You Should Read - Sept 9
Just One Thing
Batman: The Animated Series is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, and suddenly I am feeling old. When this cartoon originally dropped, I was in college and at the height of my love for comic books. In so many ways, it has yet to be topped as the canonical representation of the character. (I asked my son about this and he paused to consider, but ultimately said Lego Batman is the best Batman. Hard to disagree.)
The Mister Freeze episode, Heart of Ice, from the first season is my absolute favorite. The whole run is now available in 4K on HBOMax.
California, A Nation-State
LA Times A Text Asked Millions of Californians to Save Energy. They Paid Heed, Averting Blackouts. (paywall)
USA Today California Passes Law Requiring Companies to Reveal Pay by Race, Gender
Bloomberg California Passes Law Requiring Companies to Post Salary Ranges on Job Listings: The state joins New York City and Colorado in adopting the pay transparency tactic to close wage gaps.
Collected Ephemera
Killing the Buddha “It’s the World That’s Strange”: a 2014 interview with the late Barbara Ehrenreich by Jeff Sharlet
The New Yorker Barbara Ehrenreich Is Not an Optimist, but She Has Hope for the Future: A conversation with the author and activist about class, reporting, the coronavirus, and socialism. (from 2020)
The Guardian You Might Think Starbucks Is a ‘Progressive’ Company. You’d Be Wrong: Rarely in modern history have we seen a company that so exquisitely cultivates an image as a caring, progressive employer while actually acting like a bullying, union-busting gangster.
This week, I started an annual contribution to The Guardian and may phase out my subscriptions to either the Washington Post or San Francisco Chronicle. Non-commercial journalism is a model more should follow.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial: Ranked-Choice Voting Diffuses Extremism. Which Is Why It Worked Against Palin.
VICE Working at Goldman Sachs Suuuucks, Leaked Internal Survey Shows
When I ran across a link to the leaked report (stored in someone's personal Google Drive), it was so extreme, and of questionable provenance, I couldn't believe it was real. Then I found press coverage from 2021. From the report:
“The sleep deprivation, the treatment by senior bankers, the mental and physical stress… I’ve been through foster care and this is arguably worse”
Wall Street Journal Some GOP States Push Back Against ESG Investing Trend
Morningstar Public Pensions Overwhelmingly Vote for ESG: Support crosses party lines, often exceeding that of ESG-focused funds.
George Orwell Pacifism and the War
Those who want to struggle against Fascism are accused of being wholehearted defenders of capitalist ‘democracy’. The fact that the rich everywhere tend to be pro-Fascist and the working class are nearly always anti-Fascist is hushed up.
Sound familiar?
Tech Xplore FBI Agents Monitor Social Media. As Domestic Threats Rise, the Question Is Who They're Watching