Kraz
@thatkraz.bsky.social
CPA. All opinions wrong or your money back.
This is so frustrating because Direct File was such a good program. There was no good reason to end it. People who used it liked it. The government should have been pushing to expand the scope and adoption.
👀 Scoop: IRS Direct File, the free government-backed program that let you file your taxes for free, is dead.
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with tax-prep giants
The tax agency has quietly built its own prototype system for filing tax returns digitally and free of charge, according to current and former officials.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:01 PM
This is so frustrating because Direct File was such a good program. There was no good reason to end it. People who used it liked it. The government should have been pushing to expand the scope and adoption.
Reposted by Kraz
"time to log into a website before bedtime and get mad again" - all of us for some reason??
October 27, 2025 at 3:24 AM
"time to log into a website before bedtime and get mad again" - all of us for some reason??
Reposted by Kraz
Can the Manhattan Project avoid building the nuclear bomb?
October 20, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Can the Manhattan Project avoid building the nuclear bomb?
Victor Frankenstein: I don't know why ya'll are so upset. The monster was just a proof of concept that got a little out of hand. I shouldn't be held responsible for its actions. I'm just focused on the "bring things to life" machine. Anyway, waffles, amirite?
October 3, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Victor Frankenstein: I don't know why ya'll are so upset. The monster was just a proof of concept that got a little out of hand. I shouldn't be held responsible for its actions. I'm just focused on the "bring things to life" machine. Anyway, waffles, amirite?
Super fun finding out that Bluesky's CEO is as dumb as Zuck, Musk, Dorsey, etc. Is being this dense a requirement for running a social media platform or does being CEO just slowly rot one's brain?
You could try a poster’s strike. I hear that works
October 3, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Super fun finding out that Bluesky's CEO is as dumb as Zuck, Musk, Dorsey, etc. Is being this dense a requirement for running a social media platform or does being CEO just slowly rot one's brain?
A lot of people are clowning on Burgum because of "wind drought" and they're wrong. It's a real term. The irony is that wind droughts are made worse by climate change. So Burgum's underlying message of "use fossil fuels" is wrong. We need more renewables.
climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2024/r...
climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2024/r...
![Autumn wind drought
Solar PV and wind power generation typically follow a complementary seasonal cycle[R9], with solar PV power generation peaking in spring and summer, while wind power generation is greater in autumn and winter. This pattern was observed in 2024 in Europe.
In northwestern Europe, however, there was a ‘wind drought’—a prolonged period of below-average wind speeds—in late October and early November, with the potential for wind power generation dropping to 75% below average. This coincided with slightly below-average potential for solar PV power generation. Wind droughts in northwestern Europe usually occur when a high-pressure system over central Europe reduces wind strengths, and are often accompanied by above-average wind speeds elsewhere in Europe, particularly in northern Scandinavia[R10][R11]. This was the case in 2024, highlighting the complementarity of renewable energy sources and the importance of a well-connected European transmission network, as excess energy from windier regions can help to compensate for below-average wind speeds elsewhere, improving overall energy stability.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a73hzrksxow6lummnhx65kfs/bafkreie65pcvqdndubwpvcb5qcln2s6xtlnmvj727czjs7dokjbwjbsw6y@jpeg)
September 29, 2025 at 7:25 PM
A lot of people are clowning on Burgum because of "wind drought" and they're wrong. It's a real term. The irony is that wind droughts are made worse by climate change. So Burgum's underlying message of "use fossil fuels" is wrong. We need more renewables.
climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2024/r...
climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2024/r...
Reposted by Kraz
3 banks failed Sp 2023 & Blumenthal was Chair of the Sen Perm Subcom on Investig. Nov 2024 changed everything. That didn't stop him from conducting a 28-month inquiry and collecting 400k pages of docs, emails, texts and 100 hours of interviews w/ KPMG. #NoExcuses
open.substack.com/pub/thedig/p...
open.substack.com/pub/thedig/p...
“This industry is a joke”: The Senate Perm Subcomm on Investigations Minority Staff Report on KPMG and three failed banks
Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank had more in common than their dramatic failures. They all had the same auditor: KPMG.
open.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
3 banks failed Sp 2023 & Blumenthal was Chair of the Sen Perm Subcom on Investig. Nov 2024 changed everything. That didn't stop him from conducting a 28-month inquiry and collecting 400k pages of docs, emails, texts and 100 hours of interviews w/ KPMG. #NoExcuses
open.substack.com/pub/thedig/p...
open.substack.com/pub/thedig/p...
Reposted by Kraz
Reposted by Kraz
So just to be clear: The US is propping up Argentina’s economy, and now Argentina can eliminate its export taxes, so it can sell tons of soybeans to China, so China isn’t forced to buy soybeans from the US, so the US can pay subsidies to keep our farmers solvent.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
China expands Argentina soybean buying to 20 cargoes, traders say
Chinese importers kept up a hectic pace of Argentine soybean purchases after the South American supplier's move to abolish export taxes temporarily made its prices competitive, traders said on Wednesday.
www.reuters.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:37 AM
So just to be clear: The US is propping up Argentina’s economy, and now Argentina can eliminate its export taxes, so it can sell tons of soybeans to China, so China isn’t forced to buy soybeans from the US, so the US can pay subsidies to keep our farmers solvent.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Reposted by Kraz
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site
As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.
www.miamiherald.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Reposted by Kraz
Pretty fucking sure there’s a word in Arabic that means submission, lol. It’s a famous one. I bet you know it.
US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack:
Peace is an illusion. There has never been peace.
There will probably never be peace.
Somebody wants dominance, which means somebody has to submit. There is no Arabic word for submit. They can't wrap their head around submit.
Peace is an illusion. There has never been peace.
There will probably never be peace.
Somebody wants dominance, which means somebody has to submit. There is no Arabic word for submit. They can't wrap their head around submit.
September 23, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Pretty fucking sure there’s a word in Arabic that means submission, lol. It’s a famous one. I bet you know it.
Reposted by Kraz
please rinse your bottles before returning them, it helps us out a lot
September 20, 2025 at 11:50 AM
please rinse your bottles before returning them, it helps us out a lot
Reposted by Kraz
Reposted by Kraz
A program in Flint, MI, gave $1,500 to any/all pregnant people and $500/month for the first year of their infant’s life.
Among the benefits, those babies experienced lower rates of prematurity and low birth weight, which resulted in fewer NICU admissions, saving the city of Flint $6.2 million/year.
Among the benefits, those babies experienced lower rates of prematurity and low birth weight, which resulted in fewer NICU admissions, saving the city of Flint $6.2 million/year.
The US town that pays every pregnant woman $1,500: ‘We’re not OK with our babies being born into poverty’
Infants in Rx Kids in Flint, Michigan, saw lower rates of prematurity and other issues, saving millions in NICU visits
www.theguardian.com
September 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
A program in Flint, MI, gave $1,500 to any/all pregnant people and $500/month for the first year of their infant’s life.
Among the benefits, those babies experienced lower rates of prematurity and low birth weight, which resulted in fewer NICU admissions, saving the city of Flint $6.2 million/year.
Among the benefits, those babies experienced lower rates of prematurity and low birth weight, which resulted in fewer NICU admissions, saving the city of Flint $6.2 million/year.
Reposted by Kraz
man the mental health difference between online and offline is pretty big in normal times but it an absolute chasm right now
being super aware of what’s happening is important but my god it is a drain
being super aware of what’s happening is important but my god it is a drain
September 16, 2025 at 4:50 AM
man the mental health difference between online and offline is pretty big in normal times but it an absolute chasm right now
being super aware of what’s happening is important but my god it is a drain
being super aware of what’s happening is important but my god it is a drain
Reposted by Kraz
Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
September 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
Reposted by Kraz
NEW: Bitcoin ATMs are facilitating scams across the country. In Idaho, where there are no laws regulating the machines, I spoke to store clerks who have been stopping scams as a last line of defense.
www.inc.com/sam-blum/cry...
www.inc.com/sam-blum/cry...
How Bitcoin ATMs Are Helping Scammers Steal Millions
As Bitcoin ATMs spread unchecked, gas station employees are becoming the unlikely the last line of defense against crypto fraud.
www.inc.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:31 PM
NEW: Bitcoin ATMs are facilitating scams across the country. In Idaho, where there are no laws regulating the machines, I spoke to store clerks who have been stopping scams as a last line of defense.
www.inc.com/sam-blum/cry...
www.inc.com/sam-blum/cry...
Reposted by Kraz
I wrote about the caricature of Bluesky that right-wing Twitter accounts were pumping out to hundreds of millions of people yesterday @slate.com. Hey, Bluesky did finally become an echo chamber. Just not the one these people were pretending it is: slate.com/technology/2...
No, Bluesky Isn’t Celebrating the Death of Charlie Kirk
Despite what right-wing influencers want you to believe, liberals actually hate political violence.
slate.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:31 PM
I wrote about the caricature of Bluesky that right-wing Twitter accounts were pumping out to hundreds of millions of people yesterday @slate.com. Hey, Bluesky did finally become an echo chamber. Just not the one these people were pretending it is: slate.com/technology/2...
To rework an old saying: Nothing is more permanent than a temporary price increase.
what happens if and when these tariffs ever get brought down? do prices come back down? what about certain industries, such as watches, where consumers purchase on the assumption they can recoup some of their money when they sell? a watch marked up to $8k can't be brought back to $6k very easily.
26% Kit Kat price increase ahead of Halloween?? Lord have mercy
September 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
To rework an old saying: Nothing is more permanent than a temporary price increase.
Reposted by Kraz
BREAKING: ICE is sending Russian dissidents back to Russia. When the dissidents arrived in Russia, the Russian authorities were given documents relating to their asylum applications in the US which under US law are confidential. This seems to be part of a secret agreement between Trump and Putin.
‘I escaped a Russian prison — only to end up in an American jail’
Dozens of Russian dissidents have been expelled from the US and forcibly returned to Russia with the co-operation of immigration authorities
www.thetimes.com
September 6, 2025 at 10:52 PM
BREAKING: ICE is sending Russian dissidents back to Russia. When the dissidents arrived in Russia, the Russian authorities were given documents relating to their asylum applications in the US which under US law are confidential. This seems to be part of a secret agreement between Trump and Putin.
I'm looking forward to hearing the faint whirring of a drone next time I listen to an earnings call. Oh, wait, they don't actually mean "white collar crime" when they says "all crime."
September 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I'm looking forward to hearing the faint whirring of a drone next time I listen to an earnings call. Oh, wait, they don't actually mean "white collar crime" when they says "all crime."
Reposted by Kraz
this whole thing has some real took-the-wrong-lessons-from-robocop-as-a-child energy
September 3, 2025 at 1:09 PM
this whole thing has some real took-the-wrong-lessons-from-robocop-as-a-child energy