Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
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Continue reading "Pluralistic: When you hear "fintech," think "unlicensed bank" (01 May 2023)"
I don’t care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating.
— Boss Tweed.
Around 2010, I had a problem. My kid was just turning two, and finally starting to sleep through the night, which was a blessing, but then a mysterious company bought the building next door to our east London flat.
The building next door had been sitting empty for years, ever since a safety inspection determined that a) it was full of asbestos and b) it lacked a fire-exit. Either one of these made the building unfit for commercial or residential use, and the long-term tenants had moved into other office buildings in the neighborhood.
Continue reading "Weak Institutions"
Continue reading "Pluralistic: The seductive, science fictional power of spreadsheets (29 Apr 2023)"
Continue reading "Pluralistic: Convicted monopolist prevented from re-offending (27 Apr 2023)"
Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do
You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you
You got to build you a union, got to make it strong
But if you all stick together, boys, it won’t be long
You get shorter hours, better working conditions
Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore-
-Pete Seeger, Talking Union Blues
For years — decades — unions seemed like a relic, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. American union participation nosedived in the Reagan years and continued to decline, year after year, with no bottom in sight.
Until 2018.
Continue reading "A Collective Bargain"
