Category: Mayhem

In his old life, Matthew Cox told stories to scam his way into millions of dollars. Now he’s trying to make it by selling tales that are true.

LINK: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/matthew-cox-true-crime/592798/

Season two of the award-winning podcast from Longreads, in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

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When a bomb exploded in a tiny desert town, there was no doubt who did it. But no one could understand why.

 

Nightmarish allegations against the well-connected financier show why so many Americans let their imagination run wild when it comes to elite corruption.

The more we learn about the allegations against the reclusive billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, the more he seems like a figment of the online fever swamps. The wealthy financier arrested last week for underage sex trafficking is accused of operating an international sex ring that could implicate high-powered men across business, politics, and Hollywood. Every nightmarish detail of his story—from the creepily decorated mansion to the flights on “the Lolita Express” to the stays on “Orgy Island”—sounds like it was conjured by conspiracy theorists.

Just this morning, President Donald Trump told reporters that Alex Acosta was stepping down as Secretary of Labor amid mounting outrage over the sweetheart deal he gave Epstein years ago as a federal prosecutor. The resignation will surely draw more attention to what Epstein got away with over the years—and who helped him.

It should not come as a surprise that some of America’s most outspoken conspiracists have spent the days since Epstein’s arrest taking victory laps.

LINK: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/epstein-conspiracy-theories/593605/

And here’s a counterpoint view:

The web magazine, Trigger Warning, has reposted a copy of our manifesto. Head on over to TW and check it out. NOTE: Trigger Warning has edited some of the content for their own purposes of style. If you want to read the original, unfiltered version, you may do so here.

LINK: http://triggerwarning.us/walking-the-psycho-path-a-manifesto/

They took your data. Then they took control. The Great Hack uncovers the dark world of data exploitation through the compelling personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data scandal. In select theaters and on Netflix July 24.

Earth’s magnetic field is thought to be generated by the iron in the planet’s core. As it moves around, it produces electric currents that extend far into space. The magnetic field acts as a barrier, protecting Earth from the solar wind. This is a stream of charged particles from the Sun that could strip away the ozone layer if it were to impact the atmosphere.

When the magnetic field reverses—or attempts to—it gets weaker, leading to more radiation from the Sun getting through. Previously, scientists have linked extinction events to magnetic field reversals.

LINK: https://www.newsweek.com/ancient-tree-discovered-earths-magnetic-field-1447570

Climate despair got you down? Go read this and maybe it will give you some ideas.

“It’s super painful to be a human being right now at this point in history.”

LINK: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5w374/climate-despair-is-making-people-give-up-on-life