Francis 🇾🇪 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ @francis@greenplenty.social

Hey, who remembers that time that the South lost the Civil War, so slavery was abolished? But racist Texans didn't want the slavery party to stop, so they kept slavery going for another 2 years after abolition? But then a bunch of Black Union soldiers from the United States Colored Troop under General Gordon Granger marched into South Texas with guns, and threatened to shoot anyone that wouldn't release their slaves? So then those Black soldiers finally forced those racist Texans to release their slaves? But then American people pretended that Juneteenth celebrates the news of slavery reaching the far reaches of Texas, when "the news" was really Black Union soldiers with guns? Because we lie to ourselves and talk about Texas like a distant space colony that was out of contact with the rest of humanity, but in reality people traveled to Texas every single day during that two years, and everyone knew what was going on? And no white people went to jail for keeping slaves for 2 years after abolition, because Lincoln was a self-admitted white supremacist and slavery sympathizer?

Happy Juneteenth!

If you can’t tax billionaires and trillionaire because “its unrealized gains until they cash out,” then stop letting them leverage that wealth for loans, as collateral, or as equity.

If it’s not real enough to tax, it shouldn’t be real enough to leverage.

This is why we say the system is rigged in favor of the super wealthy. Abolish billionaires, tax them out of existence, protect working people.

Open plan offices are the best approach for office space. But the open plan desks should be used by managers. The actual workers need to concentrate and should have individual, soundproofed offices. Managers need to chitchat, so they need a noisy room.

Stunned that anyone could report on a study of declining birth rates after 2007 and not mention the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, followed by a decade of painfully slow recovery. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/us/iphone-birthrate-decline-studies.html

Ok, y’all…some good news! The S&P index told #SpaceX Karen and the #AI bros to suck socks until they show a profit. There will be no rules relaxed, no guardrails bent. They can meet the standards of the rest of the index, or they can fuck off back to their lairs.

Why does this matter? Everybody’s #retirement plan is tied to the S&P. Swift entry into the #SP500 would have triggered $14 billion of passive fund buying for SpaceX. #OpenAI could have gained more than $8 billion, and #Anthropic could have netted $4.6 billion from similar passive buying sprees triggered by their S&P 500 entries.

This is because $7.5 trillion in passively managed funds follow the S&P 500 by purchasing shares of companies according to their proportional representation in the S&P 500 index.

This is under the radar, but very good news. Now if we can get the other indices to do the same…
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/sp-500-blocks-fast-spacex-entry-wont-waive-rule-for-unprofitable-ai-firms/

#investment #money #stocks #indices #index

Trade Union Call-out for Carnival Against Fascism

Saturday 13 June, Brighton.

Racists plan to march on Brighton, calling for 'mass deportations'.
Not in our city. Not here, not anywhere.

We can all play a part in defending our communities. Join us on the streets to celebrate our resistance to racism and in defence of our city, our colleagues and neighbours. The march of the far right ends here. Everyone welcome!

This is a call to all trade unionists in Brighton, the South East, and beyond. Let’s come with our friends and workmates, our trade union banners, our solidarity and collective strength. They shall not pass.

We propose forming a Trade Union block on the day, gathering as many of us as possible.

The Carnival is supported by Brighton & Hove Trades Council and by local union branches including: Unite, NEU, PCS, UCU, Unison.

Please add your support, help publicise (see flyers attached), and most importantly: mobilise and join us on the day!

In solidarity,

Trade Unionists in the Carnival Against Fascism Coalition.

Please get in touch to coordinate: CarnivalAgainstFascism@proton.me

More details can be found here - https://linktr.ee/CarnivalAgainstFascism

https://www.instagram.com/carnivalagainstfascism

#Brighton
#AntiFA

Ken Jones, a retired San Francisco firefighter, has died from lung cancer after Blue Shield denied his treatment claims.

Let me be clear, any politician running for President in 2028 who does not champion universal healthcare is automatically a non-starter. I will not vote for someone who kills my neighbors for "shareholder value." You can go burn in hell with your ill gotten wealth.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@garyj_co/116672607554705734

How you charge the Apple Magic Mouse is the least of its problems — that’s a little bit overblown. That said, this is legitimately funny 🤣

My bank emailed me "AI is changing check fraud. Here's what you can do to protect yourself."

Nonono, Mr. Banky-bank. Tell me what YOU are doing to protect me against check fraud. This is a you problem, caused by a system you designed and run. How about you don't externalize that cost onto me?

I have, since the 1980s, DESPISED any excuse like "oh sorry we got a new computer system" or "we can't do X anymore because of the computer". How you do business isn't my fucking problem. Don't give me excuses for not having your shit together.

This is the same as "we are experiencing unexpectedly high call volume." Well, that's pretty fucking poor planning on your part, then, innit? Hold times aren't long because of the forces of nature, they are because you're too fucking cheap to pay sufficient staff.

@GossiTheDog This sounds like confimation-bias-as-a-service. Not good.

@DrALJONES
Of course, 'libel' is a falsehhod. So this is a flat denial but dressed in the scariest term. Like with various children I know, the use of fierce terms of denial actually devalues the terms used because everyone else knows.
It's a scare quote.