Afternoon Tea 3.2.21 - Fast & Furious: Vaxx Traxx

We wasted $8 billion on cars & buildings in Afghanistan, marginal cost pricing needs to end, 400 million Indian internet users might lose essentially all privacy, China might have attempted to hack into India’s power grid, a black mother in Pittsburgh is in the hospital after 236 days of a hunger strike, and Fast & the Furious 19: Inoculation Swerve is going to be wild. It’s Tuesday, March 2nd 2021, and this is the Tea.

Report: US wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan (AP) Out of almost $8 billion spent on buildings and vehicles, like $340 million worth are still in good working condition. Billions spent on splashy initiatives, but nothing spent on maintenance, there’s a parable here somewhere…

Vaccine Shipments Present a Security Challenge (Bloomberg) Fast and Furious VXX is looking lit. I can’t wait to watch The Rock fight Idris Elba on top of a CDC Vault being dragged by Ludacris & Lil Nas X in souped-up street racers and a tank.

400 Million Social Media Users Are Set to Lose Their Anonymity in India (Bloomberg) & Op-Ed: Government of India introduces drastic new internet rules (DFR Lab - Medium) WhatsApp has refused to reveal the identities of its users, but if this salvo of social media laws pass and are enshrined into law, almost half a billion people would not be able to rely on privacy protections shielding their location, religion, or identity, from the increasingly nationalistic and Trumpy BJP and Modi.

Charging of Politicians For ‘Subversion’ in Hong Kong Sparks International Outcry (Radio Free Asia) & Inside Xinjiang’s Prison State (The New Yorker) & China-linked Group RedEcho Targets the Indian Power Sector Amid Heightened Border Tensions (Recorded Future) To stress, anyone associated with the opposition in Hong Kong has been arrested or are currently out on bail. This, combined with the stirring visual essay of Xinjiang, and documentation of a possible attack on the Indian power grid by China, is a reminder of what non-USA nations are doing. Before you prod me for not covering Biden’s neoliberal and corporate foibles, let’s check in with the rest of the world. (Editor’s Note: WHERE THE STIMMY BIDEN?!)

Dannielle Brown, Mother Of Duquesne Student Who Fell To His Death, Taken To Hospital On Day 236 Of Hunger Strike (CBS Pittsburgh) There’s a black mother who has been on a hunger strike for over 240 days, calling for an investigation into the 2018 death of her son. She alleges her son broke a window and jumped to his death to escape police, while the University states there were no “incidents of police/LE misconduct or negligence” the night her son Marquis died. Though they have not released camera footage to confirm this. A harrowing narrative from last August in the Pittsburgh Current if you want more info/the “other” side.

Pyjama suits are the next big thing as formal wear is hit under Covid (The Guardian) Business on the top, comfort in the middle and bottom. Japan y’all, living in the future since 1985.

Amy Fisher and the 1990s Invention of the Criminal Lolita (Jezebel) I never really got how the hell some dude named Joey Buttafuoco groomed some teen, messed her up to the point where she rolled out with a gun, and the whole of the universe got mad at some girl? I didn’t realize that was what happened to Britney’s agency, then Ke$ha after that, and so many I haven’t been well read on. #BelieveWomen

What Those Shocking Texas Power Bills Have in Common With Uber Surges, Broadway Tickets, and Airfare (Slate) & What If We Pay People to Stop Using Drugs (New Republic) & The Stock Market Is Smarter Than All of Us (A Wealth of Common Sense) I blather about the psychology of decision making to anyone I can because I think it explains each of the issues in this trio of articles and why they’re related. Most importantly, it’s why we need to stop punishing humans for making imperfect decisions in terrible situations, and help them where they’re at.

How Neopets Predicted the Future of the Social Internet (The Ringer) This is the most insanely on point read of the last few weeks of reddit, F2P games, Animal Crossing, and general gamified shenanigans in the millennial era I’ve ever seen. I’m so mad I didn’t write it. Give Claire all the awards.

Video Captures Moment $100 Million Yacht Owned by Capri Sun Billionaire Crashes into Caribbean Yacht Club - Yes. Capri Sun Made Someone A Billionaire (Celebrity Net Worth) I love that the site made that the full title. As we clearly all share their confusion.

Song of the Tea: And now for something completely different! Even though the temp dropped, given we are slowly starting to heat up, here’s something that I can only describe using the title. Sounds like if gun fight in Desperado had a few androids in it helping Antonio Banderas, against a larger platoon of hooligans.

We’re not out of the the woods yet, but make sure you get some repose in the flavor of Vitamin D if you can. Walk in the light, all you lovely people out there in radio land.

Yours,