Hi everyone,

How are you?  Welcome to March!  Yes, we know, that means we've been doing all of "this" for a year, and that's a drag.  Many will argue this is actually still March 2020.  However, we're determined to ignore all of that in the name of protecting our mental health.  The days are getting brighter, the temperatures are getting warmer*, the birds are chirping louder, and we're loving all of it.  Not to jump too far ahead, but gardening daydreams are also starting to appear, and that's always a good thing. 

In other positive news, BDH and Little Buddha got a new book in the mail yesterday, and they're expecting another one sometime this week.  Between those two, and the books they got from Dad Clutter for BDH's birthday, our crew has plenty to read for a while, and they're happy about that.  Now, let's check out today's headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Monday Clutter.

(*It sounds like it's going to be cold this week, but then things will get warmer.  We will not be deterred!)

President Biden tweeted his support yesterday for Amazon workers in Alabama who are trying to organize a union.  Can't say we remember that ever happening before in our lifetime.  It's a welcome sight to have a champion for working people in the White House.  You might say it's a BFD. 

One year after he first described the coronavirus as a "hoax," Donald Trump still has control over the GOP.  As Robert Reich points out, that's damaging to the party. By pledging their fanatical loyalty to Trump, Republicans eliminate any chance of appealing to the majority of voters in this country.   Their numbers will continue to shrink as they kiss the boots of a one-term conman who never had at least a 50% approval rating during his time in office.  However, we still have to deal with the fact that these white supremacists are a threat to the country.

Still serving the Kool-Aid.  (pic via thetimes.co.uk)

A website called Just Security is tracking every criminal and civil case against Donald Trump.  We will have to bookmark this for future reference.  Do you know exactly how many cases Trump is facing at the moment?  Before you click on the link, let's say we set the over/under at 10.5.  What would be your bet?  All we'll say is that the guy is buried in legal problems, and Republicans want him to be their lord and savior.  The end of the current Republican Party would be a huge win for this country.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's fortunes continue to sink.  Still dealing with the scandal regarding the under-counting of coronavirus-related deaths in the state's nursing homes, Governor Cuomo is now the focus of multiple sexual harassment allegations.  The claims were made by two former aides, and after repeatedly trying to have a say in who would investigate them, Cuomo has been forced to step back and allow New York Attorney General Letitia James to appoint an independent investigator.  Governor Cuomo has tried to walk a line of denying the allegations to some extent while also apologizing for "insensitive" and "personal" comments in the workplace. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci warns people not to go "vaccine shopping," and suggests they should be fine with whichever version they're able to receive.  The most important thing is getting shots into arms in a timely fashion if we ever want to move on from this Groundhog Day world. 

Public health experts warn that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is making "a big mistake" by relaxing restrictions on restaurants and other businesses.  They say Massachusetts now runs the risk of prolonging this crisis and putting more lives at-risk, especially considering all of the current problems with the vaccine roll-out.   Governor Baker has done an increasingly poor job of handling this crisis, and his reputation as an expert health care manager has taken some serious hits.  This feels like his way of trying to distract from that by pretending everything is fine now.  It's a quieter version of Donald Trump's denial of reality, and it's irresponsible.  Massachusetts needs a government that is actually following the science, not just reopening the doors and hoping for the best.

Warren Buffett released his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on Saturday.  If you have any interest in investing, you should take the time to read what the "Oracle of Omaha" has to say.  He does a terrific job of explaining the company's results, as well as his thoughts on investing and the economy in general, in pretty easy to understand terms.  We love a bargain around here, and it's hard to beat getting that kind of insight from one of the richest men in the world for free.

Longtime friend of Clutter Tim M. passed along this tidbit:  Dunkin'-flavored jelly beans now exist.   The flavors are Toasted Coconut, Butter Pecan, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Caramel Latte,  We're moderate fans of jelly beans, but we have an obligation to try these, right?  We'll see if we can find a bag and report back to you.

Uh-oh, the Boston Red Sox lost 7-6 to the Minnesota Twins in their first spring training game of the year yesterday.  Is it time to start panicking about the season?  The Sox face the Atlanta Braves at 1:05 this afternoon.  That game will be on NESN, so we may enjoy some baseball for a little while today.  That's a treat.

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols says he'll decide his future after the end of this season.  The 41-year-old Pujols is in the final year of a 10-year/$240 million contract, and he would be looking at a major salary cut at this point.  A lifetime .299 hitter, Pujols would certainly want to show he's better than the .224 batting average he had in 2020, but there isn't much else left for him to prove at this point, and it's not clear how much he has left in the tank, so we'll say there's a 75% chance this is last call.

We've got a new clip from Zack Snyder's upcoming Justice League.  The long-awaited version of this movie premieres on HBO Max on March 18.  Can someone explain to us what exactly is going on here? 

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx says the band's postponed stadium tour will take place when it's safe for everyone involved.  The tour was supposed to happen last year, but of course it was scrapped like everything else in 2020.  It's currently supposed to start on June 19, but we can't imagine that's going to work.  Sorry, Crüe/Poison/Def Leppard/Joan Jett fans - it's more likely you're looking at 2022.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Time to go look for those jellybeans.  We heard this tune for the first time in ages yesterday, and it seems like a good way to kick off the week in style.  Here's Ricky Martin with "Livin' La Vida Loca" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Yeah, we'll be humming that all day.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back later if you want to read with them for a little while.  In fact, they're even willing to share some jellybeans with you, assuming we can find them.   (They don't make that offer to just anyone, so you should feel pretty special.)  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, stay safe, and we'll catch up with you again soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.