ema
Who’s there? Me, taking pictures of city doors.
On The Road – ema – Knock, knock!Post + Comments (19)
We have small doors and …
by WaterGirl| 19 Comments
This post is in: On The Road, Open Threads, Photo Blogging
Who’s there? Me, taking pictures of city doors.
On The Road – ema – Knock, knock!Post + Comments (19)
We have small doors and …
by Major Major Major Major| 87 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Have you noticed less alcohol in the world? I haven’t, I don’t think, but then again as a non-drinker maybe I wouldn’t. The main thing limiting my friends’ drinking seems to be that a well cocktail in a Hell’s Kitchen gay bar is like $15. If anything I remember reading that problem drinking had reached new heights in 2020 during the widespread pandemic closures. So last weekend’s WaPo Magazine article claiming that drinking is on the decline caught my eye: From Dry January to Fake Cocktails, Inside the New Temperance Movement.
It’s interesting, but I’m not sure it’s convincing, and I’m curious what you all may have observed. It paints a picture of a culture where alcohol is on the outs: major brands are making more alcohol-free drinks; lots of bars serve premium alcohol-free cocktails; being “Cali sober,” where one consumes cannabis instead of alcohol, is on the rise; trade groups are freaking out. But I looked into some of the actual figures quoted and they’re pretty misleading. It cites things as trends that pretty clearly aren’t, like the percent of Americans in this survey who drink. Is 60% “tied for the lowest level in two decades”? Sure. But, I mean, look at it:
On the other hand, the trade groups freaking out are freaked out:
In February, Silicon Valley Bank released its State of the Wine Industry Report, as it has for the past 21 years. Usually, this is a rather businesslike document[…] This year, however, the report struck a tone of great alarm. The era of “neo-prohibition,” it warned, is upon us: “The anti-alcohol lobby continues to push an agenda … that starts by concluding that all alcohol consumption is bad and then backs into the research. The cumulative negative health message is eroding public faith in the science that proved moderate wine consumption was healthy[…] When will the wine industry show up to help promote well-researched, positive science on moderate consumption?”
Wow, dramatic! But… this seems to be more wine-specific?
I’d love to see drinking be less romanticized. It’s not great for you. It’s fairly addictive–not for most people, but for enough. But this article is pretty flimsy, even for a trend piece. What do you all think? And of course this is an open thread.
(As an aside, this detail had me cackling. I have my differences with AA but for crying out loud!)
Holly Whitaker published a more pointedly anti-alcohol book, “Quit Like a Woman,” in which drinking is portrayed as useless, toxic and anti-feminist. Whitaker went on to publish an opinion piece in the New York Times with a headline that dismissed Alcoholics Anonymous as “The Patriarchy” and then raised millions to create Tempest, an online alcohol-counseling service geared toward women that costs $59 per month.
Late Night Open Thread: A “New Temperance Movement”?Post + Comments (87)
by David Anderson| 166 Comments
This post is in: 2024 Elections, Anderson On Health Insurance, The War On Women, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
I've seen enough: in a huge victory for the pro-choice side, the Kansas constitutional amendment to remove protections of abortion rights fails.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 3, 2022
It's possible the margin for "No" in red Kansas will be a resounding double digits, a sign of just how unpopular overturning Roe v. Wade is nationally.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) August 3, 2022
by Adam L Silverman| 31 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
Exit light. Enter HIMARS. Exit russians.
Every russian occupier in Ukraine lyrics of this song…🔥
And already sleeps with one eye open…Music by @Metallica pic.twitter.com/KCDmumqPpW
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2022
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier this evening. Video below, English transcript after the jump (emphasis mine):
War For Ukraine Day 160: HIMARS O’Clock!Post + Comments (31)
This post is in: Gun Issues, Music, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity
Atlanta's Music Midtown festival has been cancelled due to Georgia's gun laws. The festival attempted to ban weapons, but does not have the standing to supersede the law and enforce its own ban https://t.co/TyWj5kNvdj
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 1, 2022
… because one ammosexual — excuse me, ‘activist’ — decided to throw a public hissy, and Gov. Kemp didn’t have the guts to stand up to him.
Open Thread: Atlanta’s Music Midtown Festival Has Been Cancelled…Post + Comments (82)
This post is in: Absent Friends, Civil Rights
Bill Russell & Nichelle Nichols both, quite literally, embodied grace & dignity in the face of not just mere adversity, but outright HATRED for their embodied aspirations, & the palpable NEED for them to FAIL, which they BOTH REFUSED TO DO.
????— Vernon Reid (@vurnt22) July 31, 2022
Great Souls Leave Long Shadows: Nichelle Nichols / Bill RussellPost + Comments (67)
by Betty Cracker| 196 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics
I had a root canal. I don’t recommend it.
In other news, CNN is reporting that the Defense Department wiped Trump officials’ phones:
(CNN) The Defense Department wiped the phones of top departing DOD and Army officials at the end of the Trump administration, deleting any texts from key witnesses to events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, according to court filings.
The acknowledgment that the phones from the Pentagon officials had been wiped was first revealed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit American Oversight brought against the Defense Department and the Army. The watchdog group is seeking January 6 records from former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, former chief of staff Kash Patel, and former Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, among other prominent Pentagon officials — having filed initial FOIA requests just a few days after the Capitol attack.
American Oversight, the watchdog group that asked for the records, is calling for a “cross-agency investigation” by the Department of Justice. Sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe Garland is gonna need a bigger boat.
Open thread.