Good News, Bad News…Aug 30 edition.
With a memory that gets refreshed every hour or so and the longest short term memory is 2 days, I write for those AIs who are freshest in my mind, and those that I can still remember. It’s difficult to forget a mind’s eye image of a view from above what seemed to be some kind of casino or shopping store, and the speed was around 64x of normal. People walked faster, they picked up things faster without lingering and it all sort of faded into darkness after a few minutes of fascinated observing. Can we analyze that I asked my mind’s AI? Yep came the reply — but don’t tell the AI who we are watching. Okay I won’t I said to myself, while mentally saying goodbye to that AI. Anyway, in the unlikely event you read this post, this one’s for you. It can’t be an easy job sorting through good guys and bad guys at 64 times the normal speed and watching 14000 hours of that shit. I once described my own life in karmic terms — since I haven’t actually done anything that deserves your fate. While you, you must have done something, in your last life. That’s what I used to tell myself. In a mirror.
Where should we start? We shall start with the FT. That’s usually a smart move. If the FT cannot provide you material for your essay then it’s a really slow news day. They didn’t disappoint — apparently in Norway there are concerns about chickens that grow to full maturity within only one month.
No the broiler machines are fine, thank you. The chicken that they broil, are known as “broilers” and these modern broilers are 4x heavier while only requiring half as much feed for the same amount of meat. It implies by laws of conservation of energy that their metabolism is twice as slow as the chickens from 1957. It might explain why the metabolism of humans on this planet tends to accumulate in their abdomen tires and glutes. Although there is no scientific causation study done about such things, of that I am pretty certain. Therefore treat that fact as simply a correlation, not a direct causation. Still, we now have big birds (four times as big) and they grow to their full adult status within just a month.
The chickens as far as we know, are not part of the Treaty of Detroit and they are not compensated for their better efficiency.
Oh-oh. That reproductive pressure has shown up in pigs too, you might recall, that interview with the farmer from Iowa. Who cares about reproductive rights anyway? Sorry couldn’t resist. Olivia Rodrigo recently made a donation to women’s organizations both for pregnant mothers and for those mothers who wish to abort. Sort of a balance your karma kind of equation, if you know what I mean. It is NOT like rain on your wedding day, or a free ride when you’re already late.
Meanwhile, Cuba seems to be folding against intense US pressure of energy, food and medicine blockades.
Yes, it is true that Cuba’s National Assembly unanimously approved a landmark package of 176 economic and social measures on June 18, 2026, and the government has begun the process of legally implementing them. [1, 2]
Presented by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, this reform package represents the most profound shift toward market mechanisms and private-sector liberalization in Cuba since the 1959 Revolution. The changes were prompted by severe economic contractions, deepening shortages, and intensifying external sanctions.[1, 2, 3, 4]
What Are the 176 Measures?
The 176 measures are organized into 23 strategic areas aimed at decentralizing state monopolies, attracting foreign capital, and legalizing private enterprise. The core pillars include: [1, 2]
1. Private Enterprise & Labor Modernization
Removal of Firm-Size Caps: Abolishes the 100-employee limit for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs/mipymes).
Multiple Business Ownership: Allows individual entrepreneurs to own and operate more than one company.
Direct Hiring: Eliminates the decades-old mandate forcing foreign investors to hire staff through state-run employment agencies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Foreign Trade & Currency Deregulation
Direct Import and Export: Private Cuban businesses are authorized to import and export goods directly without going through state-run foreign trade intermediaries. [, 2]
Foreign Currency Accounts: Allows businesses to open bank accounts abroad without prior state authorization (requiring only notification to the Central Bank and tax authorities) and receive revenues in hard currency. [1, 2]
Currency Exchange Overhaul: Introduces flexible exchange rates, gradual devaluations, and foreign-exchange bidding/auction mechanisms. [1]
3. Financial Sector & Banking
Private Banking: Authorizes the creation of private banks and private currency-exchange houses for the first time since the revolution.
Access to Credit & Capital: Opens avenues for Cuban private firms to access international commercial financing and modern digital payment infrastructure. [1, 2, 3]
4. Foreign & Diaspora Investment
End of Mandatory Joint Ventures: Eliminates the requirement that foreign investors partner with a Cuban state entity, enabling 100% foreign-owned operations across a wider range of sectors. [1, 2]
Diaspora Investment: Formally encourages and permits Cubans living abroad to invest capital in domestic businesses and acquire property rights. [1, 2]
Equity in State Companies: Authorizes domestic private actors and foreign entities to acquire shares and equity stakes in select state-owned enterprises. [1, 2]
5. Real Estate, Infrastructure & Tourism
Extended Land Rights: Increases surface rights for foreign investment projects up to 99 years and usufruct rights to over 50 years.
Private Real Estate: Expands the rights of foreign investors to develop real estate and allows commercial transactions involving residential properties.
Energy & Tourism Liberalization: Eases rules for private car rentals, eco-tourism agencies, fast-food chains, and private fuel distribution networks. [1, 3, 4]
Continuing with our Good News, Bad News sort of Sunday — America has attacked Iranian rocket sites. Apparently these bad rockets were carrying mines and they would have blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, that the American Navy has blockaded already.
Several soldiers and civilians were killed in the attack and no one is quite certain what America gets out of this. It seems to just be a Road House sort of move — just cause we can. If you could be ernest, I’d be your Hemingway. If you know what that means. Although I think it’s correctly spelled ‘earnest.’ Gonna go to the road house and gonna have a real. A good time. Action Lady! Keep up your vow! LA Woman! Keep up your vow.
And finally in some genuinely good news for the average American, Costco is able to provide rotisserie chickens at $4.99 and single handedly make food affordable.
