“The Disney Vault Is Back for the Streaming Age and It’s Worse Than Ever”.
“It’s no surprise that queer students in Republican-dominated states where these laws have passed are profoundly impacted. But less visible is the dramatic effect the steady drumbeat of headlines has had on youth in places with even strong anti-discrimination laws. Newly released data from the advocacy groups GLSEN and The Trevor Project show increases in hostility, victimization and discrimination experienced by students in blue states as well as red.”
“The Only Good Harry Potter Spinoff Is Coming to a High School Near You”.
Eh, I think it’s fine if new cars don’t have AM radio in them anymore. What exactly will be missed by that?
“The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released on May 25, 2023, was based on conversations with more than a thousand stakeholders, including me, a scholar of American Jewish history. The plan outlines over 100 steps for federal agencies to take in the coming year and calls upon Congress, state and local governments and the private sector to join them. Understanding that history matters, those steps include raising awareness of antisemitism in the present and the past, and expanding knowledge of Jewish heritage in the U.S.”
Working hard, or hardly working?
Hard to believe, I know, but “Trump Bucks” are a scam. See Slacktivist for more.
The Bill Wambsganss theory of Succession. It’s all wrong, but as a longtime knower of who Bill Wambsganss was, I love it anyway.
“When it comes to Europe, Musk is soon going to run into a wall. The guidelines that have been voluntary since they were first instituted in 2018 will become law in August 2023. By the end of the summer, Twitter will have to up its game when it comes to moderating against disinformation, sharing data, and cooperating with fact-checking organizations. If it doesn’t, Twitter will be shut down across the EU.”
“All GOP horserace analysis is useless without consideration of possible indictments”.
RIP, Milt Larsen, actor, writer, and co-founder of The Magic Castle in Hollywood.
“As Trump’s legal troubles keep growing—with criminal and civil investigations in New York City, Washington, and Atlanta—so too does the unwieldy band of attorneys who simply can’t get along.”
“Anti-trans laws are targeting autistic youth and those with mental health conditions”.
“Casinos on the Vegas Strip are making it costlier to play and harder to win. Payouts are lower for winning blackjack hands. Bets on some roulette wheels are riskier. And it is taking more cash to play at many game tables.” Because they can, that’s why.
“This Republican Party cares a lot less about fiscal policy than even the old GOP.”
“Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed a bill into law on Tuesday legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state.”
How MLB’s “disabled list” got its name changed to “injured list” is a great story that you should read.
““We Want Them Infected” may be the most appalling and infuriating book you’ll read about America’s response to the pandemic. It’s also essential reading.”
“Between 2021 and 2022, the name Elon fell 140 places, from the 956th most popular baby name for boys to No. 1,096 ― putting it in the list of the 25 most-declined names for boys in the U.S. While we can’t know for sure whether Elon Musk is the reason for the name’s drop in popularity, baby name experts believe the controversial CEO likely played some role.”
“Eric Robert Rudolph captured 20 years ago today: How a Birmingham abortion clinic bombing led to his downfall”.
There’s more Discovery on Max than there is HBO.
RIP, Cynthia Weil, Hall of Fame songwriter whose credits include the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and Chaka Khan’s “Through the Fire”.
“Chick-fil-A—yes, that Chick-fil-A, is under attack from conservatives after somebody realized the company has an executive position overseeing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the company.”
“A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump ruled late Friday night that Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act (AEA), which would restrict drag performances in the state and threaten performers who violate the law with felony criminal penalties, is unconstitutional.”
Given people willing to part with $ for convicted seditionists and “Trumpbucks”, PT Barnum needs an update: there’s a sucker born every second.
The scammers need to be busted, for the sake of the concept of the rule of law, but I have zero sympathy for the hoodwinked. The saying about fools and $ needs no updating.
Given the White House’s continued kowtowing to Israel, and given that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism (Mondoweiss is on my blogroll), sorry, but I’ll be more leery of a White House plan to combat antisemitism. Indeed, the PDF of the White House document doesn’t even mention Zionism, or anti-Zionism.
Indeed, this from that piece:
” The U.S. Government, led by the Department of State,will continue to combat antisemitism abroad and in international fora—including efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel.”
Leads me to suspect that anti-Zionism (as in, BDS!) will get deliberately tarred with an antisemitic brush.
Off to blog!
Fortunately, Biden didn’t dive (yet) totally into an empty pool. Mondoweiss notes that the White House did NOT officially accept the IHRA definition of antisemitism and did not actually condemn BDS. https://mondoweiss.net/2023/06/the-shift-bidens-antisemitism-plan/
You’ll miss your Astros and Yankees games while driving if there’s no AM radio in your car.