Odds and Ends — 31 October 2024

21 days ago

“So many books. So little time.” — Frank Zappa

Have a day.

I think I may have missed a memo about our changing society. When did the closing words of retail small talk shift from “Have a great day” or at least “Have a good day” to a barebones “Have a day”? I’ve heard it three or four times recently.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, and Debt:

Bitcoin ETFs Now Hold Over a Million BTC as Dominant BlackRock Hits New Peak

A Russian court hit Google with a fine larger than the world’s GDP

WSJ: The Next President Inherits a Remarkable Economy

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

We may think we’re done with COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done with us

Politics:

Pennsylvania Is Ground Zero for Election-Fraud Claims

Across Pennsylvania, local and state officials are warning that efforts by Trump and his supporters to call into question the integrity of the presidential election in the crucial swing state are ramping up—before a single ballot has been counted.
The state’s top election official, Republican Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, said Wednesday that in just the previous 24 hours, several widely disseminated videos lacked context or were false.

https://twitter.com/cwebbonline/status/1851770074798964805
https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1851774940636414333
https://twitter.com/RexHuppke/status/1851792229918023895

Workers Say They Were Tricked and Threatened as Part of Elon Musk’s Get-Out-the-Vote Effort

A number of them have been driven around in the back of a seatless U-Haul van and threatened that their lodging at a local motel wouldn’t be paid for if they didn’t meet canvassing quotas.
One door knocker alleges that they didn’t even know they were signing up for anything having to do with Musk or Trump.

https://twitter.com/RKing618/status/1851652601063817278
https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1851642995373674952

The Right Thinks Trump Is Running Away With It

Skewed polls and anonymous betting markets are building up Republicans’ expectations. Donald Trump could use that to challenge the result.
These surveys have had marginal, if any, impact on polling averages, which either do not include the partisan polls or give them little weight. Yet some argue that the real purpose of partisan polls, along with other expectation-setting metrics such as political betting markets, is directed at a different goal entirely: building a narrative of unstoppable momentum for Mr. Trump.
The partisan polls appear focused on lifting Republican enthusiasm before the election and — perhaps more important — cementing the idea that the only way Mr. Trump can lose to Vice President Kamala Harris is if the election is rigged. Polls promising a Republican victory, the theory runs, could be held up as evidence of cheating if that victory does not come to pass.

The Enshittification of Democracy

https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1851455382595780785
https://twitter.com/traecrowder/status/1851370916821025094

Mysterious statues poking fun at Trump pop up in US cities

https://twitter.com/middleageriot/status/1851653936186327306

https://twitter.com/ElieNYC/status/1851775669199421572

Florida Teen Wielded Machete Outside Polling Station

Police arrested an 18-year-old wielding a machete with an 18-inch blade outside a polling station in Florida on Tuesday, who was part of a group of teenagers accused of intimidating Democratic supporters.

https://twitter.com/Strandjunker/status/1851651599254323656

Washington Post readers aren’t buying Jeff Bezos’ excuse-making

https://twitter.com/alexaronson/status/1851993872554955197

https://twitter.com/Ally_Sammarco/status/1851807082430828794