Michael Estrin
@michaelestrin
writer & podcaster in LA. people say I'm funny. don't believe them! came here to eat tacos and make better internet. one time, George Burns refused to work with me.
michaelestrin.substack.comMichael Estrin
Student Blog Series: Ethical Capital Partners: Pornhub’s New “Ethical” Owners - The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Ryan Roecseinstitute.orgtubes owner
According to recent studies, the growing consumption of Internet pornography mainly in male population becomes an increasing problem, which is closely linked to compulsive sexual behavior. Some findings also suggest that Internet pornography consumption might represent a defense mechanism against excessive stress, which enables to cope with stressful events, helps in mood regulation, and decreases depression and anxiety. Users of online pornography involved in these activities also reported that their self-exposition to pornographic material may create guilty feelings and internal conflict in themselves with respect to their own “involuntary” sexual behavior, which suggest that psychosocial stress and possibly traumatic experiences may play a significant role in Internet pornography addiction. Taken together, these findings show that stressful experiences, anxiety, and depression are strongly related to pornography consumption. In addition, conflicting emotional experiences as well as identity problems significantly increase vulnerability to addictive sexual behavior and pornography consumption.
The canal is critical to the U.S. economy and trade. The U.S. is the largest user of the Panama Canal, with total U.S. commodity export and import containers representing about 73% of Panama Canal traffic, and 40% of all U.S. container traffic traveling through the Panama Canal every year. In all, roughly $270 billion in cargo is handled annually.
Panama Canal says shipping rebound is underway after record drought
The deal includes the bulk of CK Hutchison’s ports division, which produced 20% of the conglomerates earnings before interest and tax in the first half of last year and was the company’s third-biggest business. In its most recent results, the ports units outside of China and Hong Kong produced HK$17.8 billion ($2.3 billion) in first-half revenue an... See more
Hong Kong-Based CK Hutchison Sells Panama Ports to BlackRock ...
While everyone seems to agree there’s a housing shortage, there’s little agreement on its magnitude. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says the U.S. has a shortage of 7.3 million units, Realtor.com says 6.5 million, mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae says 4.4 million and Up for Growth, a policy group focused on the housing shortage, says 3... See more
How Severe Is the Housing Shortage? It Depends on How You Define ‘Shortage’
But any preference for renting here collides with a stark financial reality: National surveys show that in recent decades, Swiss homeowners have been better off, at least in terms of wealth. The median net worth of a Swiss homeowner in their 30s is six times higher than that of a renter of the same age. And the wealth gap only widens with age. In t... See more
In This Country, Most People Rent for Life. Is That Really What They Want? (Published 2023)
The federal payments system has been a panopticon for decades, waiting for someone with political ambitions to break down the bureaucratic firewalls protecting it, and open it up. Apparently, that has now happened. If the system transforms into a tool to arbitrarily block payments to entities whom Musk or Trump doesn’t like, which Musk has claimed ... See more
Abraham L. Newman • Elon Musk Weaponizes the Government
What they need to grasp—and quickly—is that Musk, and by extension Trump, appear to be trying to turn these technical systems into levers of control. If the two succeed, which is uncertain, they will have an unparallelled political advantage over the months and years to come. Even if they fail, their mistakes may have catastrophic consequences.
Abraham L. Newman • Elon Musk Weaponizes the Government
DOGE operatives—one of them reportedly a recent high school graduate—have similarly taken control of key information systems at the Office of Personnel Management, locking out high-level career civil servants. This access provides Musk’s team with detailed and highly sensitive information on millions of government employees. It also has allowed the... See more