As planet Neptune is enter into Pisces as of 2012 and now in the sign of Aries for the next 12 years, the feeling of super nature and surreal of the world is one of the common theme, together with that is the rampant occurrences of fraud and delusions. Trump University is considered an obvious one. Right now I just catch up on Ronan Farrow’s article on Sam Altman’s ‘pattern of deception’ and Silicon Valley’s ‘culture of hype’, revealing a troubling history of deception and sociopathic tendencies. Ronan Farrow as the investigative reporter who exposed Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct in 2017 — reporting that not only helped ignite the global #MeToo movement but also reshaped how institutions handle power and accountability. Now, he’s turning his attention to a different kind of power center — one that’s less visible, but arguably just as consequential. Farrow and Marantz spent 18 months investigating to answer that question. They interviewed Altman a dozen times and spoke to more than 100 people in his orbit. Even the Democratic socialist like Ocasio-Cortez is implying that “crazy” moment was something that happened to her and her ideological compatriots — like an earthquake or an invasion from the sea — rather than something that was contrived, dispersed, and enforced by her and her ideological compatriots. And today, the death of former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday – who was revealed over the past two weeks to have largely fabricated his life story brought us a moment of reflection: Jason Arday Should Never Have Been Allowed High Enough to Fall as He Did.
But there are many more sinister and perverse than that. Patrick Boyle talked about the Top Five Corporate Frauds of The Century: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup is a book by journalist John Carreyrou that covers the rise and fall of Theranos 2003-2014, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes; Jeff Skilling with Enron and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Lu Zhengyao (陸正耀) coffee 2020; Markus Braun Wirecard Trial which began in December 2022, are expected to extend through the remainder of the year, with Braun facing severe charges related to the collapse of the once-celebrated fintech company; Bernie Ebbers – Worldcom $11 Billion fraud from 1999-2002.
Leslie Herbert Wexner is an American billionaire businessman, retail pioneer, and philanthropist best known for founding The Limited in 1963, which grew into L Brands, the parent of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. He had closely tie to Epstein’s network. Recently investigating reporter Whitney Webb spoke of How the Epstein Network is Privatizing Govt & Building the Surveillance State. Mike DeWine is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th governor of Ohio since 2019. A Republican, he has also served as Ohio’s attorney general, U.S. senator, lieutenant governor, U.S. representative, and state senator in a public service career spanning five decades. Through Mike DeWine, Leslie Wexner and his circle privatized Ohio’s state government, and is using his position between the markets and the state to build out the ‘Silicon Heartland’.
The above debacle are why we need consider culture impacts and strict laws regarding healthcare, AI innovation and startup IPO valuations. Think of it that way: corporations ARE a form of government. Especially since some hold more power than most countries do. Matt Stoller is an American political commentator, author, and Director of Research at the American Economic Liberties Project, a leading voice in the modern anti-monopoly movement, known for his book Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy, praised for rethinking capitalism and U.S. economic policy. The book explains how authoritarianism and populism have returned to American politics for the first time in eighty years, as the outcome of the 2016 election shook our faith in democratic institutions. It has brought to the fore dangerous forces that many modern Americans never even knew existed. Today’s bitter recriminations and panic represent more than just fear of the future, they reflect a basic confusion about what is happening and the historical backstory that brought us to this moment.
Recently Elon Musk gets rocked by a judge’s new order to testify under oath in a massive fraud lawsuit against his committee, brought by two Arizona women, over his outrageous lottery scam. Deepfakes of Elon Musk contribute to billions in fraud losses in the U.S. Now with SpaceX IPO, Harvard Caught SpaceX Scamming Everyday Investors. The AI bubble has become the world’s largest marketing campaign. In 75% of Economy is Now Rigged, an American investigative journalist, author, and anthropologist whose work blends narrative non-fiction with ethnography to probe human exploitation, extreme physiology, and wellness industry claims, discusses America’s Monopoly rule. We need to tax wealth, like now. Taxing the ultra wealthy isn’t unfair. Their products and benefits to the world at large is questionable, if not totally fraud. They had used much public resources and polluted the world, they should not just pocket the benefits and left the burdens to the social disadvantaged to bear the blow of injustice. Audience suggest taxing wealth in a manner like, anything over $10-20 million taxed at 1 – 2% a year, $20 – 50 million at like 2 – 4%, $50 – 100 million at like 4 – 7%, $100 – 250 million at 10%, $250 – 500 at 15%, $500M – $1 billion at 15 – 25%, and anything over $1 billion at 50%. Or maybe we should have international tax to poll up a fund for pollution clean up, constructive culture issues and the organized crime prevention.
And the fraud does not stop at corporations. There are spiritual delusions that we need to be vigilant at. Don’t Fall into Spiritual Delusion! You need to know this if you’re on the spiritual path. we are totally unprepared when we ourselves fall victim to such delusion. There are many different types of spiritual delusion. Negative cults, suicide cults, starvation cults, for example, Jonestown (The People Temple Agriculture Project) of 1978 and the Manson family of 1969. However, there are less extreme examples of such mentality on the path. One could argue that many members of mega church are themselves members of cults. However, the extent to which this can go horribly wrong differs greatly, and some seem to be more or less unharmed by their blind devotion to their teachers. Setting aside the extreme cases that lead to mass suicides etc., many people who become involved in religion end up giving away all their possessions and some of these later regret it.
And there are much more subtle forms of spiritual delusion and that’s generally associated with one’s own practice. Part of the problem is when we come to the path then immediately we’re looking for something extraordinary, supernatural or special in some way. And although we may be able to think critically in our daily lives and rely on scientific knowledge, when it comes to religion, all of that goes out the window and we are ready to accept nearly anything that is suggested to us. The real charlatans are actually quite rare, probably most of the leaders of these poor misguided individuals themselves believe they are doing something positive or beneficial. But because they have not conquered their own ego, pride, their desire, their anger and jealousy, then they themselves are subject to fall. Many spiritual teachers start off with good intentions. However, as soon as they become famous and begin to profit from their spiritual organization, they often become radicalized.