Links - 13th June 2020 (2)

@VCBrags Twitter parody skewers Silicon Valley VCs - "In four short months, @VCBrags has amassed more than 31,000 followers and prompted a number of VCs to block it — including luminaries like Marc Andreessen and Paul Graham — all without saying a single word. Its entire shtick: Retweet boastful posts from VCs, and top them with three withering hand-clap emojis... "If I were a founder, I'd never take an investor lacking self-irony and it's funny to see how many VCs upset with this account.""

One chart shows the dire state of America's middle class - "The typical US worker can no longer afford a family on a year's salary, showing the dire state of America's middle class... Those between ages 25 and 34 have seen only a $29 income increase since 1974, when adjusted for inflation, according to a new SuperMoney report that analyzed US Census Bureau data."
I've seen libertarians saying this isn't a problem, since now one can afford to buy cheap, good crap

Aren't Women Wonderful? - Posts - "Jennifer Lawrence: If I meet Trump, it'll end with a "martini to the face."
*Multiple photos of her acting very friendly with Harvey Weinstein*"
"Yeah but Weinstein is a Democrat, though!"

Chad Prather on Twitter - "Police say a New Jersey man fought off an unwanted house visitor by using the suspect’s own gun, ultimately killing him"
"Dumbest label ever: Undocumented immigrant.
NBC New York: “Hold my beer.”"
">Undesired sexual exchange with a stranger
>Unwanted modification of a structure using fire
>Permanent change of life status
>Moving a car without the owner knowing
>Begging with guns
>Non optional charity for an unknown cause
>An offer he can't refuse"

NACHTMAHR - "The unprovoked attack of 15 Antifa activists on 4 of our fans in front of the door at our show in Basel last Saturday make it necessary to release the following statement.
- The reports in Antifa media that members of band were attacked, hurt or were in any way involved in the attack is untrue.
- We strongly condemn all violence especially if it’s targeted at people because of the way they dress, look or what gender or race they belong to
- We oppose every kind of political extremism
- We will never change the way we dress, the music we make or what we say in our lyrics due to external pressure
- We urge our fans to look out for each other in case an attack like this ever happens again
“Antifascism is only good until it starts to use fascist methods”
PLEASE SHARE."

15th Century Flemish Style Portraits Recreated In Airplane Lavatory - "While on a long-haul flight, when most people would sleep, read a book or chew on complimentary snacks, Nina Katchadourian spends her time locked in the airplane’s lavatory taking selfies in the style of 15th century Flemish paintings. Her series, dubbed “Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style,” is part of a bigger piece called “Seat Assignment,” which is based on improvising with materials close at hand while in flight ."

Snickers compares Welsh language to 'someone sitting on a keyboard' - " In a tweet on Tuesday, the company’s account wrote a thread of posts with possible Welsh place names under the question: ‘A place in Wales or someone sat on a keyboard?’ It listed places like the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which has the second-longest official single-word place name in the world (after New Zealand’s Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu). Other contenders were Rhosllanerchrugog and Penmaenmawr, both real places in North Wales... Jac Jolly wrote: ‘Our beautiful Language is constantly belittled , we will do everything we can to stop that Ridicule, we will keep Yr iaith Gymraeg [the Welsh language] living, Cymrophobic people and companies like @SNICKERSUK threaten its survival , we won’t stand for that... Some were bemused by the ferocity of the pile-on, which included accusations of racism and threats of lifetime boycotts.Eleanor Johnston wrote: ‘Seriously?! I’m Welsh and not offended by this at all! When were jokes banned?!’"
Apparently not all white people can be made fun of. Presumably you're only allowed to make fun of the English due to Power Relations

The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything - "On the one hand, Hekkert told me, humans seek familiarity, because it makes them feel safe. On the other hand, people are charged by the thrill of a challenge, powered by a pioneer lust. This battle between familiarity and discovery affects us “on every level”"

Should Public Transit Be Free? More Cities Say, Why Not? - The New York Times - "“Transportation should be free,” she said. “It’s a basic need. It’s not a luxury.”... The argument against fare-free transit is a simple one: Who is going to pay for it?... Around 100 cities in the world offer free public transit, the vast majority of them in Europe, especially France and Poland... “There’s no such thing as free,” Mr. Kane said. “Someone has to pay. Boston has the highest-paid bus drivers in the country. They’re not going to work for free. The fuelers, the mechanics — they’re not going to work for free.” Advocates of free transit have suggested that the cost could be offset by a gas tax increase; but replacing $109 million would mean raising the gas tax by 3 and a half cents, Mr. Kane said. And all the while, he said, the system is straining to cope with the current demands... Scott MacLaughlin, a ticket agent for the Merrimack Valley Transit Authority, which serves Lawrence, is already worrying about what happens when Mayor Rivera’s two-year experiment in free transit ends, in 2021.“You’re going to take it away after two years?” he said. “When you give someone something for free and then you take it away, that’s always going to be an issue.” And that, Mayor Rivera said with a smile, was exactly the point.“To me, it’s not a pilot,” he said. “I want people to get used to it.”"
Food, shelter and water are basic needs too

Teaching Children How to Reverse an Overdose - The New York Times - "Desperate to save lives, county health officials have embraced a practical — if radical — strategy for stemming the tide of addiction: Teaching children as young as 6 how to reverse an overdose."

In rare rebuke, Chief Justice Roberts slams Schumer for 'threatening' comments - "Chief Justice John Roberts publicly chastised Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Wednesday over comments Schumer made outside the court as the justices were hearing a case on abortion rights. Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested that President Donald Trump's court appointees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, "won't know what hit" them if they vote to uphold abortion restrictions... Schumer's office later issued a second statement in which the senator criticized Roberts."
Threatening Supreme Court justices doesn't threaten the rule of law if they're conservatives

90's Movies' Fan Theories that Push Us To Watch These Films Again - "2. The Insurance Salesman In Groundhog Day Is Actually The Devil
5. Forrest Gump Tells Stories Specific To Each Person At The Bus Stop
9. Marla Singer Does Not Exist In Fight Club
10. Aladdin Takes Place In A Post-Apocalyptic Future
11. Jurassic Park Never Had Dinosaur DNA
13. The T-100 Evolves Emotionally In Terminator 2: Judgment Day
17. Clueless Had A Sequel
the sequel to Clueless did happen - and it was Legally Blonde
18. Jack Is A Time Traveler In Titanic
Jack appears pretty out of place in the era and talks about things that won't exist until years after the ship sinks, in 1912. He mentions fishing at Lake Wissota, but it wasn't created until 1917 - five years after the Titanic sank. He also tells Rose he'll take her on the roller coaster at the Santa Monica Pier, built in1916. Everything - from his haircut to his rucksack - doesn't fit in the time.
19. The Real World In The Matrix Is Still A Computer Simulation
Neo (Keanu Reeves) uses “powers” when he's supposedly outside of the Matrix. It would be impossible in the real world. Additionally, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) can control Bane even after he leaves the simulation. How? Because he never left.
20. Jeff Daniels Is Actually The Same Guy In Speed And Dumb & Dumber"

Meme - "By the "not all men" logic, Russian Roulette is a perfectly safe game to play. Sure, one of the chambers has a bullet in it...
but not all chambers"
So... This justifies racism too

Ellen K. Pao on Twitter - "CEOs of big tech companies: You almost certainly have incels as employees. What are you going to do about it?"
Replies: "Interview every employee, demanding details of their sex lives (or lack thereof) and fire all those who aren't getting their rocks off and are not happy about that?"
"Dear [APPLICANT], we regret to inform you that your application has been rejected. Although you were highly qualified, we here at [BIG TECH COMPANY] enforce a strict no-singles policy. Please return with proof of gf, past or present."
"Men have a personal responsibility to have sex? Who should police this?"
"Apparently Ellen thinks it should be CEOs job"
"Maybe give them a little designation? Perhaps something they could wear on their clothes to identify them?"
"Ellen is showing us why she got fired from her last two high profile jobs. You can apparently sleep your way to the top but at some point people expect you to perform. If this insipid challenge to CEOs is an indication, we can see why she gets axed regularly."
"This is the most baffling shower thought you should have left to go down the drain.Are companies supposed to track virginity status of employees?Would women be exempt from such checks???????"
"Pretty sure we could flip this any angle by adding "x as employees". In your case, it'd be "CEOs of big tech companies: You almost certainly have trannies who want you to pay for their surgery as employees. What are you going to do about it?""

 Obama Announces He Is No Longer Responsible For The Economy | The Babylon Bee - ""All the gains were mine -- Trump didn't build that -- but this crash is all on Trump," Obama said as he admired the ocean, which will consume his home in fewer than twelve years. "My responsibility for the great economic gains in this country ended the moment the stocks started to tank this morning."The former president said that he does reserve the right to reverse his stance and reclaim credit for any economic gains realized after the market turns around, whenever that may be... Obama also assured panicked Americans that if they like their economy, they can keep their economy."

Jedi religion founder accuses Tesco of discrimination over rules on hoods - "Tesco has been accused of religious discrimination after the company ordered the founder of a Jedi religion to remove his hood or leave a branch of the supermarket in north Wales.Daniel Jones, founder of the religion inspired by the Star Wars films, says he was humiliated and victimised for his beliefs following the incident at a Tesco store in Bangor.The 23-year-old, who founded the International Church of Jediism, which has 500,000 followers worldwide, was told the hood flouted store rules... Jones, from Holyhead, who is known by the Jedi name Morda Hehol, said his religion dictated that he should wear the hood in public places and is considering legal action against the chain... Tesco said: "He hasn't been banned. Jedis are very welcome to shop in our stores although we would ask them to remove their hoods."Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all appeared hoodless without ever going over to the Dark Side and we are only aware of the Emperor as one who never removed his hood."If Jedi walk around our stores with their hoods on, they'll miss lots of special offers.""
Are hijabis required to remove their hijabs too?