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Norm MacDonald famously said, “I remember a psychiatrist once telling me that I gamble in order to escape the reality of life, and I told him that’s why everyone does everything.” I’m not one to comment on this as I’ve used my news obsession to escape the reality of my own life for a few decades (a strategy that worked swimmingly until the content of the news actually got worse than the inner demons I was trying to avoid). But questions about the quest to avoid the reality of one’s inner life do make one wonder about the risks and rewards associated with being alone with one’s thoughts — even if your goal is to simply observe them and then let them go. In The Atlantic (Gift Article), Olga Khazan shares some insights on a twist you probably didn’t see coming, even if you’ve been thinking long and hard on the topic. The Dark Side of Mindfulness. “A prominent psychologist and meditation teacher set out to research the benefits of the practice. What she found alarmed her.” This is an interesting article, and focusing on the potential dark side of meditation will help take your mind off all the other things I’m about to report on, where the dark side is far more certain. I’d wager Norm MacDonald would have approved.
+ The surprising science of how focusing your attention may fight inflammation. (Just reading that headline made my inflammation ten times worse...)
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5K Pop Demon Hunters
Sometimes the metaphors inflate themselves. On the way to his midterm convention-cum-rally, “a military aide accidentally deployed an inflatable emergency slide on the new Air Force One ... delaying President Trump’s departure to Dallas.” Fortunately, there was still enough hot air left for a two hour speech (Trump is speaking on both nights of the event) to a partially empty arena, in which Trump fear-mongered about the Democrats’ demonic threat to our way of life, and made at least his fourth promise to dole out cash to Americans: “If the GOP wins both the House of Representatives and the Senate, ‘you win with us,’ Trump said Wednesday, promising that ‘a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000‘ would follow.” I’m not sure what’s crazier: fully bribing people for their votes or the idea that Trump would actually pay out the $5k. But reality never stopped Trumpism before, so maybe the message will work, along with laughable claims such as the promise that the war with Iran will end right after the midterms and that oil prices will come down then, too. (If not, at least the $5K will get you a partial tank of gas...) Will this messaging in the face of terrible polling work? I say no. But I said no during all the other elections when Trump’s numbers surprised us on the upside, so instead, I’ll just say, vote.
+ “President Trump began his midterm-convention address last night by casting his spell on the crowd in Dallas. ‘This place is packed,’ he announced from the stage, pointing to the back of the American Airlines Center, where everyone could see hundreds of empty seats. Those who looked up saw thousands more, whole sections without any people at all. But the crowd cheered anyway. A deal had been struck. Reality would be ignored.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s Dream World in Dallas.
+ Of course, this election is about a lot more than messaging. It’s also about rigging. And that effort isn’t getting a great reception, either. US appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to impose restrictions on mail-in voting before midterms. And, Supreme Court blocks Missouri’s attempt to use newly drawn Republican congressional map.
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The Giving and Taking Tree
Money doesn’t grow on trees. But money sure as hell can buy grown trees. Like, really grown. And that’s a big business these days. “More than ever, rich property owners are spending huge sums on full-grown oaks, palms and baobabs. They don’t have the time or patience to watch them grow.” The Latest Wealth Flex: Big Trees. “’Of course, people have done big trees before,’ Andres Blanco, a principal at Ferguson & Shamamian Architects in New York, said. ‘But not at this scale. The money is now out of control.’”
+ If you don’t let the replanting craze block you from seeing the forest for the trees, you’ll notice that the same economic divide driving that purchase pattern is also leaving economic normies up a tree. Mayor Daniel Lurie has had a remarkably successful run as San Francisco mayor, but he’s facing a new challenge. The AI boom means that people doing well in the city might be doing too well. San Francisco Mayor Declares Rent Emergency Amid A.I. Housing Frenzy. “San Francisco has long had high housing costs, but the current atmosphere has been unusually difficult for residents to navigate. The housing frenzy has become so extreme that some landlords and apartment owners have offered tens of thousands of dollars to encourage longtime residents to leave their rent-controlled apartments.”
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Talarico Violations
“I interviewed Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2015, and at that time, when he was the one sitting next to me, he seemed to have no problem with the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates. In fact, he was very eager to come back for another interview, which he did just before he became the nominee in 2016. But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed.” Jimmy Kimmel returned from his Summer break (I still can’t believe he left me out here alone all that time) to celebrate his 4,000th episode. And by 4,001, Trump’s FCC is already on his (and the Constitution’s) case. Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview With James Talarico Heading to YouTube to Avoid FCC Hassle. (With any luck, it will end up being Kimmel’s most streamed interview of all time.)
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Extra, Extra
A Distinct Extinct Possibility: Were you hoping that all the AI experts would come out and say the recent warnings about the threat to humans has been totally overblown? Well, this headline won’t help. Top AI pioneers reaffirm Anthropic researcher’s human extinction warning. Meanwhile, lawmakers are at a loss for how to regulate AI as insiders warn of impending doom. Lawmakers are woefully late to a problem that would be difficult to address under any circumstances. If you missed it yesterday: This is life Between the Hammer and the Anvil. “Imagine you’re standing in front of a button. If you push that button, it will set off a Rube Goldberg machine series of events that will wow the world with unimaginable advances in science, health, and other endeavors, empower like-minded nations, and result in unthinkable riches. But the machine’s final step is to drop a massive anvil on you and the rest of humankind. Would you push the button?”
+ Hornet’s Nest Stirred: “To hear the Trump administration tell it, the war with Iran is all but over. U.S. military posture tells a different story: Naval forces are being positioned for a sustained presence at least through the end of the year, keeping open the option of escalation.” Trump Is Preparing for a Long War. That preparation is necessary, in part, because the US isn’t necessarily driving the course of the war at this point. “Houthi forces in Yemen are making a concerted drive to take over the country’s Red Sea coast fully, claiming control of the key port of Mocha in the most serious wave of fighting with the Saudi-backed government in years, bringing the Iran-aligned group closer to full control of a key shipping route.”
+ Outbreaking News: The current Ebola crisis isn’t getting as much attention from the media (or the US government) as past outbreaks. That doesn’t mean it’s not bigger. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ —