Nothing to see here but some links of interest. You know how it is.

Politics

  * [How we killed the Tea Party](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/tea-party-pacs-ideas-death-214164) -- Short version: greed over ideology killed the movement. Good riddance, honestly.
  * [I survived 'Trump' magazine--barely](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/donald-trump-magazine-employee-confessional-bankrupt-2016-214155) -- One _Trump_ magazine employee relates her story, which hits on themes that should be all too familiar by now: broken promises, unpaid bills, disrespect, and ripoffs.
  * [Donald Trump appoints media firebrand to run campaign](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/us/politics/donald-trump-stephen-bannon-paul-manafort.html?_r=0) -- It's hard to imagine how hiring the head of Breitbart.com could possibly represent a pivot toward the mainstream. Trump continues to solidify his campaign as an alt-right darling.
  * [Secret ledger in Ukraine lists cash for Donald Trump's campaign chief](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0) -- A series of embarrassing stories like these are what ultimately led to Trump dismissing campaign manager Paul Manafort.
  * [Inside the failing mission to tame Donald Trump's tongue](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/us/politics/donald-trump-campaign-gop.html?_r=0) -- A losing battle, no doubt!

Tech

  * [Generating fantasy maps](http://mewo2.com/notes/terrain/) -- A peek at a Twitter bot which generates new fantasy world maps every hour. Pretty cool!

International

  * [UN under pressure over 'failure to act' during South Sudan rampage](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/17/un-under-pressure-over-failure-to-act-during-south-sudan-rampage) -- People were beaten, raped, and killed just minutes away from thousands of UN troops, who declined to respond to calls for help.

Social Justice

  * ["You do not exist to be used": dismantling ideas of productivity in life purpose](https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/you-are-more-than-what-you-do-dismantling-ideas-of-productivity-in-life-purpose/) -- Almost all of us are socialized with the belief that our value as human beings comes from our productivity. But this idea is fundamentally capitalist and anti-human in nature. All people have value no matter what they do or don't produce.