In recommending a show on Prime, you highlight for me a serious quandary. I am a premium Prime member and enjoy the benefits of T.V. programming, free shipping on items I purchase from Amazon, Audible books and Alexa-- but I am really troubled by Jeff Bezos' embrace of Trump and the bro culture: and the further AI-ification of Alexa bothers me. Any suggestions?
Me, too. I can get myself off Amazon, but my elderly, vision-impaired mother’s primary daily activity and entertainment is listening to books on Audible that she accesses through an Echo device. Without that she’d have nothing.
As for me, most of the things I used to buy on Amazon really can be found elsewhere, so my Amazon purchases are down to almost 0. I don’t know that it’s realistic to expect we can all completely disengage from using monopolistic companies. I don’t use Chrome browser or Google search but, like almost everybody, I have Gmail accounts, and am on Google Group listservs. Changing all my email accounts would be hugely disruptive and take time I’d rather spend calling my elected representatives and helping spread the word about political action with my communities. I’m a musician and I have a YouTube channel (owned by Google) and use YouTube in my teaching, and right now there really is no alternative to those things. Maybe these sound like self-serving justifications, and maybe they are, but I think they are realistic. I’ve always been somewhat politically active and am even more so now, and I think that if each of us makes some changes AND increases our participation, whether it’s protesting, contacting our representatives, helping to get voters registered, etc., or any combination thereof, then we are making a difference.
We finally packed in prime when they started putting ads in their video content (and don’t get me started on the music!). That was the proverbial last straw for my husband. So my approach has been to line up the Christmas gifts I’m going to send, and any of the things I genuinely can’t seem to find at a relatively affordable price, like my favourite soup from Canada. And the medicinal ginger ale. Then wait for all the shows I enjoy to finish their seasons. When conditions are right, I begin a trial period with a flurry of watching and buying. And then cancel. The last time I got something from them, just before checkout, I was offered a week’s trial for $2. Since it was going to cost $7 for shipping otherwise, the choice was clear. I use it mostly for the gifts I send to Canada, because our family lives scattered all over the country, usually in small towns. It costs almost as much as the gift to send it to them if I use usps. But with prime on Amazon.ca …. I figure they might catch on to me eventually. But until then, my “strategy” is wringing more benefit from them than I pay.
So do I! At least today I am trying to balance my sort-of dependence on Amazon for stuff by participating in the 24-hour boycott. I had to get a couple of things, but thanks to being a military retiree I got them at the base Commisary!
Ditto. I dropped Amazon Prime when I crunched the numbers and, considering the only thing I got for my membership was free shipping and I was spending more in a year's time on the subscription than my "free shipping" was saving me. And when Bezos pulled his rank on the Washington Post editorial page, I dumped it as well.
Well I dropped the Washington Post and LA Times when they decided not to endorse Kamala. Recent action have only reinforced that decision. Replaced those with The Guardian, States Newsroom, and Talking Points Memo. Saved money too.
As far as Amazon Prime goes, I haven't dropped it... yet. Amazon itself has been circling the drain for years. They used to be my go to store for everything. Now I only get stuff from them I can't find elsewhere. As for Prime, I use it for Kindle prime unlimited. And I read a lot. If there is a competing service to to it that has my same authors, I would jump on it in a heartbeat.
I also cancelled my Amazon prime subscription because Bezos is now a lackey for Trump and for his ridiculous editorial decisions for the Washington Post
when I do buy from Amazon - I just try to make the delivery as expensive as possible. No Amazon day. No grouping of items together. Next morning available? sure, I'll take it. I hope I am costing them more than my Prime subscription. And if I watch shows on Amazon - I'm hoping they have to pay out something for those shows, so I am also costing Bezos money there. I don't see getting rid of Prime yet, so I just want to make it expensive for Bezos. I did cancel my WashPost subscription after the recent opinion page announcement.
DEI needs to be spelled out EVERY TIME. DIVERSITY- EQUITY-INCLUSION. So easy to dismiss the 3 letters, but when you spell them out there is real meaning, and real horror that we would reject those principles that seem so basic to our democracy. To fire people like Gen. Brown and Admiral Franchetti because they embrace these principles is saying you DO NOT believe in this country.
DEI has been a core part of my entire career. In the Army 40 years ago, Black sergeants taught me life lessons that I still live by today. It was called EEO or something like that, but it was the same thing. And every company I have worked for since has embraced it.
Who could have thought that treating other people that didn't look like you as you would like to be treated would lead to a successful career?
I'm loving the moniker "Mump" for Musk/Trump. In honor of the MMR vaccine, and a few of the many around Trump who happily warp and dismiss vaccine science for their personal political gain, I propose hereafter referring to RFKJr as "Measles" and Rubio as "Rubella".
Why do some Black people support Trump, who is the strongest voice for white supremacy in many years? His Cabinet contains many examples of affirmative action for incompetent, unqualified white people.
As a Mexican woman, I am baffled by the percentage DT captured in the Latinx population, perhaps attributed to Progressive political groups counting on homogeneity vs. cultivation. It is errant and arrogant thinking. DT appealed to the ‘what else do you have to lose?’ Appeal. The American mythos vis a vis individualism is confirmed with each curated playlist and newsfeed. Our sense of community was further eroded by COVID. Recent history has shown a lurch towards Conservatism in post pandemic times-and perhaps paternalistic jingoism is how we attempt to get our mojo back. Naomi Klein’s, Shock Doctrine’s predictions scared the hell outta me some twenty years ago. It’s even scarier in reality. Sigh
I was wondering this too but an exchange with a teaching colleague gave me some understanding. He said he was a Trump supporter and while I was trying to figure out how a supposedly educated man could be such he made a comment that cleared it up. He said 'Trump is going to get rid of income tax and replace it with a sales tax' - my epiphany was this - I realised that if Trump throws enough shit at a wall eventually some will stick. Throw enough shit at enough walls and enough will stick in enough voters minds to sway them. My colleague didn't care about all the other crap, he didn't look too deeply or critically but a piece of shit hit his one hot button and he was hooked.
I have also believed your theory. Talking outta both sides of his mouth and a rotation of dug in opinions/reversals/opinions means he is right about any issue at least once. It gives others that permission structure.
Yes, Kareem, I’m glad we’re of the same generation. RIP Roberta. It’s good to remember the strife we have endured and to know that information will keep us fighting. Thank you for all you do every day.
Doubtful. He's already losing it. If there's another election and he runs again because he thinks he can, will he refuse to leave the white house? Who will be left to throw him out - his loyal DC police officers? Whatever happens, the white house must be spiritually cleansed. Bring in the Native shamans and burn white sage.
Raccoons as pets. They are adorable especially throwing all that food into its face. They're also very smart adaptable creatures. Voracious little critters.
Thank you for playing Roberta's music. I still have some of her albums. Such a beautiful voice. RIP Roberta.🌹
And to totally end with an awesome night in the NBA, Steph had 56 points last night and 12 3s against Orlando one being from 3/4 of the court away. It's like historic! Even the Orlando fans were chanting MVP. He has set so many records and continues to amaze. One record being most games with 9+ 3 point shots:
Steph 45
Damian Lillard 14
Klay Thompson 12
Thank you Kareem. Your words are wise and full of warnings. We need to beware and act accordingly. Today is boycott day. No shopping!
So true- “the universe doesn’t impose justice, we do.” We can’t forget that we must be the change in the world we’d like to see.
The website I’ve been using since the 90’s regarding harmful substances in products is EWG- Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org
Please check out the Skin Deep Database.
It amazes me how far behind our country has been with this and for so long. Endocrine disrupters are everywhere. Less is definitely more. If there is anything good about RFKJr’s appointment, it may be a change away from accepting some of the toxins we find in products. One can hope anyway, as we line up for our MMR boosters and pray they don’t fire and defund all of our scientists.
Brilliant post as usual, Kareem! Two things: Robert Reich's column today had some hopeful messages, focusing mainly on how the American people seem to finally be realizing what they're in for and rising up. I'm going to grab onto that hope for now. Secondly, Tr*mp's running for a third term presupposes that his health will hold out for that long. It seems like it might not.
Wonderful post today! To pass an Amendment to the Constitution, it takes 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of the States. There’s another path using state conventions, but it’s not been used as far as I know.
He'll just run. If the states try to keep him off the ballot - the Supreme Court already nix'xed the constitution on states removing him for the 2024 election. They will let him run; he doesn't need an amendment. Let the voters (and Musk election rigging) decide.
But he's unlikely to live another 4 years, so there's that.
No matter what you do as a parent, its probably going to be the wrong thing, at least in the eyes of the parentee. The main lesson I've learned over 23+ years of parenting is that, "You're doing it wrong, Mom." Teenagers and young adults are incredibly helpful when teaching this lesson, repeating it in many different ways and in as many different situations as possible. Each time I am informed of my ineptitude, I call up my 81-year-old father and thank him profusely for putting up with all my BS when I was younger. He always says, "Oh, you were fun to raise!" And I know perfectly well he's lying through his teeth.
This c***sucker keeps repeating this stuff because (1) he wants it to happen, and (2) he is always trolling his critics, and he enjoys seeing their heads explode when he says this shit.
Trump is already president for life in his mind. He has all his ducks in a row. You don't disband the federal workforce and indoctrinate the Republicans in Congress to go along with his madness if his goal wasn't to be America's Putin. He has political and public support to carry out fake elections in the future and being elected by 90% of the vote, ala Putin. That's the danger voters did not heed in the last presidential election. You can sift through all his lies and conclude the man is a pathetic liar. However, he has always admired Putin and wished to be like him. That is a truthful comment designated as "Trump being Trump." And thrown in the batch of lies. Now the news media looks at this revelation as a fresh surprise. The anger I feel at this moment is not because Trump wishes to be president for life, that I already knew, but having Black influential people as an audience chanting four more years makes the journey to oust Trump that more difficult. Black betrayal and ignorance have always been detrimental to our Black humanity.
“ That’s like saying Mike Tyson didn’t bite Holyfield’s ear off but that Holyfield deliberately jammed his ear into Tyson’s unsuspecting mouth.” Fabulous analogy, Kareem! 🎈
My only hope for justice is an afterlife with a God who rewards people “according to their merits”. It took me a lifetime to get to that point. I am there in part because of what an old rabbi is reputed to have said: I believe in God because otherwise I would have to believe in man, and I would invariably be disappointed.
As a historian and lawyer, my eyes and mind tell me that evil triumphs far too often, that it often masquerades as good, that the strong and the morbidly rich run things. That does not excuse the rest of us from living lives which have value and values, or from fighting for justice, integrity, fairness, honor to the limits of our abilities. But know that is a thankless fight, and our successes, to borrow from Elton John, are and will be like candles in the wind.
“Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process…”. Boy, is this ever a true statement.
Also, regarding favorite children…what if both my children think they were the favorite? That is what they have both told me. 🤔
Great post today…thank you for continuing to write.
In recommending a show on Prime, you highlight for me a serious quandary. I am a premium Prime member and enjoy the benefits of T.V. programming, free shipping on items I purchase from Amazon, Audible books and Alexa-- but I am really troubled by Jeff Bezos' embrace of Trump and the bro culture: and the further AI-ification of Alexa bothers me. Any suggestions?
I have the same dilemma. Still working it out.
Me, too. I can get myself off Amazon, but my elderly, vision-impaired mother’s primary daily activity and entertainment is listening to books on Audible that she accesses through an Echo device. Without that she’d have nothing.
As for me, most of the things I used to buy on Amazon really can be found elsewhere, so my Amazon purchases are down to almost 0. I don’t know that it’s realistic to expect we can all completely disengage from using monopolistic companies. I don’t use Chrome browser or Google search but, like almost everybody, I have Gmail accounts, and am on Google Group listservs. Changing all my email accounts would be hugely disruptive and take time I’d rather spend calling my elected representatives and helping spread the word about political action with my communities. I’m a musician and I have a YouTube channel (owned by Google) and use YouTube in my teaching, and right now there really is no alternative to those things. Maybe these sound like self-serving justifications, and maybe they are, but I think they are realistic. I’ve always been somewhat politically active and am even more so now, and I think that if each of us makes some changes AND increases our participation, whether it’s protesting, contacting our representatives, helping to get voters registered, etc., or any combination thereof, then we are making a difference.
We finally packed in prime when they started putting ads in their video content (and don’t get me started on the music!). That was the proverbial last straw for my husband. So my approach has been to line up the Christmas gifts I’m going to send, and any of the things I genuinely can’t seem to find at a relatively affordable price, like my favourite soup from Canada. And the medicinal ginger ale. Then wait for all the shows I enjoy to finish their seasons. When conditions are right, I begin a trial period with a flurry of watching and buying. And then cancel. The last time I got something from them, just before checkout, I was offered a week’s trial for $2. Since it was going to cost $7 for shipping otherwise, the choice was clear. I use it mostly for the gifts I send to Canada, because our family lives scattered all over the country, usually in small towns. It costs almost as much as the gift to send it to them if I use usps. But with prime on Amazon.ca …. I figure they might catch on to me eventually. But until then, my “strategy” is wringing more benefit from them than I pay.
I’ve dropped the Washington Post, and am doing my best to avoid Amazon. If I can find it someplace else, I’m getting it someplace else.
I dropped twitter in November, and avoid all Meta stuff, too.
I can’t really stop the billionaires from running the country, but I don’t have to help them.
So do I! At least today I am trying to balance my sort-of dependence on Amazon for stuff by participating in the 24-hour boycott. I had to get a couple of things, but thanks to being a military retiree I got them at the base Commisary!
Ditto. I dropped Amazon Prime when I crunched the numbers and, considering the only thing I got for my membership was free shipping and I was spending more in a year's time on the subscription than my "free shipping" was saving me. And when Bezos pulled his rank on the Washington Post editorial page, I dumped it as well.
Well I dropped the Washington Post and LA Times when they decided not to endorse Kamala. Recent action have only reinforced that decision. Replaced those with The Guardian, States Newsroom, and Talking Points Memo. Saved money too.
As far as Amazon Prime goes, I haven't dropped it... yet. Amazon itself has been circling the drain for years. They used to be my go to store for everything. Now I only get stuff from them I can't find elsewhere. As for Prime, I use it for Kindle prime unlimited. And I read a lot. If there is a competing service to to it that has my same authors, I would jump on it in a heartbeat.
I also cancelled my Amazon prime subscription because Bezos is now a lackey for Trump and for his ridiculous editorial decisions for the Washington Post
when I do buy from Amazon - I just try to make the delivery as expensive as possible. No Amazon day. No grouping of items together. Next morning available? sure, I'll take it. I hope I am costing them more than my Prime subscription. And if I watch shows on Amazon - I'm hoping they have to pay out something for those shows, so I am also costing Bezos money there. I don't see getting rid of Prime yet, so I just want to make it expensive for Bezos. I did cancel my WashPost subscription after the recent opinion page announcement.
DEI needs to be spelled out EVERY TIME. DIVERSITY- EQUITY-INCLUSION. So easy to dismiss the 3 letters, but when you spell them out there is real meaning, and real horror that we would reject those principles that seem so basic to our democracy. To fire people like Gen. Brown and Admiral Franchetti because they embrace these principles is saying you DO NOT believe in this country.
DEI has been a core part of my entire career. In the Army 40 years ago, Black sergeants taught me life lessons that I still live by today. It was called EEO or something like that, but it was the same thing. And every company I have worked for since has embraced it.
Who could have thought that treating other people that didn't look like you as you would like to be treated would lead to a successful career?
I'm loving the moniker "Mump" for Musk/Trump. In honor of the MMR vaccine, and a few of the many around Trump who happily warp and dismiss vaccine science for their personal political gain, I propose hereafter referring to RFKJr as "Measles" and Rubio as "Rubella".
Why do some Black people support Trump, who is the strongest voice for white supremacy in many years? His Cabinet contains many examples of affirmative action for incompetent, unqualified white people.
As a Mexican woman, I am baffled by the percentage DT captured in the Latinx population, perhaps attributed to Progressive political groups counting on homogeneity vs. cultivation. It is errant and arrogant thinking. DT appealed to the ‘what else do you have to lose?’ Appeal. The American mythos vis a vis individualism is confirmed with each curated playlist and newsfeed. Our sense of community was further eroded by COVID. Recent history has shown a lurch towards Conservatism in post pandemic times-and perhaps paternalistic jingoism is how we attempt to get our mojo back. Naomi Klein’s, Shock Doctrine’s predictions scared the hell outta me some twenty years ago. It’s even scarier in reality. Sigh
The only explanation I can derive is that there are ignoramuses of all races, creeds, colors….
I was wondering this too but an exchange with a teaching colleague gave me some understanding. He said he was a Trump supporter and while I was trying to figure out how a supposedly educated man could be such he made a comment that cleared it up. He said 'Trump is going to get rid of income tax and replace it with a sales tax' - my epiphany was this - I realised that if Trump throws enough shit at a wall eventually some will stick. Throw enough shit at enough walls and enough will stick in enough voters minds to sway them. My colleague didn't care about all the other crap, he didn't look too deeply or critically but a piece of shit hit his one hot button and he was hooked.
I have also believed your theory. Talking outta both sides of his mouth and a rotation of dug in opinions/reversals/opinions means he is right about any issue at least once. It gives others that permission structure.
Yes, Kareem, I’m glad we’re of the same generation. RIP Roberta. It’s good to remember the strife we have endured and to know that information will keep us fighting. Thank you for all you do every day.
A third term for the old man?
Doubtful. He's already losing it. If there's another election and he runs again because he thinks he can, will he refuse to leave the white house? Who will be left to throw him out - his loyal DC police officers? Whatever happens, the white house must be spiritually cleansed. Bring in the Native shamans and burn white sage.
Raccoons as pets. They are adorable especially throwing all that food into its face. They're also very smart adaptable creatures. Voracious little critters.
Thank you for playing Roberta's music. I still have some of her albums. Such a beautiful voice. RIP Roberta.🌹
And to totally end with an awesome night in the NBA, Steph had 56 points last night and 12 3s against Orlando one being from 3/4 of the court away. It's like historic! Even the Orlando fans were chanting MVP. He has set so many records and continues to amaze. One record being most games with 9+ 3 point shots:
Steph 45
Damian Lillard 14
Klay Thompson 12
Thank you Kareem. Your words are wise and full of warnings. We need to beware and act accordingly. Today is boycott day. No shopping!
Love and Peace ♥️✌️
So true- “the universe doesn’t impose justice, we do.” We can’t forget that we must be the change in the world we’d like to see.
The website I’ve been using since the 90’s regarding harmful substances in products is EWG- Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org
Please check out the Skin Deep Database.
It amazes me how far behind our country has been with this and for so long. Endocrine disrupters are everywhere. Less is definitely more. If there is anything good about RFKJr’s appointment, it may be a change away from accepting some of the toxins we find in products. One can hope anyway, as we line up for our MMR boosters and pray they don’t fire and defund all of our scientists.
re rfk jr-good can come from bad,and vice versa
Brilliant post as usual, Kareem! Two things: Robert Reich's column today had some hopeful messages, focusing mainly on how the American people seem to finally be realizing what they're in for and rising up. I'm going to grab onto that hope for now. Secondly, Tr*mp's running for a third term presupposes that his health will hold out for that long. It seems like it might not.
Wonderful post today! To pass an Amendment to the Constitution, it takes 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of the States. There’s another path using state conventions, but it’s not been used as far as I know.
Sorry. He wouldn't use the Constitution. He'll just declare it. Will the six fascists on the Supreme Court stop him?
He'll just run. If the states try to keep him off the ballot - the Supreme Court already nix'xed the constitution on states removing him for the 2024 election. They will let him run; he doesn't need an amendment. Let the voters (and Musk election rigging) decide.
But he's unlikely to live another 4 years, so there's that.
Re: Pondering parenting mistakes
No matter what you do as a parent, its probably going to be the wrong thing, at least in the eyes of the parentee. The main lesson I've learned over 23+ years of parenting is that, "You're doing it wrong, Mom." Teenagers and young adults are incredibly helpful when teaching this lesson, repeating it in many different ways and in as many different situations as possible. Each time I am informed of my ineptitude, I call up my 81-year-old father and thank him profusely for putting up with all my BS when I was younger. He always says, "Oh, you were fun to raise!" And I know perfectly well he's lying through his teeth.
This c***sucker keeps repeating this stuff because (1) he wants it to happen, and (2) he is always trolling his critics, and he enjoys seeing their heads explode when he says this shit.
Trump is already president for life in his mind. He has all his ducks in a row. You don't disband the federal workforce and indoctrinate the Republicans in Congress to go along with his madness if his goal wasn't to be America's Putin. He has political and public support to carry out fake elections in the future and being elected by 90% of the vote, ala Putin. That's the danger voters did not heed in the last presidential election. You can sift through all his lies and conclude the man is a pathetic liar. However, he has always admired Putin and wished to be like him. That is a truthful comment designated as "Trump being Trump." And thrown in the batch of lies. Now the news media looks at this revelation as a fresh surprise. The anger I feel at this moment is not because Trump wishes to be president for life, that I already knew, but having Black influential people as an audience chanting four more years makes the journey to oust Trump that more difficult. Black betrayal and ignorance have always been detrimental to our Black humanity.
And now I have an image of trump with a brain full of quacking birds. Which, come to think of it, might explain a lot.
It's from all those birdies he missed on his stupid golf course.
“ That’s like saying Mike Tyson didn’t bite Holyfield’s ear off but that Holyfield deliberately jammed his ear into Tyson’s unsuspecting mouth.” Fabulous analogy, Kareem! 🎈
Thank you for your post today, and for all of them. I keep thinking: IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH!
My only hope for justice is an afterlife with a God who rewards people “according to their merits”. It took me a lifetime to get to that point. I am there in part because of what an old rabbi is reputed to have said: I believe in God because otherwise I would have to believe in man, and I would invariably be disappointed.
As a historian and lawyer, my eyes and mind tell me that evil triumphs far too often, that it often masquerades as good, that the strong and the morbidly rich run things. That does not excuse the rest of us from living lives which have value and values, or from fighting for justice, integrity, fairness, honor to the limits of our abilities. But know that is a thankless fight, and our successes, to borrow from Elton John, are and will be like candles in the wind.
“Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process…”. Boy, is this ever a true statement.
Also, regarding favorite children…what if both my children think they were the favorite? That is what they have both told me. 🤔
Great post today…thank you for continuing to write.
In my case, both my children think the other is the favorite. And neither is wrong.