Kickoff For July 29, 2019
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Monday Kickoff, a collection of what I’ve found interesting, informative, and insightful on the web over the last seven days.
It’s another interesting mix this week, culled from several familiar and a few new sources. Let’s get this Monday started with these links:
Environment
Heaven or High Water, wherein Sarah Miller goes to Miami to discover what the city is doing about the dangers of rising sea waters caused by climate change, and discovers how delusional some people in that city are about those dangers.
Could Adapting for Climate Change Make Inequality in Cities Worse?, wherein we learn that while cities should be trying to battle climate change, they need to also take into account poorer residents when making decisions and putting those decisions into action. Something that’s not always happening.
Los Angeles Fire Season Is Beginning Again. And It Will Never End, wherein we get a scary glimpse into what’s looking like our climate future, with wildfires burning hotter and more frequently, and with little or nothing we can do to contain or stop them.
Arts and Literature
JT LeRoy: The US’s greatest literary scam, wherein we learn how a writer created a controversial literary persona and how her sister-in-law brought that persona to life.
The Joy of Watching (and Rewatching) Movies So Bad They’re Good, wherein Michael Musto revels in, and explains the cathartic pleasure of, watching really bad movies even when there’s something better to cast your gaze upon.
Why We Write About This Thing Called the Future, wherein Naomi Alderman looks at how and why SF writers see the future — often as a mirror of society today.
Odds and Ends
A Casino Card Shark’s First Time Getting Caught, wherein Roze Travis tells the tale of how she fell in with a crew of professional card counters, and the first time she got caught and ejected by security at a Las Vegas casino.
Kidnapping: A Very Efficient Business, wherein we learn about the mechanics of kidnapping, and about the (high-priced) cottage industry of kidnapping and ransom insurance that threats of being snatched has spawned.
The Sad Tale of Frank Olson, the U.S. Government’s Hallucinogen Fall Man, wherein we’re introduce to the highest profile victim of the CIA’s MKUltra project and how he became the main poster boy for the criminalizing of psychedelic drugs in the U.S.
And that’s it for this Monday. Come back in seven days for another set of links to start off your week.