In a new interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association above, Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID), said he expects the US will have 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the year. “Then, by the beginning of 2021, we hope to have a couple hundred million doses,” he said.The vaccine in development by Moderna in partnership with the NAID will enter final clinical trials this summer and the company will start cranking out doses at scale before the testing is complete. Meanwhile, several other promising candidates have also been fast-tracked around the world. “I’m cautiously optimistic that with the multiple candidates we have with different platforms, that we are going to have a vaccine that will make it deployable,” Fauci said. From CNN:Fauci said he is a little more concerned about what the durability of the response will be. People develop antibodies to fight common colds caused by other strains of coronavirus, but that protection generally only lasts about a year. That might mean people would need a fresh vaccine every year, as is the case with influenza. Read the rest

Irene Triplett's father fought in the civil war as a young man and remarried as an elderly senior. Triplett, born 1930, inherited his veterans' benefits due to her own disabilities. With her death at 90, the U.S. government closes the books on the last outstanding civil war pension.MSN:Pvt. Triplett married Elida Hall in 1924. She was 34 when Irene was born in 1930; he was 83. Such an age difference wasn’t rare, especially later, during the Great Depression, when Civil War veterans found themselves with both a pension and a growing need for care.Both mother and daughter suffered from mental disabilities. Irene Triplett recalled a tough childhood in the North Carolina mountains, beaten by teachers at school and parents at home.“I didn’t care for neither one of them, to tell you the truth about it,” she told The Wall Street Journal in 2014. “I wanted to get away from both of them. I wanted to get me a house and crawl in it all by myself.”Photo: Screenshot from 2016 interview Read the rest

Last night, police in New York city kettled hundreds of protestors on the Manhattan Bridge, preventing them from dispersing for hours, even after curfew fell. The New York Times reports that the protestors "found a way" around police blocking access to the Brooklyn end of the bridge, which seems an unlikely scenario, but nonetheless offers details on them being subsequently held there.As the curfew descended on Tuesday, hundreds of protesters made their way from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn onto the Manhattan Bridge with the goal of continuing their march on the other side. They wound up hemmed in from both ends for roughly two hours.Two New York Times reporters who followed with the protesters onto the bridge documented the episode, which ultimately ended peacefully, in a series of tweets.The police tried to block entry to the bridge on the Brooklyn side.Some people found a way on anywayA large group walked across toward the Manhattan side.Once they reached Manhattan, a police blockade kept them from exiting.The crowd became increasingly restless as police vehicles arrived.The demonstrators were eventually allowed to return to Brooklyn.Police not allowing protestors from Barclays across the Manhattan Bridge pic.twitter.com/kbXfeSKJxj— Sandra E. Garcia (@S_Evangelina) June 3, 2020With group of protestors who bypassed police blocking the Manhattan bridge who crossed side street, hopped a barrier to enter from another direction. pic.twitter.com/uDgPvcQTxO— Amy Julia Harris (@amyjharris) June 3, 2020Crossing the Manhattan bridge at dusk with hundreds of protestors while cars honk in solidarity pic.twitter.com/XvtYrlqYzH Read the rest

Not every house has a fireplace. And to be honest, not every homeowner wants to deal with the hassles and maintenance of a fireplace. But it’s tough to argue that the intoxicating glow and dance of a licking flame isn’t mesmerizing, not to mention all of a fire’s practical uses.For those looking to enjoy a cool fire aesthetic without all those other difficulties, the FLIKR Fire2 Personal Fireplace might just scratch that item.The FLIKR Fire2 was created with a simple goal in mind: to devise a simple, safe, indoor fireplace option that runs on a clean-burning, inexpensive and readily available fuel. This unit burns on some basic isopropyl rubbing alcohol, just like the kind you can find in any store.Fire it up with just 5 ounces of rubbing alcohol and you’ve got anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour of cozy warming flame. The alcohol ensures you’ll never get soot or smoky buildup damaging your ceiling, enough heat so you won’t have to turn up your home thermostat, and it’s even safe to cook over.Crafted using a proprietary non-absorbent, high-temperature cement on a man-made, quartz-like solid surface base, the FLIKR Fire2 cuts a dynamic, naturalistic profile in any room. The organic look is inspired by the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, which embraces transition and imperfection while celebrating a device that simply does what it was designed to do. It fits in seamlessly to almost any environment, so you can take the FLIKR Fire2 from room to room or even out on the road to get the full fireplace effect with none of the drawbacks. Read the rest

We’ve all been spending a lot more time in the kitchen over the past couple of months, some of us more successfully than others. But if you’re feeling ambitious, aren’t afraid of power-packed spice blends, and have a place to hang raw meat in your home for a few days, consider upping your Covid-19 culinary game with an Armenian appetizer that’ll make you weak in the knees.For the uninitiated, basturma is a salt and spice-cured tenderloin encased in a deep red crust of paprika, fenugreek, allspice, black pepper, cumin, cayenne and lots of fresh garlic. Some call it Armenian salami. It’s not very pretty, but what dried meat is really, and you’re unlikely to find a more addictive match when placed alongside olives, Armenian string cheese, and lavash.The sumptuous new book, Lavash, by food writer Kate Leahy (of Burma Superstar fame), chef and food stylist Ara Zada, and photographer John Lee finally gives Armenian food the culinary and cultural fetishization it so rightly deserves, and demystifies the process of transforming fresh beef into razor-thin, almost translucent slices of zesty piquant basturma.The book’s central focus, lavash, is only a jumping off point for the dozens of other recipes—while somewhat arcane, many are also surprisingly simple—all exquisitely photographed and accompanied by thoughtful and intriguing histories and editorial.Heghineh Cooking Show demonstrates the basturma-curing process in a how-to vid (and I do love her Russian-Armenian accent). Videos by the Lavash authors (including a how-to for lavash) can be found here. Read the rest

Steve King, the Republican congressman who openly embraced white supremacy, will not be the party's candidate in November's general election. Sen. Randy Feenstra defeated him in Tuesday's five-way primary race.Republicans in northwest Iowa ousted Rep. Steve King in Tuesday’s primary, deciding they’ve had enough of the conservative lightning rod known for making incendiary comments about immigrants and white supremacy throughout his nearly two decades in Congress.The nine-term congressman, shunned by his party leadership in Washington and many of his longtime supporters at home, lost to well-funded state Sen. Randy Feenstra in a five-way GOP primary. The challengers argued that King’s loss of clout, even more than his continuous string of provocative and racially-charged statements, was reason enough for turning on him.Some on the left thought it would be better strategery for King to have won as he was so widely hated, but the district was unlikely to turn blue this November even with a white supremacist on the GOP ticket: the party still led 51%-40% on a generic ballot poll in March. So this can be seen simply as a slightly reassuring preference among Republicans for less blatant racists. Read the rest

For much of the first half of the 20 century, another mysterious virus was freaking people the hell out, and no one understood what it was or how it spread. Children got hit the worst. It touched the wealthy and the poor. It paralyzed and even killed. Nothing seemed to stop it, and “Polio season” came back with a vengeance every summer. Public swimming pools were the kiss of death—or at least paralysis—and attending a gathering at a birthday party, a bar mitzvah, or even a playground was a recipe for disaster. Speculation about its source ran rampant: the public considered everything from poisonous gasses from Europe, to horses, to radio waves, to cigarette smoke, to parents tickling their kids too much. Children touched by the virus were deemed pariahs and sent off to hospitals and sanitariums for treatment, while their panicked parents “cleaned” their homes by tossing toys, burning bedding, scrubbing floors and ripping down wallpaper, unsure of where the virus lurked or how long it incubated. Then, in 1953, Jonas Salk created a vaccine that stopped polio in its tracks.And Jayne Mansfield did her part to promote the March of Dimes immunization program.My friend Bill Franklin, writer, educator, and publisher, was a Southern California grade-schooler at the time. It was announced to his 5th grade class that the movie star Jayne Mansfield (the infamous headline-grabber, pin-up, and star of the films Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, The Girl Can’t Help It, Too Hot to Handle, and Promises! Read the rest

On Monday night, Washington, D.C. resident Rahul Dubey gave refuge to some 60+ strangers last night during the protests. He was on his Swann Street stoop at around 8:30 p.m. when protesters started gathering nearby. He began talking to them and allowed them to sit on his steps, charge their phones, and use his bathroom. He also let those that had been "pinned in" to escape through his house and out through his back alleyway. When he returned to his front door, by his account, there was a man who was "screaming" while "pushing and shoving" and pepper spraying. That prompted a "human tsunami" into his home as he flung the doors open. Police were corralling the protesters and forcing them down the street with pepper spray.We are trapped between 14th & 15th Streets on Swann St NW. Cops at both ends of the street even in the alleys. #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/xFHfaK3Rb4— Ken Duffy (@KenDuffyNews) June 2, 2020USA TODAY:Dubey also told NBC Washington that police tried to enter his home a few times but that each time he spoke with them, saying the group was welcome in his residence."There was love there. In the mayhem of the darkness, minutes, hours after, there was love pouring out at 3 a.m. from people that should be sleeping, but they didn't. And that's what really is amazing," he told the TV station.One of Dubey's neighbors, Becca Thimmesch, shared this:Officers staked out outside Dubey's house for hours and were harassing him and the demonstrators inside, Thimmesch said. Read the rest

In 1911, the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre. After an extensive investigation it made a surprising reappearance that inspired headlines around the world. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the painting's abduction, which has been called the greatest art theft of the 20th century.We'll also shake Seattle and puzzle over a fortunate lack of work.Show notesPlease support us on Patreon! Read the rest

Attorney General William Barr has granted the Drug Enforcement Administration the power to investigate people protesting George Floyd's murder, even if drugs are not involved. The DEA has been central in ruining the lives of countless minorities in its disastrous War on Drugs, so having them "investigate" protestors is especially alarming. From Buzzfeed:Attorney General William Barr issued a statement Saturday following a night of widespread and at times violent protests in which he blamed, without providing evidence, “anarchistic and far-left extremists, using Antifa-like tactics,” for the unrest. He said the FBI, DEA, US Marshals, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be “deployed to support local efforts to enforce federal law.”Barr did not say what those agencies would do, however.The DEA is limited by statute to enforcing drug-related federal crimes. But on Sunday, Timothy Shea, a former US attorney and close confidant of Barr's who was named acting administrator of the DEA last month, received approval from Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer to go beyond the agency’s mandate “to perform other law enforcement duties” that Barr may “deem appropriate.” Read the rest

The Washington Post reports that "James N. Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, provided The Washington Post with a copy of his resignation letter, which he submitted to Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Tuesday evening."Dear Secretary Esper,I resign from the Defense Science Board, effective immediately.When I joined the Board in early 2014, after leaving government service as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, I again swore an oath of office, one familiar to you, that includes the commitment to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States . . . and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”You recited that same oath on July 23, 2019, when you were sworn in as Secretary of Defense. On Monday, June 1, 2020, I believe that you violated that oath. Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets — not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op. You then accompanied President Trump in walking from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church for that photoPresident Trump’s actions Monday night violated his oath to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” as well as the First Amendment “right of the people peaceably to assemble.” You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it.Anyone who takes the oath of office must decide where he or she will draw the line: What are the things that they will refuse to do? Read the rest

Here. Here's Dolly Parton doing a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." You're welcome.Image: YouTube Read the rest

It’s impossible for anyone to truly escape the effects our COVID-19 lifestyle changes have made, but if you’re a web developer, there’s a decent chance your work life might be virtually unchanged. Even before the quarantines and work-from-home orders, over 16 percent of web developers were already self-employed. And with a growing number of tech companies, including Twitter and Facebook, already allowing or anticipating a day when most of their workforce will work remotely, it’s increasingly a high paying position you can perform almost anywhere.For those looking to join their ranks, be smart. Not only is the Python coding language one of the most popular programming tools, but its versatility and connection with emerging technologies also make it a natural addition to any developer’s skill set. With The Epic Python Developer Certification Bundle, those hoping to get hired will find a foundation and a starting point to kickstart a new career.While one of the most user-friendly languages around, Python learning does require some effort -- as this 12-course package with more than 90 hours of rigorous training proves. But once you’re up to speed with this primer collection, you’ll be ready to get hired in a variety of interesting new roles.The Python for Beginners: Learn Python from Scratch and Learning Python 3 Programming for the Absolute Beginner courses get the training started right, introducing students to the basic structure and commands that make Python a favored choice among coders. These beginners-guide courses cover Python basics like variables, strings, and operators while helping newbies become comfortable using Python to solve problems with hands-on practice exercises with fully explained solutions that make the language truly accessible. Read the rest

“I Cannot Remain Silent,” former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen writes in an Atlantic op-ed today, “Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.”Excerpt:It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St. John's Church. I have to date been reticent to speak out on issues surrounding President Trump's leadership, but we are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent.Whatever Trump's goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.There was little good in the stunt.While no one should ever condone the violence, vandalism, and looting that has exploded across our city streets, neither should anyone lose sight of the larger and deeper concerns about institutional racism that have ignited this rage. Mike Mullen was the 17th chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.Read the rest:I Cannot Remain SilentPHOTO: Impeached President Donald “Bunker Boy” Trump Visits St. John's Episcopal Church, after armed goons tear-gas Americans and push priests out of the way. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead, Public Domain) Read the rest

In this video, you can see Donald Trump appearing to ask First Lady Melania to 'smile' during today's fascist photo op.Nah, man, you have to pay extra for that.Hey, if ANTIFA means anti-fascists, does that make the Trumps “FA”?Trump asks Melania to smile during today's photo op. pic.twitter.com/B59YeDHKRM— The Recount (@therecount) June 2, 2020Here's a close-up: pic.twitter.com/yZK46OWFOC— The Recount (@therecount) June 2, 2020[via The Recount]Trump's tweets about Antifa show his ignorance of US lawWhen asked about Trump's desire to use military on Americans, Justin Trudeau pauses for 20 secondsTrump threatens to use military to stop protests for #georgefloyd #blacklivesmatter Read the rest

• 4th known Tesla worker to test positive, and the 5th at its US facilities

"I fucking love this country." — Rahul Dubey

PSA: If you're using a black square on Instagram as a way to show you are "muted and listening" to Black voices and/or to show your solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, STOP using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. That hashtag is meant to share resources and information and using it for a "Blackout Tuesday" post is drowning out the voices that need to be heard, activists say. Better yet, they ask, remove the empty squares completely. Removing the BLM hashtag from your black square post isn't enough, as it will keep the post in the previously tagged category. Best to take it down completely and start using your platforms to amplify Black voices and share information, activists write. Listen but don't be muted.stop posting black squares under the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on Instagram. it is intentionally and unintentionally hiding critical information we are using on the ground and online. pic.twitter.com/EIS44aDXXd— y’all don’t read the room ? (@anthoknees) June 2, 2020Yeah and now the hashtag is blank on Instagram because of everyone hashtagging black squares pic.twitter.com/lnlY4Nrzxx— dillonfrancis (@DillonFrancis) June 2, 2020What CAN you do? Here's a start (and please add relevant and helpful resources in the comments):We don’t need you to make your profile photos black or for you to take your anti-racism journeys in our mentions or DMs. You can simply:- elevate Black voices on here- huddle up with Black friends - use your body as a barrier- correct racist friends and family- vote— Jay Coles (@mrjaycoles) June 2, 2020White allies! Read the rest

Even though life is emerging following our COVID-19 lockdown, it’s not exactly time to celebrate defeating the insidious virus just yet. CDC officials warn that once a resurgence of the virus hits this winter, it could prove even more disastrous for the U.S. healthcare system than the opening salvo. That would follow the pattern suffered by America during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, which infected 500 million people worldwide; or one-third of the world’s population.Whether it’s coronavirus or another harmful disease, germs and infection possibilities are a fact of life now. With everyone trying to take precautions to better protect themselves and their families, items like the Snapback Glove make a solid first line of defense from harmful disease.And the concept behind the Snapback Glove is unmistakably simple. This glove easily clips to your belt or pants and, just like an oven mitt removing hot food from the stove, it’s conveniently ready whenever you need to pick up an object, press buttons, sign a receipt or open a door.The Snapback Glove is made using proprietary WaveStopper fabric with 70 percent SilverFlex fibers to be entirely antiviral and antimicrobial. Quickly slip in on from its perch at your belt whenever you have to deal with any potentially infectious situation, then whip it off as the retractable reels automatically snap the glove back into place. Positioned correctly, you’ll never even have to touch the glove itself, even when you put it on.While nothing can be 100 percent effective against the spread of germs, using something like the Snapback Glove can cut exposure threats exponentially during trips to the grocery store, gas station or any other public location or when you’re using public transportation. Read the rest

At a news conference in Canada, a reporter asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau what he thought about Trump's proposal to use US military forces against protesters and to comment on people who were “tear-gassed yesterday to make way for a presidential photo op.” Trudeau was silent for over 20 seconds before answering, “We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States.” Image: Reuters Video Screengrab Read the rest

“I feel a little safer now that these monsters are off of the street and no longer able to terrorize anyone else,” said 22-year-old Messiah Young, who was dragged out of his car by police and shot multiple times with a taser gun. His girlfriend, 20-year-old Taniyah Pilgrim, was also pulled out of the car and tased.The video above is horrific.From AP News:Young’s arm was fractured and he suffered a gash requiring 24 stitches when he was pulled from the car, Howard said. Young told Howard’s investigators that an officer who escorted him from the scene after his arrest punched him in the back more than 10 times as they walked.“I’m so happy that they’re being held accountable for their actions,” Pilgrim said at the news conference.Both Young and Pilgrim are rising seniors at historically black colleges near downtown Atlanta. Young, from Chicago, is studying business management at Morehouse College. Pilgrim, who’s from San Antonio, Texas, is studying psychology at Spelman College.The two officers whose firings were announced Sunday — Investigator Ivory Streeter and Investigator Mark Gardner — were charged along with four other officers. Read the rest

A comprehensive list of at least one hundred separate incidents in the past week where law enforcement was violent with press at protests over the police killing of George Floyd.Over the past few days, Nick Waters / @n_waters89 of Bellingcat has collected over 100 photos and videos showing American police violently attacking credentialed reporters.We've hit 100 incidents where journalists experienced violence from the police during the #GeorgeFloyd protests.When I started this thread, I thought there would maybe be 7 or 8 examples. Instead what I have seen is a serious disregard for the free press by law enforcement. https://t.co/wBgYhVHmad— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) June 1, 2020More at Mediagazer. Here are excerpts from the thread.The third clear example of a news crew being deliberately targeted by law enforcement in the US I’ve seen.Anybody else seen similar incidents? https://t.co/pzOWjQZru6— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) May 30, 2020Incident 124: Journalists detained and prevented from filming and eventually released (I think in Richmond, Virginia) https://t.co/FWgC0XzKsW— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) June 2, 2020A note on methodology: in this thread I have chosen to focus specifically on violence by law enforcement against journalists. I've seen many of examples of egregious behaviour by police against demonstrators, by protesters against journalists, vigilantes against looters etc.— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) June 2, 2020COMMENT: if this stuff is happening to credentialed journalists, imagine what is happening to protesters.— Nick Waters (@N_Waters89) June 2, 2020Going into tonight, here's our updated count on press freedom violations during the #GeorgeFloyd protests Arrests: 20Assaults (physical or getting shot w/ pellets): 60Equipment Damage: 13Assault + Damage: 9Other (tear gassing, building damage, etc): 26Total incidents: 128— U.S. Read the rest

This is one of the most absolutely insane moments I've ever seen on live television. pic.twitter.com/Uvzig8YGSa— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 2, 2020In Van Nuys, California, black store owners, trying to protect their store from looters, called the police. When the police arrived, they promptly handcuffed the store owners and let the looters run away. Meanwhile a TV news reporter on the scene was yelling at the cops, “They're the owners!”For good measure, the police also pulled an innocenet woman from her car, for the simple reason that she was black and within grabbing distance. Read the rest

As a YouTube commenter said, "David doesn't even need to be in his own video for me to enjoy it." Read the rest

Along with a gathering of peaceful protesters, clergy members of St. John’s Episcopal Church were gassed and grenaded to clear a path for Trump to pose in front of the church holding a Bible, said Reverend Gini Gerbasi in a Facebook post.From her post:We were literally DRIVEN OFF of the St. John’s, Lafayette Square patio with tear gas and concussion grenades and police in full riot gear. We were pushed back 20 feet, and then eventually – with SO MANY concussion grenades – back to K street. By the time I got back to my car, around 7, I was getting texts from people saying that Trump was outside of St. John’s, Lafayette Square.I literally COULD NOT believe it. WE WERE DRIVEN OFF OF THE PATIO AT ST. JOHN’S – a place of peace and respite and medical care throughout the day – SO THAT MAN COULD HAVE A PHOTO OPPORTUNITY IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH! PEOPLE WERE HURT SO THAT HE COULD POSE IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH WITH A BIBLE! HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO STEP OVER THE MEDICAL SUPPLIES WE LEFT BEHIND BECAUSE WE WERE BEING TEAR GASSED! Read the rest

3 Brothers-Radio Raheem, Eric Garner And George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/EB0cXQELzE— Spike Lee (@SpikeLeeJoint) June 1, 2020Spike Lee released the above short film, "3 Brothers," combining footage of the arrests of George Floyd and Eric Garner, black men who were killed by police, with the scene from his classic movie "Do The Right Thing" (1989) in which police choke and kill the fictional character Radio Raheem. Lee premiered "3 Brothers" during the CNN special "I Can’t Breathe: Black Men Living & Dying In America. Also watch Lee's comments below:"The attack on black bodies has been here from the get-go," says filmmaker Spike Lee, responding to protests over George Floyd's death. "...I am not condoning all this other stuff but I understand why people are doing what they are doing." https://t.co/K5Gzn1gRT0 pic.twitter.com/sxnZJ9xRpi— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) June 1, 2020 Read the rest

AskSmithsonian always has a fascinating and eclectic collection of reader questions and answers from Smithsonian Institutions experts on topics ranging from scientific phenomena to art history to pop culture. (What exactly is duck sauce? Has anyone ever run for president from prison? How does a hippopotamus swim so fast?) In the current issue, a reader asks if libraries fumigate books to disinfect them. Here's the answer:That practice was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when book-borrowing was seen as a possible disease vector. Today, collections use nonchemical methods, like freezing, to treat mold and insect infestations. The observation that the coronavirus can survive on paper and cardboard for up to one day is leading libraries to disinfect nonporous surfaces and quarantine recently circulated materials for 24 hours, says Vanessa Haight Smith, the head of the Smithsonian Libraries’ Preservation Services Department.image: David Flores/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) Read the rest

One of the things that led up to Margaret Thatcher's resignation as Britain's prime minister was the imposition of a poll tax on every adult in the U.K.: a crude per-head charge just for existing. Londoners rioted on 31 March 1990, with hundreds hurt and 339 arrests made. Trafalgar Square was wrecked, police charged the crowds on horseback only to be forced back, and shops throughout the west end were looted. It's a world away from the experience of black people in America and contemporary protests here, but interesting all the same because of what's different and what's the same. The rioters included many people with large family sizes (a head tax!), people with limited incomes but too well-off to escape the tax. It was a hard-to-define segment on the margins of prosperity, working white people rubbing shoulders with immigrant Muslims and well-off Catholics. All sharing the burden of those targeted by the law. The police lied through their teeth about their incompetent tactics and excessive use of force and, in an age before ubiquitous video recording devices, enjoyed largely servile coverage in the press. But almost all those arrested were ultimately acquitted, suggesting the police had fabricated or inflated charges.Thatcher was gone within months, the poll tax proved hard to collect, and her replacement won re-election after promising to abolish it entirely, then did so. Read the rest

From 1967 through the 1980s, Emory Douglas was the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, the revolutionary social justice and political organization founded in Oakland, California. Douglas was the art director, designer, and primary artist for The Black Panther Newsletter and created the iconic Black Panther flyers, handouts, and posters. Hw work is as relevant, and as necessary, right now as it was 50 years ago. Art historian, artist, and professor Colette Gaiter referred to Douglas as "the Norman Rockwell of the ghetto, concentrating on the poor and oppressed."To this day, Douglas creates powerful work that communicates urgent ideas and calls for action.image: "All power to the people" by Emory Douglas (1970) Read the rest

In this video, the Helpful Vancouver Vet explains how best to pick up cats: "Dr. Burstyn and his feline friends demonstrate how to pick up a cat in a way that is comfortable for the cat and safe for you. A must watch for anyone with a feline in the family."If you're trying to hold the cat down, squish that cat. All you need to know about cat restraint is to squish that catI wonder, does this work for rabid mustelids? Asking for myself.How to deactivate a cat Read the rest

You don't need to know who Cardi B or indeed who Star Wars is to enjoy this video, in which the sound effects are replaced. Read the rest

"Lost a window to the riot, didn't lose an opportunity," writes Memphis resident Tagawat on r/Memphis.(Thanks, Jeff Cross!) Read the rest

Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH yet the CEO community is outraged by yet another executive killed during a regulatory investigation

On Sunday, May 31st, 2020, President Donald Trump tweeted that Antifa would be officially designated as a terrorist organization by the US government.A message from the President: pic.twitter.com/BtDdfGL2nO— Real Press Sec Bot (@RealPressSecBot) May 31, 2020Despite his position in the highest seat of national power, Trump's tweets are (fortunately) not legally-binding. And even if they were, it wouldn't matter — the United States has official statute for designating domestic terrorists, a fact which has ironically served to benefit homegrown mass murderers acting on white supremacist agendas. There's also the fact that Antifa is … not a formal organization. There is no hierarchy, no centralized leadership — it's just individuals, occasionally clustering together, engaging in direct action. Even if you could legally designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, it would be impossible to develop any sort of criteria to decide who or what qualifies as "Antifa."This is, unfortunately, the likely aim of Trump's provoke tweet: to invoke the chillingly Orwellian logic that "anti-fascist action equals terrorism."Most of the criticism of "Antifa" is actually aimed at people employing Black Bloc tactics. Many of them are probably anarchists; many are probably not, and may just have legitimate reasons for protecting their identities. There are valid complaints about the effectiveness of these methods; there are also valid arguments that they ultimately work. But one thing is certain: no one in America has been killed by "Antifa" or Black Bloc tactics. I suppose one could argue that there is an intimidation factor to Black Bloc tactics, but it's hardly organized in the deliberate sense of most terrorism. Read the rest

Grindr, a popular hookup app, yesterday announced it was removing its "ethnicity" filter.Announcing the change, Grindr said it had a "zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech" on its platform.It problem Grindr long ignored, but something has forced its hand. The BBC's Ben Hunte says because white users have started speaking out:But some are angry that it has only happened as a result of white people speaking up on social media. Indeed, the most-shared social media posts written to shame Grindr into action were posted by white gay men.This means that it's just a resolved PR issue to Grindr, not the start of a different approach to related issues. For example, it's likely that the ethnicity filter hid problems with algorithmic racism that will now be readily apparent to searchers Read the rest

From the Denver Post:Colorado recorded a 40% decrease in suicides in March and April as social-distancing policies aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus kept residents home, according to provisional death-certificate data from the state health department.The data helps paint a complex picture of the mental and emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. While suicides are down from 2019 levels, Colorado Crisis Services saw an almost 48% increase calls in March and April compared to last year, with most callers seeking help for anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.Donald Trump (and all of his parrot pundits, by extension) have shamelessly exploited the threat of increased suicides as a reason to "re-open the economy" sooner. This rang hollow before, as it was an excuse often given by people who had never seemed overly concerned about suicide, addiction, or mental health beyond the generic self-serving platitudes that virtue-signal their bare-minimum humanity. Now, it seems like an even more disgusting excuse to profit on the back of human lives.The Denver Post article does quote from a few experts, who share their possible theories on why this might be happening. Anxieties are, of course, running high, as evidenced by the jump in calls to crisis hotlines. But some people think that this unprecedented crisis may actually be helping to create a sense of community; seeing so many other people so visibly struggling might put things into perspective for some people. Another theory is that people at risk for suicide might be too overwhelmed by the adrenaline of day-to-day survival — figuring out the logistics of simply things like groceries — that it might be temporarily suppressing their emotional pain. Read the rest

OK, I really need this. It's the SpaceX Dragon rendezvousing and docking with the International Space Station with "Blue Danube" as the soundtrack. Holy 2001, Batman!Image: Screengrab Read the rest

This is one of my personal favorite bits of Schadenfreude in the world.This photo was taken by Karen Reshkin at the 2016 Milwaukee Irish Fest, and depicts a somewhat Irish-inspired riff on the standard Blue Lives Matter fascist fashion chic. Except no one explained to this idiot cop how translations work, especially when it comes to idioms.A blogger named the Geeky Gaeilgeoir breaks this hilariously ironic failure with eloquent detail, and a much firmer grasp of the Irish language than I have. But essentially, this mean translated individual word of "Blue Lives Matter" without considering context or grammar. "Gorm" is indeed "blue." But "chónaí" means "lives" with a short "i," as in, "I live here." And "ábhar" means "matter," yes, but in the noun form — like a subject matter, or a material, as opposed to the verb of "mattering."The syntax is all wrong, too. And that helps with the absurdity. Essentially, this shirt doesn't say anything.But the real chef-kiss moment is with the word "Blue." "Gorm" is, technically, correct…in a certain context:When color is used to describe a person in Irish, it typically refers to hair color. For example An bhean rua: The red-haired woman.There are exceptions, of course: For example, Na fir bhuí (“The orange/yellow men”) is used to refer to members of the Orange Order because of the color of their sashes. But “blue/gorm” would not be used to refer to police officers as a group. That’s an American thing. Read the rest

When you were 10 and your mom demanded you finish your vegetables or go to your room, you were mad. Even as kids, we hated it when we were ordered to do something. Car insurance is a federal mandate, yet that’s only one of the reasons why most Americans would rather do just about anything than deal with car insurance.Over a quarter (28%) of Americans — 28 percent — think they pay too much for car insurance, yet almost 40 percent say they haven’t checked their current rates against competitors in at least three years. 17 percent have never checked at all. Ever.The Zebra wants to change that car insurance aversion mindset. The nation’s leading car insurance comparison site, they’ve developed a free, safe, simple way to make sure users are getting the absolute best price on car insurance. And if they’re not, The Zebra paves the way for any driver to get the lowest rate available anywhere.Through The Zebra website, users identify their vehicle make and model as well as where they live. With that handful of data, The Zebra stretches its legs, tapping their relationships with over 200 different national and regional insurance providers to find out which will offer gives that user the best possible coverage plan.The Zebra checks in with providers like Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Allstate, and GEICO, crunching the numbers and offering all the best coverage offers in a matter of seconds.For users who find an option they like, The Zebra will facilitate the switch, working with the new provider to hammer out the policy details while all the user has to do is sign on the dotted line to make it official. Read the rest

Mayweather is committed to handling all costs for the funeral on June 9 in Floyd’s hometown of Houston, as well as other expenses.

“There is a new movement being born right now. A movement against hatred. And the elements of that movement includes racism, which traces its origin back 400 years, antisemitism, sexism, and xenophobia.”Watch this incredible comment by longtime CNN anchor and news presenter Bernard Shaw.Watch this incredible comment by CNN legend Bernard Shaw:"There is a new movement being born right now." pic.twitter.com/XLNenCGlul— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 2, 2020 Read the rest

• June 1, Monday night: Tear gas fired on peaceful protesters in Washington D.C.• Trump: “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them” Earlier today, impeached president Donald Trump told “weak” U.S. governors to use more force against protesters. Tonight, Trump has threatened to direct military to attack protesters in the streets of the nation's capital and elsewhere, with lethal force, as the agents carrying out those attacks deem appropriate.As a massive crowd of protesters crowded the streets near the White House, met with escalating force by police and other law enforcement, Trump spoke in the Rose Garden, and threatened to use military force against Americans in the streets:At nearly the same moment, Trump spoke in the Rose Garden and vowed to end unrest in major cities across the nation “now,” saying that he would deploy the military if state governors refused to call out the National Guard. “Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled,” Trump said. “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.” More at Reuters:Police fire rubber bullets, tear gas to disperse peaceful protest near White HouseA demonstrator raises their hands next to U.S. Read the rest

ACLU: “We want you to have what you'll need to know your risks and know your rights.”

Time is a flat circle, and between the quarantine and the never-ending mind-boggling madness of our ever-escalation geopolitical chaos, it's become increasingly difficult to understand our own temporal existence in the seemingly endless cesspool known as 2020.So game developer Rami Ismail came up with a helpful solution: is2020over.com.Got boredhttps://t.co/onijOQRrkF— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) June 1, 2020Besides the depressing but unequivocal "NO," the website also tracks all of the insane events we've witnessed in the last 15 years of 5 months, just to help you make sense of the incomprehensible timeline that we're living on.Is 2020 over? [Rami Ismail]Image: Public Domain Read the rest

It's depressingly fitting that a nationwide spree of protests against racist policing would occur on the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, what's been called the single worst incident of racial violence in American history. Using guns and aircrafts, white racists destroyed 35 square blocks of what had — until then — been the wealthiest black community in the country, resulting in more than $32 million dollars in damage adjusted for inflation. Like many such tragic events, it began when white racists accused a black man of looking at a white woman the wrong way.And sadly, it's a thing that most people didn't even know about it until they watched Damon Lindelof's Watchmen sequel on HBO in the fall of 2019. It took 80 years before any kind of official report was made to acknowledge the event; mass graves are still being discovered nearly a century later.Here are some links if you want to learn more:‘Watchmen’ Opened With the Tulsa Race Riot. Here’s What to Read About It. [Jennifer Vineyard / The New York Times]"They was killing black people" [DeNeen L. Brown / The Washington Post]The Massacre of Black Wall Street [Re/Think / The Atlantic]Tulsa Race Riot: A Report by the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921Black Wall Street: The African American Haven That Burned and Then Rose From the Ashes [Victor Luckerson / The Ringer]Image: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons Read the rest

It seems weird to be writing about something as frivolous as a game while the world is infected and on fire, but we do need a little distraction and joy to keep us sane, and for some of us, the gaming hobby offers just that. Sean Sutter, the one-person game designing artistic juggernaut behind the fabulous fantasy narrative skirmish wargame, Relicblade just launched a Kickstarter for his latest product, a two-person starter set. Within 30 minutes, he had blown past his funding goal and is currently over $40,000. For those of us familiar with this game, this is no surprise at all. To know Relicblade is to love Relicblade.While I am a huge, lifelong fan of the tabletop gaming hobby in general, I especially adore indie games that are basically the vision of one artist. Relicblade is such a wonder. Sean does nearly everything. He designs the games, writes and lays out the rulebooks, does all of the art, sculpts all of the miniatures. This would all be impressive enough, but the quality with which he does it all makes it even more impressive. His product line confidently stands next to the big dogs in the industry.The latest campaign, called Storms of Kural, is a two-player starter set designed to provide everything needed to enter the world of Relicblade. There are two main pledge levels, one at $100 for the rulebook, minis, cards, and tokens, and one at $85 for people who already own the rulebook. Read the rest

As anti-police protests raged across the country on Sunday, the official Twitter account of the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD spent most of the day whining about New York Mayor Bill DiBlasio.DiBlasio is hardly a stalwart of #TheResistance, and there are certainly plenty of good reasons for the average citizen to complain about him. But the SBA was pretty clearly employing Mafia-style bullying tactics to frighten the guy into submission. After DiBlasio's daughter, Chiara, was arrested for "unlawful assembly" during the New York City protests, the SBA Twitter account posted a photo of her arrest paperwork, including her personal identifying information. (Details blacked out manually)This is, of course, illegal, as well as a hugely dangerous threat.The tweet has since been deleted. But it's not the first time that SBA President Ed Mullins has been involved in frighteningly inflammatory rhetoric. Back in February, he openly declared war on DiBlasio, and also has an established history of sending racist emails out to the entire Police Union. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the racist union rep targeted the mayor's biracial daughter. Read the rest

Image Scrubber is a useful website that removes all the identifying metadata from any photograph and gives you the option to blur out certain parts of the photo.This is a tool for anonymizing photographs taken at protests.It will remove identifying metadata (Exif data) from photographs, and also allow you to selectively blur parts of the image to cover faces and other identifiable information.Hit the open button to open a photograph. The program will display the data it is removing.Click okay, and you can then save the scrubbed image by hitting save or right clicking on it and saving it. Maximum size is 2500x2500 pixels - larger images will be scaled down.You can select between painting over the image or blurring it out. Dragging on the image will paint on or blur it. You can change your brush size via the slider. The blur function has built-in pixel shuffling/noise and is fairly secure but sensitive information should be covered with the paint tool.This tool works offline: on a phone you can load the page then turn on airplane mode (or turn off wifi/data) before opening any pictures. On a computer, download the zipped code, open the folder, and open index.html in a browser with the internet turned off.All processing happens directly in the browser- no information is stored or sent anywhere.Image: Jumpstory / CC0 Read the rest

Climate change, growing inequality, systemic racism, militarized police, rising fascism, Covid-19 pandemic, plagues of locusts. From is2020over.com, a list of 2020's bad news to date.JanuaryMore than 20% of Australia's forest is lost to forest fires.World War III is barely averted after US aggression.Africa is plagued by unprecedented locust swarms.FebruaryThe UK withdraws from the European Union.The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are postponed due to COVID-19.MarchCOVID-19 is declared a global pandemic. Hundreds of thousands die. Schengen borders are closed, halting European travel.Global public air traffic comes to a halt.AprilMecca sits eerily empty, despite Ramadan.Pentagon releases UFO footage.White people riot to get haircuts.1986 sent a "Miss Me?" as a wildfire in the radioactive forests around Chernobyl caused radiation to spike 20-fold.MayEurovision Song Contest is cancelled.Microsoft breaks Windows via update, again.Locusts now sweep India and Pakistan.The murder of George Floyd sparks protests & riots throughout the US.JuneA new Ebola outbreak was declared in Mbandaka, Congo, where no cases had been found since 2018. Read the rest

when will the media stand up to the violent antifa Marxist ideology of [checks notes] ah, cat owners pic.twitter.com/h9qWQBurag— Sam Thielman (@samthielman) June 1, 2020In this clip, a local news anchor mistakes a Cat Condo for a cinder block. You can hear the disappointment in his voice when he realizes it's not what he'd hoped, like the Bill Hader impression of TV crime ghoul Keith Morrison. [via Sam Thielman]You can buy a similar model of cat condo/plush cinder block on Amazon. Or you can get one from Target, obviously. Read the rest