1/. This is a big deal!
In a historic move, Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York have voted to form the chain’s first U.S. union. Workers there voted 2-1 on Thursday to unionize with Workers United, an affiliate of the SEIU. The union appears to have lost a bid to unionize a second location and the results of an election at a third store are pending review of a number of challenged ballots.
2/. Justice Sotomayor calls out the Supreme Court conservatives, but 6 right wingers don't care any more.
They're on a mission that ties into the Trumpian surge to an authoritarian state....
About 11 minutes into this week’s hearing on abortion rights at the US supreme court, the floor was taken by Sonia Sotomayor, one of the three beleaguered liberal-leaning justices left on the court after its sharp rightward shift under Donald Trump.
3/. Jordan Klepper goes to LA to find anti-vaxxers.....they're there all right, just a little less stupid sounding than the ones in Iowa....
Seven amusing minutes....
4/. Democrats and most women are in lala land, this is what the extreme right is doing to women's rights- in plain sight!
This is their agenda, and it's happening.
So what are YOU going to do about it?
In about six months, women in thirty Republican-controlled states will probably lose their right to get an abortion.
The Supreme Court and the Constitution don't “grant” or “give” Americans rights: they recognize rights and define the extent to which they can be infringed upon by our government, theoretically balancing private rights against the public good.
5/. Sometimes a toon says it all....
6/. Really interesting and very insightful story on the "whys" of anti-vaxxers - the determination of
whether you refuse the vaccines is in many cases class, not ideology.
A must read!
Robert Steed knew the toll Covid-19 had taken on the South Bronx, where he’d lived most of his life. There were the ambulances that would pull up to the drab brick apartment buildings of St. Mary’s Park Houses, the public housing complex where he’d grown up. There were longtime tenants who’d succumbed to the disease. There were posters pasted near the elevators, urging residents to get vaccinated. But he wouldn’t go near the vaccine.
7/. And here is data showing that the death rate in Trump counties is up to four times higher than Democratic counties....
Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That's according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/05/1059828993/data-vaccine-misinformation-trump-counties-covid-death-rate?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&fbclid=IwAR2_2-ft-oeZaZi9ISauk8z8684PCghi2CbSm5Y2IpNodTFke8vPJbNGJog
8/. Dahlia Lithwick says the Supreme Court is gaslighting us about their real intentions.....
Perhaps it would be refreshing if the conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court no longer felt the need to lie to us. The lying, after all, is becoming nearly untenable—especially for an institution that relies on public confidence. After confirmation hearings in which they promised that stare decisis was a deeply felt value and that Roe v. Wade was a clear “precedent of the court” and “the law of the land.” there’s something sort of soothing about knowing the lying to our faces will soon be over.
9/. Paul Krugman with a great column, highlighting the Republican agenda....which is purely to get back power.
That's it - no policies, no proposals, just destroy Democrats.....
With everything else going on — the likely imminent demise of Roe v. Wade, the revelation that Donald Trump knew he had tested positive for the coronavirus before he debated Joe Biden, and more — I don’t know how many readers are aware that the U.S. government was almost forced to shut down this weekend. A last-minute deal averted that crisis, but another crisis is a couple of weeks away: The government is expected to hit its debt ceiling in the middle of this month, and failure to raise the ceiling would wreak havoc not just with governance but with America’s financial reputation.
10/. Did you know Ron DeSantis is proposing a "State Guard" of 200 troops, answerable to him alone?
He's creating his own squad of Brownshirts [or SS]....sound familiar?
11/. Matt Taibbi isn't a fan of Twitter.....good post.....
Jack Dorsey, the extend-o-bearded CEO who co-founded Twitter and whose fame grew with that of his increasingly powerful platform during the Trump years, resignedtoday. His departure is the latest plot point in a long-developing Internet tragicomedy, which has seen what was supposed to be a historically democratizing technological tool transformed into a dystopian force for censorship and control. The departure of Dorsey, the rare CEO who not only has a conscience but appears to consult it more than once every few years, is bad news for those who already had complaints about the company, which during his tenure came to occupy a central role in what’s left of American intellectual culture.
12/. The Times lists the best TV shows of 2021....
13/. Based on this review, Mary and I watched "The Power Of The Dog" and it's exactly like Lefsetz says - it's
kind of hypnotic, and really stays with you.
Recommended!
There is no buzz, none that I can feel. But when it comes to streaming TV it’s all viewer generated, and it happens slowly, but I don’t think there will be a huge groundswell of “The Power of the Dog” viewers, because it’s so slow at the beginning.
They’re in Montana, endlessly beautiful, but I hung on through the credits to find out where they shot it and it turns out New Zealand, chalking up another mark to visit the country where I have only been to the airport.
14/. Bob Lefsetz likes "The Chestnut Man", a Danish TV series. We are going to give this a try!
And it is well known that the Danes and the Israelis make the best television, and “The Chestnut Man” is Danish, it’s not the best series I’ve ever seen, but it’s far superior to the American dreck being hyped in today’s media. I laughed at the L.A. “Times” streaming recommendations, domestic and lowbrow, what the nitwits like, when the truth is exposed to something better they’d like that even more. Then again, I can’t understand why people hate subtitles. You can watch “The Chestnut Man” dubbed, but it’s not the same. But better to watch it dubbed than not at all.
15/ Vanity Fair lists the 10 best movies of 2021, and you haven't heard of any of them.....except
for "The Power of The Dog" [see above!]
Today's video - time for one of the short horror movies....three chilling minutes.....this is
a good one, called "Pictured"...
Today's Israeli joke
The coach had put together the perfect team for the Chicago Bears. The only thing that was missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the colleges and even the Canadian and European leagues, but he couldn't find a super athlete who could ensure a Super Bowl win.
Then one night while watching CNN he saw a war-zone scene in the West Bank . In one corner of the background, he spotted a young Israeli soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand grenade straight into a 15th story window 100 yards away. KABOOM! He threw another hand grenade 75 yards away, right into a chimney. KA-BLOOEY! Then he threw another at a passing car going 90 mph. BULLS-EYE!
"I've got to get this guy!” the coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!" So, he brings him to the States and teaches him the great game of football. And the Bears go on to win the Super Bowl.
The young man is hailed as the great hero of football, and when the coach asks him what he wants, all the young man wants is to call his mother.
"Mom,"he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl !"
"I don't want to talk to you", the old woman says."You are not my son!"
"I don't think you understand, Mother," the young man pleads. "I've won the greatest sporting event in the world. I'm here among thousands of my adoring fans."
"No! Let me tell you!" his mother retorts. "At this very moment, there are gunshots all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister in the house so she doesn't get raped!" The old lady pauses, and then tearfully says,.......... "I will never forgive you for making us move to Chicago!"
Today's cycle of life joke
1. When I was 13, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend with big Tits.
2. When I was 16, I got a girlfriend with big tits, but there was no passion, I decided I needed a passionate girl with zest for life.
3. In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency. She was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. I decided I needed a girl with stability.
4. When I was 25, I found a very stable girl but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided I needed a girl with some excitement.
5. When I was 28, I found an exciting girl, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. I decided to find a girl with some real ambition.
6. When I turned 30, I found a smart ambitious girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground, I married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.
7. I'm older and wiser now, I'm looking for a girl with big tits.
Today's Irish joke
A Utah Mormon was seated next to an Irish Catholic on a flight back to the States from London . After the plane was airborne, drink orders were taken.
The Irishman asked for a whiskey and a glass of Guinness, which were promptly brought and placed before him. The flight attendant then asked the Mormon if he would like a drink.
He replied in disgust, "I'd rather be savagely raped by a dozen whores than let liquor touch my lips."
The Irishman then handed his drinks back to the attendant and said, "Me too, I didn't know we had a choice."
Today's Hospital Jokes
1. Patient refused autopsy.
2. Occasional, constant, infrequent headaches.
3. Patient has waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
4. On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
5. She is numb from her toes down.
6. Patient’s medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40-pound weight gain the in the past three days.
7. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
8. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
9. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
10. Patient has no previous history of suicides.
11. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
Today's religious joke
A Priest and a Rabbi were sitting next to each other on an airplane.
After a while, the Priest turned to the Rabbi and asked,
"Is it still a requirement of your faith that you not eat pork?"
The Rabbi responded, "Yes, that is still one of our laws."
The Priest then asked, "Have you ever eaten pork?"
To which the Rabbi replied, "Yes, on one occasion I did succumb to temptation and tasted a ham sandwich."
The Priest nodded in understanding and went on with his reading.
A while later, the Rabbi spoke up and asked the Priest, "Father, is it still a requirement of your church that you remain celibate?"
The Priest replied, "Yes, that is still very much a part of our faith."
The Rabbi then asked him, "Father, have you ever fallen to the temptations of the flesh?"
The Priest replied, "Yes, Rabbi, on one occasion I was weak and broke my faith."
The Rabbi nodded understandingly and remained silent, thinking, for about five minutes.
Finally, the Rabbi said, "Beats the shit out of a ham sandwich, doesn't it?"
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