JPMorgan Chase is buying First Republic Bank's deposits, and a "substantial amount of their assets and certain liabilities," after the troubled bank was placed in the FDIC's receivership overnight.
TORONTO – Early reports indicate that local Toronto Maple Leafs fan Edward Bookham won’t shut up about his team’s playoff series victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning for the next 19 years. “We did it baby!” screamed a euphoric Bookham seemingly unaware that his team did not win a Stanley Cup before repeatedly shouting “Go Leafs […]
TORONTO – The hockey community is devastated at the loss of their only joke with the Toronto Maple Leafs having advanced out of the NHL’s first round of playoffs for the first time since 2004. Nearly two decades of variations on “win a round” or “other team in 7” are now lost to time as […]
🌎 Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➡️ https://NordVPN.com/sabine 4 Months free on a 2 Year plan. Risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!
Should transgender teens transition? This rather personal question occupies a prominent place in the American culture war. One the one side you have people claiming that it’s a socially contagious fad among the brainwashed woke who want to mutilate your innocent children. On the other side there are those saying that it’s saving the lives of minorities who’ve been forced to stay in the closet for too long. And then there are normal people, like you and I, who think both sides are crazy and could someone please summarise the facts in simple words, which is what I’m here for.
Clarification to what I say at 5:00: That's the definition of gender dysphoria for children (as I said).
At 7:25 the number which I say (25 million) referred only to the age group 12-17, whereas the study that I previously talked about was for the age group 6-17. The total number of children age 6-17 is approximately 50 million, hence the correction on the screen. Sorry for the confusion!
Bond was set at $200,000 on Thursday for Erick Aguirre, 29, who is accused of fatally shooting 46-year-old Elliot Nix in the back while on a dinner date with a woman who subsequently spoke to Houston police about the incident.
Despite the noisy storms early Thursday, we were rewarded with just a delightful Thursday evening and now a cool, pleasant Friday morning. Today looks great, but tonight may get noisy again, so mentally prepare now. But after some lingering showers Saturday morning, the rest of the weekend looks pretty great. And if you’re riding in the Texas MS 150, there’s all kinds of mixed news for you. Prepare those leg muscles.
Today
Any low clouds or patchy fog west of Houston should clear quickly this morning. Then, just spectacular. Sunshine, tolerable humidity, and highs in the 80s. Look for some clouds to begin to increase later today. Storms are not expected before evening in the Houston area at this point.
Tonight
It all changes after sunset. We expect a pretty well organized line of thunderstorms to develop across the I-35 corridor, somewhat like we saw on Wednesday evening. That line of storms is expected to plow south and east toward our region after 7 PM.
Convenient graphic from the National Weather Service Houston office showing probable timing of storms, along with the risk of severe weather. Most of the Houston area is under a “Slight” (2/5) risk, with strong winds being the primary concern. (NWS Houston)
For College Station, it may arrive as early as 5 to 7 PM, moving south and east quickly into the Houston area after 8 to 9 PM. The SPC has us in a “slight” risk of severe weather (level 2 of 5), with parts of the Brazos Valley in the “enhanced” risk (level 3 of 5). We expect a well defined line of strong to locally severe storms with lightning, thunder, heavy rain, and gusty winds (some chance of hail in the Brazos Valley). The line should weaken some as it approaches Houston. Once that initial line moves through, additional showers and rumbles of thunder (not severe) would continue into very early Saturday morning before ending after sunrise.
Rain totals should be a half-inch or less in most of the area, with some chance for higher amounts northwest of Houston and well south toward Matagorda Bay. (Pivotal Weather)
All in all we expect roughly a half-inch of rain or less, with some places seeing perhaps a bit more, mainly well northwest or well south of the city. Temperatures will fall into the upper-50s or low-60s.
Saturday
Any rain should clear early. We’ll probably hang onto the clouds for a few hours Saturday, but by midday the sun should be out. Saturday is going to be a bit of an odd duck for the end of April. It may feel a bit more like late winter than late spring. We’ll see temperatures probably in the 60s for most places, maybe low-70s with enough sun. Normally we see low-80s this time of year. Additionally, offshore winds are going to be cranking, around 20 to 25 mph with some higher gusts. Not quite a true ‘norther but about as close as you can get this time of year. Saturday night will see widespread 50s, if not even some 40s in parts of the area.
Sunday
Sunday should be a nearly perfect spring day. We’ll have sunshine, lighter winds, comfortable humidity, and temperatures in the low-80s, almost spot on normal for this time of year.
Texas MS 150
Alright, so if you read the sections above you know there’s mixed news. If you’re riding in the MS 150, here is the quick rundown.
A wicked headwind Saturday, much less wind Sunday.
There’s no way to sugarcoat Saturday. The weather is going to be fantastic, but the wind is just going to be brutal. At times it may be more of a crosswind than a headwind, but it’s going to be coming out of the northwest or north-northwest sustained at 20 to 25 mph, with gusts to 30 or 35 mph, especially in exposed northwest facing ridges along the route.
Forecast wind gusts from the NWS Blend of Models on Saturday afternoon look strong, and they’ll be out of the northwest, making for a bit of a strenuous journey. (Pivotal Weather)
On Sunday, you’ll trade warmer temperatures for less wind. The morning won’t start that way, with temperatures likely in the 40s in La Grange. We’ll quickly warm through the 50s and 60s into the 70s by mid to late morning and eventually near 80 degrees in College Station. The good news is that wind will be much lighter, only about 5 to 10 mph out of the west.
Next week and beyond
There’s not too much notable about next week here in the Houston area, weather-wise. Expect gradually warming temperatures and increasing humidity levels through the week. We will probably level off with mid-80s for highs and mid to upper-60s for lows by Tuesday or Wednesday. Shower chances will return by then as well but right now no day looks to have particularly impressive rain chances.
The 8 to 14 day outlook from next weekend into the week of the 8th favors cool weather on both coasts, with Texas averaging out near normal. (NOAA)
The big question right now will be whether or not we can eke out another late spring cool front sometime next weekend. The map above is the Climate Prediction Center’s 8 to 14 day outlook from Thursday. It shows a cool West and a cool East, with warm temperatures up in the northern Plains and Rockies. For Texas this time of year, these types of setups always cause us headaches. Can the cooler air get just enough oomph behind it to push south next weekend? Or will it just briefly, barely graze us and nudge off to the east quickly? If it can push through, expect another couple low humidity but mild days. If not, we’ll continue a more typical, humid late spring with rain chances. I’m optimistic we can squeeze a front through, but I also know that the odds in early May are not forever in our favor.
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go…
1. I was accused of eavesdropping at a coworkers door
Yesterday my direct supervisor pulled me into the office and told me that our CEO, Kathy, pulled her into her office and stated that there was a complaint that I had been seen eavesdropping outside of my coworker’s door. Kathy wanted me to be moved into one of the other buildings away from the main office.
My jaw dropped. I do not do anything like that and this came out of left field. I told my supervisor that I have no idea where this is coming from and I don’t understand why someone would think this. She stated that she went to bat for me, argued for me to stay where I am and not move offices, and said that I have worked for her for years and she had never seen anything like this sort of behavior.
But I’m at a loss of what my next step should be. Do I tell Kathy that I have no idea where this is coming from and I would never do such a thing? Or does that come across as defensive? Should I let my boss handle it?
Kathy would not tell my boss who accused me. I thought I was on friendly terms with everyone, though I know a couple are drama stirrers. Am I just a casualty in them wanting drama? Is there something going on I don’t know about? Is my employment at risk and this is an excuse to start compiling evidence?
I work in a position with a lot of confidential client data. I feel like my integrity is being attacked. I am wondering if I should find another job. If they think I am eavesdropping on conversations, why am I trusted to touch client data?
It’s possible this is just a misunderstanding! You were walking by and stopped to look at your phone or tie your shoe, and someone thought you were purposely lingering outside their door. Or who knows, you and a coworker were dressed similarly that day and they mistook that person for you or a bunch of other possibilities — but it’s more likely that this was a honest misunderstanding than a deliberate plot to smear you (unless you work in an office where people routinely hatch deliberate plots to smear each other, in which case that’s the bigger issue).
Go back to your manager and say this: “I’m still thinking about someone saying I was eavesdropping, and I’m really bothered by this. I would never do that. I work with confidential data so it’s crucial I understand the importance of confidentiality! It feels like my integrity is being questioned, and I want to talk about how I can put this to rest so Kathy isn’t left with these concerns about me.”
You might hear that Kathy has already forgotten about it and it’s not going to be an issue, or your manager might say she’ll reinforce with her that it’s not something you’d do, or she might have other advice. But by insisting on talking about it again, you’ll be signaling that you take it seriously and are horrified anyone thinks that, which on its own will help emphasize that you’re not cavalier about people’s privacy.
2. Could my religious education be turning off employers?
I have a undergraduate degree and a masters degree. I double majored in undergrad, and half my bachelor’s degree is religious studies (from a very secular university). My master’s degree, which I got last year, 10 years after my bachelor’s, is in theology (and the specific college it’s from is not immediately identifiable as religious as it’s part of a secular university). The specialty of my master’s was along the lines of pastoral counseling.
I’ve been struggling to find a job and trying to pinpoint the problem (or problems). I’m wondering if my education is the problem? I feel like I can’t remove it because so many jobs require degrees — many even expect graduate education. Moreover, I’m proud of my education and it imparted me with many useful skills and knowledge.
Should I be worried about what people think of my education in secular fields? How do I present my education in a way that won’t leave people worrying about my running around trying to convert people? People are quietly religious all the time. I just have the misfortune of possibly raising biases about it during hiring because of my education.
If I had to guess, it’s less that they’re worried about you running around trying to convert people and more that your recent master’s degree indicates your real goal is to work in a different field than theirs. That impression might be intensified by your bachelor’s being in religious studies, but it’s the recent master’s that’s most likely the issue. Typically employers consider recent master’s degrees to signify the specific work you want to do — more so than a bachelor’s, since people are less likely to get graduate degrees out of a general desire to learn and more likely to do it because they have a focused professional interest … or at least that’s the narrative most employers will assume, especially with a degree that suggests a specific career path like pastoral counseling does.
If you’re applying for jobs unrelated to your master’s, you’ll want to make it clear to employers why you’re seeking work in their field. If that’s not clear, that’s likely getting in your way.
3. My organization says they can’t pay me market rate because of it wouldn’t be fair to non-attorneys
I recently met with HR to request a raise and was soundly denied. It was a frustrating experience, but one thing I’m hung up on is that I was told that they would not be able to get my salary up to market rate because of “internal equity.” I work at a nonprofit that has a lot of different types of employees — social workers, advocates, relief staff, admin, etc. I’m a lawyer, and was told that it wouldn’t be fair to the non-attorneys on staff for the attorneys to be paid more and that they need to maintain “internal equity.” Is this an actual thing? My googling shows that usually internal equity is talking about people doing the same work getting paid the same amount, but is it being used differently in other places? My thought is that if you want a flat-ish salary structure, it would be much more equitable to pay all staff the higher salary instead of keeping one or two departments way under market rate, but mostly I’m just curious if this is a real thing other orgs are doing or if mine is just weird?
Yeah, that’s not what internal equity means! It doesn’t mean “we pay everyone the same, regardless of job” — and if they do it mean it that way, they’re going to have a hard time hiring people, because they won’t be paying market rates for the work (and the market rate for, say, a lawyer is really different from the market rate for, say, an assistant). It typically means exactly what you said: ensuing that people doing similar work are being paid the same and that you don’t have disparities by race, gender, or other demographics.
They’re misusing the term to justify not paying you more. And if their philosophy really is that everyone on staff should be paid the same regardless of role, experience level, or contributions, that’s something they should be very up-front with applicants about from the beginning, because unless they’re pegging everyone’s salaries to the jobs with the highest market rates, they’re going to be seriously underpaying a lot of people.
4. Am I supposed to miss class for job interviews?
I am a college student who recently was offered an interview for a summer internship that I was pretty excited about. I originally had scheduled the interview for a date and time that worked very well for me. Then, the day before the interview, the internship coordinator called (I am not actually sure if this person was HR, the hiring manager, or someone else) asking if I could reschedule the interview to a different, specific date and time. The time she asked for was during one of my classes, so I told them that time wouldn’t work. She said unfortunately, if that was the case, then they wouldn’t be able to fit the interview in, and then hung up.
I’m quite disappointed about this outcome. My mother thinks that by indicating that I prioritized class over their interview, I might’ve made it seem like I wasn’t very interested in the job. Do you think I should’ve handled this differently?
No, it’s very normal to have conflicts with a proposed interview time and to say, “I can’t do X, but I’m available Y or Z.” An employer who refuses to offer you anything other than a single time and date is an employer who’s being overly rigid or just isn’t that interested in the first place (unless they’re apologetic about it and offer context — like “I’m sorry, that’s the only day the manager is available before she goes on leave”).
Your mom’s advice is off-base — it’s normal to have schedule conflicts that you need to prioritize (you don’t work for this company yet! of course you would prioritize something like school or a current job over an interview for a job that you may or may not get) and a company that frowns on you prioritizing school while you’re a current student is a company that’s going to be problematic in other ways.
WASHINGTON—Quietly applying to better jobs while still working her current one, Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly asked a West Wing docent Friday if she could put him down as a reference. “Hey, James—it’s James, right?—would you be okay with me putting you down as a work reference on my résumé?” said Harris,…
“A Texas state agency told its employees this month that they must dress in a manner that is ‘consistent with their biological gender,’ a directive that seemed to be a thinly veiled attack on transgender employees.” — The Guardian, 4/25/23
- - -
In order to keep our workplace running efficiently, we strive to create a professional environment. One in which every employee takes pride in their work and appearance, and also openly makes it clear if they have a pee-pee or a hoo-ha.
Acceptable workplace attire for men:
Slacks, khakis, or corduroys with the zipper “accidentally” undone
Dress shirts tucked into the pants, firmly lifting your balls like an athletic cup
Any formal shoe made of reflective material for routine urinal inspections
Acceptable workplace attire for women:
Blouses with high necklines to conceal cleavage, yet patterned to outline your areolas
Knee-length skirts or dresses with ruching that resembles your labia
Pants ONLY permitted if made out of paperwork from your last gynecological exam
Unacceptable workplace attire:
Open-toed shoes, which draw our attention away from the job we are all here to do: observe our coworkers’ private parts
Shorts, jorts, or skorts, or other any item of clothing that reveals your thighs. Instead, opt for a cropped dress pant that prominently displays a symbol illustrating your biological sex.
Tattoos. And do NOT get that biological sex symbol tattooed on your ankle. Our HR representatives are former face-paint artists and are fully prepared to draw vaginas and dicks all over our employees’ bodies and faces at the start of each workday.
Our company is committed to maintaining a professional atmosphere. Please remember that what you wear correlates to how much we value you as an employee and how likely it is that you keep your job. This is why anyone caught violating the dress code policy will be subjected to a two-day suspension and a public pantsing.
Please sign below to acknowledge that you have read, understood, and are ready to comply with our rules. Remember, your signature is a promise that you, like us, prioritize professionalism in the workplace. To demonstrate your commitment to civility and manners in this place of business, on the back of this contract, please attach a photo of your junk.
I’ve been criticizing the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) approach to internet regulations, because they’re doing this “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” bit in which they insist that the DSA is not regulating speech, but then they admit that the point of the DSA is to see less “bad” speech on the internet.
But, whether we like it or not, it’s here. And it’s going to have a pretty big impact. Part of the law is that, while it does impact online services of all sizes, there are some categories, based on size, that will lead to more stringent rules, with the most notable one being the “Very Large Online Platforms” or VLOPs. As one friend of mine has noted, it feels kinda like the “Rodents of Unusual Size” or ROUS’s from The Princess Bride.
Even though the DSA went into effect last year, there were still a bunch of things to clarify before it meant anything, and that included who would qualify as a VLOP. There had been some discussion about whether or not Twitter would even qualify (to which one policy person told me that the EU would rewrite the rules until Twitter absolutely qualified, because they were clearly targeting the company).
A bunch of platforms were required to hand over a bunch of info to the EU to make their final determination, and now the EU has declared 17 platforms from 13 different companies to be VLOPs, and yes, Twitter made the cut:
Very Large Online Platforms:
Alibaba AliExpress
Amazon Store
Apple AppStore
Booking.com
Facebook
Google Play
Google Maps
Google Shopping
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Snapchat
TikTok
Twitter
Wikipedia
YouTube
Zalando
I don’t think there are really any surprises here, though people outside of the EU may be less familiar with Zalando, a successful online retailer platform in the EU. Potentially Booking.com is a bit surprising? And, personally, I can’t think of anyone who uses Google Shopping, but I guess a bunch of people do.
The very different platforms on the list also make me wonder how some of these platforms are going to deal with the various rules. Google Maps’ content moderation decisions seem… to be in a different category from Wikipedia’s, which would be very, very different from a mobile app store.
Anyway, now that Twitter is on the list, we’ll have to see if Elon still is happy that he vocally endorsed the DSA approach for Twitter a year ago. We noted, at the time, that he’d likely come to regret this, as it seemed to go against a variety of the things he claimed to stand for. Of course, now that he may start to face regulatory burdens from the DSA (and they can be very burdensome), it will not be surprising to see him change his tune on the EU.
The other one that will be interesting to see is Wikipedia. As noted above, there are pretty big differences in many of these platforms, but Wikiepedia’s moderation model is not just different in style, it’s just entirely different as so much of it is done by volunteer editors. It seems like it’s going to be a compliance challenge for Wikipedia to have to set up an appeals board for some of its content choices, as the DSA will require.
The EU also designated Google and Bing as “Very Large Online Search Engines” which also now have some specific rules, but no on else made the cut. That’s not too surprising.
I still fear the way this is going to play out, though we’ll see in the long run. As our recent research indicated, other internet regulations have served to stifle speech and competition, and give more control to the “very large” online providers who have the ability to deal with the compliance costs. One hopes that the end result of the DSA is not the same, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s how it ended up.
CHARLESTON, SC—Assuring the White House hopeful that his polling so far had been largely positive, the chair of Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s exploratory committee mentioned Thursday that GOP voters did have one big reservation about him, but that he didn’t want to say what it was. “Overall, there was plenty of…
KANSAS CITY, MO—Overcome by anxiety after his frantic search turned up nothing, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. reportedly panicked Thursday after realizing he left his NFL Draft big board in an Uber. “Shit, shit, shit, I knew I shouldn’t have set it down on the seat beside me,” said Kiper, trying to piece together another…
Apple TV+ is quietly cornering the market on high-quality literary adaptations; the streamer may be best-known for original series like "Ted Lasso," but its adaptation game is surprisingly strong. From standouts like "Pachinko," "Foundation," and "Black Bird" to more polarizing offerings like "Lisey's Story," "Defending Jacob," and "The Essex Serpent," the streamer is constantly fine-tuning the art of the page-to-screen projects. The latest book adaptation from them is especially ambitious, and it's a risk that largely pays off. The 10-episode first season of "Silo," based on Hugh Howey's bestselling novel series, builds a somber yet thrilling world from the ground up — or, in the case of the titular structure, from the ground down.
"Silo" starts with a searingly great premise: a group of roughly 10,000 people is housed in an underground silo, at least 140 years removed from some sort of society-shaking event. Details about the silo's history are cloudy (for a reason — more on that later), but the culture that survivors have built is intriguingly complex. In the Down Deep, as the lower levels are called, mechanics do grunt work and engineers keep a life-sustaining generator running. Elsewhere, doctors shepherd in new life through a fertility lottery, porters run items between floors, and a system of governance involving a sheriff, a mayor, and an all-powerful group called Judicial attempts to keep order.
Silo Kicks Off With A Fantastically Compelling Central Question
With "Justified" creator Graham Yost at the helm, "Silo" ultimately turns its richly developed premise into a multi-layered noir, with mechanical specialist Juliette ("Dune" star Rebecca Ferguson) serving as its hard-boiled investigator. The neo-noir plot is pretty great, but it's motivated by an inciting incident that's altogether excellent. The show's first two episodes start with an entirely different cast of characters, led by David Oyelowo's Sheriff Holston and his wife, Allison (Rashida Jones). When Allison begins to question the reality of the silo's history as it's presented, it's an awakening that leads her — and later her husband — down a thrilling and existentially terrifying rabbit hole. The series surprises by front-loading itself with the apparent answers to some of its biggest questions, and it's never better than when its characters yearn for knowledge about the outside world.
After a super-strong start, "Silo" doesn't so much waver as shift gears — as the focus slides over to resilient, ruthless Juliette, the show becomes slightly more predictable but never boring. The series sometimes splashes around in familiar waters for a post-apocalyptic story, setting up a dichotomy between powerful people keeping secrets from the public and curiosity-driven rule-breakers hungry for answers. Yet even the most expected elements work well, largely because the world "Silo" crafts is endlessly interesting. The show is paced for maximum intrigue, doling out new chunks of Hugh Howey's cool mythology with each passing episode to keep viewers invested. Everything hinges on a compelling central question: why was the silo made, and is the outside world really all that bad?
A Strong Ensemble And A High-Concept Premise
"Silo" ticks towards an answer to that question at a fairly engrossing pace, with the exception of some flashbacks that only sporadically add to the story. As Juliette elbows her way through a mystery involving one unexplained death after another, "Silo" comes to earn its place in the vanishingly rare subgenre of "future noir" — a term author Paul M. Sammon used to refer specifically to "Blade Runner" in his book of the same name. The show is fixated on lofty concepts — truth, beauty, and purpose among them — but it smartly wraps its more philosophical ideas up in a grounded murder mystery that points towards a larger conspiracy within the silo.
David Oyelowo and Rashida Jones may be the show's standout cast members, making a meal out of their limited screen time, but the show also features a strong supporting ensemble. Rebecca Ferguson, whose performance is one of brittle strength that masks quiet hopelessness, is at her best when engaging with talented, committed scene partners like Harriet Walter (who plays her agoraphobic mentor), Tim Robbins (an eccentric intellectual), and Sophie Thompson (an enigmatic fertility specialist). The show frankly has a lot of moving parts, and a few actors seem to be letting the high-concept plot do the heavy lifting for them, but "Silo" also features several standout performances.
Moving Pieces That Hold Our Interest
The series ultimately stands apart from standard post-apocalyptic fare thanks to its ability to deftly pull the audience's focus from one point of curiosity to another, keeping us fully absorbed in the details of this strange world all the while. In one episode, the climax centers on whether or not a character will clean off the grime-covered security camera that faces the apparently barren outside world, and the payoff is somehow one of the show's most emotional moments. In another, an illegal "relic" from our present-day serves as the gateway to a different world. Much of yet another episode involves a grueling attempt to repair a massive generator, and as the back-breaking, high-stakes action unfolds, "Silo" briefly starts to feel like an episode of "Chernobyl." The show works like the gears of that generator -- each piece is crucial to the function of the whole, even if some are more dazzling than others.
"Silo" isn't a perfect sci-fi series, but it's a perfectly compelling one, loaded with enough intrigue, existential dread, and well-executed world-building to keep viewers hooked through its 10-episode first season and, hopefully, beyond.
The first two episodes of "Silo" stream on Apple TV+ on May 5, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly on Fridays.
Jerry Springer, one of the most well-known and controversial figures in talk show history, has died at age 79.
According to TMZ, a family spokesperson confirmed that he was battling a "brief illness" and died at his Chicago home on Thursday, April 27. The outlet also claims that Springer was suffering from pancreatic cancer, which worsened in recent weeks and forced the host to stop working entirely.
Springer is best known for his work as the host of the hit talk show "The Jerry Springer Show" for a whopping 27 years, starting in 1991. The daytime program was a cultural touchstone of the 1990s and was known for its raucous, out-of-control fights and controversial subject matter. It ended up becoming something of a watering hole for folks with open schedules — namely stay-at-home moms — to watch something wild during the day among the slightly neutered soap operas. The show became a phenomenon.
But before making a splash on TV, Springer was a politician, though his legacy in entertainment certainly outweighed his civic achievements. He ran a failed campaign for United States Congress in 1970 before getting elected to Cincinnati, Ohio's City Council the following year. In 1977, he became the city's mayor, but only served one term. Interestingly enough, Springer originally focused on issues that were politically important in the early days of his show before the drama and chaos made ratings soar.
Jerry Springer's Talk Show Legacy
"The Jerry Springer Show" went off the air in 2018, but the following year, Springer started another series that allowed him to fully utilize the law school education that made him want to be a politician. "Judge Jerry" ran for three seasons in syndication, but was canceled in 2022. His last television appearance was that same year on "The Masked Singer," where he portrayed The Beetle and was eliminated in the fifth episode.
If there's one thing '90s kids remember about their childhoods when it comes to daytime television, it is certainly seeing glimpses of "The Jerry Springer Show" as your mom tried to quickly cut away but had a hard time finding the remote. The show was a major part of the zeitgeist, and for better or worse, it changed the landscape of talk show programming as we knew it. No matter how you slice it, that is one hell of a legacy.
Springer is survived by his daughter, Katie Springer, and will be missed.
On the occasion of the horrifically expensive and pointless coronation of King Charles III I want to state clearly: I want to live in a nation governed with the consent of the people, rather than by the divine right of kings.
We got through seventy-plus years under the reign of Elizabeth II without too much controversy over her role. Credit where credit's due: she managed the duties of head of state with dignity and diligence for decades on end, even if a lot of skeletons were forcibly locked in closets (consider what NDA Prince Andrew's victim much have been required to pay in return for a royal cash pay-out, or what acts of parliament were modified or never brought forward because the monarch didn't want to see them). And even if she and her family came out considerably richer at the end of her reign, even accounting for inflation.
(One thing I'll say about the House of Windsor: they don't engage in vulgar looting of the British state on the same scale as, say, the Putin family in Russia. But the Windsors have reason to be confident they'll be around for generations. A burglar doesn't need to hurry if the police are there to guard their back.)
However.
Elizabeth Windsor is dead. Her successor is a snobbish, reactionary seventy-six year old multi-billionaire. He's so divorced from the ordinary lived experience of his subjects that he reportedly can't even dress himself.
I didn't vote for him.
Nobody did. Nobody does. Nobody ever will, because this is not a democracy.
There is no democratic accountability in monarchy. As a system of government, in undiluted form it most resembles a hereditary dictatorship — current poster-child: Kim Jong-Il. The form we have in the UK is not undiluted: Parliament asserted its supremacy with extreme prejudice in 1649, and again in 1688, and ever since then the British monarchy has been a constitutional, rather than an absolute one — a situation that leaves odd constitutional echoes, such as the fact that we have a Royal Navy but we a British Army (loyal to Parliament, and not under royal command).
For the Americans reading this blog, let me provide a metaphor: let us postulate the existence in the antebellum Deep South of benevolent, morally righteous slaveowners who did not flog or rape or oppress their slaves. (I know, I know ... it's a thought experiment, okay?) Would that be enough to exculpate the institution of slavery? I'm pretty sure the answer lies somewhere been "no!" and "hell, no!" Slavery is an inherently oppressive institution because it deprives a class of victims of their most basic right to autonomy. The failure of a [hypothetical] individual slave-owner to be corrupted does not invalidate the corrupt nature of the system.
Similarly, the existence of benevolent, incorruptible, morally righteous monarchs who do not tyrannise their subjects citizens does not redeem the institution of monarchy.
Both slavery and monarchy are affronts to the principle that all people are equal in law. They may differ in detail of degree or circumstance — after all, is anyone seriously comparing King Charles to Kim Jong-Il, or Henry VIII? — but the very existence of the institution is, in and of itself, dehumanizing.
Now we are being treated to the sight of a billionaire scion of a hereditary dictatorship being feted with a £50M party and national holiday to celebrate his unelected ascent to the highest office in the land. It is, of course, a religious ceremony—the religion in question being a state-mandated Christian church of which maybe 10% of the population are adherents to any extent—but hey, pay no attention to us apostates. This is happening in the middle of a ghastly polycrisis, with inflation running in double digits, the Bank of England advising people to "accept that you are poorer" as a result of the government's ghastly mishandling of brexit and the post-COVID economy, a government actively trying to suppress voter groups who don't support them and refusing to track numbers of those turned away at the polls, jailing political dissidents, ignoring their obligations under international law on refugees ... in the middle of this mess our quasi-fascist government is trying to distract us with an appeal to tradition! pomp! ceremony! dignity! and the usual tired bullshit the right roll out whenever they don't have a coherent plan for fixing the damage.
And I just want to say: not in my name.
The system is morally bankrupt and it's past time to tear it down.
[*] I use "Republican" to mean "supporter of a republican form of government"; I despise the USA's Republican Party and everything they stand for this century.
As expected, a healthy round of storms is moving through the Houston area this morning. The show is mostly over for areas north of Interstate 10, but coastal areas may see on and off showers and thunderstorms for another couple of hours. We’ll have one more chance for storms early on Saturday before our weather quiets down for awhile.
Thursday
Most of the storms should be offshore by mid-morning, and by the afternoon hours we should see partially clearing skies as modestly drier northern air moves into the region. With at least some clouds holding on today, I think highs will probably only reach the upper 70s for most of Houston. Winds will remain fairly light, at 10 mph or so, mostly from the north. With clearing skies overnight, I think areas inland of Interstate 10 will probably at least briefly drop below 60 degrees tonight, with the coast remaining warmer.
Friday
This will be a fine, sunny day, with highs in the low- to mid-80s. Winds will be fairly light, out of the south. Conditions will start to turn more unsettled on Friday night as the next storm system and front approaches the area. As of now, I think any serious rainfall will probably hold off until after midnight, however. Lows on Friday night will drop into the low 60s.
Forecast for maximum wind gusts on Saturday afternoon. (Weather Bell)
Saturday
The good news is that we are starting to have a little bit of clarity on this weekend’s forecast. The bad news is that if you have plans on Saturday morning, and that includes participants in the BP MS-150 bike ride, there is the potential for storms. The jury is still out on whether we’re going to see a few isolated storms, or a more widespread system in association with the next cold front. However, we are increasingly confident that there will be at least some rain showers between the period of midnight and noon on Saturday. So rain, very likely. But severe weather or heavy rainfall? I can give you a solid maybe. Matt should have a better defined forecast for you tomorrow.
The front itself should move into the region during the pre-dawn hours, and likely push off the coast by or shortly after sunrise. This is going to produce fairly robust northwesterly winds, perhaps 15 mph with gusts of 25 mph or higher. So that’s going to be right in your face if you’re riding out toward La Grange on Saturday. Winds will probably be highest during the afternoon hours. Even with clearing skies on Saturday afternoon I expect highs to only reach about 70 degrees. Lows on Saturday night will drop into the mid-50s, so pretty chilly for the end of April.
A rough approximation of low temperatures for Sunday morning in Houston. (Weather)
Sunday
Sunday looks much nicer, with sunny skies, dry air, and highs of around 80 degrees. Lows on Sunday night will drop to around 60 degrees in Houston.
Next week
After several periods of unsettled weather, next week should bring calmer conditions back to Houston. We’re talking mostly highs in the 80s, perhaps approaching the upper-80s by weeks end. Lows will be in the 60s, approaching the 70s by week’s end. While there will be some clouds, I don’t see any major indications for storms or rainfall. At least not yet.
WASHINGTON—Rushing at top speed to prevent the 7-year-old from taking what was rightfully hers, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly shoved a child out of the way Thursday to get at a quarter on the sidewalk. “Out of my fucking way, you little pissant,” said a visibly determined Yellen, who was seen throwing the…
MUSTIQUE ISLAND, WEST INDIES—Expressing gratitude for a chance to finally get away from their hectic lives and actually relax for once, wealthy couple George and Jillian Wheelan told reporters Thursday they were taking a real vacation for the first time in weeks. “I can’t believe we waited so long to pull the trigger,…
LA CROSSE, WI—In a formidable display of her newly acquired knowledge, local School of the Art Institute of Chicago freshman Laura Sellers excitedly told her parents all about the color blue when she was back home for a visit Thursday. “So, blue is a color—it’s sort of like purple, but completely different,” said…
“If you come across spam on Facebook, report it to us. By doing so, you’ll be playing an important role in helping us protect other people from scams.” — Facebook
- - -
We’re here today asking you to help us remove spam accounts on our platform. Please report any Facebook profiles you think might be bots trying to get you to visit pornography sites, so we can make room for all the real people trying to get you to believe 5G towers are transmitting Chinese pornography into your head.
It’s important we work together on this. In recent years, fake accounts have gotten significantly better at appearing human, while human Facebook users have gotten significantly better at appearing like malfunctioning alt-right drones programmed to say the most insane shit they can think of.
This situation is serious. We need your help eliminating fraudsters that are ruining the Facebook experience.
Because Facebook shouldn’t be about getting bombarded with weirdly worded messages from spam accounts asking for your driver’s license number. Facebook should be about getting bombarded with weirdly worded posts from your brother-in-law attacking the “groomer mayor” and also begging for a loan so he can open a CrossFit gym.
So please, know the difference before you file a report.
If an account named Babe Raven asks you to go to 7-Eleven and wire her some money so you guys can get married—FILE A REPORT. That’s spam.
If an account with a profile picture of Vladimir Putin doing archery asks if you want to grab a smoothie at the mall so he can show you “the Pfizer numbers”—DO NOT FILE A REPORT. That’s a real guy from your high school. We need him to generate ad revenue.
The good news is we’ve taken down thousands of fake accounts already. And we’ve worked with law enforcement to ensure these fraudulent bad actors are held accountable so they stop using Facebook to lure people into scams.
Even better news, we’ve done nothing to ensure that all the flesh-and-blood bad actors are held accountable. You will continue to see these people in your feed hundreds of times a day, attempting to lure you into hateful ideologies, beauty product pyramid schemes, conspiracy theories about NASA, and domestic terrorist cells.
Whatever nutso bullshit real people from your life want to shove in your face, they’ll always be able to do that on Facebook.
Rest assured, Facebook users, we will never let our platform be overrun with harmful gibberish posted by spambots. We will continue to let it be overrun with dangerous, confusing nonsense posted in complete earnestness by actual human beings.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7e078f91ec01d480246e27dd78b2056f/Francisco%20Oropeza%20Manhunt%20REUTERS%20TT%2001.jpg)
