the people in the mayfield candle factory that collapsed worked 12-hour shifts that paid $8 an hour. 110 ppl were inside. 40 ppl are still unaccounted for. they haven’t recovered a survivor since 3 am. pic.twitter.com/CsIIfLw3Pc— Tracy Moore (@iusedtobepoor) December 11, 2021
― papal hotwife (milo z), Sunday, 12 December 2021 05:12 (two years ago) link
it’s legal in kentucky to fire someone for refusing to work mandatory overtime— Tracy Moore (@iusedtobepoor) December 11, 2021
― papal hotwife (milo z), Sunday, 12 December 2021 05:14 (two years ago) link
The notion of local dystopias is an interesting one. Could be that there was an egalitarian paradise unfolding just a continent or two over from Mad Max.
― coombination gazza hut & scampo bell (wins), Sunday, 12 December 2021 11:49 (two years ago) link
Zardoz is another one. Although The Eternals are mainly a bunch of insufferable bores and their egalitarian paradise is pretty lame, but you wouldn't complain about it if you were being held captive by Charlotte Rampling.
― calzino, Sunday, 12 December 2021 13:16 (two years ago) link
Slave state — apartheid state — Vietnam/Watergate — Corporate state — Fury Road (2016-present)
We didn't start the fire, etc.
― ma dmac's fury road (PBKR), Sunday, 12 December 2021 14:04 (two years ago) link
Let's see what all we have...you got this one.
US combined laissez-faire capitalism on it's drug industry and combined with heroin blow-back from the 'war on terror' created the opioid epidemic for fun and profit killing over a million Americans since 1999.
― earlnash, Sunday, 12 December 2021 15:21 (two years ago) link
Getting back to the topic at hand, Le Guin wrote a book about a moon. Also was there some Cold War global political framework in her gender-bender book? I don't recall.
Climate catastrophe is going to be pretty universal IIRC.
― papal hotwife (milo z), Saturday, December 11, 2021 1:14 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
which is v little to do with the point about 1492 is it
― fix up luke shawp (darraghmac), Saturday, December 11, 2021 1:17 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink
It is though (unless I'm misreading). The USA is the biggest historical contributor to the climate crisis. An argument could be made that if 1492 never happened, there would be no global crisis. Same for much of global environmental destruction -- Amazon forest all gone? Thank Ronald McDonald.
― recovering internet addict/shitposter (viborg), Sunday, 12 December 2021 18:51 (two years ago) link
Local teachers in South Dakota “Dash for Cash” to help their classrooms by fighting over $5,000 in $1 bills while the crowd hoots and hollers. pic.twitter.com/azwGJKhaKU— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) December 12, 2021
― mookieproof, Sunday, 12 December 2021 23:29 (two years ago) link
they're going to remove that rug at some point
― my hands are always in my pockets or gesturing. (Karl Malone), Sunday, 12 December 2021 23:34 (two years ago) link
and then charge them for it!
― calzino, Sunday, 12 December 2021 23:37 (two years ago) link
An argument could be made that if 1492 never happened, there would be no global crisis.
Are we talking a world where Europe never came into contact with the Americas?
― Daniel_Rf, Monday, 13 December 2021 10:32 (two years ago) link
I can’t live without potatoes
― A Pile of Ants (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 13 December 2021 14:19 (two years ago) link
-LL McCooljay
― hopefully this review helped someone (Neanderthal), Monday, 13 December 2021 15:46 (two years ago) link
It would have happened eventually.
― Christine Green Leafy Dragon Indigo, Monday, 13 December 2021 16:40 (two years ago) link
OTM
― When Smeato Met Moaty (Tom D.), Monday, 13 December 2021 16:56 (two years ago) link
Lol, Neanderthal.
― Santa’s Got a Brand New Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 December 2021 17:14 (two years ago) link
NEW: Drone startup BRINC, which just pulled a $25 million VC round, says it was inspired by the 2017 Vegas shooting to build non-violent robots. I obtained a video showing their original mission was a border patrol drone system designed to tase migrants https://t.co/TclkWOO3eM— Sam Biddle (@samfbiddle) December 13, 2021
― mookieproof, Monday, 13 December 2021 17:51 (two years ago) link
Right but I'm saying the timeline where America turns the Earth into a toilet wasn't necessarily predetermined.
― recovering internet addict/shitposter (viborg), Monday, 13 December 2021 18:46 (two years ago) link
Maybe ecocide is the dharma of the human race idk.
― recovering internet addict/shitposter (viborg), Monday, 13 December 2021 18:47 (two years ago) link
this is all god's fault. god put the oil in the ground, fully formed, 8000 years ago
― my hands are always in my pockets or gesturing. (Karl Malone), Monday, 13 December 2021 18:49 (two years ago) link
it was all predetermined
idk these guys predicted it pretty early
https://i.ibb.co/f4P96K0/index.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/cFmrLPX/index.jpg
― hopefully this review helped someone (Neanderthal), Monday, 13 December 2021 18:50 (two years ago) link
Yeah I never loved the band but those album titles stuck with me.
― recovering internet addict/shitposter (viborg), Monday, 13 December 2021 19:42 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CczFit6tGhs
― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Monday, 13 December 2021 20:07 (two years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 00:01 (two years ago) link
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kentucky-tornado-factory-workers-threatened-firing-left-tornado-employ-rcna8581
― towards fungal computer (harbl), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 01:21 (two years ago) link
personally idgi. fresh produce in american supermarkets is quite bad and expensive, every major city in the world has decent markets, etc. i guess it's better if it's brightly lit and you can listen to an instrumental soft jazz version of after the gold rush? https://t.co/g3b5LOgBcD— joolsd (@joolsd) December 14, 2021
― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 13:59 (two years ago) link
which Publix plays that?!? I'm happy if I get early '80 Boz Scaggs.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 14:12 (two years ago) link
I regret starting a thread that functions as an invitation to post the most depressing news you can find, but more narrowly the degree to which the US seems to be embracing core elements of the most prominent fictional dystopias is pretty striking! Sadly not cyberpunk this time:
https://pen.org/scope-speed-educational-gag-orders-worsening-across-country/
And it’s getting worse. In the month since the report’s release, state lawmakers introduced 12 new bills, bringing the total to a staggering 66 educational gag orders for the year in 26 states, 12 of which have passed into law.Here’s what’s happening: The recent group of bills includes seven in Missouri and one each in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. All 12 of these bills target K–12 schools, four include provisions that would impact colleges and universities, and four include a focus on state agencies, other state-funded institutions, and “places of learning.” Six of these bills specifically ban “critical race theory,” making a total of 20 state-level bills introduced this year with such explicit prohibitions. Six of these bills contain explicit prohibitions against teaching or using curricular materials from “The 1619 Project,” bringing the total of these to 17 for the year.
Here’s what’s happening:
The recent group of bills includes seven in Missouri and one each in New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. All 12 of these bills target K–12 schools, four include provisions that would impact colleges and universities, and four include a focus on state agencies, other state-funded institutions, and “places of learning.” Six of these bills specifically ban “critical race theory,” making a total of 20 state-level bills introduced this year with such explicit prohibitions. Six of these bills contain explicit prohibitions against teaching or using curricular materials from “The 1619 Project,” bringing the total of these to 17 for the year.
― rob, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 17:04 (two years ago) link
xxp I remember back in the 80s, we hosted some soviet kids. When we took them to the supermarket, they lost their shit.
I think the original tweet is referencing that, not that Safeway is better than a local French produce market.
― DJI, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 17:29 (two years ago) link
we do have abundant food (not everywhere, of course) of mostly mediocre quality. it's ok.
the critical race theory mess is one of the factors in favor of dystopia
― towards fungal computer (harbl), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 17:46 (two years ago) link
to me
xxp I remember back in the 80s, we hosted some soviet kids. When we took them to the supermarket, they lost their shit.I think the original tweet is referencing that, not that Safeway is better than a local French produce market.
― mardheamac (gyac), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 17:48 (two years ago) link
So was communism.
― DJI, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 18:00 (two years ago) link
I guess that’s the kind of joke that lands better with boomers.
― mardheamac (gyac), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 18:59 (two years ago) link
And that's the kind of joke that lands better with people from 2017.
― DJI, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 19:18 (two years ago) link
the tweet is responding to libertarians tweeting photos of american grocery stores to prove a point
― towards fungal computer (harbl), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 19:21 (two years ago) link
american supermarkets are among the purest products of american capitalism and therefore accurately reflect all our most popular theories about health and happiness, from gluttony to asceticism, all packaged in convenient sizes for easy consumption. it's a design that's been copied all over the world, with appropriate modifications to suit local tastes and incomes. almost any praise or criticism you want to make about supermarkets can be justified using real world examples.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 19:26 (two years ago) link
from gluttony to asceticism, all packaged in convenient sizes for easy consumption
cf. Randall Jarrell's A Sad Heart at the Supermarket (1960) and the companion poem "Next Day"
Moving from Cheer to Joy, from Joy to All
― Jeremy Ironist (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 19:36 (two years ago) link
You want to know dystopia? Sometimes I have to go to three different supermarkets to get everything I need.
― Jeff, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 19:58 (two years ago) link
I regret starting a thread that functions as an invitation to post the most depressing news you can find
You cannot design a thread that wouldnt fall prey to this within ten mins have you seen this site lately
― fix up luke shawp (darraghmac), Tuesday, 14 December 2021 20:15 (two years ago) link
no.
lol
― DT, Tuesday, 14 December 2021 23:31 (two years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 15 December 2021 00:01 (two years ago) link
whew I had doubts
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 00:22 (two years ago) link
"I can't answer without sharing my personal definition of dystopia"
5 voters just laying it all down
― my hands are always in my pockets or gesturing. (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 03:24 (two years ago) link
https://t.co/fFOE6vEXOc pic.twitter.com/PPoldWoOdT— District Sentinel (@TheDCSentinel) December 15, 2021
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 15 December 2021 11:46 (two years ago) link
we should maybe do a "worst living american" poll
― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 15:26 (two years ago) link
impossible. polls are limited to only 50 choices
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 17:37 (two years ago) link
maybe a poll to make the poll
― When Young Sheldon began to rap (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 18:11 (two years ago) link
a poll of polls? better update the list of lists
― my hands are always in my pockets or gesturing. (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 15 December 2021 18:18 (two years ago) link
adult babies both as in people who wear diapers for sexual pleasure and Disney Adults.
― papal hotwife (milo z), Monday, 24 June 2024 22:09 (two days ago) link
to the dog freaks, i get it. everyone is freaky about something. its cool. bark on. i know how fanatical the dog-people are. oh i know.
― scott seward, Monday, 24 June 2024 22:15 (two days ago) link
Indoor Cats are better than kids if we are talking environmental impact
― Gigi Allen (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 24 June 2024 22:17 (two days ago) link
Earlier.. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/vet-private-equity-industry/678180/#
As household pets have risen in status—from mere animals to bona fide family members—so, too, has owners’ willingness to spend money to ensure their well-being. Big-money investors have noticed. According to data provided to me by PitchBook, private equity poured $51.6 billion into the veterinary sector from 2017 to 2023, and another $9.3 billion in the first four months of this year, seemingly convinced that it had discovered a foolproof investment. Industry cheerleaders pointed to surveys showing that people would go into debt to keep their four-legged friends healthy. The field was viewed as “low-risk, high-reward,” as a 2022 report issued by Capstone Partners put it, singling out the industry for its higher-than-average rate of return on investment.In the United States, corporations and private-equity funds have been rolling up smaller chains and previously independent practices. Mars Inc., of Skittles and Snickers fame, is, oddly, the largest owner of stand-alone veterinary clinics in the United States, operating more than 2,000 practices under the names Banfield, VCA, and BluePearl. JAB Holding Company, the owner of National Veterinary Associates’ 1,000-plus hospitals (not to mention Panera and Espresso House), also holds multiple pet-insurance lines in its portfolio. Shore Capital Partners, which owns several human health-care companies, controls Mission Veterinary Partners and Southern Veterinary Partners.As a result, your local vet may well be directed by a multinational shop that views caring for your fur baby as a healthy component of a diversified revenue stream. Veterinary-industry insiders now estimate that 25 to 30 percent of practices in the United States are under large corporate umbrellas, up from 8 percent a little more than a decade ago. For specialty clinics, the number is closer to three out of four.And as this happened, veterinary prices began to rise—a lot. Americans spent an estimated $38 billion on health care and related services for companion animals in 2023, up from about $29 billion in 2019. Even as overall inflation got back under control last year, the cost of veterinary care did not. In March 2024, the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers was up 3.5 percent year over year. The veterinary-services category was up 9.6 percent. If you have ever wondered why keeping your pet healthy has gotten so out-of-control expensive, Big Vet just might be your answer.
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 24 June 2024 22:19 (two days ago) link
My co-workers always ask me when I’m gonna get a pet. (I’ve had cats and dogs at various points in my life.)
My answer is invariably “when I hit the age when I’m not traveling and have significant disposable income.” Having watched what friends and loved ones have gone through in recent years with pets, not happening now - money is pretty damn tight, about to get tighter.
And look, I love pets too - they can be a wonderful comfort in so many ways - and understand the myriad reasons why people don’t have kids.
― Marten Broadcloak, mild-mannered GOP congressman (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 24 June 2024 22:25 (two days ago) link
“We’re at an odd moment of obsession with pets,” Dr. Pierce said. “There are too many of them and we keep them too intensively. It’s not good for us and it’s not good for them.”
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 24 June 2024 22:31 (two days ago) link
Elvis keepin' it squarely on topic. That shit is just bleak. Can the tumor of capitalism just fuckin metastasize already?
― Great-Tasting Burger Perceptions (Old Lunch), Monday, 24 June 2024 22:59 (two days ago) link
Damn, if we have to live in a dystopia at least let us have cats. They’re the best! (Kids are good too, I like mine — and most people’s.)
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 24 June 2024 23:56 (two days ago) link
Jessica Pierce has also written about how dog owners should see the world from their animals perspectives more in order to be ethical dog owners. I agree with her about this. I just don’t like being called crazy by someone who has 9 gazillion records. It’s called hoarding.
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Tuesday, 25 June 2024 01:07 (yesterday) link
Where did he call you crazy?
― Ippei's on a bummer now (WmC), Tuesday, 25 June 2024 01:13 (yesterday) link
and like fwiw i really like you scott, i just sometimes can’t with certain opinions of yours
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Tuesday, 25 June 2024 01:14 (yesterday) link
also, from yesterday: Why You’re Paying Your Veterinarian So Much
spoiler: private equity
oh tablepaws
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 01:24 (yesterday) link
old records are dead though and i rarely buy new ones! like almost never!
its cool pup patrol i promise not to make people share one dog for every square mile of citizens in the futurtopia that i rule and i promise to only throw up a little when you french kiss your terrier in public.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 02:32 (yesterday) link
futurtopia
― Millennium Falco (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 25 June 2024 03:58 (yesterday) link
london is one of the most densely peopled, populous cities on earth and my dog gets to run and play off his lead every day!
― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Monday, 24 June 2024 bookmarkflaglink
Went to France last month and most dogs were well behaved and on a leash. Don't know if its a law but it should be one here.
Yesterday one person was allowing their dog to run about at the back of the bus. Someone had to say to them to get them.
― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 16:23 (yesterday) link
Ofc they should be on a lead in the street. Personally that's not enough for me but I know I'm in a minority.
― xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 16:29 (yesterday) link