and the interest on our debt consumes the budget? What if Social Security goes broke (currently scheduled to be insolvent by 2033)? What if Medicare goes broke (currently scheduled to be insolvent by 2026)?

What happens to those who have become government-dependent? What if the wealthy find a way to hide their wealth or find a new place to live? What if our borders remain unsecure and the worlds masses become ours to feed, cloth, house, educate and care for? What if Medicare-for-all becomes reality with an estimated yearly cost of $3.2 trillion?

Is government policy and societal shifts moving us toward socialism? Take a look at the Eight Steps to Socialism, commonly attributed to Saul Alinsky, a political activist, 1909-1972.

n Health care: control healthcare and you control the people.

n Poverty: increase the poverty level as high as possible. Poor people are easier to control if you are providing everything for them to live.

n Debt: increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.

n Gun Control: remove the ability to defend oneself from the government. That way you are able to create a police state.

n Welfare: take control of every aspect of their lives (food, housing, and income.)

n Education: take control of what people read and listen to; take control of what children learn in school.

n Religion: remove the belief in God from the government and schools.

n Class Warfare: divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to tax the wealthy with the support of the poor.

Does any of this sound like what is happening to the United States? You decide, it is about reality and the consequences thereof.

Lt. Gen. Marvin L. Covault, U.S. Army (ret.) is the author of Vision to Execution, a book for leaders.

See original here:

Column: Infusion of Trillions in Funding Has Consequences - Southern Pines Pilot

As we approach the end of 2021, here are some higher education stories that I wish I had more time to pursue now. Some of them Ive dug into pretty deeply already, while others I havent done much with yet. If you have info on these matters, please let me know. Or investigate them yourself.

These are largely stories, one way or another, about what happens when government, through weak rules and lax enforcement, allows college operators to put pursuit of big profits over the interests of students and taxpayers.

1. The New York Daily Newsexposed last month that the president and owner of for-profit ASA College, one Alex Shchegol, who was forced out by his board three years ago amid allegations of egregious sexual misconduct, recently ousted most of the schools board members and regained control. The Daily News mentioned that re-hiring Shchegol, who has been accused of rape, coercing students into sex, and sending unwanted pictures of his penis, was defended at a Florida hearing byPeter Leyton, a lawyer representing ASA; Leyton said Shchegol dumped the old board because his expertise was needed to reverse declining enrollments. The Daily News didnt mention that Leyton is a long-time for-profit college industry lawyer who served for more than a decade on the board of the industrys main lobbying group, now called CECU.

The Daily News also mentioned that ASA, which has campuses in New York and Florida, plus courses online, received some $16 million in federal taxpayer money to enroll students, the majority of whom are people of color, in 2019-20. What we dont know is whether the U.S. Department of Education plans to re-evaluate federal aid eligibility for ASA, attendance at which, under Shchegol, has led to poor outcomes for many students. The schools accreditor, which serves as a gatekeeper for federal aid eligibility, already placed ASA on warning status in October, citing a range of concerns about governance and other issues. (Shchegol denies the sexual misconduct charges.)

2. Nicole Carnagey, the chief operating officer of California for-profit Summit College, is apparently being considered for a job running a larger school. Wouldnt the Department of Education, or that schools accreditor, if not the school itself, be concerned that Carnagey spent almost twelve years, rising to a senior executive role, at Corinthian Colleges until that company, one of the worst predatory college operations, collapsed under the weight of law enforcement probes in 2015? Would the fact that Carnagey ran Corinthians California operations concern Vice President Harris, who noted in her 2020 Democratic convention speech that, as Californias attorney general, she sued Corinthian for abuses in the state, including predatory recruiting, false advertising, and fraud? Personal accountability for top executives of Corinthian and other for-profit college scams has been rare. It shouldnt be that way.

3. Another awful collapsed college chain is the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE). After a Colorado court, following trial, sided with that states attorney general and found the company liable for deceiving students; and its accreditor, ACCSC, acted to drop the companys schools, including online giant Independence University; and finally the U.S. Department of Education restricted the flow of federal aid, CEHE shut down classes and laid off most staff. But CEHE, which then got a partial reversal and remand of the Colorado verdict and is seeking to regain accreditation through legal proceedings, insisted to the locked-out students that it will continue seeking to collect on the high-interest EduPlan private loans they took out even though the Colorado court concluded that these EduPlan loans were part of the companys illegal scheme. Who owns AR Management, the company that administers these loans? Perhaps CEHE head and Ayn Rand worshipper Carl Barney? And what is the status of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus investigation into CEHEs private loan practices?

Also, will the University of Maryland, or Maryland state agencies, be looking at the relationships between CEHE and University business school professor Rajshree Agarwal? Professor Agarwal joined the CEHE board of directors, giving the companys schools a public endorsement from the traditional higher education world, at a time when CEHE was under investigation for deceptive and predatory practices by multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile CEHE in 2019 provided $400,000 in grants to the University of Maryland(grants that Agarwal claims as her own on her CV), and Barney boasted on his blog over the summer that he and his foundation are providing Ayn Rand scholarships and grants for intellectuals at schools including the University of Maryland. Marylands flagship state university was taking funding from CEHE and Barney, which got much of that money by fleecing low-income students and federal taxpayers, while a U MD professors cred was being used to validate the predatory school. Is that how higher education is supposed to work?

4. Another corrupt college operation has mostly been under the radar. In 2016, I wrote about Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA), a Tampa-based career school that converted from for-profit to nonprofit status in a troubling deal, and that featured on its management team some former top officials of disgraced Trump University. The school was getting $150 million a year from taxpayer-funded student aid, yet almost no higher ed expert or official I spoke with had ever heard of it. Right after I published, and in the years since, Ive been contacted by more than a dozen former and current UMA staff regarding predatory practices at the school deceptive and aggressive recruiting, financial aid abuses, pressure on faculty and staff to keep students enrolled, and bad outcomes (low earnings, big loan debt) for many ex-students.

The schools IRS filings reveal big salaries and payouts for executives and insiders of the supposedly non-profit operation.

A 2017-19 review by the U.S. Department of Education found violations in several areas, including disbursing federal aid to students with invalid high school diplomas, but the probe was closed after UMA promised to do better.

Journalists, the education department, and the IRS should be taking a close look at UMA.

5. Predatory Ashford University, exposed at a 2011 Senate hearing as, in the words of committee chairman Tom Harkin, an absolute scam, is right now on trial, along with its owner, Zovio, in a San Diego courtroom, facing a case brought by the states attorney general, who alleges unfair and fraudulent business practices. Ashford has received hundreds of millions from U.S. taxpayers, often with dismal results for students.Im getting dispatches from a courtroom observer, but is any media covering the trial?

Maybe citizens of neighboring Arizona would be interested, especially given that that states flagship school now owns Ashford, rebranded University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), in a shady partnership with Zovio, which still runs the school and is still engaged in predatory practices there. (Check out these Yelp reviews.) Last month I spoke with a former Ashford / UAGC instructor who said school higher-ups pressured teachers to give passing grades so students would remain enrolled and paying tuition, even for students who were incapable of doing the work or submitted obviously plagiarized papers.

Education reporters might also be interested in UAGCs application, apparently still pending at the Department of Education, to get preferential non-profit status, and the recent actions of the schools accreditor, WASC, to demand the school explain how it plans to straighten up.

Does Zovios new CEO, introduced on Wednesday, have answers?

6. On a parallel track, another predatory for-profit school, Kaplan University, is now disguised as Purdue University Global, operating under a dubious arrangement between Kaplans former owner, Graham Holdings, and Purdue president Mitch Daniels. Hows that going these days?

7. Florida Career College, which, numerous former and current employees have told me, engages in deceptive and fraudulent practices and will enroll anyone with a pulse to get their federal aid dollars, is being sued by former students for targeting Black people for their predatory programs. Long-time for-profit college industry lawyer Keith Zakharin and a former George W. Bush White House lawyer are representing International Education Corporation (IEC), parent company of Florida Career College, in the case. Over the summer they managed to convince a Florida federal judge (Trump appointee Roy Altman) to uphold fine-print clauses in the students enrollment agreements barring them from suing the school and requiring them to pursue any grievances in arbitration, a process that favors corporate defendants. The Obama administration had issued a rule barring colleges that get taxpayer aid from enforcing these oppressive mandatory arbitration clauses, but Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos erased that regulation. (Now the Biden administration is moving to reinstate it.)

In recent briefs filed with the court, the students lawyers, from the Harvard Project on Predatory Student Lending, ask the judge to reconsider, arguing, among other things, that the students had a right to sue because DeVos had not yet revoked the Obama rule at the time they sued. They also argue that forcing the students into arbitration would violate FCCs agreement with the Department of Education for participating in the federal aid program, where they promised not to do that.

The Harvard projects filings also include the transcript of a deposition of IEC vice president Bob Adler in which he makes a number of telling admissions, including that: FCC recruiters cold call people who may have been looking on job training websites and have never expressed interest in attending the school; FCC instructs admissions representatives to emphasize urgency in a prospective students need to enroll; FCC makes no effort to determine whether prospective students have criminal records that may prevent them from obtaining the jobs they are training for; FCC has no policy for rejecting applicants who lack a high school diploma or GED and are unwilling to take a qualifying test; FCC admissions representatives are not required to verify English language fluency, even though the schools programs are in English; FCC financial aid staff provide students with documents showing the loans they have signed up for only on request; and FCC does not follow up to ensure that its graduates are employed in the field for more than one week.

Multiple FCC employees tell me that IEC and FCC are abusing the federal ability-to-benefit rules by enrolling an extremely high volume of students who lack a high school diploma, and also are enrolling many students who dont speak enough English to comprehend the classes.

In declarations the students lawyers have submitted in the case, former FCC employees report egregious abuses at the school echoing allegations that employees provided to me last year.

Former FCC admissions representative Twyla Prindle said that: many prospective students did not understand the costs of the programs they were enrolling in, and could not afford them; prospective students who did not want to enroll were pressured into talking with at least three FCC representatives before they could leave campus; FCC enrolled students whom it knew would not be able to jobs in their fields, such as students with criminal records and students with intellectual disabilities; students without high school diplomas were assisted by proctors in passing a test in order to enroll; FCC admissions representatives were yelled at by supervisors for failing to meet enrollment quotas; and FCCs Jacksonville admissions director would pressure black students to enroll, but would provide white students recommendations for other options.

A former FCC loan collections officer, Howard Glantz, declared that: FCCs financial aid process during enrollment was rushed, and a high percentage of FCC students did not understand what they owed; FCC collections staff were paid bonuses based on how much they collected from students; the purpose of FCCs high-pressure collections process was to help FCC meet its legal obligation to maintain at least 10 percent of its revenue from sources other than federal aid; and FCC faculty falsified class attendance records, vouching for students who were not actually there.

Kenneth Lundy, who focused on recruiting veterans, compared FCCs operations to a used car dealership. He said that: some prospective students were invited for job interviews when the real intent was to enroll them in the school; IEC officials routinely berated FCC employees for not meeting admissions targets; and IECs CEO, Fardad Fateri, was personally involved in monitoring the recruitment performance of recruiters.

Given the powerful evidence of its abuses, how is IEC/FCC still receiving tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, and the Departments seal of approval to enroll students, every year?

8. As Inside Higher Ed reported last month, Ohios Eastern Gateway Community College radically cut instruction expenses after partnering with a for-profit company called Student Resource Center. The deal has made millions for Student Resource Center, which has been taking 50 percent of the profits, as enrollment, mostly online, has skyrocketed, but the school is now in trouble with its accreditor, Higher Learning Commission, over educational quality. Student Resource Center CEO Michael Perik, a long-time education industry executive, has strong ties to Eastern Gateways president, and faculty and staff at the school say, according to Inside Higher Ed that Perik seems to have unchecked power in academic matters at Eastern Gateway.

As we reported in 2019, Mike DeWine, now Ohios governor but in 2018 its attorney general, engaged in discussions with the collapsing Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH) and the Betsy DeVos Department of Education about Eastern Gateway acquiring Argosy University from DCEH. Under the plan, Michael Periks operation would have received the servicing contract for Argosy after Eastern Gateway bought it, and DECH would have kept a piece of the action. DeVoss team, led by Diane Auer Jones, later insisted that the Eastern Gateway servicing contract for Argosy would go to a company called Colbeck, though Perik and others could get subcontracts. Colbeck ended up buying many of the DCEH schools, but the deal with Eastern Gateway didnt happen. However, the deal-making efforts suggest that Perik had even bigger dreams for making money off state-owned Eastern Gateway. What is his next move?

9. When retired Army Major General James Spider Marks, a familiar cable news guest on national security issues, offered comments (echoing his written submission) at a Department of Education public hearing in October, he attacked recent bipartisan legislation that was aimed at protecting U.S. military service members and veterans by strengthening the federal rule which prohibits for-profit colleges from obtaining more than 90 percent of their revenue from federal aid. Marks referred to this federal 90-10 rule as arbitrary and said the new legislation, closing a loophole that motivated aggressive recruiting of veterans and service members, would actually harm military students, even though a large number of national veterans groups strongly supported the provision. Marks did not mention in his statement he previously worked as Military Advisor to the President and Executive Dean, College of Security and Criminal Justice at the countrys biggest for-profit college and one of the biggest recipients of G.I. Bill dollars, the University of Phoenix, a school that has been caught by federal authorities engaging in improper recruiting on military bases and running deceptive TV ads. Marks did identify himself as an advisor to the Centurion Military Alliance. Who funds that?

10. Also, who is funding the Defense of Freedom Institute, a new think tank headed by Robert Eitel, who was one of the top higher education aides at the Trump-DeVos Department of Education and before that worked at not one but two of the worst predatory college operations, Zovio (then called Bridgepoint) and Perdoceo (then called Career Education Corporation)? The group says it will fight the Biden education agenda through lawsuits and vigorous oversight of the regulatory process, and its already advocatingfor public money for religious schools. Is the group, which is already wealthy or connected enough to hire as its lawyers both Bill Barr and David Boies, getting or seeking any funding from billionaire Betsy DeVos, who is quoted in their recent press release? Are there connections to the ultra-wealthy non-profit Strada Education Network, which repurposes old student loan profits to support and invest in for-profit colleges, and is headed by former Bush deputy education secretary William Hansen, who sits on the Perdoceo board of directors?

11. The New York Times media columnist Ben Smith published an article in August, headlined Youve Never Heard of the Biggest Digital Media Company in America, about South Carolina-based Red Ventures (barely 100 yards over the state border from suburban Charlotte, NC). Smith notes that the company owns popular travel websites Lonely Planet and The Points Guy, tech site CNET, and Healthline, plus the education advice site BestColleges. But the sophisticated Mr. Smith missed a piece of the story: BestColleges may be styled as an advice site, but its searches quickly lead visitors not to the best colleges, but to ones that pay to advertise on the site, some of them schools with records of misleading, overcharging, and abusing students, such as American Intercontinental, the University of Phoenix, and Purdue Global. And BestColleges isnt the only shady lead generation site run by Red Ventures; we came across, for starters, accounting.com, which feeds into the same search engine that spits out the names of online schools.

12. In 2018, California for-profit San Joaquin Valley College (SJVC) acquired health care career school Carrington College from the much larger Adtalem Global Education group (formerly DeVry). An industry source questions how SJVC has the capacity to run Carrington, which operates in larger markets and relies more on major advertising. This source says wealthy and powerful college baron Arthur Keiser, who runs some big college operations and appears to have gained influence over yet another school, St. Andrews University, has been meeting regularly with the owners of SJVC. Any connection to the Carrington deal? (Also, has any college president prior to St. Andrewss head, Keith Wade, made alumns sign a nondisclosure agreement laden with heavy digital rights management before they can read a transcript of his campus meeting with other alums?)

13. Keiser also has long been a central player in the for-profit lobbying group CECU. What did that group mean when it boasted in its annual report last month that it had forged new partnerships with pro-student groups including the Education Trust, Third Way, and the National Student Legal Defense Network? And in the more than 50 meetings with the Biden Administration the CECU report boasts of, what Biden officials attended? Also, what will be CECUs next moves if, as some expect, wealthy California beauty school owner Lynelle Lynch, who took over the reins of Bellus Academy from her husband, becomes the next chair of the group?

14. The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, an online school, sends a torrent of press releases celebrating its growth and successes. The school has been bringing in some $27 million a year, three-quarters of that from Department of Education grants and loans. Did you know that Escoffiers founder, Jack Larson, was also the founder of Career Education Corporation, now called Perdoceo, one of the most egregiously predatory companies in the industry, until he left, suddenly, in 2006? Larson, who also worked at other predatory college chains, boasts that while at CEC he acquired renowned brands, including Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America. But that culinary school, once bought by CEC, eventually faced major legal consequences for deceiving students.

15. Finally, what does it say about the promise of the Internet for bringing education to the masses rather than just offering endless scams that edX, the online platform created in 2012 by Harvard and MIT to offer free lectures by the worlds greatest professors, has been acquired by 2U, an online program provider that is getting increasing negative attention for turning numerous traditional universities into predatory operations through overpriced online programs? While the free online edX lectures will remain, they will now serve as lead generators for 2Us expensive degree offerings.

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15 Higher Education Stories Worth Investigating - Republic Report

TCSs Deepak Chaudhari discusses his move to Ireland, the countrys impressive ecosystem for businesses, and how he has become a bit of a Teams and Zoom guru during the pandemic.

Deepak Chaudhari is the country head for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Ireland. In this role, he is responsible for strategy, sales and operations, bringing IT and business services to customers in a range of sectors.

India-headquartered TCS is a global player in IT services, including digital, cybersecurity, agile development, infrastructure support and data centre services. The company first established a base in Dublin in 2001 and significantly expanded its presence in Ireland last year when it acquired Donegal-based Pramerica. TCS now has more than 1,400 employees in Ireland.

Chaudhari has more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles across India, the US and UK. He has been based in Ireland for the past three years and now lives in Dublin with his family.

He studied engineering at Pune University in India and has completed executive courses at UCD Smurfit School. He is also the vice-chair for the Ireland India Business Association and a board member for Junior Achievement Ireland.

I came to Ireland three years back because of the opportunity that I saw to make a real impact DEEPAK CHAUDHARI

I have always led teams with purpose. We are here to solve challenges faced by our clients and we leverage our global experience to design and implement the most appropriate solution to meet our clients needs.

I usually divide my working week into three parts. Roughly one-third of my time is focused on my senior stakeholders, which includes customer CXOs, as well as my internal stakeholders. Another third of the time is spent with my industry peers, understanding the market, liaising with alliance partners, etc. The remaining third of the time I spend with my employees, understanding any challenges, identifying any mentorship that may be required, learning and development activities, etc.

This approach gives me a balanced way to stay relevant and connected.

The technology sector is rapidly evolving across multiple dimensions, including innovation, scale, complexity, cost to serve, time to market, etc. We provide a multitude of services in Ireland such as data analytics, application modernisation, agile services, digital transformation, infrastructure support, etc. We have a strong focus on cybersecurity services and cloud services, including the hyperscalers and data-related services.

Due to the strong demand of our growing business, TCS Ireland has recently invested in Letterkenny to create a technology and business operations centre. This centre has over 1,200 highly skilled people working in teams serving customers based internationally and in Ireland.

The key focus for us remains serving customers in the areas of digital transformation, cybersecurity services, cloud services, and data and analytics services.

We are seeing tremendous traction with our customers in the above areas and we wish to continue to invest and grow these practices. Our key mantra for Irish customers is to deliver global experiences locally.

I have had a 21-year career across various TCS management roles in UK, US, India and now in Ireland. I came to Ireland three years back because of the opportunity that I saw to make a real impact.

Ireland is a great place to do business. It provides an impressive ecosystem of local companies, global companies, academia, innovation partnerships, Government support, high-calibre talent etc and all of it in such a connected fashion.

I am proud of the impact that TCS has made in Ireland. We serve over 45 customers from our centre in Donegal, as well as other locations in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Athlone.

In my experience, the priority is to develop a shared vision for what we are trying to achieve and a clear roadmap for how we are going to get there.

Within this context, I find that people achieve the best results when they are given the right mix of autonomy and support to help them achieve their personal objectives.

With a workforce exceeding 500,000 people, achieving diversity within our organisation is a key priority for TCS. We were very proud that TCS in Ireland was recently selected by the Diversity in Tech Awards as the International Diverse Company of the Year.

I have taken inspiration from many people and leaders around me. I believe everyone is good at something and it is about getting to know that and taking that inspiration back into your life.

My passion for books started in college with classics like The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

Now I especially enjoy management books including 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. I believe that when great authors and leaders have poured their experience and expertise into a book, one should read and try to absorb as much of it as possible.

I am a strong believer in the importance of face-to-face communication, but the global pandemic has forced all of us to rely heavily on technology for our communication needs.

I am fortunate to work for a global technology company that had invested in the required infrastructure to operate in a virtual world. Like lots of people, I have become a bit of a Teams and Zoom guru over the last 18 months.

Dont miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for theDaily Brief, Silicon Republics digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

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TCS country head: 'Ireland is a great place to do business' - Siliconrepublic.com

This is a republishing from George Siosi Samuels Medium post, Craig Wright, Satoshi Nakamoto & Why People Ridicule The Greats In Their Lifetimes. Read the full piecehere.

A look into theKleiman v Wrighttrial and what this may mean for the legacy of Bitcoins creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Theres a major trial happening in courts right now that most people arent even aware ofbut may have huge ramifications.

Its between Dr. Craig S. Wright and the estate of David Kleiman (a friend of Craigs who died tragically many years ago). His estranged brother, Ira Kleiman, is now trying to claim half of what he thinks the Kleiman estate deserves.

The interesting thing about this trial is that it involves one of the largest potential settlements in U.S. court historyto the tune of $68 billion+ (maybe more).

Why so much$68 billion? How?

It is assumed that Craig is one-half of the team behindSatoshi Nakamoto, the creator of the real Bitcoin. And that David was the other. His combined fortune comes from BTC, BCH, and potentially BSV holdings.

The reason this all matters is because by Craig sharing evidence with the courts about his involvement in the creation of Bitcoineven if that includes some contributions from David Kleimanits enough to set a legal precedent on various other aspects of the entire Bitcoin ecosystem.

Coinbase itself revealed that the biggest threat to its business model is the reveal of whos behind Satoshi Nakamotoeven if that information was hidden in plain sight the whole time. Its just whether or not people choose tobelieveit.

Craig has been mocked and ridiculed ever since coming out onto the public stage around 2015. Some could argue this was his own doing, but once you learn more of the details, youll discover why it all ended up the way it did.

But you know who else has been laughed at or ridiculed by experts or authorities during their lifetimes? Jesus, Joan of Arc, Galileo, Charles Darwin, Nikola Tesla, Alan Turing, and more.

It wasnt until much later did these people get the recognition they deserved.

Mastercard & commandeering a brand

Right now, everyone supporting Bitcoin (BTC) has no idea that most of the companies that have commandeered the brand are owned mostly by Mastercard (look up Digital Currency Group).

This is why the push for digital gold, while users experience high transaction fees and congestion. BTCs lack of innovation is what spurred all other digital currencies and blockchains to emerge. BTC is no longer an everymans game. Its a rich mans one.

By taking the Bitcoin brand but crippling the actual system, BTC has placed self-imposed limits to implement other systems to take profits without you knowing. Much like putting in a toll or redirecting water through a dam. Its all out in the open. Its just that no one understands any of it, which makes it easier to continue on with it.

Bitcoin was meant to be more than just digital gold. Micropayments is the real killer feature, but this cant run if it costs you $20-$200 to send $5 (a scaling problem even Ethereum is currently experiencing).

Micropayments, Layer 2 solutions & Ayn Rand

Under the current leaders of the BTC space, you will never see a system of micropayments manifest on-chain in the way it was designed. There will be a push for Layer 2 solutions, etc. But this is why Craig is going through the courts to (hopefully) steer his legacy back on the right path. Because if he is the creator, he has every right to.

A rather interesting video to watch is from the film adaptation of the novelFountainheadby Ayn Rand. It might give you some insight into what Craig is experiencing in real life:

I strongly believe that Craig is someone to watch, even if his personality ruffles a few feathers. Hes not great with people (thanks to his Aspergers and Metal Dog Chinese zodiac), which is why the Satoshi monicker and mythology became bigger than he ever could alone. Still, his creation is (and will) benefit many for generations to come. His life story is stranger than fiction but, then again, sometimes the truth is like that.

Read the full piece onGeorge Siosi Samuels Medium.

Check out all of the CoinGeek special reports on theKleiman v Wright YouTube playlist.

This article was lightly edited for clarity purposes.

New to Bitcoin? Check out CoinGeeksBitcoin for Beginnerssection, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoinas originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamotoand blockchain.

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Craig Wright, Satoshi Nakamoto and why people ridicule the greats in their lifetimes - CoinGeek

A&E DELVES INTO THE PSYCHE OF DENNIS RADER IN "BTK: CONFESSION OF A SERIAL KILLER" FEATURING NEW NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD CONVERSATIONS WITH RADER HIMSELF FROM INSIDE A KANSAS MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON

AMONG OTHER BOMBSHELL CONFESSIONS, THE BTK KILLER REVEALS HE HAD A LIST OF AN ADDITIONAL 45 POTENTIAL VICTIMS THAT WERE "CLOSE TO MEETING THE HANDS OF DEATH"

FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER DICK WOLF, THE TWO-NIGHT EVENT AIRS SATURDAY, JANUARY 8 AND SUNDAY, JANUARY 9 AT 9PM ET/PT

New York, NY - December 2, 2021 - A&E Network announces new documentary event examining the horrific crimes and psyche of notorious serial killer Dennis Rader in "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer." From Wolf Entertainment and Good Caper Content, this gripping documentary provides unprecedented access into the mind of Rader who is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences in El Dorado Correctional Facility. Dr. Katherine Ramsland, whose correspondence with Rader has spanned a decade and is still on-going, shares the intimate details of Rader's past and his gruesome murders while providing insight to arm criminologists and law enforcement on how to better identify and potentially deter extreme violent offenders in the future. The definitive documentary "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer" premieres Saturday, January 8 and Sunday, January 9 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E.

The two-night event sheds new light on Rader's double life as both an upstanding citizen and a heartless killer. Dr. Ramsland, the renowned professor of forensic psychology and author, leads the examination of his transformation from an American boy to an American monster who wreaked havoc in Wichita, Kansas and went uncaptured for thirty years. With exclusive phone conversations with Rader himself, eye-opening new archival, comprehensive interviews, and access to Rader's drawings and coded diaries all paired with Dr. Ramsland's expertise, viewers get to know the man behind the moniker, the truth behind the headlines and a glimpse at the secrets Rader is still holding onto.

"Through her deep and extraordinary work mapping some of the darkest corners of the human psyche, Dr. Ramsland has performed an invaluable service to law enforcement and the country at large. Her insights become tools with which we can identify other monsters like BTK earlier in their evolution, and I am pleased to further Dr. Ramsland's mission through this important and gripping new series" said Dick Wolf.

Dr. Ramsland has worked with Dennis Rader for over a decade forging a rapport in an effort to meticulously detail Rader's progression from quintessential family man to The BTK Killer.

Dr. Ramsland teaches at DeSales University, where she is an assistant provost, and has published almost 70 books, including Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, The BTK Killer that was released in 2016. The audiobook edition from Blackstone Publishing is on pre-sale now on Audible and Amazon and will release on January 11, 2022.

Join the conversation by following @AETV and @AETVTrueCrime and using #BTKConfession

"BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer" will be available on demand and to stream on the A&E app and aetv.com.

"BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer" is produced for A&E Network by Wolf Entertainment and ITV America's Good Caper Content. Dick Wolf and Tom Thayer serve as executive producers for Wolf Entertainment and Jordana Hochman, Alison Dammann and Cynthia Childs serve as executive producers for Good Caper Content. Dr. Katherine Ramsland also serves as an executive producer. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer."

About A&E Network

A&E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, thought-provoking original programming with a unique point of view. Whether it's the network's distinctive brand of award-winning disruptive reality or groundbreaking documentary, A&E always makes entertainment an art. The A&E website is located at aetv.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/aetv and Facebook at facebook.com/AETV.

About Wolf Entertainment

Wolf Entertainment, headed by multiple Emmy winning television producer Dick Wolf, produces content for all platforms. The company, in conjunction with Universal Television, produces NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which in its 23rd season is the longest-running primetime scripted series on television; "Law & Order: Organized Crime" (S2); the original "Law & Order" returning for its 21st season in February 2022; "Chicago Fire," (S10); "Chicago PD" (S9); "Chicago Med" (S7); CBS' "FBI"(S4), "FBI Most Wanted (S3) and the new "FBI: International." Wolf's first streaming series "On Call" for IMDb TV is slated for the new year. Wolf's non-fiction series in addition to "Nightwatch" include "Cold Justice," "Criminal Confessions" and "Murder for Hire." NBC has also ordered "LA Fire and Rescue." Wolf's first podcast "Hunted" premiered in November 2019. The company also produced the Oscar-winning documentary "Twin Towers" and the Grammy-winning documentary about the Doors "When You're Strange" as well as the Emmy-winning HBO film "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee." Wolf is also creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning drama series "Law & Order" which ran for 20 seasons on NBC and will be returning for Season 21 in 2022, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" which ran for 11 seasons on NBC and USA Network, among other network series.

About Good Caper Content

Good Caper Content, an ITV America company, develops and produces an array of projects for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, and is devoted entirely to crime and investigative programming. In addition to BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer (A&E), recent and current Good Caper series and specials include True Life: Crime (MTV), Taken at Birth (TLC) and Killing Fields (Discovery), as well as upcoming series Fruitcake Fraud (discovery+), and Final Moments, produced in partnership with Dick Wolf, and New York Homicide (both for Oxygen). Good Caper also has projects in development with networks and platforms including CBS, Netflix, NatGeo and many more.

About Blackstone Publishing

Founded in 1987, Blackstone Publishing is an independent, privately owned company headquartered in Ashland, Oregon. Offering a growing catalog of over 13,000 titles in print, e-book, and audiobook formats, the authors we publish are as varied as the books themselves, including works by Gabriel Garca Mrquez, Ayn Rand, Ian Fleming, Karin Slaughter, Don Winslow, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and many more. Blackstone is home to a vibrant and eclectic community of storytellers and story lovers, providing superior content and offering hundreds of new titles each month.

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Breaking News - A&E Delves Into the Psyche of Dennis Rader in "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer" Featuring New Never-Before-Heard Conversations with...

CLIMATE PLEDGE - One benefit that Amazonhas provided society with is a reduction in shopping-related violence.

The once legendary fights over low-priced electrical items have moved online, and the fight is now between who has the fastest fingers and the fastest internet connection. Black Friday, however, continues to supercharge an already hyper-consumerist society and push us closer to climate breakdown. Extinction Rebellion (XR) decided to call out the major online retailer on its most profitable day by blocking fifteen fulfillment centers in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. The fulfillment centers blockaded account for 50% of Amazon deliveries in the UK. In all, more than thirty arrests were made as the environmental group brought attention to Amazons wasteful business practices, tax avoidance and worker exploitation.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) decided to call out the major online retailer on its most profitable day by blocking fifteen fulfillment centers in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

While XRs detractors claim businesses are being affected in tough economic times, one man who has certainly not been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. As people around the world hunkered down in their homes due to the deadly virus sweeping the planet, Amazon shares soared 8% as people switched to online shopping as bricks and mortar shops remained shuttered. In a single day in July 2020, the worlds richest man added $13 billion to his already burgeoning fortune. His net worth rose from $113 billion in March 2020 to over $200 billion today.

Now, many will counter that Mr. Bezos deserves his wealth because he had the foresight to start Amazon back in the early days of the internet and he is a hardworking benign genius. Its easy to understand this thinking, especially for dedicated followers of Ayn Rand, but on closer inspection, Mr. Bezos and his online empire have benefited from a broken system that he and his billionaire chums would like to stay broken. Amazon has put the nail in the coffin for many high street retailers, and modern-day high streets may be unrecognizable when the pandemic finally ends. Shops that once provided society with tax revenues to pay for education and health care have been replaced by a global behemoth that in 2018 had revenues of $233 billion and a market value approaching $1 trillion and yet paid no federal income taxes and actually got a tax refund of $129 million.

Wherever and whenever Amazon can avoid taxes, it does. In Europe, it transfers 90% of its operating profits to Luxembourg where it pays 7.25% instead of 29%. Its easy to see how Amazon is able to provide its products so cheaply and undercut its brick-and-mortar competitors when it doesnt need to play by the same rules as brick-and-mortar shops.

In addition to legal tax avoidance, Amazon is also infamous for its inhumane working conditions where workers routinely complain of being treated like robots and being denied even basic bathroom breaks. Workers complain of being fired for taking sick days during the pandemic and drivers tell of urinating and defecating in bottles and bags as they cannot afford to stop to use a bathroom.

To counter his increasingly negative reputation, Bezos announced a $10 billion pledge to help fight the climate and biodiversity crises. Again, kudos to Mr. Bezos, but lets remember that he paid four times as much money to make his ex-wife happy, and that he made more in a single day in 2020 than he is providing humanity in its fight for survival. In 2020, Bezos named the first recipients of his Earth Fund with $791 million going to sixteen organizations focussed on conservation. In the same year, he invested $1 billion in his vanity space project, no doubt hoping that he will have a Plan B should our ecosystems and societies collapse. Thats not the worst of it because Amazon is one of the biggest polluters in the U.S. His operation not only encourages wanton consumerism, which is the driving force behind the planetary collapse we are witnessing, but also produces more than 44 million metric tons (MMT) of fossil fuel waste. To put this into perspective, Amazons carbon footprint is more than those of the nation-states of Switzerland (38.95 MMT), Ireland (36.92MMT), Norway (39.8MMT) and Denmark (37.45MMT). In early 2019, 8,000 Amazon employees wrote a letter to Bezos asking him how the company was planning to address pollution and in September, 3,000 tech workers in Seattle walked out in protest at the companys inaction on the climate crisis. Additionally, the group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice claim more than 1,800 employees in over 25 cities and 14 countries walked off the job in protest.

As more and more people move online to do their shopping, companies like Amazon will be able to slash their prices even further due to tax avoidance and unethical working conditions, and rampant consumerism will be encouraged even more. Maybe its time we join the members of XR and Amazon workers themselves in calling out the company, and maybe we could even go one step further, or a few more than that, and actually walk into the town center to buy things we really need from a real person in a real shop. By continuing to fund Bezos mission to Mars, we are ensuring that he leaves an inhospitable planet mired in climate chaos behind him.

(Simon Whalleyis a writer for CommonDreams, an educator in Japan, the co-founder ofExtinction Rebellion Japanand the author of the upcoming book,Dear Indy: A Heartfelt Plea From a Climate Anxious Father.)

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This Is How Amazon Is Fueling the Climate Crisis - City Watch

Ideas have consequences is a maxim one hears in conservative intellectual circles. It was the title of a 1948 book by Richard Weaver. In the 1990s, I was a regular freelance writer forInsight on the News, a now-all-but-forgotten conservative magazine, where I first came into contact with Weavers contention that the ills of the world derived from long-dead philosophers, starting with William of Ockham. Weaver was long-dead by the time I was readingthis, but if I recall correctly,Insightran an essay under his byline without making that clear.

AWashington Postcolumn by Marc Thiessenhascaused a stir by blaming critical race theory on Immanuel Kant, quotingCivil Warhistorian Allen Guelzoto make that case. It wasnt the first time Id seen Kant show up in the Ockham role in a Weaver-type narrative. Ayn Rand called Kant the most evil man in mankinds history, whod undermined human reasonand madeway for Marxism and Nazism.Reading that long ago,Id no particular affinity for Kants philosophyIdlearnedinScientific Americanthat Kants antinomy of space didnt anticipate non-Euclidean geometrybut this most evil claim struck me as severely lacking evidence. I thought the samenowaboutCRTs putative Kantian origin, which soonwas widely criticized.

Ideas have consequences, but tracing specific things happening in the world today to particular thinkers of centuries past risks oversimplification and likely veers into obscurantism. Back atInsight, I oncewrote an articleabout alien visitations and how interest in them had risen inthe culture of the1990s; I interviewed a space policy analyst who said this phenomenon was a repackaging of first-century Gnosticism, a claim I happily quoted though Isuspectedit was bullshit.One might wonder why a space policy analyst would be talking about Gnosticism, or why a Civil War historian would be talking about Kant. Those are good questions, and the relevance of a quoted persons professional focus is a point that should be considered whenfact-checking.

At the same time, theremay be some tendency of people in, or enthused of, a particular profession to overestimate its influence. PercyByssheShelley wrote that poetsare the unacknowledged legislators of the world.John MaynardKeynesgave a similar role to the economics profession: Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defuncteconomist. Thereve been influential philosophers, poets and economists, but anemphasis on howaparticularprofession,or some of its key members,impacted history could reflectsome degree of disciplinary chauvinism.

I was an economics and history major. Philosophy, for me, was a subjecttinged withanxietybefore and during college; not something I was willing to make my main focus. Ive always had a love of esoteric topics, though, and over the years I veered into science journalism because ofinterests in physics, astronomy and biology thatarose, in major part, from philosophical preoccupations. I still think its good to have a double major, or a major and a minor, since numerous topics dont fit neatly into one discipline.

Unfortunately, the esoteric can also be deployed as a tool of distraction. If someone says some deep-rooted problem of current societyhas occurredbecause ofthe thinking of William of Ockham or Immanuel Kant, keep in mind the possibility that theyre changing the subject fromthe matter at hand, or perhaps from some other figure, such asan ex-president they support who tried to overturn an election.

Kenneth Silber is author ofIn DeWitts Footsteps: Seeing History on the Erie Canaland is on Twitter:@kennethsilber

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Ideas and Dubious Consequences - Splice Today

I dont normally care about cars. But then Im whipping down a desert highway in the middle of a sandstorm guided by magical glowing arrows into the warm embrace of Hermes himself. Suddenly, I care a lot about cars.

Such is the power of Forza Horizon 5s intro. Like a street performer doing something so wild you cant help but stop, stare, and drool, the first 10 minutes of Playground Games open-world racing title require your attention. Its not enough that the intro drops you out of a plane and onto the smoldering slopes of an active volcano. It drops you four times, in four different cars, into four vastly different Mexican biomes, all while the soundtrack thumps and bumps and barely lets up long enough for you to catch your breath before the next sequence begins.

The raw euphoria it conveys is so impressive that its easy to miss how fantastic of a tutorial it all is. In the same time it takes other games to wax poetic about Ayn Rand, or convince Vaas to stop talking, Forza Horizon 5 has already shown you:

Whats more, it does all of this without actually saying all that much. Theres a button prompt for the Rewind ability (possibly because I had smashed into a palm tree after my eyes rolled back into my head), and it tells you how to change your perspective (the first-person cameras are not welcome in my household), but by and large, Forza Horizon 5 understands that youre mainly just here to haul ass. For a solid eight out of 10 minutes, my pedal was smooching the floor. By the time I crossed the finish line and stumbled, dazed, into the meat of the game, with its cavalcade of activities, checklists, and challenges, I was hooked. Nay, I was obsessed. I needed more cars with which to see more of this world as soon as possible.

One day after Forza Horizon 5s official release, Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced that more than 4.5 million players had already played the game across Windows PC, Xbox consoles, and cloud gaming. It was also the largest launch day for an Xbox Game Studios title, and reached three times the number of peak concurrent players as Forza Horizon 4s launch.

That last figure doesnt surprise me. Forza Horizon 5 launched on Xbox Game Pass, after all, a service with 18 million subscribers as of January, and a reported 23 million in April. Its hard to imagine any of those players booting up, downloading this game, and not sticking around to see those first 10 minutes through to the end. Its also not hard to imagine them being hooked like I was, and drawn into the absolute waterfall of cars to unlock.

Im speculating wildly here, but it feels as if Playground Games designed this intro specifically for Game Pass subscribers a player base that would be coming across Forza Horizon 5 much like we used to come across rental games at the supermarket. The intro is ecstatic and momentous, its energy contagious. And as soon as its over, Playground Games beckons to the rest of its sweeping landscape, replete with tropical storms, Aztec ruins, and shiny cars, all but daring you to go play another game.

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Forza Horizon 5s amazing intro shows why its a huge hit on Game Pass - Polygon

There is no Covid zero. But, through vaccines and better treatments, we can learn to live with the virus. So argues Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins and one of the most consistent and reasonable voices through the pandemic.

Right now, though, Colorado is getting crushed by the Fifth Wave of the Pandemic. Measured by daily cases or daily hospitalizations, this wave threatened to become the states worst into the holiday season, according to a November 3 modeling report from the Anschutz Colorado School of Public Health. (See also my summary.) That report estimates the true number of cases, far higher than the number of positive tests. The strain on hospitals prompted the state to institute crisis standards of care regarding staffing and to consider further emergency measures.

Covid-related deaths also spiked in this Fifth Wave, although the total deaths during the wave remain far below those of the brutal Third Wave, which peaked on December 9 with 80 deaths in a single day. That one wave accounts for around 4,000 deaths, nearly half of the total.

As Adalja points out, better treatments have helped reduce the death toll. Doctors found that better oxygen management, dexamethasone (a steroid), remdesivir (an antiviral), and monoclonal antibodies can help. Both Merck and Pfizer are working on new antivirals that hopefully will prove to be game-changers. Britain already has ordered hundreds of thousands of doses, Reuters reports.

And vaccines have proved highly (not perfectly) effective against infection, hospitalization, and death. As of November 12, 81% of people hospitalized for Covid at that time were unvaccinated, even though the unvaccinated made up less than 30% of the population. Based on data from September and October that compared vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, the unvaccinated were 3.8 times as likely to test positive for Covid, 9.7 times as likely to be hospitalized with Covid, and 12.4 times as likely to die from the disease.

As the Anschutz report shows, vaccinations also benefit others. The report splits Colorado into eleven regions and charts Covid hospital admissions per hundred-thousand people against percent of the population in the region vaccinated. It then does the same for Covid deaths per million. Two facts clearly emerge: The unvaccinated are at substantially higher risk, and more-heavily vaccinated regions better-protect everyone.

In the reports words: The toll of [the virus] SARS-CoV-2 is most severe in regions where vaccination rates are low and among unvaccinated populations. Vaccinated individuals in high-vaccination regions have the lowest hospital and mortality rates in the state. Conversely, unvaccinated individuals in low-vaccination regions have the highest hospital and mortality rates in the state. Notably, unvaccinated individuals in high-vaccination regions have lower hospitalization and mortality rates than unvaccinated individuals in low-vaccination regions, suggesting that vaccination is protecting not only the vaccinated, but reducing transmission risk in regions with high vaccination coverage.

True, immunity gained from vaccines, as well as immunity gained from infection, wanes somewhat over time. And antibody levels vary widely from one individual to another after an infection, notes the Washington Post based on a CDC report. Its clear that getting vaccinated after an infection increases immunity; its safe to say that being exposed to the virus after getting vaccinated does the same. (My wife had mild Covid symptoms for a few days after being exposed to our test-positive son, having previously gotten the Johnson and Johnson shot.)

Waning immunity prompted Governor Polis to declare on November 11 that the entirety of Colorado is a high-risk setting, enabling anyone over 18 to get a booster shot.

So why did Colorado get hit so hard with this wave? Eric Topol Tweeted a map of U.S. hotspots. On August 7, the southeast, including Florida, was hard hit. On November 7, the northwest, including Colorado, was. A good explanation Ive heard is that, as the weather cooled, more people went outside in the southeast but inside in the northwest. And of course the virus spreads easier indoors. The Anschutz report isnt sure of that, though, saying, The extent to which weather is driving the current surge is unclear.

That report does find, Population movement is at or beyond pre-pandemic levels. Increasingly, people are out living their lives normally.

Interestingly, the Anschutz report also finds, We examined mask-wearing patterns using public survey data. Facebook survey data do not show a sharp downturn in reported use of masks coincident with the timing of the surge. In fact, there is a gradual increase in mask wearing, particularly in Boulder and Larimer counties, which recently implemented mask mandates, which may explain why Colorados increase in SARS-CoV-2 spread has been more gradual than other states. We do not see evidence that a decrease in mask wearing is driving the current surge.

Eventually this wave will quiet down, but right now its severe. The way I look at it, at this point, people who dont get vaccinated who end up in the hospital or in the morgue are, for the most part, victims of their own choices. The people I most worry about are the relative few number of vaccinated people who get a serious breakthrough case, the people who have a harder time getting medical care for non-Covid problems, and the healthcare professionals working with Covid patients who have faced an absolutely punishing couple of years.

Covid aint going away. But its damage to our lives will lessen with time. Through our prudent choices we can mitigate the damage of this wave and help make Covid a low-level background disease. And that will be victory enough.

Ari Armstrong writes regularly for Complete Colorado and is the author of books about Ayn Rand, Harry Potter, and classical liberalism. He can be reached at ari at ariarmstrong dot com.

Our unofficial motto at Complete Colorado is Always free, never fake, but annoyingly enough, our reporters, columnists and staff all want to be paid in actual US dollars rather than our preferred currency of pats on the back and a muttered kind word. Fact is that theres an entire staff working every day to bring you the most timely and relevant political news (updated twice daily) from around the state on Completes main page aggregator, as well as top-notch original reporting and commentary on Page Two.

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Armstrong: Learning to live with Covid Complete Colorado Page Two - Complete Colorado