Confusing

Friday, October 13, 2023

Happy Friday the 13th. Unless you’re superstitious, and then beware.

Donkey update: I have begun twice-daily to use a syringe and force Pimmy’s twice-daily medicines into her mouth. As anticipated, some liquid spills onto the floor, but knowing there’s some in her is better than the alternative. Practicing with the syringe will lead to delivering her meds more effectively.

War in the Middle East: A disheartening situation. It compounds our anxieties over other military situations, mostly Ukraine, and here nationally, those crazy mega-shifting social, political, and economic dynamics.

Maybe one of the weirdest stories today is in the ongoing trial of young Sam Bankman-Fried, who, in his twenties, built an FTX mega-goliath. For a while, Bankman-Fried grew extremely wealthy with FTX, and his associated company, Alameda Research. His recognized business smarts attracted major patrons. Everything, however, was a facade. He was illegally laundering money, had created a method of borrowing and moving massive amounts to spend however he wished. Testimonies now from former business colleagues who knew he was cheating, would be laughable if their stories weren’t tragic. They had been vulnerable to showers of cash from Bankman-Fried, who was anticipating becoming the nation’s president.

The saga of FTX and Bankman-Fried is comparable to the earlier debacle of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. Theranos was a healthcare company founded in 2003 by then nineteen-year-old Holmes and touted as having breakthrough technology. For years, it attracted high profile investors. In 2018, Theranos was dissolved upon a public recognition of cover-ups to serious shortcomings in its core technology. Holmes subsequently went on trial and was convicted of defrauding her investors and the public.

Today’s economic and technical worlds may be suckered up by the young, bright, and beautiful, at least regarding Holmes. As to beautiful, Bankman-Fried, not so much. And, we can travel on a short trip to the past and not forget the master of thievery, Bernie Madoff. I could go on, but you get it.

Dear Friends: Much ado nowadays confuses human situations and rationality. Diana