Category: Daily Links

California’s new employment law has boomeranged and is starting to crush freelancers

Jeremiah LaBrash, 36, works as a tech programmer for a telecom by day and as a freelance cartoonist for media companies on his time off. Sometimes he brings in half of his annual income from his freelance work.

That changed when Assembly Bill 5 passed in California and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it into law on Sept. 18. The law requires most companies to reclassify contract, freelance and contingent workers — the backbone of the gig economy —as full-time employees eligible for benefits, a guaranteed $12–$13 state minimum wage and protections under the state’s employment law.

LaBrash, based in Los Angeles, suddenly found potential projects drying up when he submitted onboarding paperwork to potential clients and they discovered he lived in California.

“I’ve had them hire me and then come back and say they’re no longer interested,” says LaBrash. “All of a sudden, someone I’ve never talked to says, ‘We’ve decided not to move forward.’ I’ve never had that happen before this year.”

LaBrash can’t be certain the reason is AB 5, though he believes it is. He has seen a 40% decline in his freelance income since the law passed in September. “My savings are stagnant,” says LaBrash. “I really can’t look into buying a house. The housing market here is hard already.”

Even if employers hire him for freelance work, he is limited to 35 annual submissions per client before they have to put him on payroll, he notes. It’s a limit under the law. That’s not a large amount for regular contributors to media companies. “You’re going to hit your quota and they won’t want to hire you,” he says.

Law created to destroy the gig economy is destroying the gig economy. Let’s all act surprised!

Intended Consequences Are Intended

Totally stable and normal Kayne West.

Quickly deleted, but hilarious none the less. She got to pretend to care about dead Jews and take a swipe at Trump. Too bad pesky reality had to intrude.

“Now I’m not really sure we were lovers
“Or if it was just some kind of car crash”

The end of the week is all but upon us.  That’s when I usually get excited, but I can’t get pumped up for the Army-Navy game. I already miss college football. But the bowl games are a mere week and change away, so I’ll manage somehow. Like the UCL final 16 being set. I look forward to the draw Monday morning. And I bet Liverpool end up against a Spanish side from Madrid. You heard it here first.

The US got off to a rocky start at the Presidents Cup matches in Melbourne.  And Scott Boras got a lot wealthier as Anthony Rendon signed with Anaheim. This was hilarious. (Illinois beat Michigan in the game as well.) And your NHL winners were Washington, Montreal , and Colorado.

First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Jay was born this day. So were savior to train-hopping hobos Matthias Hohner, painter Edvard Munch, actor Edward G Robinson, “Old Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra, flying ace Arthur Hawkins, pet-neutering activist Bob Barker, NY mayor Ed Koch, guitarist Dickey Betts, punk pioneer Rob Tyner, drummer Clive Bunker, racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi, singer/drummer Sheila E, MMA legend Royce Gracie, and triplet Playboy models Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm.

That was a music-heavy list…of heavyweights, in my opinion.  Anyway, on to…the links!

I guess this is why Jim Comey’s twitter account was silent yesterday. But don’t worry, he’ll be back to his blathering as soon as someone not under oath says he wasn’t completely incompetent in his duties.

Biden’s campaign continues to be run about as well as his son’s life. Maybe a little cocaine would pep it up. And a trip to a strip club or two.

Speaking that son, he has until Friday to give his income information for the last five years to a judge in his child support case. I assume since its family court, the records will be sealed.  And that means they won’t get leaked to the public for a couple days.

Chicago Police Department continues its unblemished track record of being a shitshow. Just read for yourself. They can’t decide how to even promote people without causing grief.

Donald Trump: Diplomat. I find it hilarious that we have somebody in office causing gasps of the professional political class by…talking like a normal person would in a similar interaction. And I suspect that’s part of why he’s so despised by that “class” of people and those who believe we have “top men” who should run the world.

Meanwhile, the British version of Trump keeps doing what he does, and the media goes bonkers. Too bad for Labour their party is in complete disarray and their officials spout anti-semitic garbage all the time. Otherwise they could defeat this buffoonish guy with fantastic hair.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Makes me happy for our system of government and elections where we hold a vote and everybody grudgingly accepts the results and moves on with their lives.  Well, not anymore, but at least we only have to get flooded with election propaganda on a set schedule.

Tomorrow might be tough to find a song for. Until I hit that wall, go ahead and enjoy this gem.

Now get out there and make it a great day, friends!

It’s going to be a brief narrative, because I’m desperately attempting to catch up on everything that fell by the wayside for the last six months. I’m also now trying to get into the holiday spirit, or at least out of major depression, so I am actually going to put up some Christmas lights today. Not going to go as far as a tree, but I have my grandmother’s little ceramic tree, and that will go in my office. As soon as I find it in whatever box in which it resides, in whatever still-not-unpacked stack of boxes and bins, in whatever still-not-decorated room that box might be in. Or maybe it’s in the garage.

Anyway, you don’t care about the mundane details of my existence. You just come here for links you can ignore. So, here we go!

This is hilarious and a public art project all at the same time.

This should surprise exactly nobody.

This makes many good points. Also, has anyone else noticed that nearly every TV ad now sports a girl who looks earnestly like Greta? Or at least the ads we see during football, which is the only TV we ever see.

This is something that WebDom and I talk about ALL.THE.TIME. Always buy the domain name(s) before you do ANYTHING else with an idea or business.

This is something about which I don’t think he will have to worry.

This just pisses me off.

This was amusing, since I’m a former social media manager for a brand. (A week old thread, but too bad!)

This proves that the Trumps are antisemites!

Have a great rest of the day, kids! If you live in my neighborhood, you can come over and help me untangle the lights. There will be cocktails.

A big sports news day yesterday, to say the least.  Gerrit Cole is now a Yankee after signing the biggest contract ever for a pitcher.  The Dallas Stars fired their coach for something non-results related (without saying what it was), and some teams punched their ticket to the UCL knockout stages including Liverpool and Napoli, the latter of which celebrated by firing their manager…who will probably be at Arsenal by Christmas. Some dude from an NAIA school scored 100 points in a basketball game. And Le’Veon Bell claims to have bowled a 251.

As for actual game results, the winners on the ice were Tampa, Montreal, Buffalo, Nashville, Anaheim, Winnipeg, the aforementioned Dallas Stars, Carolina, Calgary, Toronto, Vegas and LA.  And in college basketball, #1 Louisville got thumped by Texas Tech, Maryland went down to Penn State, Northern Iowa topped ranked Colorado State, while Kansas and Baylor managed to not lose.

Birthday celebrants for today are Florentine Pope Leo X, American patriot George Mason, Canadian brewer John Labatt, amusement park creator Walter Knott, Russian writer Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, actress Rita Moreno, Snow Miser cosplayer John Kerry, underrated comedic actress Teri Garr, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx, wrestler Rey Mysterio, and NWA’s DJ Yella.

That’s a pretty diverse and quality roster, especially compared to the last couple of days.  Anyway, on to…the links!

A deal has been reached to replace NAFTA. The President says he got what he wanted. Pelosi said “we ate his lunch”. So since they’re both claiming to have gotten what they want, I assume it will be bad for everyone who it directly impacts. Since, you know, that’s what happens when politicians agree on something.

A handful of moderate vulnerable Democrats propose censure rather than impeachment. But Pelosi plans to move forward with the impeachment vote next week. And Trump wants a Senate trial in order to expose the House process. Meanwhile, the American people polled express little interest and continue to be polarized on the issue.

There aren’t that many people out there that like Michael Bloomberg. In fact, he’s downright loathed.  Which is a good thing. Meanwhile, Trump’s favorable/unfavorable numbers are better than any potential Dem opponent. Having said that, there may be some inherent bias in the polling, as some Dem voters may be saying their preferred candidate is favorable and their rivals for the nomination unfavorable but will later pull the lever for whoever wins the nomination…so long as it isn’t that asshole Bloomberg.

A chemical warfare attack was carried out in Florida. Looks like everybody is ok, thankfully, although the vehicle will need to be impounded and destroyed in the name of safety.

Gratuitous ass-slapper speaks out. Jesus, why are people treating this like it’s the end of the world.  The married church youth leader has been barred from future races. Because that’s what happens nowadays.

Teacher’s aide busted for having sex with a couple of students at a community pool. She also gave them booze and drugs, apparently. Hey, go big or go home.

Speaking of our educators, one came up with a modest proposal for fifth-graders to ponder over. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it. It was part of colonial life and puts the kids in the position of making a moral or financial decision when answering, which could have been an interesting learning exercise. But outragers gonna get outraged.

Jesus, that must have been one big tote-bag. Like those ones they give you at Ikea to carry around the store when you forget to grab a cart but find a few accent pillows and some batteries you just gotta have.

Continuing the theme for the week. I also just realized this is the kind of problematic song some dickhead like John Legend will try to remake someday for clout. I won’t be listening.

That’s it for me, friends.  Go have a great day.

¡Buenos tardes Gliberinos!

Lots of fun stuff happening today between impeachment, porn staches, and such, but I’m going to do what I always do and give you news from the south.

The house took a break from staging a coup correcting the election impeachment circus kabuki theater inquiry and passed something resembling the USMCA.  I particularly liked how Pelosi took credit for a negotiated agreement between foreign countries, because that’s in the job description for a congrexperson.

A Chilean C-130 disappeared on the way to Antarctica.  What do you want, a Bolivia joke, Mad Dog Murdock, Aliens? …nah. There is no indication the plane was filled with Communist dissidents.

Brazilian culture official says rock music leads to abortions.

Shootout near Mexico’s presidential residence.  Good thing Mexico outlawed guns amirite?

A fun piece about a Citgo executives detained in Venezuela.  Their first mistake, clearly was working in Venezuela.

The six men were arrested just before Thanksgiving in 2017. They had been called for a last-minute meeting in Venezuela. Once in the conference room at the PDVSA headquarters in Caracas, armed, masked security agents arrested the men.

The families were perplexed when they learned about the arrest after Venezuela’s chief prosecutor announced it during a press conference.

Since their arrest, the men had been held in the basement of Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency under conditions that relatives have described as human rights violations. At one point, 60 people shared a space meant for 22, lights were kept on 24 hours a day and they were allowed outdoors for 20 minutes every six to eight weeks.

I think today is a Breaking Benjamin kind of day. I can’t remember if I linked this one before, I dunno.

It took the Eagles OT to beat the Giants. I repeat: it took the Eagles OT to beat the Giants.  Jesus, that’s bad. Stephen Strasburg is apparently about to sign a deal to stay with the Nats worth a quarter of a billion dollars. The British hate free speech. Liverpool have a huge fight on their hands today to qualify for the UCL knockout stages.  And two Buckeyes, An LSU Tiger (and graduate from OSU) and a Sooner (and graduate from Bama) are your Heisman finalists, although Burrow is effectively a lock for the award.

If you were born on this day, you share it with Scottish King James I, abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison, morose and tedious writer Emily Dickinson, terrorist organization founder Abu Abbas, the fine actor Michael Clarke Duncan, actor Kenneth Branagh, hockey player Rob Blake, and drummer Meg White.

Not exactly a superb list, but I will say this: if you haven’t seen The Slammin’ Salmon, you haven’t seen Michael Clarke Duncan at his best. And with that, we segue in to…the links!

Looks like the Democrats in the House will release two articles of impeachment today. Lindsay Graham announced that he’s not planning to call Schiff or others involved in the process as witnesses. Not sure I am happy about that, especially after yesterday’s farce where Nadler let Schiff’s right hand sit in the witness chair and give a 45 minute speech without being sworn in or taking questions and then sit on Nadler’s shoulder and question other witnesses.

The IG Report effectively lets the government get away with spying on an American political campaign based on bullshit. Well, for now anyway. There’s always hope Barr and Durham do something. but I won’t hold my breath.

Paul Volcker has died. The former Fed Chairman is credited with fighting inflation…and winning.

I don’t understand. I always assumed this is half of what Snapchat is for. And the other half was to drive parents crazy when their kids announce their life’s ambition is to become an “influencer”.

This is a good start. Now if they could only get strong enough to carry human bodies, this will get interesting.

It never surprises me that these situations almost always happen to journalists. And people always jump on it without knowing all the facts.  But that’s the world we live in.

I didn’t intend to set a theme for the week yesterday, but I suppose I did. And this continues it. Enjoy. I know I will.

Now get out there and have a great day!

Walmart Apologizes For Sweater Showing Santa Claus With Lines Of Cocaine

Walmart is apologizing for selling sweaters that appear to show Santa with lines of cocaine.

The sweater says “Let It Snow” and includes three white lines on a table in front of Santa.

Part of the description said: “The best snow comes straight from South America” and that “Santa really likes to savor the moment when he gets his hands on some quality, grade-A, Colombian snow.”

Cocaine Santa? CANCELED!

Richard Jewell Turns a True Story Into a Libertarian Fable

Pop culture’s recent reconsiderations of ’90s tabloid figures have tended to flatter liberals’ belief in the left-leaning arc of the moral universe. Documentaries like O.J.: Made in America (about Simpson) and Lorena (about the Bobbitt case), as well as dramatizations like I, Tonya (as in Harding) and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (as much about prosecutor Marcia Clark as Simpson himself), have excavated histories of abuse and recontextualized the scandals in light of newer, more nuanced understandings of gender, race, and power. But hardly any of these projects, which implicitly celebrate the social progress of the past two decades, hail from conservative points of view. That makes Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell, about the Atlanta security guard falsely accused of bombing the 1996 Summer Olympics, a notable exception, if not necessarily a notable film.

A movie shows a person harassed and victimized by the government and media being harassed and victimized by the government and media?!? Goddamn you, Clint Eastwood, you crazy Republican Man!

I don’t advise it, but if you have never subjected yourself to Slate’s Inkoo Kang it might be worth reading it. She’s one of the worst movie and television critics around. She doesn’t review movies and television so much as subject them to a struggle session to see how well they conform to her little red book. And most are found wanting.

Clint Eastwood? CANCELED!

Work in Progress Redeems Saturday Night Live‘s Traumatic ‘Pat’ Character

Work in Progress is a loosely fictionalized version of the foibles of Abby McEnany, a 45-year-old Chicago improv scene stalwart who identifies as a “queer fat dyke” and, in the first episode, struggles with mental health hurdles that include lining up 180 almonds gifted to her by a “fuckin’ bitch” at work. If her life doesn’t improve by the 180th almond, she tells her therapist, she is going to take her own life. One problem, though, is that her therapist has literally died during her session, almost gleefully staring at the ceiling, maw agape, as Abby details her suicidal ideation. “Are you fucking kidding me?” whispers Abby, once distraught, after lightly kicking her shrink’s leg. It creaks, rigor mortis set in.

It’s a credit to McEnany’s comedic skills that a scene that could have been overly maudlin, even cliché, is actively hilarious, never belittling the depression her character is experiencing but skilled enough to contextualize it with an unpredictable sort of gallows humor. In the pilot episode, which McEnany shot for $3,000 and screened at Sundance before Showtime picked it up for a series, Abby balances a sort of resigned gloom about her future with bursts of often-awkward hope, like when she ends up on a date with Chris (Theo Germaine)—a cute, much-younger trans man working at a lunch spot—after her sister Alison (Karin Anglin) gives him Abby’s phone number.

Traumatic. Trauma. Like being shelled by the enemy for three days straight. Like watching your friends starved to death in a prison camp. Trauma. Oh, the lives destroyed by sketch comedy!

Comedy Sketch from  25 years ago? CANCELED!

Did the car consent? Did anyone even ask it?

Tawny Kitaen from 1987? CANCELED!

(Side Note: Kitaen’s first cinematic starring role was in the sword and sandals gigglefest, The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak

Flip through the photos on that imdb link. It looks fantastically bad.

I don’t think I can express my displeasure at the CFP committee enough, dropping Ohio State to #2. But I won’t go into it. That’s life being a fan of a team not in the SEC. And who knows, maybe Clemson really aren’t that good and its all their terrible schedule…yeah, right.

In more enjoyable news, the Patriots dynasty may be coming to an end.  If it continues, it’ll most likely involve a road playoff game. And speaking of playoffs, the Steelers are still inexplicably in with a few weeks to go.  So are the Cowboys, who deserve to be taken behind the barn and shot. And the Texans, who are a schizophrenic enigma to say the least.  Should be a wild final 3 weeks. Enjoy it.

Lots of other stuff happening, but we have some time constraints, so I’m moving on. Puritan and poet John Milton was born on this day.  So were frozen food magnate Clarence Birdseye, actor Broderick Crawford, dimpled actor Kirk Douglas, actress Judi Dench, football players Deacon Jones and Dick Butkus, golfer Tom Kite, TNG and DS9’s Michael Dorn, and ‘rassler Kurt Angle.

Not a bad list. Not great, but not bad.  Now on to…the links!

World Anti-doping Administration drops the athletic hammer on Russia. All I can say is: WOW!

“Uh, that’s half the reason we’re doing this. The other half is to erase the rest of the value.”
-climate activists

Protesters are back in force in Hong Kong. And I’m not so sure they should be referring to as “Democrats” but rather “pro-democracy.”  Their ship seems to have passed the Dems’ ship in the night headed in opposite directions.

The FBI is presuming the Pensacola NAS shooting as a terrorist attack. Yeah, no shit.

Bonus NY Post link for a quick laugh. LOL, stop standing on the race course, dumbass.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Never trust a cat. This is basic stuff, people.

Somehow I don’t think that relationship is gonna last. Christ, what an asshole.

Not sure I’ve ever played this since we started doing songs on here. Whichever one of you has the spreadsheet (or database) set up listing songs by artist, title, genre, length, artist height, or whatever other category I’m leaving out, can let me know. The rest of you, enjoy it.

Now go have a great day, friends.

So get this. OMWC thinks that dealing with a dementia patient in a wheel chair, who happens to be his Mom, while simultaneously dealing with the TSA security theater, in a crowded airport packed with clueless snowbirds, then flying across the country to move Mom into a memory care facility at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, earns him the right to skip out on Sunday morning links duty on his way back to the airport to fly home in time to get to work tomorrow at 6 a.m.

He’s correct. You’re stuck with me.

Here’s a Super Secret TPTB Chat Room exchange from last night, while OMWC was trying to eat a takeout dinner at the memory care place.

OMWC: A guy wandered in, assured me that the business was doing well, they were going to bring me into it, then he took my garlic bread and walked away eating it.  They’re going to give me a drawing, he assured me. He’s quite jolly and affable.

TPTB, always supportive: Must be nice not to be the oldest man in the room for a change!

Birthdays:

A woman who probably wished one could choose one’s relatives; a guy whose wife needed some serious time in a salon; the guy with allegedly the most-visited grave in Paris; a man who got the hell out of Des Moines, Iowa (a town I actually like); and a woman about whom my best friend once said, “If she’s stable, I’m a toaster.”

In other news, at least Sloopy will be a happy drunk today. Sorry Wisconsin.

I’m happy for this Montana family. And happy there are nice people who will help reunite them.

I find this hard to believe. Aren’t all elections conducted in a fair, legal, and ethical manner worldwide?

This was most certainly covered by someone here yesterday. It has science and facts! As HM remarked in chat: A moral panic – with statistics.

Yes, it does snow in parts of Arizona.

Exactly what I expect from dentists. Well, you know, not exactly exactly, but I’m not surprised.

And a topical Old Guy Music selection to continue the uplifting tone of OMWC’s weekend!

Have a better one than he is, kids.

Go Pack!

It’s Saturday, I’ve had lunch and a beer, and now I’m parked in the man cave watching the Mountain West Championship. So here’s a few links of apathy.

Now if we could just do this with lawyers and lawmakers.

How long before manbearpig becomes reality?

This is my kind of jurist.

“be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet”

I find it ironic that the French put more effort into protesting than they do working.

The Greatest Generation.

Not wanting to harsh anyone’s mellow, we’ll take it easy tonight.