Wow, how does this work though?
““Riot achieved a new monthly record for Power and Demand Response Credits, totaling $31.7 million in August, which surpassed the total amount of all Credits received in 2022. Based on the average Bitcoin price in August, Power and Demand Response credits received equated to approximately 1,136 Bitcoin.”
In principal though I’m not sure that the whole idea is that bad in the absence of a more stable grid?
I say this independent of any opinion on Bitcoin mining in general because essentially this means this business will be converting Texas energy into Bitcoin, storing it, and then making a lot more money off of the value of Texas energy during peak demand at a future date than they do currently from mining Bitcoin which I guess does have “vampire company draining a failed state” vibes whether that’s accurate or not but also is just legitimately kind of a form of trade kinda like futures so idk?
I have to admit I find the economic complexity here really morbidly fascinating.
it sure seems like extortion when i know running my mine will kill people, and so i get paid to not to. ( even more fun when the state or county pays a subsidy to start the mine for “jobs”, or when pension funds are investing in its stock. )
i’d like a subsidy for never starting a mine in the first place. i just might do it someday, so best to pay me now
Earned wage access has become an umbrella term for apps that pay out earned wages early, though there are key distinctions among different types of programs. Some of them are integrated directly into employers’ payroll systems to let employees get some of their wages in advance, leaving them with a smaller paycheck on their normal payday. These are offered by some of the biggest employers in the country, including Amazon and Walmart.
Direct-to-consumer early wage access programs, sometimes known as cash advance apps, on the other hand, function more like loans, giving workers their wages in advance based on what they report they’ll earn.
The market for both types of services appears to be growing rapidly. Workers accessed $9.5 billion via early wage access companies like EarnIn, MoneyLion, and DailyPay in 2020, up from $3.2 billion in 2018, according to a report from the research firm Aite Novarica.
Of course, the founders of these companies are the darlings of the financial press. 
They are portrayed as “disruptors” or innovators in banking trying to help workers. 
All they are doing is lining their pockets by finding ways to skirt regulations intended to prevent loan applicants from being exploited by lenders:
SSDI (different industry). I’m glad to see more regulations and lawsuits in progress to address this. However, unless there are significant penalties, Wall Street is going to continue supporting this and (as usual) workers and taxpayers will bear most of the cost.
So we are passing another milestone in the course of making our planet unsuitable for our own existence? Sweet, sweet.
BBC News - Morocco earthquake: 296 killed as buildings damaged
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-66760889
The death toll now stands at over 1,000,
BBC News - Morocco earthquake death toll rises above 2,000
BBC News - Libyan floods: Derna city looks like a tsunami hit it - minister
Iltalehti describes the economic situation for the wellbeing services counties that provide Finland’s public health and social services as “very dark”.
All of the regional organisations are running a budget deficit this year and, according to the paper, the outlook is not much better for the next few years.
The Ministry of Finance has ordered that the welfare counties must cover their deficits by the end of 2026 or risk mergers with other regional organisations.
The schedule raises concerns in the welfare areas, which are state-funded and do not have the right to tax.
In order to cope with the large funding deficit, the regions now have to make major spending cuts. That includes reducing local services in several areas.
The paper reports that almost all of the nation’s welfare counties are currently reviewing their operations, or are already planning reductions in services.
In particular, around-the-clock care for the elderly is being cut back, even though it is not meeting demand at current levels. The goal is for the elderly to manage longer at home, or in less service-intensive housing facilities.
Although many regions are increasing home-delivered services, remote services and community living that requires less staff, the need for round-the-clock care is not decreasing.
Even now, elderly people who are in increasingly poor health have to stay at home longer. Home care is also currently very under-resourced, but some welfare counties are looking for savings there as well, writes Iltalehti.
You can tell they are Christians by their love?
