Chris Lehmann at The Baffler writes—Junk Merchants: WITH AMERICA’S POLITICAL ORDER settling into a seemingly permanent state of crisis-on-autopilot, it is just a matter of time before the paper economy follows suit. Last week’s dramatic Wall Street selloffs saw the Dow Jones roster shed around 4 percent of its collective value. Tech stocks, always at the frothiest tip of investment bubbles, took an especially pronounced beating. Jeff Bezos, the Amazon impresario, lost (as of last Wednesday) a cool $9.1 billion in net worth, more than triple Mark Zuckerberg’s bracing $2.5 billion market bath. But just as reliably as investors clamor to a stampede of wealth destruction, market savants and the shills of the business press adjourn to their Bloomberg terminals and CNBC podiums to issue reassuring directives about the soundness of the market’s overall direction, bumpy selloffs and localized panics notwithstanding. When a similar downturn wracked Wall Street in February, Bloomberg editor Robert Burgess insisted that all was well, so far as underlying fundamentals and such were concerned: corporate profits were outperforming expectations, the WTO had revised its global growth forecasts upward, and traditional shelters against panic such as Treasury bonds were not seeing appreciable gains. All of which proved true enough—until it didn’t. The October market swoon has, in fact, already seen boosts in Treasuries and gold prices, suggesting that this bout of jitters might have some basis in broader economic conditions. More worrying still is the massive over-leveraging of the corporate economy, which according to a recent report by Burgess’s employer, has seen more than $1 trillion in investment money careening toward junk-bond status. Indeed, the main reason all this merger-driven debt hasn’t received a forthright junk rating is due to the reliably corrupt practices of the industry-captive debt-rating racket. In their survey of the fifty largest mergers-and-acquisition deals of the past year, Bloomberg’s Molly Smith and Christopher Cannon noted that “by one key measure, more than half of the acquiring companies pushed their leverage to levels typical of junk-rated peers. But those companies . . . have been allowed to maintain investment-grade ratings by Moody’s Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings.” But of course, few economic commentators are talking about the sink hole of shitty debt opening up beneath the Dow Jones trading floor—any more than they were inclined, circa 2007, to wonder whether housing prices would succumb to the laws of gravity. No, the flight of investment capital merely marks the onset of a fresh round of inflation jitters among our titans of finance, as the Fed prepares to further nudge up interest rates. After operating with a virtually unlimited supply of free money over the past decade, the masters of our financial universe are adapting to a reconfigured investment environment the best way they know how—by hoovering up all available cash and going home to count their T-bills. Market watchers also claim that investment headwinds are stirring up from political quarters, with President Trump’s trade war with China and the likelihood of a Democratic takeover of the House heading up this impressionistic list of possible culprits. [...] TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES QUOTATION “In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it.”                 ~~Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 399 BCE TWEET OF THE DAY xSomeone sent George Soros a pipe bomb. Where are the civility police? Where are the folks who were apoplectic over Mitch McConnell’s awkward experience at a Cuban restaurant?— Janet Johnson (@JJohnsonLaw) October 23, 2018 BLAST FROM THE PAST On this date at Daily Kos in 2017—Two-man company that got $300 million Puerto Rico contract tied to Trump officials, GOP donors: This is how the local news media describes Whitefish Energy. The company was established in 2015. It doesn’t have an office and only lists two employees.  Whitefish Energy is little more than a post office box. They grab temporary employees and toss them at small construction jobs—with an emphasis on small. The largest electrical line constructed by Whitefish coming into 2017 was less than five miles long. And yet, Whitefish has acquired the contract to repair the 2,400 miles of electrical lines in Puerto Rico over not just other private companies, but instead of calling in other power companies under an existing series of mutual aid agreements. Why not exercise those agreements—which brought more than 30,000 utility workers to Florida to repair utilities after Hurricane Irma—rather than count on a tiny company which has brought in 280 temporary workers and is slowly hiring more? No one seems to know. On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Trump's lies are record-breaking and huge, triggering everyday racism and now, bomb attacks. SCOTUS already protecting the Trump gang. Rachel and Travis, the @IrreverentDuo, disrupt and dissect the Kumbaya jam over CO’s Amendments X & Y. x Embedded Content RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)

There have been volumes upon volumes written in treatises on the nature of governments. And while I will not use this space to argue the merits of John Locke or Friedrich Engels, it’s been my observation democracy relies on a certain amount of faith to function. Not a religious faith in the fantastical or the mystical, but a secular faith which believes in the people who are our neighbors. The practical reality is a functioning society is held together by tenuous interconnected threads. It’s a belief the people we live with will more likely than not treat us with fairness and kindness, and if they don’t there are ways to make things right. It’s part of being a “community,” and the basis from which other sorts of faith in concepts like justice and equality flow from. We live in a community that’s built skyscrapers which touch the clouds, and put people on the Moon. But it’s also a community which many times fails us is some of the most tragic and unnecessary ways imaginable. Our closest neighbors have all too often disappointed us in their decisions and values, especially when those qualities are all too often based in ignorance, fear, and hate. When I'm feeling good about the direction of the United States, when there’s something which genuinely seems like progress, it’s like a scene out of West Wing where the music swells and one can almost sense an American flag flapping mightily in their heads. However, in recent years, this feels more like a prequel series to The Handmaid’s Tale, where the very nature of truth and reality is under assault with a significant part of our community either not giving a shit or giggling at the madness. As election day approaches, I’ve thought about those moments. I’ve thought about which points in time I’ve been at either spectrum of emotions. So I thought I would posit these questions tonight: Which moments in politics have been resonating points in your life, for either good or bad? Which moments stand out as times which made you angry, made you cry, or made you pump your fist in the air in victory?

The Washington Post has a longish read on just how the Saudi Arabian monarchy maintains such warm relations with Washington despite all those things it keeps doing and let's just cut to the chase on this one: It's because money. Saudi Arabia is very rich, and lobbyists are very cheap. The kingdom’s spending on U.S. lobbying and consulting, which had dropped from $14.3 million in 2015 to $7.7 million in 2016, surged to $27.3 million last year, according to public records. [...] Between 2016 and 2017, the think tank received between $1.25 million and $4 million in funding from Saudi interests, according to its public disclosures. [...] Michael Petruzzello — who took on the kingdom as a client after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and whose communications firm Qorvis MSLGROUP reported $6.3 million in lobbying fees from the Saudis in 2016 and 2017 [...] This doesn't count the defense spending, which is far more substantial, but is a good reminder of just how little money it takes to steer this nation's policies in whatever direction you might want them steered. Twenty-seven million dollars is, for the world's most wealthy individuals, pocket change. Twenty-seven million dollars is enough to build a decent mansion or a very nice boat or, if you are bored or insecure, dozens and dozens of people who will write nice things about you in the nation's top editorial pages. It's also a reminder that if you don't have 27 million dollars, you don't get to lobby Congress. Try showing up in a Senate office without 27 million dollars and Mitch McConnell will give a speech decrying the shoddy state of our national discourse these days. I'm of course simplifying. The historic reason for our nation's «close» relationship with the Saudi family dictatorship is because the nation's relative if somewhat murder-contingent stability made it an ideal foothold in the Middle East back when the United States and the Soviet Union were playing proxy games throughout the world. It has oil, and gargantuan reserves of it, and America needs oil more than it needs children, farmland, or oxygen. Saudi Arabia is so vital to the oil markets, or once was, that they could and did tweak oil prices based on how needed they wanted to feel at any given point in time; caught murdering a journalist outside the confines of their country, they are now intoning similar threats about what fine oil markets we all have these days and how we wouldn't want anything to happen to those. Protect the vote: Sign up to be a non-partisan poll monitor on Election Day.

A Republican incumbent as awful as Montana Rep. Greg Gianforte can make it difficult to focus on a Democratic challenger’s good qualities. “Didn’t assault a reporter and then lie about it” may be a low bar, but only one candidate in a two-way race involving Gianforte can clear it. But an endorsement by the Missoulian manages to focus on Daily Kos-endorsed candidate Kathleen Williams’s good qualities like wow: Not to be too dramatic about it, but Kathleen Williams is the congressional candidate Montana has been waiting for. Experienced. Knowledgeable. Thoughtful. Measured. Most remarkably, Williams exudes that unique combination of grit and camaraderie that embodies the very best traits of Montanans, and which is an essential trait of any truly great statesman. While the endorsement does cite Gianforte’s assault of a reporter—which caused the newspaper to withdraw its endorsement of him in last spring’s special election—it devotes much more attention to Williams’s impressive qualifications: Williams has worked for the U.S. Forest Service and has lead nonprofit conservation organizations, managed the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks water resources program and was a lead staffer for the Montana Environmental Quality Council. With more than 35 years’ experience in natural resources, Williams deeply understands the complexities of lands management as well as how various agencies operate. [...] Williams also has more years of legislative experience. She was first elected to the Montana Legislature in 2010 and served three terms, during which she built a reputation for earning bipartisan support on a range of legislation dealing with everything from health insurance to water policy to for-profit public benefit corporations. GET OUT THE VOTE for Democrats. Just click here, enter your zip code, choose the event that works best for you,​ and RSVP to attend. Don't stop there! Can you give Kathleen Williams $3 to help beat Greg Gianforte?

Twelve years after leaving the Supreme Court to help her husband cope with Alzheimer’s disease, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has announced in an open letter that she, too, is facing the beginnings of dementia, and will be retreating from the spotlight. Friends and fellow Americans, I want to share some personal news with you. Some time ago, doctors diagnosed me with the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease. As this condition has progressed, I am no longer able to participate in public life. Since many people have asked about my current status and activities, I want to be open about these changes, and while I am still able, share some personal thoughts. The letter comes just one day after the Associated Press confirmed that she was having “challenges with her short-term memory.”  O’Connor, now 88, has not appeared in public for more than two years.  “When she hit about 86 years old she decided that it was time to slow things down, that she’d accomplished most of what she set out to do in her post-retirement years, that she was getting older physically and her memory was starting to be more challenging, so the time came to dial back her public life,” said Jay O’Connor. His mother is no longer doing interviews. As the first woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court, O’Connor has long been a hero and role model to women and girls across the nation. Appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor remained the only woman on the bench of nine until 1993, when she was joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Longtime Donald Trump associate Roger Stone is heading down a road oft traveled by other Trump associates. In a recently taped fundraising plea, Stone assured his viewers that even though Special Counsel Robert Mueller was probing «every aspect» of his life to get him to flip on Trump, he wouldn't do it. «This I will not do,» Stone pledged resolutely, and then went on to qualify that statement in his very next breath. «When I say I won’t roll on the president, what I mean is I will not be forced to make up lies to bring him down.” Wow, how defiant. Sure, Trump's fringe base thinks that's what Mueller's doing—trying to squeeze Trump associates until they lie. But in the real world, Mueller's actually looking for facts, which means Stone could totally flip on Trump, give up truths about the campaign, and still not violate the pledge he just made not to »make up lies.« In other words, a doublespeaking double-crosser just left the door open to cooperate with Mueller even as he begged his likely pro-Trump viewership for money to cover his legal fees. Stone's appeal comes at a time when a grand jury has been hearing »more than a dozen hours« of testimony about whether Stone or other Trump associates knew in advance of the WikiLeaks plan to release a trove of hacked Democratic emails. In all, Mueller's team has interviewed at least seven associates of Stone, according to the Washington Post. Stone, who presciently predicted in August 2016 that Clinton campaign chair John Podesta would soon have his »time in the barrel," has denied having any prior knowledge. The Post writes: As Election Day neared in 2016, Stone continued his predictions. On Sunday, Oct. 2, he tweeted, “Wednesday @HillaryClinton is done. #WikiLeaks.” When there was no release on Wednesday, Oct. 5, he tweeted, “Libs thinking Assange will stand down are wishful thinking. Payload coming #Lockthemup.” Two days after Stone’s “payload” tweet, WikiLeaks published the first tranche of Podesta’s emails — and then dropped new batches nearly daily before the November vote. In addition, Stone made repeated public comments in which he claimed to have contact with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

The stock slipped 9% to Rs 970 on the BSE in early morning trade on Wednesday after the stock turned ex-date for the proposed buy-back.

The ex-trader, Rohan Ramchandani, is on trial in federal court in New York

The man who brought us Toy Story is hanging up his boots.

Better out than in?

Mistry Ventures LLP will «provide strategic insights and advice to businesses, incubate new ventures and provide seed, early stage and growth capital to startups in India and globally,» the company said in a statement.

Market analysts said expanding of positions by traders following hardening of demand from alloy makers in the spot market was instrumental in rise in nickel prices.

With their loud noises and hard plastic flanges, breast pumps are the bane of many a new mother’s existence. Founded in 2013, Naya Health is one of the most notable tech startups working on a better pump. But the company’s support site is now shutdown and it’s stopped updating its social media accounts. In a […]

Cloudflare is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering with a potential valuation of more than $3.5 billion. According to Reuters, the IPO would take place in the first half of 2019 and be led by Goldman Sachs. This year is expected to be a strong one for cybersecurity stock debuts, thanks in part to […]

Some Amazon Alexa users are currently having problems reaching the voice assistant. Instead of reacting to commands, Alexa simply says “sorry, something went wrong.” Amazon hasn’t commented publicly yet on the issue. Based on tweets and Down Detector, users began having trouble reaching Alexa around 7AM PST. While some had their connection issues resolved quickly, […]

As you encounter new experiences and form new memories, your brain changes. Now, researchers show that some of these change occur in a brain region devoted to visual perception.

Galaxy clusters are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars. It has long been known that when a galaxy falls into a cluster, star formation is fairly rapidly shut off in a process known as 'quenching.' A new study has made the best measurement yet of the quenching timescale, measuring how it varies across 70 percent of the history of the universe.

Six children at a New Jersey healthcare facility have died in an outbreak of adenovirus, a virus that can cause cold and flu-like symptoms.

HILO, Hawaii (AP) - Officials say about 2,000 people have visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park each day since it partially reopened last month. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane says visitation last month is «about on par» with September 2017, a typically slower month for tourism on the ...

HONOLULU (AP) - Turtle Bay Resort has slated a $52 million exterior hotel and landscape renovation to begin next year, the first phase of a large redevelopment plan. The Honolulu star-Advertiser reports the resort on Oahu's North Shore was recently acquired for about $330 million by Blackstone Group, which is ...

Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha announced that it has tapped architectural firm Snohetta to lead a major expansion project. According to the press release, the expansion plan will include adding new galleries to showcase more art in an architecturally inspiring space; support greater breadth and depth of public programming and art education opportunities offered by Joslyn; and create an environment that heightens the Museum experience and exceeds visitors’ expectations.The museum also plans to revamp the institution’s Memorial Building and Walter and Norman Foster — designed additionally, in 1931 and 1994, respectively.“The proposed new galleries will allow Joslyn to meet the demands and explore the possibilities of a growing permanent collection, including the gift of 50 works from the nationally-renowned Phillip G. Schrager Collection of Contemporary Art, announced in June 2016,” states the museum.The museum says that additional gallery space will also increase flexibility in existing buildings for showcasing works previously not on view due to space constraints. Examples include selections from the Museum’s expansive collection of works on paper as well as Joslyn’s historic and contemporary Indigenous collections, which will soon be reinvigorated by a curator of Native American art, a position newly-funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.“The Museum is one of Nebraska’s greatest assets, and this project will allow it to be and do more . . . show more art, welcome more people, elevate the visitor experience, and offer many more teaching moments. This physical and programmatic expansion will happen with the utmost care and respect for the two remarkable and beloved buildings that presently comprise Joslyn. Snohetta is an outstanding firm, and a perfect fit for this project, not only for their visionary design, but also for their commitment to honoring the legacy of the Museum and celebrating what Joslyn means to us, to our city, and to Nebraska,” says Joslyn Art Museum executive director and CEO Jack Becker.Commenting on the project, Craig Dykers, founding partner says, “Omaha’s place in the great landscape of the American West is a wonderful inspiration to us. Together with Joslyn’s rich collections of art spanning the globe and its dynamic relationship with the communities that sustain it, create a powerful platform to begin designing the next phase of its life, for future generations. All of us at Snohetta are energized and honored to be a part of the work.”http://www.blouinartinfo.com/                                                              Founder: Louise Blouin 

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The new superintendent of Yellowstone National Park said Tuesday he won't consider capping the number of visitors to the nation's first national park, which is on pace to attract more than 4 million visitors for the fourth consecutive year. "Any thoughts on a visitation cap in ...

It’s been a common refrain through every Marvel Netflix show. Really, it’s a recurring problem with a lot of Netflix dramas. The acting can be great, the story can be entertaining, but so […] The post ‘Daredevil’ Season 3 Review: ‘Daredevil’ Overcomes Both its Past and Netflix Drag appeared first on Geek.com.

Superheroes are inherently theatrical and stylish. Captain America doesn’t fight evil in an American flag tee from Walmart. Green Lantern’s spandex is functionally useless but it looks cool, so we don’t ask questions […] The post 7 Sneakers Your Favorite DC Superhero Would Wear appeared first on Geek.com.

Fresh Panthers visit stale Islanders

Everson Griffen is back. The Vikings announced this evening that the defensive end will resume team activities tomorrow. The three-time Pro Bowler appeared in two games with Minnesota earlier this season, compiling six tackles and one sack. However, in late September we learned that Griffen was away from the team as he dealt with a “serious, personal health-related issue.” Following several bizarre incidents, the organization said the 30-year-old wouldn’t be returning to the team until he was in a better state of mind (other reports indicated that he was barred from the team until he underwent a mental health evaluation). Fortunately, it sounds like Griffen is doing better, allowing him to return to the field. “We have been in communication with Everson’s medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson,” general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. “Weare excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him a

Three days after participating in an on-court altercation between the Lakers and Rockets, and two days after being suspended for his involvement in that fight, Rajon Rondo told ESPN on Tuesday that he didn’t intentionally spit on Chris Paul and offered some harsh criticism of the Houston point guard. “I had a mouthpiece in my mouth and I exasperated because I was about to tell him to ‘Get the [expletive] out of here,'” Rondo said. “Look at my body language [in the video]. My hands on my hips. I turn away for a second. Look at Eric [Gordon] and Melo [Carmelo Anthony] in the video. If they saw me spit, they would have turned their face up or something. They had no reaction.” Rondo, who was displeased that he received a longer suspension than Paul, bemoaned the fact that both the NBA and the media – in his view – sided with CP3’s account of what happened on Saturday. League sources tell ESPN that Rondo claimed he was provoked into throwing a punch at Paul after the Rockets guard poked a finger into his face and

The Lakers lost their third consecutive game to open the 2018-19 season on Monday night, dropping their record to 0-3 and making them one of four NBA teams that remains winless. However, speaking after the game to reporters, including ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, LeBron James said that he’s not fazed by his new team’s slow start. “It’s not tough,” James said after the loss to the Spurs. “I know what I got myself into. It’s a process. I get it. And it will be fine. … I didn’t come here thinking we were going to be blazing storms right out of the gate. It’s a process, and I understand that.” There have been some concerning signs for the Lakers in their first three games — the club has allowed 131.7 points per contest, has only shot 28.7% on three-pointers, and has struggled to get reliable production from the center position, relying last night on newly-signed two-way player Johnathan Williams for key minutes down the stretch. Still, the Lakers’ schedule so far has featured three strong Western Conference opponents

The recent trespassing arrest of Chad Kelly might be more than just an embarrassing moment for the quarterback. It could cost him his job with the Denver Broncos. According to a report, general manager John Elway is so upset about it that releasing Kelly is an option Kelly certainly doesn’t have any on-field equity built up. He was a seventh-round pick in 2017, and in his first two seasons has seen action for all of one play and has yet to even throw a pass. Additionally, we must remember that Kelly had character issues while in college. So, any additional issues that came were only going to add to his problems.

The New York Giants are 1-6 and seem to be in sell mode, but that does not mean they’re getting rid of quarterback Eli Manning. Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was on WFAN for an interview on Tuesday and was asked whether he thinks Manning will still be the team’s quarterback after the trade deadline passes next week. He said yes. Manning has also said he can’t imagine playing for another team. Manning has been the team’s quarterback since 2004. His consecutive games streak as the team’s starter was controversially ended last year when Ben McAdoo started Geno Smith in his place. Manning looks no better this year and seems to be holding the Giants back, which is why there’s talk of him potentially being moved, though he could block deals with his no-trade clause. The Giants traded former first-round pick Eli Apple on Tuesday and may look to trade more players ahead of the deadline.