Day: August 17, 2026

An ‘Influencer’ Under Every Rock

These days there is an influencer for whatever you have on your mind….make-up, dating, fashion, politics, porn, etc etc ….the whole genre have made millionaires out of lazy dickwads that become famous for the shoe they wear….what has our world become….a better question is where did all this begin?

Now there is a question that is right up my historical alley.

To begin influencers have been around for over 200 years….that’s right 2 centuries….

https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-first-influencers-were-french-and-they-emerged-after-the-revolution-286859

There you have it.

DAMN!  I love history.

But wait!  For those that want to be famous for doing nothing, an influencer, there is hope on the horizon…..

Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list. Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video, or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path. Now they can earn a college degree in that very field. Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor’s degree in content creation, reports the AP, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU’s mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialized electives on podcasting, studio production and on-camera presence.

ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides—from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career. But the ASU program is not the first of its kind. Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past few years, and several have certificate or minor programs. Syracuse University, Quinnipiac University, and Colorado State University offer minors, and St. Bonaventure University announced a content creation major last winter.

To Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University, these college programs represent an inflection point. Over the past year, Duffy said, institutions in education and beyond have been acknowledging content creation as a viable career path—even if the term “influencer” itself hits a nerve. The image of a prototypical influencer, Duffy said, is usually a “young girl who is snapping selfies and just reaping in tremendous rewards for seemingly not doing anything.” But that’s not the reality for many content creators, who are working on media production, audience retention strategies, brand partnerships, and business relationships associated with their online presence. “It is a time-consuming, labor-intensive job that often doesn’t pay well—at least in the beginning,” Duffy said. “But a lot of that gets concealed behind … this assumption that it’s a dream job.”

Content creator and actor Sammy Cristerna graduated from Arizona State University this spring with a degree in sociology and political science, but said he “absolutely” would have taken classes in the content creation program and considered the major if it had been available. The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities, and cultivate and keep an audience. Some of those skills can be self-taught through experience, he added. Still, “it’s nice to have that formal education.” The one thing Cristerna said he isn’t sure will translate in the classroom is personality. To connect on camera, a person needs to have “good energy,” he said. “That’s hard to teach.”

There you now you can become famous for actually nothing.

Sadly this trend of influencers will be with us for a lot longer….it is not a fad it has become a way of life…..something every internet nerd has dreams of becoming.

Sadly I will let knowledge influence my thinking not some pimply face twat with a cute hair-do.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are Free Markets In Danger?

This is a re-post from my Daily Agitator I posted because some visitors do not know about my other blog and I am hoping to boost traffic on ‘Agitator’….

There is lost of chatter about the Dems, well the DSA, will destroy our free market system….another far Right pipe dream…

 

Are Free Markets In Danger?

 

Any thoughts please by all means let me know.

Educate, Agitate

I Read, I Write, You Know

cogito ergo agito

That Pesky Waterway

Since I am an old fart and dearly love history and using it show that not much changes over the years….I thought yet another lesson for those that are young and may not be aware of any similarities.

Most by now are familiar with our mash-up with Iran and that the waterway in this conflict, Strait of Hormuz, is a vital route for that flow of black gold….the sticking point is who will control this vital trade route.

Been there before.

The year is 1956, Ike was president and Israel was at war with it’s neighbors (sound familiar)….and it began….

The Israelis struck first on October 29, 1956. Two days later, British and French military forces joined them. Originally, forces from the three countries were set to strike at once, but the British and French troops were delayed.

…

The response of President Dwight Eisenhower and his administration was measured. It warned the Soviets that reckless talk of nuclear conflict would only make matters worse, and cautioned Khrushchev to refrain from direct intervention in the conflict.

However, Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles also issued stern warnings to the French, British and Israelis to give up their campaign and withdraw from Egyptian soil. Eisenhower was upset with the British in particular for not keeping the United States informed about their intentions.

The United States threatened all three nations with economic sanctions if they persisted in their attack. The threats did their work: British and French forces withdrew by December, and Israel finally bowed to U.S. pressure, relinquishing control over the canal to Egypt, which reopened the Suez Canal canal in March 1957.

(history.com)

This all rings similar to the Strait thing that Donny is trying hard to control….without much success….

The Suez crisis provides the clearest example. In 1956, Egypt’s president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal Company, displacing the British- and French-controlled corporation that had operated one of the world’s most important commercial arteries. Britain and France regarded nationalization not merely as an economic injury but as a strategic humiliation and, together with Israel, invaded Egypt.

President Dwight Eisenhower refused to support them. After rejecting the Anglo-French invasion, Eisenhower’s administration did not make restoration of British or international ownership a condition for accepting Egypt’s continued administration of the canal. Instead, Washington opposed the invasion and pressed for a diplomatic arrangement that would preserve international access. The applicable legal regime emphasized the canal’s free use by ships of all countries on equal terms, while leaving Egypt responsible for administering and defending the waterway.

Egyptian control was not the same as unrestricted Egyptian discretion. The distinction was crucial. Washington could accept Egyptian sovereignty over the canal while insisting that sovereignty be exercised within rules guaranteeing nondiscriminatory passage. The overriding American interest was not which flag flew over the canal authority, but whether the canal remained open under internationally accepted rules.

A crucial detail that should not be overlooked: Egypt at the time was not an American ally, whereas France and the UK were. Indeed, Egypt was at the time closely aligned with the Soviet Union though not formally allied with Moscow. Washington nevertheless accepted continued Egyptian administration of the canal rather than seeking to reverse nationalization, provided freedom of navigation was preserved.

https://original.antiwar.com/trita-parsi/2026/08/05/before-hormuz-there-was-suez-what-trump-can-learn-from-eisenhower/

Donny needs to open that aging mind to reality….as if….

But nope he decided to do what he always does….act like a buffoon…..

President Trump apparently has a new target for American expansion: one of the world’s most strategic shipping chokepoints. Speaking on Long Island on Friday, the president said, “Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” even though the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is not under US sovereignty. He offered no explanation for how Washington could claim ownership of the passage, which is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, the Hill reports. He also claimed Iran “is being very badly defeated” at the moment, USA Today reports.

Roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz, now closed amid a six-month war between the US and Iran that has driven up energy prices. Trump has repeatedly asserted that the US “controls” the strait and has twice ordered a naval blockade there, insisting on American primacy over oil shipments. “No ships get through unless we want them to,” he claimed Friday. Iran has rejected those assertions; its Persian Gulf Strait Authority wrote on X this week that whoever claims ownership “does not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.” Al Jazeera‘s take is that Trump is “overstating” the amount of US control over the strait.

What an arrogant ass.

In case you want to know….the peace deal runs out today….

Oil tankers are staying put as a US-Iran ceasefire runs out of time. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil, slowed sharply over the weekend ahead of Monday’s expiration of a 60-day truce, with no replacement deal in sight, reports CNBC. Only five cargo ships sailed through on Saturday and none on Sunday, down from 31 a week earlier, according to Reuters. Overall traffic is off about 90% from prewar levels.

As for the peace talks, a senior US official describes the situation as “static” to Politico. Key sticking points include Iran’s demand for compensation and the logistics of how ships will transit the strait when the war is over. Iran’s foreign minister said there is currently “not anything like a ceasefire” and no direct talks with Washington, though Qatar and Pakistan are relaying messages. The war of words has continued: President Trump last week suggested he might declare the strait US territory, while an Iranian deputy foreign minister responded that it will remain under Iran’s control.

What will our Dear Donny do?

This is good stuff for us that like to blog.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Iranian Logjam

For months we have seen this Israeli inspired war with Iran go back and forth….on again, off again and back on….basically it was an ill-conceived conflict that has become a logjam.

It looks like this is an unwinnable war….but what to do?

In an interview with Australian journalist Tom Switzer, Mearsheimer was asked why Trump seemed willing to accept an arrangement in which Iran is able to demand fees from transport ships in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been almost entirely shut down since the US and Israel began bombing Iran in late February.

“It’s very simple… he has no choice,” Mearsheimer replied. “He lost the war. This is a devastating defeat for the United States. Can you tell me what the United States should do to regain leverage over Iran? I actually think you can’t tell me because we have no solution.”

Mearsheimer then explained why Trump’s threats to escalate his assault on Iran ring completely hollow.

“One, he’s out of munitions,” the political scientist said. “Number two, our Gulf allies have told him, in no uncertain terms, that is unacceptable because the Iranians have made it clear that if we escalate, they will escalate, and they will destroy oil facilities, desalination plants, and so forth.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-iran-war-defeat

Believe it or not from time to time I do read the American Conservative and they have a take on Donny’s problem with Iran….

Time to face an uncomfortable truth: America lost the Iran War. It’s a development not only discomfiting but world-historical, marking the pitiful conclusion of American primacy and the “U.S.-led international order.”

President Donald Trump is in a bind. Escalating the war in hopes of changing the outcome would worsen its deleterious effects and almost certainly fail to force Iranian capitulation. But reaching a peace agreement is difficult, thanks to a near-total absence of Iranian trust in any commitments that Trump might make.

The solution to Trump’s predicament, I’ve come to believe, can be found in an unlikely source: a little-discussed work of political psychology published more than a half century ago. More on that anon but, in short, Trump should initiate a “peace race” with the Islamic Republic: unilaterally make a bold concession, invite Tehran to reciprocate, and continue the cycle until the U.S. and Iran have transformed mutual antipathy into constructive relations.

But before I get to the “call to action” portions of this column, let’s take stock of the stunning defeat America has suffered.

How Trump Can Break the Iran Logjam

Indeed an interesting thought….but I do not see Donny throwing up his hands and trying to solve the problem he is having with Iran.

Do you?

His hubris will not allow such a move…he still thinks he can bomb Iran into submission….he cannot….but Israel keeps egging him on and he gleefully does as he is told.

Maybe it is time to let reality in and face the ugly truth/…..

Hope is scarce now. The war begun by the US and Israel on 28 February has brought death but not regime change. Iran’s theocrats look more determined than ever to cling to power. Politicians who pass for moderates in Tehran have been sidelined. Iranians who dared to dream are crushed. The Strait of Hormuz is blocked. Oil and food prices are up around the world. The US has depleted its stockpiles of air defence interceptors, leaving few for Kyiv, Moldova, Taiwan or anyone else who wants to buy them. Washington has misjudged its adversary, squandered international respect and handed Tehran, which controls the strait, a strategic weapon more powerful than anything it could have mounted on a missile.

President Trump has claimed 38 times, by CNN’s count, to be close to a deal with Iran and turned out to be wrong. Seven times he has called off major attacks in the hope an agreement might finally be signed. His outriders are left to make fools of themselves. On Tuesday his treasury secretary claimed the US was in talks with Iran and a deal could come within hours. Iran retorted that the only talks in progress were with Oman. Trump has said of Iran’s leaders: “They just make me angry.” He just makes them more determined to cling to power.

https://observer.co.uk/opinion-and-ideas/leaders/article/trumps-war-in-iran-has-been-an-epic-failure

This is a failed endeavor that will not be acknowledged.

Plus the idea of claiming the Strait of Hormuz will not bring this stupidity to an end.

While Donny tries to focus on the dilemma the death and destruction continues…his brain farts are doing no one any good with the except of M-IC whose profits are soaring.

When will ever learn?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is It Party Suicide?

The Left has started it’s rise and the old school Dems are rolling up their sleeves for the war for the heart of the Democratic Party.

My opinion is it is about damn time….we have suffered long and hard at the hands of the centrist and their greed and corruption.

The party is in the middle of committing political suicide.

A recent New York Times article, “Moderate Democrats Prepare for ‘War’ Against an Ascendant Left,” describes a disturbing perspective among mainstream, moderate, centrist Democrats. It is disturbing for many reasons.

First, there is the practical impact. If indeed mainstream Democrats attack socialist Democrats in a sustained, organized manner, there is only one possible result: the defeat of the Party in 2026 and the renewed vigor of Trump and his MAGA allies. Especially when combined with the all-out effort that AIPAC will mostly take to support Republican candidates running against Democratic candidates who are socialists. (See my article, “The Unscrupulousness of AIPAC.”)

If Party leaders, such as Obama, Clinton, and others, do not speak out forcefully against this misguided effort, the result could be catastrophic for the Party.

But beyond the practical impact, there is the existential impact. Democrats have for years been struggling without success to define what the Party stands for. As I have frequently quoted, after John Kerry lost the 2004 election, former Vice-President Mondale said, “We really need to work on the question of what we are for. Unless we have a vision and the arguments to match, I don’t think we’re going to truly connect with the American people“ And this was after a presidential election—the quadrennial defining moment for the Party!

The Democratic Party lost to Trump in 2016 and 2020, not because of the rabidness of Trump’s MAGA followers or his magnetism, but because the Party had redirected its attention. In modern times, the Party had always been the party of the people, of the workers. And they returned the favor; those were the Americans that provided the multi-ethnic and multi-color coalition that made the Party the powerhouse of American political life for most of the 20th century.

But after Ronald Reagan’s 1980 election, two unrelated things happened that caused the Party’s traditional voting coalition to split. First, in the aftermath of the election, there was much confusion regarding how the Party should regain its footing. At the same time, Democrats started using PACs to direct corporate funding to centrist candidates not tied to New Deal populism and principles and more focused on working with industry. This desire for corporate $, which only increased with time as campaigns became more expensive, had an inevitable policy impact. You can’t seek major contributions from corporations without providing them with access and policy influence.

https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/democratic-party-political-strategy-return-to-foundational-values

I agree that the party lost it’s appeal to the working class with the election of Reagan and then it further betrayal in the 90s with Clinton and his embrace of the corporate thugs….and as they say the rest is history.

This, hopefully, will be a good internal conflict….but sadly the centrists and their billionaire backers will most likely win this battle and sadly the people will find little relief from the crush of the oligarchs.

This is so pathetic….the nation deserves something more than a rehash of old policies….

Even a couple of prominent Dems, centrists Dems like McAuliffe and Buttigieg are seeing he writing on the wall…..

First McAuliffe….

Democrats gathered in Texas last week were supposed to be mapping out their 2028 primary calendar; instead, they spent much of the time wrestling with their own growing pains. With the Democratic Party split between energized progressives and more cautious centrists, former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe delivered a blunt message: Stop “hand-wringing,” quit “lemon-sucking,” and capitalize on what he called the best political terrain Democrats have had in a decade as November’s midterm elections near. DNC Chair Ken Martin, under fire over finances, leadership style, and a leaked “autopsy” of the 2024 cycle, also insisted the focus should be on the elections “in 80 days,” not internal drama, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Tensions still surfaced at the Austin meeting: Black Caucus members pressed Martin for more get-out-the-vote funding—”the money must match the message”—even as party officials touted record investments in Black and Latino outreach and recent fundraising gains. The party remains in the red, with more than $18 million in debt and trailing Republicans’ cash reserves. “Voters don’t care about internal squabbles,” said Reyna Walters-Morgan, a vice chair of the DNC. “What they care about is how are we going to get rid of this administration?”

Then Buttigieg says that getting rid of Donny will not repair the nation….

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned Democrats on Sunday that defeating President Donald Trump would not be enough to repair the country, while Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey cast her reelection campaign as a defense against the administration’s attacks on immigrants, healthcare and LGBTQ+ rights.

Speaking at a fundraiser for Healey at the Gifford House in Provincetown, Buttigieg argued that Democrats must offer voters something more ambitious than a return to the political and economic order that existed before Trump. Healey, one of the country’s first out lesbian governors, told supporters that Massachusetts must serve as a bulwark against the president, and warned that Trump would attempt to undermine the midterm elections.

https://www.advocate.com/politics/national/pete-buttigieg-maura-healey-provincetown

While these two make good points I still do not see the DNC coming up with a viable plan for change.

Do you?

We need to embrace change….we need relief from the out of control capitalism….we need progressive thought and action.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”