Good Things Friday (251) and Link Love
December 15, 2023
1. I finished the buying and “wrapping” of 21 presents. 3(?) More to go! Fabric bags, I am loving how using them speeds up the gifting prep. Also I love the “less trash” aspect of it.
Update: 24 gifts done, one more on the way! So many teacher cards to do now!
2. I had things together enough to remember to order some gifts for my furry niblings this year. Treats for everyone!
CTA: Census Bureau to Erase 40% of Disabled Adults – Disastrous Consequences: “The Census Bureau is proposing a change to the way it determines who “counts” as disabled. According to the Census Bureau’s own estimate, this change will reduce the number of Americans the Census recognizes as disabled by 40%. This will hamper enforcement of disability civil rights laws and take millions of dollars in federal funding away from the disability community every single year.”
If you have a moment, please comment to oppose this change. I won’t be using the ChatGPT thing, I hate it, but the rest of it is important.
This Economy Has Bigger Problems Than ‘Bad Vibes’ by Tressie McMillan Cottom (gift link): “The economy is growing. Wages are up. Unemployment is low. Income inequality is narrowing. The fearmongering about inflation proved to be, well, wrong. According to many economy-watchers, Americans should be sending the Biden administration a gift basket full of positive vibes — and votes.
….
One such story considers what we consume and how much harder (and expensive) it is to procure it. A lot of our consumption is about meeting our basic needs. Housing, food, and energy come to mind. The economic fundamentals on these may be trending positively, but the bad vibes narrative undersells how miserable that part of the economy can feel.“
I have to agree. We are making the most we’ve ever made and yet it feels tougher than it should to cover all our bases. Granted, one of those bases is “helping people a lot more than I could before” but again, at these wages, I expected to be able to help a lot more people aside from covering our basics.
Ken Paxton and the TX Supreme Court are the worst. Texas Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Ruling That Allowed Pregnant Woman to Have Emergency Abortion
Remembering Norman Lear’s Most Controversial Episode: A two-part November 1972 episode of “Maude,” in which the title character decides to get an abortion, still seems radical, particularly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (I still can’t wrap my head around this is where we are today in 2023)
That’s my energy bar at the best of times.
NEW CALIFORNIA LAWS TAKING EFFECT IN 2024
Bats in hats!
Oh man, there’s a pretty convincing econ working paper that links a substantial (like 30%) proportion of “bad vibes” about the economy to like Fox News propaganda. Do not quote me on those numbers. I’ll see if I can find it.
nicoleandmaggie recently posted…Ask the grumpies: What would you differently in college search?
I would be surprised if there wasn’t a link! Would love to see it if you do find it.
This isn’t the original research (or the summary article I originally read), but I’m pretty sure it’s the same research project. It’s by Neal Mahoney who is an excellent (careful) economist, so I would tend to trust his work.
https://www.briefingbook.info/p/asymmetric-amplification-and-the?publication_id=1002034&post_id=138749341&isFreemail=true&r=2203u
nicoleandmaggie recently posted…Ask the grumpies: What would you differently in college search?
Those California laws are fascinating.
Head-scratcher: AB 1136: Sets up a retirement fund for mixed-martial arts fighters in California. Any MMA fighters who have fought in at least 39 rounds in the state will be eligible for retirement benefits starting at the age of 50.
High-five/sign of our dystopian times: Provides legal protections to doctors and health care practitioners who are based in California and mail abortion pills or gender-affirming treatment to patients in other states. The law forbids authorities from cooperating with out-of-state investigations and bans bounty hunters from apprehending doctors or pharmacists in California to stand trial in another state.
I looked at that one with puzzlement too! And then I wanted to know how much damage you’d take in 39 rounds/matches. Feels like a lot.
Ugh I read that a court (failing to remember now which one) is going to review whether it’s ok to ban mailed abortion pills and I could just scream. This also suggests that doctors and pharmacists would have to avoid traveling to other states entirely if we don’t have reciprocal protections because nothing says the bounty hunters can’t apprehend them in a different state, right?
Fabric bags for wrapping seems pretty genius. Did you make them yourself?
Thanks for sharing the CA laws – very interesting. I’m always complaining about how state campground sites are SO hard to get, yet often go unusued – glad to see there is a law to further discourage no-shows.
I have a STACK of cute fabric to make Christmas present gift bags but no, I still couldn’t get it together enough this year to do it. I had to buy them. I’ll have to try again next year.
I hope the law works as intended and make it a lot easier to book camp sites!