Interesting News, Articles & Stuff

[florduh]

Newsom picks Laphonza Butler as Feinstein replacement

California’s governor chose a labor leader turned power player to serve in the Senate, and an adviser told POLITICO there were no preconditions about whether she could run in 2024.

www.politico.com

I'm sorry...but this lady is a former labor leader turned sellout.

Another Former SEIU Official Is on Uber’s Payroll

LaPhonza Butler and Mary Kay Henry It turns out that SEIU President Emeritus Andy Stern isn’t the only SEIU official on the payroll ...

sternburgerwithfries.blogspot.com

Uber hired her to help them crush any move to improve working conditions for their drivers.

When people say unions are corrupt, I agree. But they're corrupt because too often union leaders get bought by the bosses to sell out their members. Butler is one of those.

And if that wasn't enough...

Key Kamala Harris political consultant heads to top Airbnb post

Laphonza Butler said she enjoyed her time working as a political strategist and was proud of her work with Kamala Harris.

www.politico.com

California is in the middle of a crushing housing crisis. Rent is truly out of control for working people. And Gruesome Gavin decided to name a fucking Airbnb consultant as their new Senator? Beyond parody.

Really hard not to be totally disillusioned with politics in this country. Or at least national politics.

 

[Canna Chameleon]

Newsom picks Laphonza Butler as Feinstein replacement

California’s governor chose a labor leader turned power player to serve in the Senate, and an adviser told POLITICO there were no preconditions about whether she could run in 2024.

www.politico.com

I'm sorry...but this lady is a former labor leader turned sellout.

Another Former SEIU Official Is on Uber’s Payroll

LaPhonza Butler and Mary Kay Henry It turns out that SEIU President Emeritus Andy Stern isn’t the only SEIU official on the payroll ...

sternburgerwithfries.blogspot.com

Uber hired her to help them crush any move to improve working conditions for their drivers.

When people say unions are corrupt, I agree. But they're corrupt because too often union leaders get bought by the bosses to sell out their members. Butler is one of those.

And if that wasn't enough...

Key Kamala Harris political consultant heads to top Airbnb post

Laphonza Butler said she enjoyed her time working as a political strategist and was proud of her work with Kamala Harris.

www.politico.com

California is in the middle of a crushing housing crisis. Rent is truly out of control for working people. And Gruesome Gavin decided to name a fucking Airbnb consultant as their new Senator? Beyond parody.

Really hard not to be totally disillusioned with politics in this country. Or at least national politics.

If only more self proclaimed geniuses would get out from behind their keyboards and run for office.
heck @florduh you should run a campaign! (Said in jest ….kinda ).


however. case in point. I want nothing to do with political or administrative bodies after watching the rules of order be dismantled in many fraternity chapter meetings.

 

[florduh]

If only more self proclaimed geniuses

Doesn't really take a genius to notice that the Governor from the Bluest State in the country appointing a Senator who's on the take from some of the scummiest corporations on Earth is some real disheartening bullshit, but ok dude.

 

[Canna Chameleon]

Doesn't really take a genius to notice that the Governor from the Bluest State in the country appointing a Senator who's on the take from some of the scummiest corporations on Earth is some real disheartening bullshit, but ok dude.

Wait till you read she doesn’t currently live in CA.

My only points are really.

A. What did you expect?

B. Until more average folks run and win we are stuck with what we got.

 

[florduh]

Wait till you read she doesn’t currently live in CA.

A. What did you expect?

You're right. Hiring an Uber consultant and passing her off as a labor hero is about par for the course. I think it was the one-two punch of also having an AirBnB credit that shocked me. But it shouldn't have.

B. Until more average folks run and win we are stuck with what we got.

I get what you mean, but I think the problem is much bigger than decent people not running for office.

I've worked on local campaigns and community organizing campaigns. At this point I think that's a good place for decent regular people to focus their energies. National politics will be bad for the foreseeable future.

 

[macbill]

Thousands of salmon escaped an Icelandic fish farm. The impact could be deadly

Aquaculture is bringing jobs and money to rural regions, but a huge escape of farmed fish in August could devastate local salmon populations

www.theguardian.com

 

[florduh]

Twin Cities Marathon, TC 10 Mile canceled amid forecast for record-setting heat

In emails sent to thousands of race participants and the media just after 5:30 a.m. Sunday, race officials said the predicted temperatures “do not allow a safe event for runners, supporters and volunteers.”

www.mprnews.org

totally cool, normal stuff!

 

[Canna Chameleon]

Same Gen Z, same. Signed, Gen X

https://www.yahoo.com/news/over-60-percent-gen-z-192104940.html

 

[Canna Chameleon]

Truth is stranger than fiction

Texas Republican will nominate Trump for Speaker of the House

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced late Tuesday that he will file paperwork to nominate former President Trump to be the next Speaker of the House. “This week, when the U.S. House of Representativ…

thehill.com

 

[florduh]

Texas Republican will nominate Trump for Speaker of the House

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) announced late Tuesday that he will file paperwork to nominate former President Trump to be the next Speaker of the House. “This week, when the U.S. House of Representativ…

thehill.com

Speaker McCarthy ousted in historic House vote, as scramble begins for a Republican leader

Kevin McCarthy was ousted as the Speaker of the House. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida forced the vote on the “motion to vacate.”

apnews.com

So, to recap. Besides the House of Representatives completely dissolving, in the past week:

Our most recent former President, and possibly our next President, was found guilty of cartoonish levels of real estate fraud.

A senile Senator cast a vote at noon on one day, only to die of extreme old age by the next morning.

It turns out another Senator was getting paid in gold bars to do corruption for Egypt.

Gold bars and stacks of cash: how Bob Menendez ended up charged with bribery

The New Jersey senator says he won’t resign but a federal indictment lays out a lurid scheme of alleged corruption

www.theguardian.com

This same Senator just narrowly avoided getting convicted on separate corruption charges because of a hung jury.

Instead of acting like a normal person and saying "sheesh, that was close...I guess I better start living life on the straight and narrow!" on the way out of the courthouse, he turns to a staffer and says:

Super cool, normal country!

 

[macbill]

Universal Sets Martin Luther King Jr Movie For Chris Rock To Direct & Steven Spielberg To Exec Produce; Uni Acquires Jonathan Eig’s ‘King: A Life’

Universal Lands Jonathan Eig's MLK Biography 'King: A Life' For Chris Rock To Direct & Steven Spielberg Executive Produce

deadline.com

 

[CANtalk]

Nancy Marks, George Santos' former campaign treasurer, pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charge

Nancy Marks, the former treasurer for embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges.

abcnews.go.com

Trump allegedly discussed US nuclear subs with foreign national after leaving White House: Sources

Months after leaving office, former President Trump allegedly discussed potentially sensitive info about U.S. nuclear subs with an Australian billionaire, say sources.

abcnews.go.com

 

[cybrguy]

Jailed Iranian rights activist Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize

By Jeronimo Gonzalez Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian human rights activist, won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. The Iranian regime arrested Mohammadi 13 times between 1998 and 2015 for her efforts to promote human rights and freedom in Iran: She’s currently serving a 31-year prison

post.news

 

[florduh]

Denver experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. It reduced homelessness and increased full-time employment, a study found.

UBI, or universal basic income, is a form of direct cash assistance to help the most vulnerable get back on their feet. A new study in Denver suggests it works.

www.businessinsider.com

Reducing poverty is simple: give the impoverished money with no strings attached. 50 years of neoliberal brain rot is the only reason everyone can't understand this simple fact.

This also benefits the entire economy. Unlike that dumbass Reagan bullshit, trickle up economics actually works.

 

[Pukka]

Reducing poverty is simple: give the impoverished money with no strings attached.

Perhaps you're correct, but I think you've forgotten the philosophy of TANSTAAFL. Kind of important, don't you think ?

 

[florduh]

Perhaps you're correct, but I think you've forgotten the philosophy of TANSTAAFL. Kind of important, don't you think ?

1) Milton Friedman is a dumb fraud who's currently burning in hell.

2) I never hear anyone crying about a "free lunch" when we print money to give multinational trillion dollar corporations massive tax breaks.

3) Yeah....there's no such thing as a "free lunch". There is a cost to allowing homelessness and poverty to fester by not spending the money to fix it.

 

[Pukka]

1) Milton Friedman is a dumb fraud who's currently burning in hell.

2) I never hear anyone crying about a "free lunch" when we print money to give multinational trillion dollar corporations massive tax breaks.

3) Yeah....there's no such thing as a "free lunch". There is a cost to allowing homelessness and poverty to fester by not spending the money to fix it.

1) Wouldn't urinate in Freidman if he was on fire. Economists are no different than statisticians, both are never truthful.

2) You are making assumptions about how I think/my political views. That is never safe. I would humbly suggest you cease.

3) Unfortunately our government has tried, using your theory, since Johnson's "Great Society". Works real well, doesn't it.

Quite honestly, I'd rather see our government spend our money on something like Roosevelt's WPA before adopting UBI.

 

[florduh]

You are making assumptions about how I think/my political views. That is never safe. I would humbly suggest you cease.

Wouldn't urinate in Freidman if he was on fire. Economists are no different than statisticians, both are never truthful.

My apologies. "TANSTAAFL" was a common Friedman refrain. IMO, his brand of bullshit has done incalculable damage to this world.

Unfortunately our government has tried, using your theory, since Johnson's "Great Society". Works real well, doesn't it.

When I look around at inner cities or coal country, I definitely don't come away thinking "the problem here is we've invested too much money in these communities".

Quite honestly, I'd rather see our government spend our money on something like Roosevelt's WPA before adopting UBI.

I'm agnostic about what the specific solutions are, tbh. I just no longer buy into the religious belief that tax cuts are magic and the Infallible Free Market will fix all.

Here's how Finland is on track to eliminate homelessness:

Linda McQuaig: How Finland managed to virtually end homelessness

Given a place to live, Finland’s homeless were better able to deal with addictions and other problems, not to mention handling job applications.

www.thestar.com

Homelessness Is An Entirely Solvable Problem ❧ Current Affairs

<p>Whether we let people have houses is a choice we make. But those who refuse to support guaranteed housing can’t complain when people end up living on the streets. </p>

www.currentaffairs.org

Step 1 is "put homeless people in homes".

 

[Pukka]

Step 1 is "put homeless people in homes".

TBH, that's exactly what my local government (Albuquerque, NM) is trying to do/doing with tiny homes and redevelopement of a closed regional hospital into temporary-ish housing. Fine with me, it's an excellent use of existing resource to help an underserved community. And, fyi, Freidman isn't the only one to adopt the "Free Lunch" monicker. Read some Spyder Robinson (start with the Calahan series or Lifehouse) if you have some free time. You might enjoy him.

 

[florduh]

Read some Spyder Robinson (start with the Calahan series or Lifehouse) if you have some free time. You might enjoy him.

Thanks! I'm a big sci-fi head so I appreciate the recommendation.

2023 UAW strike update: GM agrees to place electric vehicle battery plants under national contract

UAW President Shawn Fain made an announcement on Friday, sharing the latest bargaining updates in the union's historic strike against the Big Three automakers.

www.cbsnews.com

This is huge news. Trump has been out there saying the transition to EV's is gonna fuck over workers. And he was sort of right. Automakers created subsidiaries and spinoffs not covered by UAW agreements. President Fain is correcting that issue though.

Plus, I love a guy who looks and sounds like an average Midwest dad openly doing class warfare on behalf of the working class.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1710367718526877985

There’s Surprisingly Little Evidence That EVs Will Require Fewer Workers

The research instead suggests the opposite is true.

heatmap.news

 

[Cheebsy]

World breaches key 1.5C warming mark for record number of days

The BBC finds that there have been a record number of days in 2023 that breached the 1.5C temperature limit.

www.bbc.co.uk

On about a third of days in 2023, the average global temperature was at least 1.5C higher than pre-industrial levels.
Staying below that marker long-term is widely considered crucial to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change.
But 2023 is "on track" to be the hottest year on record, and 2024 could be hotter.

Nah, still not anything to do with man....

 

[Cheebsy]

Omg, this is underhanded even for shell!

Shell called out for promoting fossil fuels to youth via Fortnite game | Oil and gas companies | The Guardian

Climate activists condemn oil giant for paying influencers to showcase marketing game from new gasoline campaign

amp.theguardian.com

 

[florduh]

Omg, this is underhanded even for shell!

Shell called out for promoting fossil fuels to youth via Fortnite game | Oil and gas companies | The Guardian

Climate activists condemn oil giant for paying influencers to showcase marketing game from new gasoline campaign

amp.theguardian.com

That definitely sucks, but Shell wreaked environmental destruction across Niger and then straight up murdered 9 people for standing up to them. Fortnite skins seem pretty tame for them.

Remembering Nigeria’s Ogoni 9, Murdered for Their Organizing Against Shell

Oil giant Shell wrought devastation across Nigeria for years. In 1995, nine organizers from the Ogoni region were hanged after a campaign against the company.

jacobin.com

 

[Cheebsy]

Oh I wholeheartedly agree. They've done some seriously evil shit. But trying to affect the next generations view of them in this way is fucked up, sliding into thier subconsciousness....

"Cos none of that history matters if the next generation have a positive view of us and how we operate."

 

[florduh]

Yeah..... fuck this guy. I assume he's doing this stupid shit to impress voters in Middle America, but I got news for you: they aren't voting for a Gavin Newsom Presidency anyway. Everybody outside of the State thinks California is a hellhole. Because of the homeless problem.

Maybe Gavin should focus on using his 100 billion dollar budget surplus to fix that instead of doing these dumbass vetoes.

Newsom signs bill advancing universal health care, vetoes insulin price cap

On Saturday Gov. Newsom announced the approval of Senate Bill 770, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-SF) which advances steps toward securing universal health coverage in California.

www.cbsnews.com

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes bill that would have decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill aimed at decriminalizing the possession and use of some hallucinogens, including psychedelic mushrooms.

apnews.com