People who actually run real businesses think this trade war is dumb.  But I guess if you don't pay your vendors, hire foreign nationals and go bankrupt every few years, even with all of daddy's money any sane individual would say you don't know shit about running and support American businesses anyway.

Automakers, business owners ratchet pleas to 

: Hit the brakes on tariffs

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers by ACBJ - Infogram

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2018/07/06/automakers-business-owners-ratchet-pleas-to-trump.html

Attacks on Journalism

Americans were outraged when the Charlie Hebdo offices were attacked, but is it any surprise that journalists are killed in America when the leader of the country spends his days calling journalists the "enemy of the people".  Dictators HATE a free press, see Russia or any other despot's treatment of the press. 

Be careful America, we're going down a very troubling path.

Journalism is under attack and we need it more than ever

Black Mirror

I made this list after reading a bunch of "best of" lists of Black Mirror that I sent to a friend last year.  As I'm about to finally get to the newest season I thought I'd post this. Mostly so I can find this list again later

Here is a list of reviews and my rankings of episodes.  I would recommend watching "The entire history of you" and "Be right back: first then you can go back.  Incidentally those were the 2 of of the first eps I watched because initially it was showing on BBC America or maybe it was PBS and I didn't hear about the show until the end of the first season.  I went back to watch the other later, but did watch them in order after that.

I had not been able to see Season 1 episode 1 and 2 until a few months ago and while I like episode 1.1 it is a bit dark (they all are) and unusual.  Episode 2 is interesting, but I think it drags and is a bit boring.  

_____________________________________________________________________

Subject: Black Mirror eps ranked by different folks...spoilers


My ranking...why not:


1.    The entire history of you (1:3)

2.    Be right back (2:1)

3.    Shut up and dance (3:3)

4.    White bear (2:2)

5.    White Christmas (2:4)

6.    National anthem (1:1)

7.    Playtest (3:2)

8.    Nosedive (3:1)

9.    Hated in the Nation (3.6)

10.  Men against fire (3:5)

11.  15 million merits (1:2)

12.  San Junipero (3:4)

13.  . Waldo moment (2:3)

I wouldn't agree with probably any of these rankings completely and they don't agree with themselves.  Lots of people didn't like Playtest, but I did (and not because the main character hails from Syracuse). 

Most agree Waldo is at the bottom though.

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a49919/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/

http://collider.com/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/#the-waldo-moment

http://ew.com/gallery/black-mirror-episodes-ranked/no-13-the-waldo-moment-season-2

Variety says this is Spoiler Free
http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/black-mirror-episodes-rank-binge-guide-netflix-1201894706/

Too busy with the golfing and Exec Time

Panama will join the dozens of countries that do not currently have Senate-confirmed US ambassadors in place, including key US allies like South Korea, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

While senior acting officials hold the reins in these important jobs, they are not permanent appointees and are limited in how long they can hold the roles.

Federal law allows these temporary officeholders to stay in the open jobs for, at most, 300 days. But 320 days have elapsed since the start of the Trump administration and acting officials in the State Department are starting to hit that limit, making presidential nominations more important than ever.

US ambassador resigns, saying he can no longer work with Trump

Mr Robot Season 3

About a month behind on the broadcast finale, finally finished up the 3rd Season of Mr Robot.  I felt it was the best season yet.  I agree with most people that Season 2 was a let down from the first, but I stuck with it and glad I did.  Esmail seems to be stretching his capacities or maybe he's just more confident in his storytelling and what he can do, the episode where Elliot spends the day with Trenton's brother.  That is the work of someone feeling their creative oats and it totally worked. It reminded me of some of the best TV I've seen in years. 

The acting was great, Bobby Cannavale, so good.  Not just good, but great.  Can't wait to find out about him and Whiterose.  Christian Slater, compare his performance when he's at the movies to when he's Mr Robot.  it's the same "guy" but so not the same guy.  Great work.  Loved Grace Gummer too.

It's all good, the cinematography, the story, the acting. 

Wait, Joey Bada$$.  His monologue about Frazier/Nightrider...funniest thing I've seen on TV this season.  Want to see more of Joey, in everything. 

I'm excited for Season 4, what's happening at the damn Plant.  What's Eliot got in mind for the "1% of the 1%".

I gotta go to bed, but I realized I probably should have done this for "Peaky Blinders" too.  Finished that a couple of weeks ago.

Companies that "NEEDED" to get rid of net neutrality and a tax cut to keep investing laying off thousands

Anyone who thought these two companies wouldn't screw their employees and their customers was fooling themselves.  Funny how they were so vocal about giving $1000 bonuses while they were firing people quietly. 

/Comcast

AT&T

We're adding people in many parts of our business that are experiencing higher customer demand. At the same time, technology improvements are driving higher efficiencies and there are some areas where demand for our legacy services continues to decline, and we're adjusting our workforce in some of those areas.

We'll work to find other AT&T jobs for as many affected employees as possible. Regarding premises technicians, we adjust the workforce based on changing market dynamics, which vary from region to region. In some regions, we are hiring these same resources and these employees have the opportunity to transfer to those locations. It's important to note that we still have thousands more premises technicians than we did two years ago.

There are a few notable bits in there. When AT&T says it adds people in parts of its business that have growing customer demand and lowers staff in areas with less demand, it's acknowledging a simple business reality that is at odds with its claim that a tax cut will boost its investment by the specific amount of $1 billion. Hiring is intended to bring in more customers and revenue, and layoffs reduce spending to match a lower revenue opportunity; by AT&T's own admission, it hires employees to meet customer demand and reduces staff in areas with lessening demand even when it gets a tax cut that it claims will boost investment.

This week in the Dumpster Fire that is the Executive Branch

The man speaks of loyalty to a youth group and in the same speech jokes about threatens to fire a member of the cabinet if he doesn't get the votes.  He later makes some weird sex-related jokes to  this same group of children.

Again, all while talking about loyalty he takes to social media to shit on a person who was the first to his camp and who has remained totally loyal. Apparently loyal is a one way street with him.

The new Comms Director is shitting on the Chief of Staff.  While complaining about leaking a public document

The man at the top lied about Taxes Paid by Americans

He lies about talking to "his generals" about policy and tweets a HUGE major policy change that Conservatives and the Pentagon didn't ask for, based on lies about the cost.  Later the military says it's not following Twitter orders ...for now

No doubt there is more, I'm forgetting

This is what his kind do, attack the media

WH Ramps up war with media

We see this in places like Russia where the "leader" attacks the media.  It should be terrifying to anyone in America, anyone who loves American Ideals or American in general.  It should not be official policy of the Executive to attack the media.

The end goal is to control all of the messaging, then it's simply propaganda.  Anyone who thinks not exactly what they have in mind is fooling themselves.  Just because someone doesn't agree with you or calls you out on your own misdeeds doesn't mean it's fake.

The media (even places like Fox and MSNBC) play an important role in America and that's why it's freedom is so sacred....this group would like to diminish that as much as it can.  That should scare everyone.