Saturday, November 13, 2021

And another day of Republicans preferring life in the 1950s, blatantly rigging elections, Sinema’s shift, a village abandoned to the sea, the shapes of birds, ‘pollution lockdown,’ Gruden sues NFL, and Britney was finally freed comes to a close:

“We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin

Deaths

US: 783,439 (+2664 over two days)

World: 5,110,549 (+15,281 over two days)

Cases

US: 47,891,997 (+198,481 over two days)

World: 253,672,011 (+1,036,190 over two days)

With Trump out of office, Republicans would prefer life in the 1950s, survey shows. Politically, culturally and demographically white, protestant Christians did hold the most sway in American culture and way of life, Jones pointed out. And, of course, over time that’s changed but the nostalgia for those who reflected that demographic continued to grow.

Federal grand jury has indicted former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Bannon, 67, was charged with one count related to his refusal to appear for a deposition and another related to his refusal to produce documents. Each count carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, the Justice Department said.

These maps show how Republicans are blatantly rigging elections. It’s the foundational concept of US democracy: voters choose the politicians they want to represent them. Yet the reality in 2021 is much more depressing. As politicians undertake the once-a-decade process of redrawing political districts across the country, they are essentially rigging the system by deciding among themselves exactly which voters in which areas they want to represent. It’s a process called gerrymandering that allows them to virtually choose their voters and guarantee their re-election. The United States stands almost alone in allowing partisan politicians to draw political districts in this way. It’s an invisible scalpel that profoundly affects US politics but also the tenor and character of the national discourse…In the meantime, the effects are insidious. When politicians know their seat is safe, they no longer have to worry about competition from the opposing party or concern themselves with reaching out to the other party’s voters. Instead, they become more interested in appealing to their own base and fending off challengers from within their own party. It makes politics more extreme, and contributes to extreme polarization. — Look at the maps. More people need to know about this.

Sinema’s shift: ‘Prada socialist’ to corporate donor magnet. Twenty years ago, a Green Party activist running for the Phoenix City Council named Kyrsten Sinema likened raising campaign cash to “bribery.” Now a first-term senator from Arizona, she no longer has such qualms.

Russia sets another record for daily COVID-19 deaths. Russia’s national coronavirus task force said Saturday that 1,241 people died from COVID-19 over the past day, topping the previous record, set Wednesday.

Disease center urges Germans to cancel or avoid big events. Germany’s disease control center is calling for people to cancel or avoid large events and to reduce their contacts as the country’s coronavirus infection rate hits the latest in a string of new highs.

For 2nd straight month, Americans quit jobs at a record pace. Americans quit their jobs at a record pace for the second straight month in September, in many cases for more money elsewhere as companies bump up pay to fill job openings that are close to an all-time high.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released to CNN on Friday new evidence showing how US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials were pressured by Trump administration officials to alter scientific guidance and prevented from communicating directly with the public.

Frustration, defiance in village to be abandoned to the sea. Residents of this small coastal village in north Wales face becoming the U.K.’s first “climate refugees."

The climate crisis is messing with birds' body shapes. Researchers studying 15,000 birds in the Amazon rainforest found that nearly all of the birds' bodies have become lighter since the 1980s, losing on average about 2% of their body weight every decade, according to a new study.

India’s New Delhi shuts schools as it mulls “pollution lockdown” to protect citizens from worsening levels of toxic smog.

Jon Gruden sues NFL over leaked emails. The lawsuit filed Thursday in the Clark County District Court in Nevada alleges that the league and commissioner Roger Goodell carried out a “malicious and orchestrated campaign” to harm Gruden’s reputation by leaking the emails, in which he used racial and homophobic slurs. —   So, like all assholes, it’s more about the information coming out rather than what it was about.

This Gay Teen Romance Film Is Sending Far-Righters Into a Raging Frenzy. A Ukrainian film director of Armenian origin, 29-year-old Khachatur Vasilian, is facing a wave of vicious attacks from pro-Russia politicians and neo-Nazi thugs alike for his new film, My Young Prince, an artful movie about a gay teenager who falls in love with another man.

Medicare premiums to jump in part due to pricey Alzheimer's drug. The Biden administration announced Friday that the monthly premium for Medicare Part B, which covers services like doctors office visits, will increase by $21.60, from $148.50 in 2021 to $170.10 in 2022. Officials said that is one of the largest increases in recent years.

Britney Spears got all to agree she needed to be freed. For one day at least, everyone surrounding Britney Spears agreed. She needed to be freed. Most important among them was Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny, who at a hearing Friday terminated the conservatorship that controlled the pop singer’s life and money for nearly 14 years.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.