Tomorrow's I.P.O. of SpaceX could turn out to be the universe's largest Ponzi scheme, and you and I are paying part of the price whether we like it or not.
But consider; the milk is a mirage! They're trading the equivalents of bottle caps amongst each other, while hardly any portion of the rest of the population are in the "game" at all. Some kind of reality divorce has to happen, between Musk fantasy tokens and how the rest of us count the value of daily life.
Caveat emptor, indeed. Weʻve seen what damage Musk did to our government. Why would anyone trust that guy about anything? Jumping on anything flashy like this thinking youʻre going to make a massive fast buck is going to end in a bubble bursting much like what happened to the tech bubble, hurting a huge number of people
When my eldest was a college student visiting Montreal, he wore his favorite Grand Tetons tee. Turns out, in French, that phrase has a whole other meaning. I’m not sure how that one got past the evangelicals…😉
You're anything but cynical. Your column describes an objective reality. It's the same old song and dance between the top oligarch and Trump and his family. However, tech stocks are experiencing a beating of late. Will the IPO actually generate a trillion dollars? Given the magnitude of the numbers, it doesn't matter, except in Musk's extraordinarily egotistical mind.
We simply need to stop supporting these monsters. Stop buying from Amazon, stay away from anything Musk offers. Start using our brains to make conscious decisions about supporting workers’ rights, local food supplies, universal medical coverage, public transport - things that are actually of benefit to human beings.
If only we could reach a "critical mass" of "the market" saying NO to Amazon! I'm a pessimist. I think most people don't know and just habitually chase a deal.
Yes, everyone loves a deal - without thinking for one second that their support of a local shopkeeper could go towards a kid’s dance lesions rather than another yacht for a billionaire. Conscious spending needs to become a mantra.
I detest supporting Amazon Prime, but not everyone is privileged enough to avoid it. Consider the challenges faced by those with limited access to essential services, such as the nearest store being two hours away, unreliable transportation, or disabilities. Many rural areas are economically disadvantaged, and free delivery can be a lifeline. In fact, we don’t even have Amazon trucks or overnight delivery options; we usually wait 3-5 days. My experience as an urban/suburban dweller for the majority of my life has certainly broadened my perspective, especially after moving to a rural area.
Thank you. I no longer have a car, and especially during the pandemic, Amazon was and still often is, a godsend. For those who drive and/or can easily get to stores, please do what you can to boycott businesses who support the lunatics in our capital. The rest of us can do our part by shopping a bit less, or ordering from "mom and pop"-type businesses when possible.
These are issues I talk about with young people. Their lives are just taking off, and they need to fight against those people who are looking to steal every last cent they can, no matter how they do it. I help them to register to vote, and urge them to know who they are voting for. It takes time and effort, so I stress the investment is essential if they want to improve their existence in this country.
I already have. He is offering Star link at $53. That's 40 GBP. I pay 26 GBP for a screamingly fast cable connection. It's very reliable too. More so than Star link that can be affected by space weather etc.; I don't buy from Amazon either. Palantir is a harder target. I wrote to my rep about cancelling in our health service. but I then found out it's much slower than what the health service uses. So I guess that will not be used either.
Yes, yes and yes, avoid them however you can. As much as you can. There are things that none of us can avoid when it comes to Amazon and Musk. He has managed to build a business that we never see as consumers. Amazon servers actually provide the backbone for transactions for just about every single transaction in the United States every financial institution, stock, trading company, etc. uses Amazon servers. In spite of that, I still avoid doing business with them as much as I possibly can. I have no Amazon account. I do not shop at Whole Foods. I focus on as many local businesses as I possibly can. If there were more people doing this it would have an impact.
Please step out of your personal circumstances and see my comment below No disrespect intended, and until I moved to a rural area I would have been putting 100% all over your post
The problem in this case is the index funds. If your retirement fund is in index funds, you will automatically be invested in SpaceX. At least that's my understanding.
There's another aspect also, a scientific one. Musk wants to terraform Mars. The first requirement for this is to establish an oxygen atmosphere. How do you do this? Bring a bunch of plants from earth and convert CO2 to O2 by photosynthesis. Presumably in greenhouses. The main problem with this is not the HUGE effort this will require but the amount of CO2 on Mars. Photosynthesis converts one molecule of CO2 into one molecule of O2. If you converted every Martian CO2 molecule into O2, there would be enough to generate 0.1% of the partial pressure of oxygen on Earth.
Terraforming Mars is impossible, another scam from Elon.
Musk's appreciation of Mars exploration is on the same level as running public services. That is he knows fuck all. There is a better view of the issues by Professor Brian Cox on YouTube.
I looked at Brian Cox and Neil Degrasse Tyson's take on Mars, and although I am in broad agreement with both, no-one to my knowledge has discussed the fundamental problem of generating oxygen. Now we may have massively underestimated the amount of CO2 on Mars, and it may be possible to split water into H2 and O2 (thereby generating not only oxygen but also rocket fuel) but this fundamental issue of oxygen generation is never discussed.
So I agree with you that Musk's knowledge is very limited to say the least.
Fantasizing about Mars distracts you from the damage being done to Earth. A fool and his money are soon parted, and if Musk bankrupts a host of greedy, amoral newly rich fools that might be a good thing.
Michael,the comments made by Cox and Tyson are helpful,but the entire idea is laughable and people should be pissed that this is even in the headlines. Stupid fucking paid off SEC,just like the approving bitcoin which is now nearly gone. We have a securities market that is totally corrupt and paid off.
BTW- Mars is 33.9 Million miles away at its closest and 250 million miles at its furthest.
Thanks for that. I met an ex- Lockheed Martin engineer who wrote hisself a book called The Case For Mars. I pointed out essentially what you said to him and it made him really really mad,
But he'd already given me an autographed copy of his self published tome I threw away later.
You may recall that much of Brian' Cox's case revolved around energy. Splitting Co2 would require a lot of it, and solar panels may not deliver enough.. The issue of moving a huge spacecraft uses a lot of it, and current tech would not get us there and back. So unless unheard of methods are used it's very hard to see how it could be done.
Of course Musk doesn't care about this, and nor does his target audience. They just want to get richer, regardless of their understanding.
The problem isn't splitting CO2 - photosynthesis does that for us, so you only need to start with a few greenhouses containing a lot of CO2, and these can multiply until you have a planetary atmosphere of O2. No, the real problem is the SUPPLY of CO2 and there just ain't enough of it on Mars. In principle you could mine CO2 from Jupiter, or transport it from Earth but that would be a gigantic proposal we can only dream of at this time.
Musk's vision of life on Mars is a delusion. Besides, we have much more interesting and important things to do on Earth than indulging the whims of a nepo baby.
The atmospheric pressure on Mars is a fraction of that on earth. Plant survival would be an issue. Then you would have to melt water and pipe it too them. I have no idea how you solve these problems.
Michael, I have not seen any calculations from Schmukz which place a limit on the rate of solar energy which impacts the Martian surface. This number would be needed to establish the maximum energy available for splitting 2H2O into 2H2 + O2 by either electrolysis or photolysis. These are the only two likely methods of energy production which could support aerobic life on Mars, to my knowledge. You can't bring it with you. Note R P Feynman's intriguing lecture on You Tube as regards the implausibility of round-trip travel from Earth to Mars and the sustainability of human life there. In short, schmukz and drump may be viewed as glorified carnival barkers, with s. as t's head pimp.
It would presumably use ultraviolet light from the Sun, so same frequency, the question is then: what's the flux? Mars is approximately 1.5 times the distance from the Sun as Earth, so at the Martian equator, the flux would be about half the flux at Earth's equator, so plenty enough to do some serious photochemistry, in fact it would be more because there is almost no atmosphere to absorb the uv.
The question then becomes, how much water is there on Mars? I just consulted Gemini and the number there is 200 times the mass of CO2. Since water has only one oxygen atom and CO2 has 2 oxygen atoms, the mass of oxygen from water is about 100 times the mass of oxygen from CO2. This means that the maximum partial pressure of oxygen Musk could generate would be about 10% of the partial pressure of oxygen on Earth.
If the actual mass of water is 10x as much, then terraforming of Mars may yet be feasible, although it would be very slow.
And I will ask this again...WHERE is our Congress? Where are the folks in the Administration in charge of keeping these unethical pieces of crap in line? Oh that's right....they are a part of the Ponzi scheme. I am so Disgusted....every day one another way the American public is being screwed.
But here’s the real kicker. SpaceX insiders — such as Musk and, reportedly, senior Trump officials — will be able to sell their shares sooner than is usually the case with an I.P.O., because that’s the way the I.P.O. has been organized. Which means they can enjoy the stocks’ upward tide as the major indices force millions of investors to buy it, and then they can exit SpaceX before the tide goes out.
My thoughts precisely when reading the description. Let's hope that the institutional buyers just steer clear and the "pumpers" flock to it, but only they jump in and take a bath.
Ethics and decency are burdens to people like Musks and his buddies and are no longer needed for the sake of the almighty dollar and power.
It no longer cross their minds that other people might suffer because of their action. But even the mighty can fall, but again when they do others will fall with them. This regime is dismantling all the safety guards to please only a few at the cost of the masses,
Hey, Smart Businessmen have been telling us since 1980 that Real Efficiency and Value come from dismantling things and breaking the parts! The reality-based economy doesn't matter, it's about the stories people can be got to believe, because stories is Prices, man!
How is it that America became convinced that greed is good at the same time that giant corporations decimated mom and pop businesses and organized labor all across America?
"Greed is good" is a great American tradition. Thom Hartmann has done a lot of explication of "Calvinism" in the white occupation culture. Predestination, and your prosperity is evidence that you are blessed. My favorite Garrison Keillor quote is: "Remember that our Forefathers were tossed out of every decent country in Europe."
Thanks for reminding me about that Garrison Keillor quote, Mmerose. I got a good chuckle out of it.
I'm no theologian, but I think it's safe to say that the gospel of prosperity is a seductive abomination. Or, in the words of Darma Ganes (a fictional character), "The gospel of prosperity is the illegitimate bastard child of the unholy union of christianity and greed."
Thom Hartmann is a hero of mine. I have a Thom Hartmann shelf in my bookcase, and I'm looking forward to reading "Who Killed the American Dream?: The Greatest Political Crime Ever Told".
Ian. We should ask the fools who shop 24 hours a day at my local Wal-Mart. And other big box stores. Their jobs and their parents jobs have been going to China for 50 years thanks to Nixon, Reagan and greedy GOP businessmen. They bitch about how they don't make enough money, job security, high prices, etc. and yet continue to fill their cars with China made items that used to be made here. And on the way home they stop to vote for the GOP politicians who continue this economic disaster.
Lordy, what a flashback to Headwaters Forest and Charles Hurwitz! But the Headwaters survived, even though with a sweet payout to the "raider." I don't know what the outcome was for the company workers whose pension fund was stolen. Very organized protesters were ceremonially arrested by local (taxpayer funded) Sheriffs. Including Bonnie Raitt, bless her heart. The story was, hippies and anti-American environmentalists were putting honest loggers out of work. Result: Mediocre Republican stooge goes to Congress. Yup. It's about the story.
Wow this is awful… right in front of our eyes….be wise America today! Musk looks at us as the dumb peasants ! Please out smart this group today … keep your money in your pockets !!!!
And when will we prove him wrong? Not until his head (and those of all the epstein class) is on the block - metaphorically speaking that is. Metaphorically or not, the hand wringing and finger wagging will not change anything until the violence of American fascism, American racism and American capitalism is met by resistance ready to counter this violence, incarcerate the perpetrators of the theft of elections and resources, and confiscate their illegally and immorally accumulated gains for redistribution (oh what a scary word) and reinvestment.
I never thought that avoiding investments would leave me ahead of investors. I always heard that one should avoid "playing the stock market " if they could not afford to lose.
Laurie, I don't 'play' the market mainly because it's 'beyond my pay grade' so to speak. I did have a client that was a Meryl Lynch exec who was very kind to me and gifted me a yearly amount to 'invest', but over the years that investment never lived up to the 'growth' hype. I finally cashed in what was there to 'invest' in my own business future but am now retired with disabilities ~ gak ~ I've been viewing this 'playing the stock market' as a 'Barnum and Bailey' ruse to - fleece the sheeples -
I believe that. My older brother lost 40 thousand during the last crash during the "subprime housing" debacle. They were "gambling with our money" I read. There were those who lost much more, no doubt.
I have already spoken to my financial advisor a specifically said I want to avoid all contact with Elon Musk stock. Difficult for the company to do but if enough people do it, it will hopefully flatline. This pot stirring maniac does not need anymore dirty money.
Why do these multi multi millionaires need so much when they put it to no good use at all except to make themselves look bigger. Please MR Musk crawl under a rock.
Meanwhile, in the real world, far removed from the manipulations of stock market riggers and Ponzi gamblers...
In the UK Elon Musk’s X will face no action to remove a mass of posts inciting violence in Northern Ireland ...
People have been burned out of their homes. Racist mobs are on the rampage. But the government response to Musk and X has been flabby and Musk is largely responsible.
His posts on the UK (with which he seems obsessed) outnumber his posts about SpaceX by a country mile.
I have to give Elon credit for EV evangelism. Other than that, he’s a spoiled rich sociopath kid who has a good eye for investment and tongue for persuasion.
I HATE Teslas! The UGLIEST CAR I have ever seen! It doesn't even look like a car -- it looks like a giant toolbox that was forged in, say, Nazi Germany, not manufactured! What in God's name does anyone see in a Tesla???
Are you referring to the cars or to the deceptively named “cybertruck” — the thing that looks like it was designed by a 12 year old with a secret tank fetish?
You describe the truck, but the other models are pretty sleek. Plus, b/c of Tesler there are charging stations all over - precisely what the Trumpian fossil crowd wants to thwart. Musk has a crummy personality, but the car is a great idea. As per photo - we are hybrid owners.
I remember back when corporations provided pension plans, and then later, when they got out from under their responsibility for contributing to anything (other than their owners and themselves). Instead of providing a financially secure retirement for their workers they created financial products that left workers to take on the responsibility for their own financial security. Corporations transitioned away from defined benefit plans to contribution-based plans. At the time, most people thought it was great. There were investment options, and flexibility, and tax advantages, and a list of other bells and whistles.
But it was a devil's bargain. There were a lot of moving parts in the transition away from defined benefit plans that helped get us into the situation we're in today, where the rich are getting richer than they've ever been in the history of mankind, and the poor are getting poorer.
These days the only responsibility that corporations have is to their shareholders. And those shareholders are enjoying the forbidden fruit of corporate greed while Main Streets all across America are decimated along with organized labor. The mom and pop businesses and the union jobs that made America great are mostly gone because corporations' owners and their boards of directors and armies of lawyers and lobbyists fixed it so that their only responsibility is to get as rich as they can, however they can. They crafted a lot of ingenious parts when they put their get-richer-and-richer machine together. The cleverest piece may have been the one that enabled them to be subsidized by taxpayers instead of paying taxes themselves. They conjured what was supposed to be trickle-down into trickle-up. And they're the devil on America's shoulder, whispering in its ear, convincing everyone that they're "too big to fail".
There are some fortunate ones who've gone along for the ride. I guess that's what some people would call the good, when it comes to corporatocracy. And the bad... Well, I guess that's the rest of America that's been left behind... those who don't have much of any opportunity they can look forward to, or 401ks, or inherited bootstraps they can pull themselves up by. What some people would call most of America, you might say.
US stock markets have been overheated for years, I wonder if this would be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and creates a global recession lhe likes of which we haven't seen for some time and on top of the evils of Trumpism.
Right - just check the P/E ratio of any index. Poor return on profit means either a declining economy or just a speculative motive. It also is a sort of devaluation - sort of like money laundering by buy over priced real estate just so the ill-gotten gains will have legitimate title. Not good - go to the race track - you can get fresh air and, at least, watch the ponies run!
When IPO’s like this happen, it’s hard not to think this might be some kind of indicator the market market might be ready to blow. But the insanity could go on for quite a while longer. I know I won’t be investing in the musk IPO.
Well, here's the most obvious manifestation of the secret mantra shared among the Musk/GOP donor cabal:
"Move all the money to us!"
They all consider the cumulative wealth of 330 million people as a giant teat the size of Mount Everest
But consider; the milk is a mirage! They're trading the equivalents of bottle caps amongst each other, while hardly any portion of the rest of the population are in the "game" at all. Some kind of reality divorce has to happen, between Musk fantasy tokens and how the rest of us count the value of daily life.
Qui male agit odit lucem.
(He who behaves badly hates the light.
That is the talismanic phrase of the Republicans, especially those whose fortunes are tied to the Imperial Court of His Majesty, Donald tRump.
Thank you got it... and will keep and share.
Qui male agit odit lucern
He who behaves badly hates the light.
Caveat emptor, indeed. Weʻve seen what damage Musk did to our government. Why would anyone trust that guy about anything? Jumping on anything flashy like this thinking youʻre going to make a massive fast buck is going to end in a bubble bursting much like what happened to the tech bubble, hurting a huge number of people
- Karen Cooper
BUT he desperately needs the money... He must build 10-20 extra #SpaceX launchers just to get the fuel to reach the moon into orbit.
Go read the details of the newest plans from #NASA. A huge Moon Lander that requires 15 loads of fuel just to get to the moon once.
That brings up a point, why go to the moon except rah-rah America opportunities, and itʻs a fun space race for the oligarchs?
- Karen
Nicely said.
Surely, the Grand Tetons would be more apt a comparison? 😉
When my eldest was a college student visiting Montreal, he wore his favorite Grand Tetons tee. Turns out, in French, that phrase has a whole other meaning. I’m not sure how that one got past the evangelicals…😉
Could be worse, it could have been your daughter... 🤔
Yikes!
it takes Aussie cajones to say that
That's funny.
Had to look that one up- ha!
Nice! He could wear it in Nice
Good one!
You're anything but cynical. Your column describes an objective reality. It's the same old song and dance between the top oligarch and Trump and his family. However, tech stocks are experiencing a beating of late. Will the IPO actually generate a trillion dollars? Given the magnitude of the numbers, it doesn't matter, except in Musk's extraordinarily egotistical mind.
Well said!
We simply need to stop supporting these monsters. Stop buying from Amazon, stay away from anything Musk offers. Start using our brains to make conscious decisions about supporting workers’ rights, local food supplies, universal medical coverage, public transport - things that are actually of benefit to human beings.
If only we could reach a "critical mass" of "the market" saying NO to Amazon! I'm a pessimist. I think most people don't know and just habitually chase a deal.
Yes, everyone loves a deal - without thinking for one second that their support of a local shopkeeper could go towards a kid’s dance lesions rather than another yacht for a billionaire. Conscious spending needs to become a mantra.
It's the delivery that is the attraction for some of us who don't move as well as we used to.
I'd prefer the the lesions term be used to describe Musk et al :>)
Judy,I agree ,how do we get the message across.
I detest supporting Amazon Prime, but not everyone is privileged enough to avoid it. Consider the challenges faced by those with limited access to essential services, such as the nearest store being two hours away, unreliable transportation, or disabilities. Many rural areas are economically disadvantaged, and free delivery can be a lifeline. In fact, we don’t even have Amazon trucks or overnight delivery options; we usually wait 3-5 days. My experience as an urban/suburban dweller for the majority of my life has certainly broadened my perspective, especially after moving to a rural area.
Thank you. I no longer have a car, and especially during the pandemic, Amazon was and still often is, a godsend. For those who drive and/or can easily get to stores, please do what you can to boycott businesses who support the lunatics in our capital. The rest of us can do our part by shopping a bit less, or ordering from "mom and pop"-type businesses when possible.
These are issues I talk about with young people. Their lives are just taking off, and they need to fight against those people who are looking to steal every last cent they can, no matter how they do it. I help them to register to vote, and urge them to know who they are voting for. It takes time and effort, so I stress the investment is essential if they want to improve their existence in this country.
I already have. He is offering Star link at $53. That's 40 GBP. I pay 26 GBP for a screamingly fast cable connection. It's very reliable too. More so than Star link that can be affected by space weather etc.; I don't buy from Amazon either. Palantir is a harder target. I wrote to my rep about cancelling in our health service. but I then found out it's much slower than what the health service uses. So I guess that will not be used either.
Yes, yes and yes, avoid them however you can. As much as you can. There are things that none of us can avoid when it comes to Amazon and Musk. He has managed to build a business that we never see as consumers. Amazon servers actually provide the backbone for transactions for just about every single transaction in the United States every financial institution, stock, trading company, etc. uses Amazon servers. In spite of that, I still avoid doing business with them as much as I possibly can. I have no Amazon account. I do not shop at Whole Foods. I focus on as many local businesses as I possibly can. If there were more people doing this it would have an impact.
Please step out of your personal circumstances and see my comment below No disrespect intended, and until I moved to a rural area I would have been putting 100% all over your post
The problem in this case is the index funds. If your retirement fund is in index funds, you will automatically be invested in SpaceX. At least that's my understanding.
Not all index funds are the same. Chose wisely.
That’s a pity. Maybe people can advocate for a change?
There's another aspect also, a scientific one. Musk wants to terraform Mars. The first requirement for this is to establish an oxygen atmosphere. How do you do this? Bring a bunch of plants from earth and convert CO2 to O2 by photosynthesis. Presumably in greenhouses. The main problem with this is not the HUGE effort this will require but the amount of CO2 on Mars. Photosynthesis converts one molecule of CO2 into one molecule of O2. If you converted every Martian CO2 molecule into O2, there would be enough to generate 0.1% of the partial pressure of oxygen on Earth.
Terraforming Mars is impossible, another scam from Elon.
Probably should be looking at terraforming Earth.🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Please expand on your quip! Wishful blessing, or curse?
Musk's appreciation of Mars exploration is on the same level as running public services. That is he knows fuck all. There is a better view of the issues by Professor Brian Cox on YouTube.
I looked at Brian Cox and Neil Degrasse Tyson's take on Mars, and although I am in broad agreement with both, no-one to my knowledge has discussed the fundamental problem of generating oxygen. Now we may have massively underestimated the amount of CO2 on Mars, and it may be possible to split water into H2 and O2 (thereby generating not only oxygen but also rocket fuel) but this fundamental issue of oxygen generation is never discussed.
So I agree with you that Musk's knowledge is very limited to say the least.
Fantasizing about Mars distracts you from the damage being done to Earth. A fool and his money are soon parted, and if Musk bankrupts a host of greedy, amoral newly rich fools that might be a good thing.
He's a psychopath.
Michael,the comments made by Cox and Tyson are helpful,but the entire idea is laughable and people should be pissed that this is even in the headlines. Stupid fucking paid off SEC,just like the approving bitcoin which is now nearly gone. We have a securities market that is totally corrupt and paid off.
BTW- Mars is 33.9 Million miles away at its closest and 250 million miles at its furthest.
Thanks for that. I met an ex- Lockheed Martin engineer who wrote hisself a book called The Case For Mars. I pointed out essentially what you said to him and it made him really really mad,
But he'd already given me an autographed copy of his self published tome I threw away later.
Jen, good one! hahahaaha!
You may recall that much of Brian' Cox's case revolved around energy. Splitting Co2 would require a lot of it, and solar panels may not deliver enough.. The issue of moving a huge spacecraft uses a lot of it, and current tech would not get us there and back. So unless unheard of methods are used it's very hard to see how it could be done.
Of course Musk doesn't care about this, and nor does his target audience. They just want to get richer, regardless of their understanding.
I think Musk should go ahead and mount a data-finding mission though. It won't do it right unless he goes himself.
Yes, he needs to be the pioneer. What could possibly go wrong?
Most of what we know about Mars comes from NASA. Musk would not be interested.
The problem isn't splitting CO2 - photosynthesis does that for us, so you only need to start with a few greenhouses containing a lot of CO2, and these can multiply until you have a planetary atmosphere of O2. No, the real problem is the SUPPLY of CO2 and there just ain't enough of it on Mars. In principle you could mine CO2 from Jupiter, or transport it from Earth but that would be a gigantic proposal we can only dream of at this time.
Musk's vision of life on Mars is a delusion. Besides, we have much more interesting and important things to do on Earth than indulging the whims of a nepo baby.
The atmospheric pressure on Mars is a fraction of that on earth. Plant survival would be an issue. Then you would have to melt water and pipe it too them. I have no idea how you solve these problems.
Michael, I have not seen any calculations from Schmukz which place a limit on the rate of solar energy which impacts the Martian surface. This number would be needed to establish the maximum energy available for splitting 2H2O into 2H2 + O2 by either electrolysis or photolysis. These are the only two likely methods of energy production which could support aerobic life on Mars, to my knowledge. You can't bring it with you. Note R P Feynman's intriguing lecture on You Tube as regards the implausibility of round-trip travel from Earth to Mars and the sustainability of human life there. In short, schmukz and drump may be viewed as glorified carnival barkers, with s. as t's head pimp.
So why does Musk want to go to Mars? Isn't it so that he could become even richer and more famous? He reminds me of Caligula, the Roman emperor.
Not to expand the frontiers of science, surely, like a real scientist.
He exists in a moral vacuum.
It would presumably use ultraviolet light from the Sun, so same frequency, the question is then: what's the flux? Mars is approximately 1.5 times the distance from the Sun as Earth, so at the Martian equator, the flux would be about half the flux at Earth's equator, so plenty enough to do some serious photochemistry, in fact it would be more because there is almost no atmosphere to absorb the uv.
The question then becomes, how much water is there on Mars? I just consulted Gemini and the number there is 200 times the mass of CO2. Since water has only one oxygen atom and CO2 has 2 oxygen atoms, the mass of oxygen from water is about 100 times the mass of oxygen from CO2. This means that the maximum partial pressure of oxygen Musk could generate would be about 10% of the partial pressure of oxygen on Earth.
If the actual mass of water is 10x as much, then terraforming of Mars may yet be feasible, although it would be very slow.
Musk needs to be “Aborted” right now, using any not so nice means!
And I will ask this again...WHERE is our Congress? Where are the folks in the Administration in charge of keeping these unethical pieces of crap in line? Oh that's right....they are a part of the Ponzi scheme. I am so Disgusted....every day one another way the American public is being screwed.
But here’s the real kicker. SpaceX insiders — such as Musk and, reportedly, senior Trump officials — will be able to sell their shares sooner than is usually the case with an I.P.O., because that’s the way the I.P.O. has been organized. Which means they can enjoy the stocks’ upward tide as the major indices force millions of investors to buy it, and then they can exit SpaceX before the tide goes out.
The terminology in trading is: "Pump and Dump."
It should be illegal. It's as bad as insider trading.
My thoughts precisely when reading the description. Let's hope that the institutional buyers just steer clear and the "pumpers" flock to it, but only they jump in and take a bath.
Good work, if you can get it.
Hm.. that’s a lot of money. So what we really need is for Musk to pick up the bill. Just remind him to Pay Pal.
Ethics and decency are burdens to people like Musks and his buddies and are no longer needed for the sake of the almighty dollar and power.
It no longer cross their minds that other people might suffer because of their action. But even the mighty can fall, but again when they do others will fall with them. This regime is dismantling all the safety guards to please only a few at the cost of the masses,
Hey, Smart Businessmen have been telling us since 1980 that Real Efficiency and Value come from dismantling things and breaking the parts! The reality-based economy doesn't matter, it's about the stories people can be got to believe, because stories is Prices, man!
How is it that America became convinced that greed is good at the same time that giant corporations decimated mom and pop businesses and organized labor all across America?
"Greed is good" is a great American tradition. Thom Hartmann has done a lot of explication of "Calvinism" in the white occupation culture. Predestination, and your prosperity is evidence that you are blessed. My favorite Garrison Keillor quote is: "Remember that our Forefathers were tossed out of every decent country in Europe."
Thanks for reminding me about that Garrison Keillor quote, Mmerose. I got a good chuckle out of it.
I'm no theologian, but I think it's safe to say that the gospel of prosperity is a seductive abomination. Or, in the words of Darma Ganes (a fictional character), "The gospel of prosperity is the illegitimate bastard child of the unholy union of christianity and greed."
Thom Hartmann is a hero of mine. I have a Thom Hartmann shelf in my bookcase, and I'm looking forward to reading "Who Killed the American Dream?: The Greatest Political Crime Ever Told".
Ian. We should ask the fools who shop 24 hours a day at my local Wal-Mart. And other big box stores. Their jobs and their parents jobs have been going to China for 50 years thanks to Nixon, Reagan and greedy GOP businessmen. They bitch about how they don't make enough money, job security, high prices, etc. and yet continue to fill their cars with China made items that used to be made here. And on the way home they stop to vote for the GOP politicians who continue this economic disaster.
Vote Blue... GH
Lordy, what a flashback to Headwaters Forest and Charles Hurwitz! But the Headwaters survived, even though with a sweet payout to the "raider." I don't know what the outcome was for the company workers whose pension fund was stolen. Very organized protesters were ceremonially arrested by local (taxpayer funded) Sheriffs. Including Bonnie Raitt, bless her heart. The story was, hippies and anti-American environmentalists were putting honest loggers out of work. Result: Mediocre Republican stooge goes to Congress. Yup. It's about the story.
Wow this is awful… right in front of our eyes….be wise America today! Musk looks at us as the dumb peasants ! Please out smart this group today … keep your money in your pockets !!!!
And when will we prove him wrong? Not until his head (and those of all the epstein class) is on the block - metaphorically speaking that is. Metaphorically or not, the hand wringing and finger wagging will not change anything until the violence of American fascism, American racism and American capitalism is met by resistance ready to counter this violence, incarcerate the perpetrators of the theft of elections and resources, and confiscate their illegally and immorally accumulated gains for redistribution (oh what a scary word) and reinvestment.
I never thought that avoiding investments would leave me ahead of investors. I always heard that one should avoid "playing the stock market " if they could not afford to lose.
Laurie, I don't 'play' the market mainly because it's 'beyond my pay grade' so to speak. I did have a client that was a Meryl Lynch exec who was very kind to me and gifted me a yearly amount to 'invest', but over the years that investment never lived up to the 'growth' hype. I finally cashed in what was there to 'invest' in my own business future but am now retired with disabilities ~ gak ~ I've been viewing this 'playing the stock market' as a 'Barnum and Bailey' ruse to - fleece the sheeples -
I believe that. My older brother lost 40 thousand during the last crash during the "subprime housing" debacle. They were "gambling with our money" I read. There were those who lost much more, no doubt.
It was reported that there was no returns and could close at his discretion!!
The sooner Musk boards a rocket for Mars, the better.
I have already spoken to my financial advisor a specifically said I want to avoid all contact with Elon Musk stock. Difficult for the company to do but if enough people do it, it will hopefully flatline. This pot stirring maniac does not need anymore dirty money.
Why do these multi multi millionaires need so much when they put it to no good use at all except to make themselves look bigger. Please MR Musk crawl under a rock.
Meanwhile, in the real world, far removed from the manipulations of stock market riggers and Ponzi gamblers...
In the UK Elon Musk’s X will face no action to remove a mass of posts inciting violence in Northern Ireland ...
People have been burned out of their homes. Racist mobs are on the rampage. But the government response to Musk and X has been flabby and Musk is largely responsible.
His posts on the UK (with which he seems obsessed) outnumber his posts about SpaceX by a country mile.
The man is a disgrace.
I have to give Elon credit for EV evangelism. Other than that, he’s a spoiled rich sociopath kid who has a good eye for investment and tongue for persuasion.
I HATE Teslas! The UGLIEST CAR I have ever seen! It doesn't even look like a car -- it looks like a giant toolbox that was forged in, say, Nazi Germany, not manufactured! What in God's name does anyone see in a Tesla???
Are you referring to the cars or to the deceptively named “cybertruck” — the thing that looks like it was designed by a 12 year old with a secret tank fetish?
You describe the truck, but the other models are pretty sleek. Plus, b/c of Tesler there are charging stations all over - precisely what the Trumpian fossil crowd wants to thwart. Musk has a crummy personality, but the car is a great idea. As per photo - we are hybrid owners.
I remember back when corporations provided pension plans, and then later, when they got out from under their responsibility for contributing to anything (other than their owners and themselves). Instead of providing a financially secure retirement for their workers they created financial products that left workers to take on the responsibility for their own financial security. Corporations transitioned away from defined benefit plans to contribution-based plans. At the time, most people thought it was great. There were investment options, and flexibility, and tax advantages, and a list of other bells and whistles.
But it was a devil's bargain. There were a lot of moving parts in the transition away from defined benefit plans that helped get us into the situation we're in today, where the rich are getting richer than they've ever been in the history of mankind, and the poor are getting poorer.
These days the only responsibility that corporations have is to their shareholders. And those shareholders are enjoying the forbidden fruit of corporate greed while Main Streets all across America are decimated along with organized labor. The mom and pop businesses and the union jobs that made America great are mostly gone because corporations' owners and their boards of directors and armies of lawyers and lobbyists fixed it so that their only responsibility is to get as rich as they can, however they can. They crafted a lot of ingenious parts when they put their get-richer-and-richer machine together. The cleverest piece may have been the one that enabled them to be subsidized by taxpayers instead of paying taxes themselves. They conjured what was supposed to be trickle-down into trickle-up. And they're the devil on America's shoulder, whispering in its ear, convincing everyone that they're "too big to fail".
There are some fortunate ones who've gone along for the ride. I guess that's what some people would call the good, when it comes to corporatocracy. And the bad... Well, I guess that's the rest of America that's been left behind... those who don't have much of any opportunity they can look forward to, or 401ks, or inherited bootstraps they can pull themselves up by. What some people would call most of America, you might say.
We could always invest in Mr & Mrs Jared Kushner’s ESTONIA. I don’t think it is possible to sound cynical these days. It’s all true.
What happened?
From Lily Tomlin: "I tried to be cynical, but I couldn't keep up."
👍
Love Lily Tomlin. And have seen her stage performance of "Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe" = very very creative and thought provoking ~
US stock markets have been overheated for years, I wonder if this would be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and creates a global recession lhe likes of which we haven't seen for some time and on top of the evils of Trumpism.
Right - just check the P/E ratio of any index. Poor return on profit means either a declining economy or just a speculative motive. It also is a sort of devaluation - sort of like money laundering by buy over priced real estate just so the ill-gotten gains will have legitimate title. Not good - go to the race track - you can get fresh air and, at least, watch the ponies run!
When IPO’s like this happen, it’s hard not to think this might be some kind of indicator the market market might be ready to blow. But the insanity could go on for quite a while longer. I know I won’t be investing in the musk IPO.