Linkage

• This Is the Year Economists Finally Figured Out What Everyone Else Long Understood About 'Free Trade' (Alternet) They always say that a rising tide lifts all boats, but these deals are about empowering monopolistic rent seekers (Pharma, Wall Street, Copyright, etc.), and so there have never been efforts to make the losers of such policies whole. After all, the factory workers who have lost jobs have lost power as well.
• Seattle's landmark Uber union law set to go into effect as city releases final rules (GeekWire) Good
• Election Hack Report FAQ: What You Need to Know basically, this is a big bag of nothing
• Fraud in Silicon Valley: Startups Show Their Unethical Underside (Fortune) With all the "Unicorn" crap out there, it seems that no one remembers the dontbomb crash of the early 2000s.
• U.S. stocks riding a bull market in corruption (Marketwatch) Specifically, the stock market rally is driven by Wall Street, which is expecting a repeal of Obama's tepid regulation, to allow them to f%$# us like a drunk sorority girl.
• Silicon Valley's obscure unicorns could boost 2017 IPO market (Reuters) Hold on to your wallet.
• Company Bricks User's Software After He Posts A Negative Review (Techdirt) These folks make Comcast look like the Salvation Army.
• In 2015, a 30 Year Old French Nuclear Submarine 'Sank' a U.S. Aircraft Carrier (The National Interest) Note that the Saphir, is among the smallest nuclear boats in any submarine fleet in the world, which means, because there is no space for sound insulation, it is relatively noisy.  There are only two classes of warships, submarines, and targets.
• When a state trooper slaps his son, here's how the justice system treats him (The Oregonian) Cops are not held accountable, and this is corrosive to society.
• Can a Satire of ISIS Possibly Be Funny? BBC Viewers Are Split (New York Times) It is funny.  Bunch of thin-skinned, no-humor pansies! You tell them an ice-breaker or two about women's libbers, gays, environmentalists, several minorities, the homeless, couple of religions, anorexics, obese people, the handicapped, old farts, baldness, and people who walk real goofy because they've just had a vasectomy, and suddenly, they get all sensitive, like I offended one of them or something!

2016 after a long coma: (funny and alarming at the same time)