Author: A.T.

So it turns out a lot of us were duped.  Read about Russian troll farms — Russians posing as Americans.  The former KGB — headed ultimately by a man who murders journalists and political opponents (but with whom our president has a special relationship) — invested in a massive operation to beat Clinton.  They came within just 3 million votes of pulling that off, enough to give Putin what he wanted.

There was a time when that would have bothered most Americans.  But that was before we all got great health care at a tiny fraction of the cost.

In small part:

. . . The Russian information attack on the election did not stop with the hacking and leaking of Democratic emails or the fire hose of stories, true, false and in between, that battered Mrs. Clinton on Russian outlets like RT and Sputnik. Far less splashy, and far more difficult to trace, was Russia’s experimentation on Facebook and Twitter, the American companies that essentially invented the tools of social media and, in this case, did not stop them from being turned into engines of deception and propaganda.

. . . On Wednesday, Facebook officials disclosed that they had shut down several hundred accounts that they believe were created by a Russian company linked to the Kremlin and used to buy $100,000 in ads pushing divisive issues during and after the American election campaign.

On Twitter, as on Facebook, Russian fingerprints are on hundreds or thousands of fake accounts that regularly posted anti-Clinton messages. Many were automated Twitter accounts, called bots, that sometimes fired off identical messages seconds apart — and in the exact alphabetical order of their made-up names, according to the FireEye researchers. . . .

I’ve previously plugged Parvez Sharma’s A Sinner In Mecca: A Gay Muslim’s Hajj of Defiance.  Now comes the first substantive review.  To 100 million LGBT Muslims, or to the rest of us who hope to see Islam modernize, it’s a book worth reading.

As hurricanes threaten many of our friends and neighbors, it seems silly, or perhaps even heartless, to write about anything else.

But as several of you asked why BOREF dropped from $5 to $2 yesterday, I thought I should respond.  The drop was on a volume of 1600 shares.  Presumably, some trusting soul — or perhaps the executor of an estate that held the shares — placed an order to sell those shares “at the market” and his broker, or some other dealer, paid $2.  Scandalous.  Had the seller placed a limit of $5, that’s the price he or she would have received.  And that remains the price at which shares are currently offered.  Nothing has changed.

Have a great weekend . . . as we all hope for the best for those in peril.

This New York Times op-ed by Lawrence Krauss is magnificent (if you ask me).

 . . . Even in our own solar system, we expected the moons of Jupiter and Saturn were merely dead lumps of rock or frozen snowballs, whereas we now understand that several have warm oceans underneath a coating of ice — ideal potential breeding grounds for what may be independent forms of life. . . .

It’s such a miracle that we’ve climbed out of the trees and come to this point where — in just the last 100 years, barely an instant in geological time — we’ve figured it all out (well, a crazy lot of it); can fly through the air while eating dinner and watching a movie (some birds can’t even fly) . . . even detect warm oceans beneath the surface of distant moons.

At the rate things are going, we have just a few decades — if that — to solve the ultimate mystery: how to live with each other.   Sustainably, without rendering our tiny planet uninhabitable — or otherwise going extinct.  There are so many ways this could go wrong.

But what a privilege (and responsibility) to be around to help make it go right.

Read the op-ed?

By Myriam Miedzian:  Never Again: Learning From The Trump Tragedy.

. . . How could so many working class and middle-class people be so stupid as to support this ignorant megalomaniac con artist billionaire demagogue whose deepest commitment was to huge tax cuts for the very rich including himself? . . .

. . .  the majority of Trump supporter are not stupid and not part of anti-Semitic and racist Nazi groups. Racism, opposition to abortion, clinging to traditional gender roles, play a part for some, but primarily they are enraged about what they experience as being pushed to the end of the line in terms of jobs and educational opportunities, being attacked by self-righteous left-wingers for being selfish, stupid, and racist . . .

Worth reading in full.

As is Clive Crook: Why People Still Support Trump.

“It’s not all about bigotry and ignorance,” he argues.

He’s right.

Yet, as you’ll see, he sets up a straw man when he says, “There are two main theories of Trump’s support. One is that a large minority of Americans — 40 percent, give or take — are racist idiots. This theory is at least tacitly endorsed by the Democratic Party and the mainstream liberal media.”

I don’t know anyone in the Democratic Party or mainstream media who believes 40 percent of Americans — i.e., everyone who voted for Trump — is a racist idiot.  Clearly there are some.  You saw racists marching with tiki torches. And if there are idiots who vote, it would not be surprising if they were quicker than non-idiots to believe Trump would get them “great health care at a tiny fraction of the cost.”

But to the extent Trump voters perceive the Party and mainstream media to view them this way — as the right wants them to, and as posts like Clive Crook’s tell them we do — it takes a toll.  Perception is reality.  Unless and until proven otherwise, we should assume that any individual Trump supporter is a core a smart, good person — the bill-of-goods they bought notwithstanding.

If you’ve not seen the seven-minute Ben Wittes “impeachment” clip, watch it now.  Far from shrill, its power derives from its thoughtfulness.

If you don’t know just how evil Trump’s “great public servant” Sheriff Arpaio is — I didn’t — read it here.  (“The word ‘racist’ isn’t enough. The word ‘abusive’ isn’t enough. Joe Arpaio’s actions over the course of his time in office were monstrous.”)* Oh, and look — that pardon might conceivably not stand, after all.

Arpaio.  Putin.  Bannon.  Sater (stabbed a guy in the face and neck with a broken margarita glass). Erdogan.  Tough guys Trump likes.  Carl Icahn.

Last summer, I told you my Carl Icahn story, a tale of hard-heartedness, ego, and suicide.  But to Trump, Icahn — like Roy Cohn — has been a role model. Elect him, Trump said, and he’d drain the swamp.  No Goldman Sachs guys to protect the carried-interest loophole that he promised to repeal (oops — guess what) . . . no, he would appoint amazing deal makers like Carl Icahn.  According to this piece in the New Yorker that you may have heard about — “Carl Icahn’s Failed Raid On Washington” — it didn’t work out so well.

Icahn is worth more than the Trump family and all the members of the Cabinet combined—and, with no constraint on his license to counsel the President on regulations that might help his businesses, he was poised to become much richer. Robert Weissman, who runs the watchdog group Public Citizen, told me, “This kind of self-enrichment and influence over decision-making by an individual mogul who is simultaneously inside and outside the Administration is unprecedented. In terms of corruption, there’s nothing like it. Maybe ever.” In conversations with me, financiers who have worked with Icahn described his appointment as a kind of corporate raid on Washington. One said, “It’s the cheapest takeover Carl’s ever done.”

Have a great long weekend!

Here, in the indispensable New York Times.  We should so, so, so, so not screw up the Iran deal.  If only we had been so successful in North Korea.

We only have one president at a time, but how we miss the last one.  Did you see Caroline Randall Williams’ op-ed? Also in the indispensable New York Times.  

Speaking of whom, his Foundation sent this helpful email Monday:

Hello Andrew —

All weekend, people in Houston, across the Gulf Coast, and around the country have been pitching in to aid those affected by the devastating flooding in southeastern Texas.

We’ve been inspired by the acts of citizens aiding their neighbors, the first responders at work on the ground, and the people around the country who have come together to support those in need.

Help is still needed, and there are many ways for you to contribute from anywhere. Here are some of the organizations providing urgent relief and essential services to the people affected by Hurricane Harvey:

Red Cross
The American Red Cross is working around the clock to provide safe shelter and comfort for the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is assisting in the care of thousands of displaced Texans, and working to restore homes. Learn more about how to support their efforts here.

Save the Children
Save the Children is delivering family-friendly relief supplies, setting up child-friendly spaces in shelters, providing specially trained staff to help children, and planning for long-term recovery needs. Support their Hurricane Harvey relief efforts here.

Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is providing immediate food distribution to families most in need. Donate now or learn more about how to volunteer at houstonfoodbank.org.

If you’re able, please do what you can to help out. As President Obama said, that’s what we do as Americans.

Thank you,

The Obama Foundation

Finally, an after-thought to Jim Burt’s excellent solution to the statue situation.  (That we leave the statues, but append accurate thumbnails.  E.g., “Nathaniel Bedford Forrest: a slave trader and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan, his racial hatred helped to inspire thousands of murders and church bombings.”)  Jim adds, for the equestrian statues: “It occurs to me that one other thing that could be done is to turn them 180 degrees so that the public would see a horse’s ass every time they drive by.  They do already, but then it would be obvious.”

Take Bundler’s quiz to find out.  It’s free.  And new.  All feedback welcome.

Or skip the quiz and use the main site to find stuff you want to see.  There are so many ways to watch I Love Lucy!  And Veep!

Or maybe you want to quickly see how many seasons there’ve been (six) and a quick synopsis of each episode.  (Oh!  I remember that one!)

Or find amazing old movies like “Z” that you can apparently rent on Amazon for $2.99 (and should).  Or watch free on FilmStruck (of which I’d never heard) with their $6.99/month membership — or free trial.  “A constantly refreshed library of hard to find and critically acclaimed films.  Rare footage and special features. Available to stream at any time.”  You never heard of “Z”?  Now you have.

I’m just beginning to explore Bundler (full disclosure: the founder is a friend; I’m lightly invested), and they will likely be adding functionality . . . but play around and let me know what you think?  How it could be better?  It’s fun to get in on the ground floor.  (Searching on which, I find this two-season “workplace comedy with a romantic twist.”)

Are you old enough to remember TV Guide?  Bundler.com would appear to be the ultimate TV  guide.  Even for those with no TV.

News Flash:  It’s fake.

But did you know that our fake president was — for real, in 2013 — inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame?

Ah, the dignity!

Fellow hall of famers include Bobo Brazil, Gorilla Monsoon, George “the Animal” Steele, the Fabulous Moolah, Junkyard Dog, and sex-tape racist Hulk Hogan.

Ah, the achievement!

(Another achievement: telling 1,094 lies in seven months.  Surely there must be a hall of fame for that?)

If you missed it, the Washington Post reminds us just how much Trump models his presidency after professional wrestling.  No joke.

Colin Powell had it right from the outset: the man is a “national embarrassment.”

This can’t end soon enough.

Next week your kids or grandkids start school, but here is the report card for Success Academy charter schools — #1 in New York State.

With 46 schools and 15,500 students this year, the Success Academy network is now the size of the state’s 7th largest school district. On this year’s state exams, 95% of Success students passed math and 84% passed [English] — making Success #1 for student achievement in New York State.

As long-time readers of this page know, over and over (and over and over): the Success Academy methods work, are replicable, and are free for the taking by any teacher or principal or school board member who wants to give them a try.

Consider this: with an average household income of just $32,191 — versus $291,242 for the kids in Scarsdale and $129,375 for the kids in Chappaqua — and with just 9% of its kids white or Asian versus 86% in Scarsdale and 88% in Chappaqua — the Success Academy public school kids outperformed both the Chappaqua and the Scarsdale kids.  Chappaqua and Scarsdale are outstanding school districts, deserving of high praise, ranked near the top in the state.  But Success Academy kids did better.

And consider this:  of all 2400 public elementary schools in New York State, Success had 14 of the top 30.

Citywide, just 29% of the kids of color (and 61% of the white kids) passed the English test — versus 83% of the kids of color at Success Academy schools.  In math, the results were even a little more dramatic.

New York’s 46 Success Academy schools are non-profit, public schools.  Students are selected by lottery — not aptitude.  With the Success results well known throughout the city’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, almost every parent signs up for the lottery.

What Success Academy is accomplishing helps not just each student who succeeds (which is to say, almost all of them, and which would be important enough) but it also, thereby — and for all the generations that will follow — breaks the cycle of poverty and despair, of teenage pregnancy and crime, that so drag our society down.

What if all schools adopted variations of the Success methods — or any others that worked — so a lottery were not needed?

Imagine the impact on our nation’s future well-being if almost all her kids succeeded.

From the New York Post: Control Exactly How Much Google Knows About You.

Who knew?  I went to the link, as suggested.  It’s all there.

From the New York Times: Can you guess which of these would most mitigate climate change?   Building more wind farms, eating less meat, improving air conditioner efficiency, switching to mass transit?  “All of the above” would of course be best; but the Times reveals the answer.

Even if you guess right, refresh the screen to guess each of the other three, as well, for a thumbnail description of the impact it would have.

Of course, climate change is one of those “scientific” things of which so many Republicans — like Trump’s choice for USDA’s top scientist, a former radio talk-show host with no scientific background — are skeptical.

Have a great weekend!