>The Trump administration has unveiled a $500 million U.S.-Africa Strategic Investment Program, signaling a major shift in Washington's engagement with Africa by prioritizing private sector investment over traditional foreign aid while seeking to secure access to the continent's vast critical mineral resources.

Fact sheet here: https://dusoma.org/u-s-africa-strategic-investment-program-usasip/

Asst Public Information Officer Leslie Bucklin·

1 day ago

The Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD) is excited to invite you to “ALPR for Safer Communities: A Conversation” on August 27, 2026 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building. LAPD officers and representatives from Axon Enterprise will share what an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system is, how it augments police investigations and public safety goals, what the system can and cannot do, how LAPD and Axon safeguard the data, and answer questions.

ALPR systems are used all over the world to monitor vehicle license plates and alert law enforcement agencies when a flagged plate is detected. Plate can be flagged by law enforcement agencies to alert about stolen property, missing persons, or active warrants.

Learn more about the ALPR system that Los Alamos County is in the process of deploying by visiting the County web page on the ALPR system:

https://www.losalamosnm.gov/Government/Departments-offices/Police-Department/Automated-License-Plate-Readers-ALPRs

BY ALLAN SAENZ
Owner
SALA Los Alamos Center

I want to start by saying I support downtown redevelopment. We all want to see vacant buildings come back to life, like the former CB FOX building.

That is exactly what I did when I brought back the old movie theater and turned it into SALA, a community event center, with private funds and private risk. We took a vacant building and brought it back to life for movies, events, rentals, community programs, watch parties, performances, and gatherings. We have also tried to work with the County and seek support through LEDA or similar economic development tools, but we were not successful.

Because of that, I oppose using public funds for this project as currently proposed. My concern is not with redevelopment itself. My concern is that public funds would be used in a way that creates direct, subsidized competition with existing local businesses. The proposed CB FOX project includes a food hall, performance venue, private dining and meeting rooms, public and private meeting rooms, retail spaces, and a rooftop bar and restaurant. Those are not just hotel amenities. Those are event, rental, entertainment, food, beverage, and gathering spaces. These are areas where existing local businesses, including SALA, already operate and depend on revenue.

SALA has invested heavily in downtown Los Alamos with private risk. We depend on rentals, events, community programming, theater use, food and beverage, and future expansion to stay open and grow. If millions of dollars in public funds are given to a new project that includes competing event and entertainment spaces, it changes the playing field and could affect the future of SALA being able to remain open.

I am not asking the County to stop downtown revitalization. I am asking the County not to use public money in a way that could unintentionally harm the local businesses that are already here, already investing, and already doing the work of bringing people downtown.

Before approving this agreement, I ask Council to consider:

• A clear analysis of how this project may impact existing downtown businesses.
• Equal consideration for existing businesses that have already invested in downtown revitalization and are also trying to expand.
• Whether public funds should be used for a project that directly overlaps with services already provided by local businesses.

We should bring vacant buildings back to life, but we should not use public funds to put existing local businesses at risk.

UPDATE: I posted this issue on a website called "Pissed Consumer" and it seems to be an incredible site so far. They just wrote to schedule a live 30 minute interview about the issue and they will work with CVS. I am going to make a recording of "the loop" where you can't refill. If you can, please make an audio recording if you can replicate. If we can even get 5 recordings, with a help of a partner, maybe we can make change after all.

Hi all, thank you for the views and support about CVS's super shitty, multi-year journey to make phone refill prescriptions technically impossible to do. Again, the customer service people confirmed they have thousands of tickets about this, plus the customer service people are actually entering prescription orders by hand.

I've done some research and encourage you to replicate - it turns out this has been going on for years and like all enshittification - it's legal. You are legally allowed to wind-down your automated phone system, which forces people to use the app.

So there you go. A massive enshittification trend (see my history) is to force people to use an app. Hilton is threatening to take away room key cards.

I once met an elderly man who attempted suicide when he realized the laundry machine in his building required a QR code and an app. That post on this thread got over 100,000 views.

But this is what's heartbreaking - when time and resources allow, I'd like to keep exploring what consumers can actually do. Like a people's class action. Because when I do research, to really make something small like this stop - to force a corporation like CVS to change - I mean, do research. It's awful. It's nearly impossible, it's expensive, and worst of all - it takes years. At every junction, they make it impossible to stop big corporations.

You realize that enshittification isn't just about shitty companies, it's about shitty systemic failures that the courts and the media can do nothing about. For example, say we were all going to work together to get media attention on this. We all know what an impossible task that would be. What outlet would pick up this story? Not an outlet for whom CVS is an advertiser.

Anyway, this is what my org, Dusoma Foundation does, but we just can't work on something like this now, and I'm really angry that change is so hard. It is my hope that we can help the next generation take their world back.

Love to you all on this wonderful subreddit.

OP here- https://www.reddit.com/r/enshittification/comments/1ueluyl/cvs_automated_refill_is_totally_broken_now/

This is why people hate AI. Everything is broken (thus this subreddit). Today's entry is u/cvs - the automated prescription refill system that has been working for 20 years - as of today- it's totally broken. It slowly reads a list of every prescription you've ever had, and then you cannot actually refill anything. Of course you can't talk to a human.

Calling another pharmacy and there is no answer.

This is why people are absolutely fed up with AI, healthcare and all technology. There's nothing wrong with the tech itself, but the greed causes them to break everything to try to save cost. And there's no one to complain to - you can just yell into the social media void.

https://preview.redd.it/tqkvmtuz349h1.png?width=194&format=png&auto=webp&s=9872a5d561dae6b8ac55bca4742c49a1b8a35d1e

UPDATE: online candidate petition can be signed here: https://www.electronicpetitions.elections.sos.nm.gov/james-wernicke-4

James will be collecting signatures tonight, in person, at "the concert" at 6 PM. The link also allows you to enter your contact info, and if you sign up digitally, we can work to get you added through the compliant system - we just need to make sure we have 90 additional supporters stat.

Ok, here is a blurb, link below and then more every day the next two weeks. We will answer questions and make the argument about needing data scientists and not just politicians making decisions about local policy. James will be doing demos of the app he created that parcels every acre of property in Los Alamos and White Rock. Now we work to answer questions and turn this into logical policy that literally and simply fixes the problem of housing in Los Alamos. He's been studying this for years and now it's time for him to join county council and push the fixt through.

The Copy:
Are you wary of politicians and just wish a person who is an economist and data scientist would take the guesswork out of local county issues?

Before we, the Dusoma Foundation, met James Wernicke, we were studying the “logic layer” of elections and policy decisions and made these two videos about voter education.

https://dusoma.org/santa-fe-mayoral-candidates/

The questions was: ask me 5 questions about my wants, needs and values out of government and help me figure out who to vote for. It worked so incredibly well we shut it down for safety reasons – because any technology that “helps people pick a candidate they align with” is simply so powerful in terms of political influence that we have to study it more.

As you will learn in the videos, the Pitchfork Party is not a political party, it's a knowledge document about the huge number of issues that most Americans agree on - like politicians over 80 should be asked to take cognitive tests when concerns are raised. 90% agree on that. So we run on that and skip every other issue there there isn't 60% or more agreement.

It’s now 6 months later and we are pointing out a candidate that is the most tech-friendly, logic-based, data science candidate who couples political knowledge, data science and tremendous ethical integrity.

We will update this page with our data analysis of the housing situation in Los Alamos. Instead of politics and promises, we simply parse the situation to the point that we can showcase over 3 areas that would be perfect for extending housing. Over 80 acres of land in Los Alamos.

If you want James to be on the ballot, please sign this before Friday, June 26.
This is not an official signature list, but it gives us your email so we can get in touch with you, validate your email and get James on the ballot (as an independent), with your permission.

Enter your information here: 90 signatures needed by Friday, June 26, 2026

This is Gemini's Description, what do you think? I'm an outsider and I did not understand the low and slow motto. That's hilarious.

Española's title as the "Lowrider Capital of the World" is accurate, as is Espanola known throughout the globe. It's deeply rooted in local history, cultural pride, and generations of incredible automotive craftsmanship.

While Southern California (specifically East L.A.) often gets historic credit for birthing lowrider culture in the 1940s and 50s, Española took that seed and grew it into a defining regional art form.

The Birth of a Culture: Bajito y Suavecito

The lowrider movement originally emerged as a creative, political, and cultural counter-statement by Mexican American youth. While mainstream post-WWII American car culture was all about speed, drag racing, and hot rods ("go fast, go high"), Chicano culture flipped the script: "Bajito y Suavecito"- Low and Slow.

In Northern New Mexico, this philosophy found the perfect home. Driving slow wasn't just a style choice; it was a way to cruise Riverside Drive, show off your meticulous work, socialize with neighbors, and reclaim the streets.

What Makes Española’s Scene Unique?

Española didn’t just replicate California style; local customizers gave it a distinct New Mexican soul, blending automotive engineering with traditional regional craftsmanship.

• Generational Family Traditions: In Española, a lowrider is rarely a solo project. It’s common for three generations—grandfathers, fathers, and daughters or sons—to spend years together in a garage rebuilding a '64 Chevy Impala or a '50s bomber. It is an inheritance of skills.
• Devotional & Cultural Artistry: Look closely at the intricate paint jobs on a classic Española cruiser. Alongside the classic metallic flakes, pinstripes, and candy-colored lacquer coats, you will often see highly detailed, airbrushed murals. These murals frequently depict religious iconography (like the Virgen de Guadalupe), local landscapes, or tributes to ancestral heritage, effectively turning steel and chrome into rolling canvases of regional history.
• Mechanical Innovation: The valley became a hub for technical mastery. To achieve that signature hydraulic hop or a seamless drop to the asphalt without scraping the frame, local builders engineered complex custom suspension setups using aircraft surplus parts, multiple car batteries, and specialized pumps.

The Official Title

For decades, Española claimed the title proudly but informally. The crowning moment came in 1994, when Lowrider Magazine officially named Española the "Lowrider Capital of the World," cementing its status over much larger metropolitan areas.

Today, the city embraces it fully. If you drive into the area, you'll see a official city proclamation celebrating the culture, and Riverside Drive remains a legendary strip where these moving sculptures come out to play, proving that a car can be a community's greatest piece of shared heritage.

Hi All,

I just got back from Camino Real Apartments and the boot on Taza's car. We are talking and hanging out, trying to figure out how to take over the world, as always (through Dusoma Foundation, Taza Impact and Starve Magazine.)

Then we come up with the idea of this TV show, and we are laughing so hard we are literally crying. This is the funniest thing that I have written in a few weeks. Hope you enjoy it. (I know I could actually put these things into GenAI filmmaking tools, but at this point, we don't even need to, just use your imagination.)

On this week’s episode of “Fake Lawyer” our good looking actor is at it again, this time shutting down the rampant car towing scams that plague Santa Fe.

First, what is the show “Fake Lawyer” about? It’s about an actor with an earpiece who confronts everyday injustice by misrepresenting himself as an attorney, and threatening to sue people. He literally and metaphorically throws the book at people. Through the earpiece, a team is using ChatGPT and telling him what to say.

In this week’s episode of “Fake Lawyer,” his car, legally parked in a spot he paid for in his apartment complex, gets a “boot” locked on the wheel, with a $75 extortion attempt. His team, behind the scenes, in a control room, jumps into action. He immediately realizes that this is a scam between the apartment complex (who work as “spotters”) and the towing company, who provides a financial kickback to the spotter for every car they report. Within minutes he has encyclopedic knowledge about the scam, and successful attempts to bankrupt the towing company and permanently ban bad actors from the industry.

But this is where “Fake Lawyer” is so great. When he confronts the spotter, they apartment manager says, “this isn’t illegal.” After a pause (because AI takes a couple minutes) Fake Lawyer says, “This is systematic exploitation under NMSA § 57-12-2. You act as a 'spotter' to funnel low-income tenants into a predatory kickback loop, and you’ve moved past the protection of the lease and into the realm of intentional tort. Legality is dictated by intent. If your primary objective is the generation of illicit remuneration through a roving extortion scheme, rather than a bona fide interest in parking management, the court views that as a fraudulent enterprise. This isn't a 'misunderstanding' of the rules—it is the deliberate weaponization of residential access for profit. I have the litigation holds ready to expose every 'spotter' log and every kickback payment in your ledger.”

Fake lawyer ducks into a Kinko’s - we see a montage of sweat dripping off his forehead as he prints 10,000 pages of Litigation Hold letters. A subpoena on the last 90-days of activity, every text message, every recorded call. The towing company and apartment management company are immediately being audited and investigated. You see police officers carrying computers out of the shuttered towing company (Direct Parking Services).

The episode ends with Fake Lawyer throwing a book at the camera.

You get the idea.  Fake Lawyer. Real lawsuits. Instant Justice for Poor People at Scale.

Starve Magazine is here: https://dusoma.com/starve-volumes/

Calling All Desert Rats and Wasteland Survivors!

​The old world is dead, but in the heart of the New Mexico badlands, something new is breathing. Albuquerque is rising from the ashes, and while the apocalypse might be over, the party is just getting started.

​We aren’t looking for casual tourists; we are scouting a core crew to help us build a primary Albuquerque Wasteland collective. This isn’t just a meetup—this is the foundation of a new civilization.

​The Stronghold

​We have secured a 20-acre property featuring a permanent brick structure. This isn’t just a plot of land; it’s the perfect skeleton for a thriving Wasteland City. We have the bones—now we need the muscle and the mind to flesh it out.

​The Mission

​Our goal is to transform 20 acres of dirt and brick into a living, breathing Epic Sanctuary. We are building:

​A Dedicated Community: A tribe of makers, costumers, and survivors.

​Immersive Events: Hosting high-production wasteland gatherings in a space that actually looks the part.

​A Living City: From scrap-metal fortifications to trade hubs and neon-lit outposts.

​Who We Are Looking For

​This is an 18+ Adults Only operation. We need the visionaries of the High Desert to step up. We are hunting for:

​Builders & Fabricators: To turn scrap into structures.

​Artists & Visionaries: To give the apocalypse its aesthetic soul.

​Makers & Survivors: People who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

​The desert is waiting. Will you help us build the city, or just watch the dust settle?

​Join the Crew. Build the Future. Survive the Party.

Power is out. Based on next door, is out everywhere.

Stay safe, Cottonwoods.