Linkage

• Taliban photo appears to mock Iwo Jima flag raising in latest propaganda push (Marine Corps Times) The Taliban is a bit more cognizant of western symbolism than we give them credit for.
• Joe Rogan, confined to Spotify, is losing influence (The Verge) Spotify paid a lot of money to put Rogan in their walled garden, and it appears to be hurting his brand.  Heh.
• 'No peeing towards Russia' sign appears on country's Arctic border with Norway (The Register) It's a tourist attraction, and tourists do stupid sh%$.
• Pipeline to Water Golf Courses in Drought-Stricken West Is US's ‘Stupidest Project’ (Vice) It may not be THE stupidest, but it certainly is in the running.
• No Surprise, Uber and Lyft Lied About Helping Workers (Jacobin) The subhead says it all, "Uber and Lyft said that California's Proposition 22 would help their drivers. We now have proof they were lying."
• The bloodlust of Joe Biden's Afghanistan critics (The Week) The DC intelligentsia (stupientsia?) is bought and paid for by defense contractors.
• MoA - How The CIA Used ISIS-K To Keep Its Afghanistan Business (Moon of Alabama) Not a convincing case, but considering the CIA's record, they were instrumental in creating the Khmer Rouge, it bears some serious consideration.
• The Music Industry Doesn't Understand Music; It Never Did (Cracked) Yeah, pretty much.
• Facebook's war on switching costs (Cory Doctorow) A good summary of how Facebook deliberately put a moat around their site to keep users in.
  

He Man and Skeletor, like you've never seen them before: