Thursday Clutter: Newsom Recall, U.S. Lifespan Falls, Warren Buffett, Subway Subs, Boston Celtics, Britney Spears Speaks Out, Turner & Hooch, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, and more
06/24/2021
Hi everyone,
How are you? Are things going well, or are you already counting the hours until the weekend starts? We're all doing fine here at the moment. Had a productive day and crossed a number of things off the to-do list yesterday, plus the weather was gorgeous. It's actually a little cold here at the moment, but BDH and Little Buddha say that won't last much longer. The only problem is that we never got around to watching the new Loki episode, so we'll try to take care of that at some point today. In the meantime, let's see what's going on the news. The guys made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Thursday Clutter.
California Governor Gavin Newsom will face a recall election, now that the state deadline for withdrawing signatures supporting said process has passed. The date for the election has not been set yet. Republicans pushed for this as payback for Governor Newsom taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously. The prediction here is that he will survive the recall, and the whole thing will be a complete waste of an estimated $215 million.
We agree with the Senate Democrats who think the August recess should be scrapped. Democrats are falling behind on their legislative agenda, and there's no excuse for them to go on vacation. The seeming lack of urgency from this party is infuriating. Mitch McConnell is determined to run out the clock until the 2022 midterm elections are over, while Senate Democrats seem to think they've got four years to get things done.
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner would like you to believe that they've distanced themselves from Donald Trump, because he's so focused on the past. Please. These three grifters are permanently linked together. The only fools who would fall for this nonsense are the kind of people who think the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
A new study says the average lifespan in the United States dropped by about two years between 2018 and 2020. The startling fall is believed to be mostly caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but it also speaks to systemic problems in this country's health care system. There's also a racial disparity component, because the lifespan for African Americans fell by 3.3 years, and it was 3.9 years for Hispanic Americans. That's always felt like one of the reasons why some white folks are so adamant about denying the seriousness of the pandemic: It didn't hit their friends, and they just don't care about other people.
Warren Buffett just resigned from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after serving as a trustee and donor for years. The billionaire didn't give a reason for his sudden departure, but we'll go out on a limb and suggest maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with all of the bad press Bill Gates has gotten recently. The 90-year-old Buffett is notoriously conflict-adverse and clearly has no interest in sticking around for Gates' continued fall.
It's not surprising to hear that John McAffee was found dead in his prison cell in Spain yesterday after a court signed off on extraditing him back to the United States to face tax charges. The anti-virus software pioneer led an eccentric life that involved violence as much as computers, and his mental health status was a constant topic of speculation. There will likely be all sorts of wild conspiracy theories involving the 75-year-old's death, which seems like a fitting conclusion to his story.
According to a New York Times story, a DNA test of a Subway tuna sub showed no evidence of there being any actual tuna fish in the sandwich. So, what the hell is in there? Subway disputes the story, saying a DNA test wouldn't be able to tell what's in the finished version of the sub, which doesn't sound like a great defense. We're trying to remember the last time we ate anything from Subway. It was somewhere in the early 2000's, we had just arrived in Washington, D.C., and Subway was the only thing open near the hotel. It was not a good meal, and come to think of it, it may have been a tuna sub. No wonder it was enough to turn us off from the chain.
We don't usually have much positive to say about Amazon these days, but good for them for no longer testing employees for marijuana use. It's a waste of time and resources, particularly as more and more states legalize the drug for medical and/or recreational use. Companies should follow their lead, pot should be legalized on a federal level, and people in jail for marijuana-related offenses should be released. Let's finally end the hysteria once and for all.
The Boston Red Sox got walloped 8-2 by the Tampa Bay Rays last night. Boston starter Garrett Richards gave up five runs in just 1 2/3 innings, as he continues to struggle. Fair or not, speculation will continue to grow about whether Richards is being impacted by the new ban on pitchers using foreign substances on the baseballs. The Red Sox bullpen quieted down Tampa for most of the rest of the game, but the Sox offense couldn't do anything against Rich Hill, who gave up just one run over five innings. The Red Sox still have a 1/2 game lead over the Rays in the AL East, and they'll look to leave Tampa Bay still in first place with Nick Pivetta taking the mound tonight.
There hasn't been an official confirmation yet, but the Boston Celtics will reportedly hire Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Ime Udoka to be their next head coach. Udoka is a former player who has been an assistant coach for years. According to the linked story, Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown are on-board with the hire, so good luck to Udoka, and let's go. Also, good for new head honcho Brad Stevens for choosing his own replacement so quickly.
Britney Spears made her first public comments about her 13-year-old conservatorship yesterday, telling a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, "I feel ganged up on, I feel bullied and I feel left out and alone...and I'm tired of feeling alone." We don't know the specifics of the singer's mental health issues, but it's clear that this court-ordered cage (which she is forced to pay for) is harmful for her, and that she doesn't have a clear path for escape. That's a dynamic that many people who have faced similar challenges can understand.
The most shocking part of Spears' story is that she's apparently been forced to continuing using an IUD, even though she would like to have more children. No woman should be denied control over her own reproductive health. There was no resolution to the case yesterday, but we hope the singer will get the outcome she seeks. She's clearly been treated as an ATM by her father Jamie, who has controlled every aspect of her life for over a decade. The court should end this abusive relationship.
Free Britney. (pic via billboard.com)
After watching the first trailer for the upcoming Disney+ original series Turner & Hooch, BDH and Little Buddha think they love Hooch and want to spend every Wednesday with him, starting with the show's premiere on July 21:
Season three of The Boys is gaining three more Supes besides Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy. Hey, the more, the disturbing, right?
Okay kids, that's going to do it for now. Let's have The Weeknd and Ariana Grande close things out with a live performance of, "Save Your Tears" for today's, "Song of the Day."
That should help get us all to Friday in one piece.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone. It's always a treat to see you. Enjoy the rest of your day, be good, 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.
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