You should read this for 8/8/2021:
Biden Begins
The quiet Biden-GOP talks behind the infrastructure deal
Biden’s phone call with Cassidy was only one example of Biden’s contact with Republicans during the talks. He regularly called GOP senators, White House aides say, while presidential counselor Steve Ricchetti was on virtual speed dial on the Republican negotiators’ phones. After he inadvertently angered Republicans by attaching public conditions to the deal, Biden personally phoned Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to ask how he could quell the uproar.
Books, Libraries, Writing, and Language
H/T Bob Stein: Sell This Book! Corporate publishing wants to turn all readers into renters. We’re trying to stop them.
Maybe you’ve noticed how things keep disappearing—or stop working—when you “buy” them online from big platforms like Netflix and Amazon, Microsoft and Apple. You can watch their movies and use their software and read their books—but only until they decide to pull the plug. You don’t actually own these things—you can only rent them. But the titanic amount of cultural information available at any given moment makes it very easy to let that detail slide. We just move on to the next thing, and the next, without realizing that we don’t—and, increasingly, can’t—own our media for keeps.
Coronavirus | COVID-19
GOP congressman gets COVID-19 after suing Pelosi over mask rule
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) has tested positive for a COVID-19 breakthrough infection after defying the House of Representatives’ mask mandate and filing a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over a resulting $500 fine for going maskless.
Food and Drink
Wirecutter: The Best Gins
We believe there’s a gin for almost any imbiber, even the folks who think they don’t like it. If you’re turned off by assertive, sprucy gins, we have a pick for you that’s smooth and bright. If you like old pine boxes in dusty attics and want to capture that sensory experience in a glass, we have a gin for you, too.
History and Archaeology
Doggerland: Lost ‘Atlantis’ of the North Sea gives up its ancient secrets
But it is only now, after a decade of pioneering research and the extraordinary finds of an army of amateur archaeologists scouring the Dutch coastline for artefacts and fossils, that a major exhibition is able to offer a window into Doggerland, a vast expanse of territory submerged following a tsunami 8,000 years ago, cutting the British Isles off from modern Belgium, the Netherlands and southern Scandinavia.
Politics and Society
H/T Lymond: Amazon union election results should be set aside due to misconduct, NLRB officer recommends
“Throughout the NLRB hearing, we heard compelling evidence how Amazon tried to illegally interfere with and intimidate workers as they sought to exercise their right to form a union. We support the hearing officer’s recommendation that the NLRB set aside the election results and direct a new election,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, in a statement Monday.
A Black Army vet toured a house with his real estate agent and teen. Police surrounded the home and handcuffed them. Apparently engaging in real estate while black is now a crime too.
Thorne and his son were touring a home Sunday with real estate agent Eric Brown, who’s also Black, in Wyoming, Mich., when police suddenly surrounded the house with guns drawn. The officers were responding to a neighbor’s 911 call about a break in. They ordered the three out of the house, handcuffed them and put them in separate vehicles.
Science and Nature
Wildcats return to Netherlands after centuries’ absence
Referral link: Curiosity Stream delivers shows across the full spectrum of the non-fiction genre to demystify science, nature, history, technology, society, lifestyle and more. $19.99/year for thousands of films (or $2.99/month).
Technology
Draw like it’s 1989 with this Kid Pix web app
SetApp: A Suite of macOS Apps for a Single Price Affiliate link for a great collection of ver 200 apps for macOS and iOS for a flat subscription fee.
Women’s Work
Microbiologist Elisabeth Bik queried Covid research – that’s when the abuse and trolling began
When Dr Elisabeth Bik raised serious concerns about the methodology of a paper that claimed hydroxychloroquine was effective in treating Covid-19, the online trolling was relentless.
Unpaid caregivers: How America treats women caring for paralyzed partners
GamerGaters inundated her with death threats. Now some are apologizing — and she forgives them.
💩🔥💰 Trumpery 💩🔥💰
What I Heard in the White House Basement
Something Wonderful
You’ll find dragons, flowers, unicorns, and more in this coloring book made up of images from the Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Destress, color, relax, enjoy!
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