When Elizabeth Warren proposed a Thomas Piketty-style wealth tax (2% annually on family fortunes over $50m, 1% more on fortunes over $1b), she ballparked the returns at $1.9-2.75t over the first ten years. Read the rest

Robin Sloan's 2012 novel, Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, was as strong a debut as you could ask for, an instant geek classic of bibliophilia, magic and technology; now, with today's release of Sourdough, Sloan returns to the alienated, quirkily funny and brilliant lives of technology workers, in a tale of food, the flesh, novelty-seeking, ancient tradition, and immortal colony-organisms.

The wit and wisdom of the Oklahoma Republican Party on Facebook:

“The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing this year the greatest amount of free Meals and Food stamps ever, to over 46 million people.

“Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us ‘Please Do Not Feed the Animals.’ Their stated reason for the policy is because ‘The animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves.’

“Thus ends today’s lesson in irony #OKGOP.”

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RECOMMEND: Visit the TOM THE DANCING BUG WEBSITE, follow RUBEN BOLLING on TWITTER, and listen to him as he joins other Boing Boingers in select episodes of GWEEK PODCAST. Read the rest

FOR INFORMATION, RECIPES AND PONTIFICATIONS CONCERNING GIANT WOMBATS, please do visit the TOM THE DANCING BUG WEBSITE, and/or FOLLOW RUBEN BOLLING on the TWITTER (secret code name: @rubenbolling). Read the rest