Just a quick boat trip across the Dnipro River, into Russian-held territory

benfell

Imperialism

Russia

Ukraine


Fig. 1. “Destroyed Russian military vehicles located on the main street Khreshchatyk are seen as part of the celebration of the Independence Day of Ukraine in Kyiv, August 24.” Photograph by Gleb Garanich for Reuters, August 24, 2022,[1] fair use.

Ukrainian forces’ incursion into Russian-held territory along the Dnipro River doesn’t sound like much.[2] But they surely had a reason for doing it. That reason remains, as far as I know, invisible.

Daniel Boffey, “Ukrainian forces cross Dnipro River in bid to breach southern frontline,” Guardian, August 9, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/09/ukrainian-force-cross-dnipro-river-bid-breach-southern-frontline-kherson-city

So-called ‘ridesharing’

Bezzle


Fig. 1. “Clarkdale Classic Gas Station, Clarkdale, Arizona,” Photograph by Alan Levine, October 28, 2016, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

So yeah, we heard that Uber actually recorded a profit that’s actually a profit under generally accepted accounting principles.[3] But we don’t quite know how they got there and it looks like a one-off.[4]

Cory Doctorow, “No, Uber’s (still) not profitable,” Medium, August 9, 2023, https://doctorow.medium.com/no-ubers-still-not-profitable-2b8054e375ea

Hubert Horan, “Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Thirty-Three: Uber Isn’t Really Profitable Yet But is Getting Closer; The Antitrust Case Against Uber,” Naked Capitalism, August 9, 2023, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/08/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-thirty-three-uber-isnt-really-profitable-yet-but-is-getting-closer-the-antitrust-case-against-uber.html

Neoliberalism

Academic repression


Fig. 1. “The Evolution of Intellectual Freedom.” Comic by Jorge Cham, 2011, via Episyllogism[5] fair use.

The Wall Street Journal catches up[6] with what I saw at California State University, East Bay, especially in my latter years there (I finished my Master’s degree in 2009), with an expensive building spree that coincides with an increasing emphasis on filling teaching positions with poorly-paid adjuncts. And of course, as the Journal notes (and is far from the first to do so), rising tuitions mean more student loan debt. Oh yeah, and relatively few of those athletic programs that are ever more prominent at universities actually pay for themselves.[7] Y’all know I’m a strong advocate of a liberal education, but this crap ain’t it; it needs to fucking stop.

Melissa Korn, Andrea Fuller, and Jennifer S. Forsyth, “Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money,’” Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-university-tuition-increase-spending-41a58100

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

Annexations


Fig. 1. Photograph by author, November 25, 2020.

Charlie Wolfson, “With annexation ‘dead,’ Wilkinsburg looks toward possible home rule and tax changes,” Pittsburgh Public Source, August 10, 2023, https://www.publicsource.org/wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-home-rule-taxes-annexation-local-government/

  1. [1]Reuters, “Ukraine puts destroyed Russian tanks on display in Kyiv,” August 25, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/ukraine-puts-destroyed-russian-tanks-on-idUSRTSALV9Q↩
  2. [2]Daniel Boffey, “Ukrainian forces cross Dnipro River in bid to breach southern frontline,” Guardian, August 9, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/09/ukrainian-force-cross-dnipro-river-bid-breach-southern-frontline-kherson-city↩
  3. [3]Richard Waters, “Uber makes first operating profit after racking up $31.5bn of losses,” Financial Times, August 1, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/dae2b90e-1ba0-4e8f-aabc-34aae4ca05d7↩
  4. [4]Cory Doctorow, “No, Uber’s (still) not profitable,” Medium, August 9, 2023, https://doctorow.medium.com/no-ubers-still-not-profitable-2b8054e375ea; Hubert Horan, “Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Thirty-Three: Uber Isn’t Really Profitable Yet But is Getting Closer; The Antitrust Case Against Uber,” Naked Capitalism, August 9, 2023, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/08/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-thirty-three-uber-isnt-really-profitable-yet-but-is-getting-closer-the-antitrust-case-against-uber.html↩
  5. [5]Bob Lane, “Academic Freedom,” Episyllogism, November 3, 2016, https://boblane.com/2016/11/03/academic-freedom/↩
  6. [6]Melissa Korn, Andrea Fuller, and Jennifer S. Forsyth, “Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money,’” Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-university-tuition-increase-spending-41a58100↩
  7. [7]Melissa Korn, Andrea Fuller, and Jennifer S. Forsyth, “Colleges Spend Like There’s No Tomorrow. ‘These Places Are Just Devouring Money,’” Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-university-tuition-increase-spending-41a58100↩

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