You Won’t Believe Why There’s No Ambassador On This Consular Ship! Tabs, Tues., May 4, 2021
North Carolina police killed Andrew Brown Jr. 12 days ago and his family had to bury him without actually knowing why he was killed. The absurd delay is because of an even more absurd state law. (Vice)
Shantanu Nundy, chief medical officer of Accolade, and Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, argue in this op-ed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should provide guidance sooner rather than later about when companies should bring workers back to the office. (Washington Post)
Remote work is a necessity for most parents as long as children aren't in school full time. President Joe Biden is still shooting for a grand reopening this fall. (CNN)
Hey, look at that, downtown Seattle isn't dead like a common parrot. It was just resting during the pandemic and is now reportedly “roaring back" as the demand for office space increases. (Seattle Times)
Let's take a quick break from the news to honor the 35th anniversary of the late Robert Palmer's hit "Addicted to Love." This video was everywhere when I was a kid. (Variety)
Senate Minority (damn right!) Leader Mitch McConnell claims that Democrat are “stretching out the pandemic" as an excuse to rebuild roads and bridges and offer universal pre-K. As far as diabolical schemes go, it's somewhat lacking. (CNBC)
The current labor shortage in the restaurant industry is real, but it's not because people are too lazy to work. They just want wages that are worth the risk to their health (and their family's). (Eater)
Judge Algenon Marbley of the Southern District of Ohio has ordered Columbus police to stop using force including tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against nonviolent protesters. This will piss off cops who only come to work so they can brutalize people. (NPR)
Uber and Lyft have plans to coerce voters with threats to withhold certain services if they don't let the companies continue exploiting their workers. Classy. (Reuters)
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is launching a COVID-19 vaccine “Shot and a Beer" program that should encourage grown-ass adults to behave responsibly in exchange for a free beer. Whatever it takes to get us to herd immunity. (Forbes)
This feature about car accidents has me scared to get behind the wheel, and I just got my Oregon driver license. (Yes, I held on to my Washington state one for too long but there was a pandemic, damnit.) (The Atlantic)
This is a great profile of one of my favorite authors, Richard Wright, whose lost novel, The Man Who Lived Underground, is set for release. (The Nation)
Madison Kohout, 19, accidentally moved into a senior living complex. Maybe she read senior as “college seniors." Regardless, this is a classic sitcom in the making. I want Ann Hampton Callaway to sing the theme. (New York Times)
May 4 and 5 are days you can GiveBig to the non-profit of your choice. The arts took a beating last year but with your help (and prompt vaccination), they can thrive again. I look forward to seeing all you wonderful people out there in the dark.
Follow Stephen Robinson on Twitter.
Looking for someone to give that cash to? Why not us?
Stephen Robinson is a writer and social kibbitzer based in Portland, Oregon. He writes make believe for Cafe Nordo, an immersive theatre space in Seattle. Once, he wrote a novel called “Mahogany Slade,” which you should read or at least buy. He's also on the board of the Portland Playhouse theatre. His son describes him as a “play typer guy."
