First Looks category archive
Birds and Bees* 0
Meet the old white men who just don’t get the “facts of life.”
Honest to Betsy, you can’t make this stuff up. (And Betsy was just as aghast as I. She told me so.)
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*Put me out of my misery here. What the hell do “birds and bees” have to do with it, anyway? Do birds do it with bees?
Inquiring minds want to know.
The Snaring Economy 0
It’s a con and a scam.
The massive back-pay estimate is based on a federal standard for per-mile reimbursements, but the alleged underpayment really centers on a much more fundamental and complicated question: Are people who drive for companies like Lyft and Uber employees, independent contractors, or something in between?
The cab-killer apps treat their drivers as contractors to save tremendous amounts of money by evading the legal protections that employees enjoy.
Follow the link for a detailed analysis of the mechanics of the con.
“It’s the Only Explanation that Fits” 0
Warning: Language.
Light Bloggery 0
Mental health day.
The Protest Nonvoter 0
Scott Verner has some words for those who think they can influence the country by not voting. A snippet:
We all know that not deciding is actually deciding.
Making a statement of protest by refusing to vote is a dangerous and self-defeating idea. When people buy out, it guarantees only that things will continue getting worse. In the real world, not participating isn’t very different from not caring. But I know you do care.
Aside:
Apathy is abdication.
In the Trump Dumps 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear mulls over his pessimism at the rise of Trump. In the midst of his longer post, he makes this observation, which has been waiting to be made:
Read the rest.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Virginia Beach Drinking Liberally Tomorrow 0
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.
When: Thursday, March 10, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
Drinking Liberally Hampton Meets Tomorrow 0
The inaugural meeting of Drinking Liberally Hampton is Saturday. I plan to be there. Do you?
When: Saturday, February 20, 8:00 p. m.
Where:
The Point
30 E Mellen St.
Hampton, Virginia (map)
You can learn more at the DL Virginia Beach Meetup Page or Facebook Group.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach Tomorrow 0
Fun and fellowship for liberals. Join us and talk about anything in a relaxed atmosphere.
When: Thursday, February 11, 6 p.
Where:
Croc’s 19 Street Bistro
620 19th Street (Map)
More here.
Forget the Race; Look at the Racers 0
Chauncey Devega argues that far too much attention is paid to the differences amongst the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination. He find their similarities to be much more important–and troubling. Here’s a bit from his typically long and tightly-reasoned post:
1. That the United States should bomb and kill many thousands of innocent people in the Middle East and elsewhere in order to supposedly stop the spread of ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
2. Torturing suspected terrorists—even though such acts are both immoral and ineffective in retrieving actionable intelligence information—is acceptable.
3. “God’s law” should supersede the United States Constitution.
4. They are anti-science and do not believe that global warming is a real, scientifically proven, empirical fact.
(Follow the link for the rest of the list)
The contemporary Republican Party is a radical political organization that has betrayed the core tenet of “conservatism,” what is a belief in stability in the face of radical change. To that end, movement conservatism seeks to undo the consensus politics of the World War II and post-World War II era because it views the great successes of the New Deal, the Great Society and the civil rights movement(s) as a threat to the excesses of unrestrained capitalism and white male power.
All the News that Fits 0
Noz looks for the on-line version of a New York Times article he read in print and can’t quite find it.