As long as there has been civilization there has been crime. If there's one thing history has taught us it's that when humans live in large groups we do bad things to one another. In 2016, violent crime, the crime we fear, is much the same as it has been for centuries. Other types of crime are new and unprecedented. Today's digest is dedicated to what we all love to fear.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
1881 - The Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday win a shootout at the OK Corral against five members of the Clanton-McLaury Gang. The immortal gunfight lasted about 30 seconds, but has spawned a legendary cultural myth. The movie Tombstone is definitely worth seeing, and learning the history of the event is a fun bit of American history. The legal implications of a gunfight that left multiple men dead are an interesting parallel to what we see today.
The Mythological Man of Bitcoin
I find Bitcoin, the untraceable, incorruptible virtual currency to be very interesting. I believe the underlying technology, if not the product itself, will fundamentally change how society functions. But that is a topic for another time. Today's story is about the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, pseudonym Satoshi (from the London Review of Books).
Satoshi's story - Bitcoin's creation myth - is a technological and criminal thriller. The article is a long but fun read about tech-crime, and the blurry legal area surrounding such a new offense.
Prison: A Timeless Hell
Historically prisons have always been manifestations of hell on earth. Cramped, diseased and filthy, full of torture and starvation, truly miserable places. Sadly, not much has changed (from Latterly). Australia's penal colony on Nauru is a hopeless and forgotten place in the Pacific. A lonely camp in a vast ocean where prisoners live a squalid, unseen existence. Abandon all hope ye who enter here.
Of course prisons like this exist all over the world. In America our prisons are horrible places, and yet still more humane than many. Far too often prisons become places that foster crime to the point that "repeat offender" becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sustainably lowering crime necessarily means reforming prisons.
Darren Wilson: A Profile
Regardless of who you think the criminal in the altercation was, this profile of Darren Wilson is thorough and revealing (from the New Yorker). Wilson killed Michael Brown after an encounter in Ferguson, MO, sparking huge protests in one of the seminal moments of the Black Lives Matter movement. A grand jury chose not to indict Wilson. Since the incident there have been more shootings, deaths, and protests. America needs reconciliation and healing, but it seems we are only seeing more turbulence, creating the potential for more crimes and more violence.
Crimes of the State
Individuals are not the only criminals, governments perpetuate much larger crimes than any individual is capable of doing. Right now the governments of Syria and Russia are committing serious human rights violations - indeed mass murder - in Syria (from Medium). Thinly disguised as legitimate behind the twin of facades of anti-terrorism and government actions, Russian and particularly Syrian troops are indiscriminately killing citizens. They are committing crimes against humanity. Alas, it is unlikely we can stop them, and even less likely we can hold them accountable.
Yogi-Rilla
On a recent trip to the zoo with my friend Justin I saw this gorilla taking a long stretch. If you can't see, he' grabbing his toes with his right hand. A good hamstring stretch from a flexible fella. We can all learn from this great ape; taking a few minutes to stretch each day is smart and healthy.
Will's Weekly Trivia
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IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
Last Week:
1. What is the name of the famous Athenian lawgiver credited with laying the foundation for democracy in Athens? TWO POINTS
2. Who was the first Republican president? ONE POINT
3. Who won the election of 1796 when Alexander Hamilton penned his essay against Thomas Jefferson? ONE POINT
Answers:
1. Solon the Lawgiver is widely credited with creating Athenian democracy.
2. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president. George W Bush may end up being the last Republican president.
3. John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the 1796 election.
This Week:
1. How many men died at the shootout at the OK Corral? ONE POINT
2. Which major Syrian city has been a focal point of humanitarian disaster during the civil war? ONE POINT
3. Who, by herself in 1994, created, lobbied for, passed, and signed (in place of her husband in the dead of the night) a crime bill? ZERO POINTS
