Alexa interprets “Away in a Manger” as “Willie the Manager.” Even its speech recognition is neoliberal.
The Amazon warehouse that was destroyed by the tornado is a smoldering ruin. I don’t know how they build in a tornado-prone area to end up with such a flimsy structure. I also find it shocking that they didn’t evacuate when we all knew that tornadoes were coming. I hope people sue. It’s a terrible calamity.
Reply to Neoliberal Amazon
Capitalism in action. I agree, lawsuits are the only available remedy.
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In a socialist country, nobody would acknowledge that people died at all, and workers would be forced to rebuild without pay.
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All warehouses are vulnerable to high wind. I’m not sure there’s any design for a large, open-space building where this isn’t the case. In our big hurricane, the buildings that fared the worst were big steel buildings, and large churches. Any time you have a roof that has to bridge a very large space, you end up with a lot of flex in the structure. The larger question is: did they have a storm shelter built into the warehouse? If not why not? If so… why did employees die?
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It looks like they didn’t have a shelter. Which is very bizarre, knowing what this area is like.
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” didn’t have a shelter. Which is very bizarre”
Au contraire, I would be surprised if Amazon (a company built on mass fungibility and consumerism uber alles) would treat particular employees as a resource needing protection. Employees are fungible and replaceable widgets.
What’s slightly bizarre is that local regulations have degraded so much that large scale employers don’t have to have basic safety measures in place – no nation state = no safe work place…
Good day, everybody! After several days w/o electricity, I am finally back.
Wanted to share this shocking (to me) info re high education in Israel. What are those people doing instead of getting education? Has the situation returned to normal in America?
(from Russian) “The Impact of Lockdowns on Higher Education
Last year, 3 students were admitted to the Hebrew Department of Tel Aviv University. You are not mistaken: not 30, not 300, but three. This year – already entire twelve. (Only five people signed up for the Hebrew department at my Tel Hai college last year. But I thought things were different at the central university …)”
The original post in Russian:
https://nomen-nescio.livejournal.com/2564397.html
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I’m sorry you didn’t have electricity! What happened?
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Reminded me of an acquaintance who went on and on about losing her scarf and finally saying, “the only place I had it with me was at the ER when I was waiting for my husband. Oh yeah, he collapsed unexpectedly and had to go to the ER.”
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Quoting your recent post:
“any contact with another human being is fraught with danger. Anybody can turn out to be a psychopath out to destroy you: a neighbor”
I think neighbors a few floors above us started doing some stupid, probably illegal things to electricity, started a fire and left entire building w/o electricity for a few days. Higher floors still sit in darkness.
The flat near us has bad electricity too. I hope they don’t start a fire too one day. 😦
God. I’m so sorry! Stupid bastards.
The tornado broke the electricity on my campus. It’s back up but now my Adobe isn’t working. I have no idea why Adobe specifically conked out and how to bring it back.
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el, have you listened to Dmitry Muratov’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech? It’s here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA9Jzj-_Vus
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// el, have you listened to Dmitry Muratov’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech?
No, but now you reminded me of his prize. Heard about him since Latynina works at the same newspaper.
Unlike you, I do not have deep knowledge of FSU politics and culture. Remember, I left as a kid.
Yet do try to know something at least, so will be glad to listen or read his speech. Thanks!
// God. I’m so sorry! Stupid bastards.
It is all about the money.
The frightening flat near ours with horrible electricity is even connected to neoliberalism in a way. The owners signed a long term contract with a renting agency which remade one flat into 5 separate rooms and lets (imo illegally) high number of constantly changing tenants occupy it, while refusing to invest 1 shekel into taking care of that property.
When they damaged a wall in our flat with water a few years ago, the agent agreed to pay my mother 200 shekels (a very low sum) … we are still waiting for this misery (I mean, a miser who adores money) compensation.
That is why their electricity is not well.
Hope they won’t burn us too in addition to that water thing.
I heard entire building with flats for rent are a thing in America. In Israel people usually own flats or rent 1-2 inherited flats.
However, recently a new building was built just outside our windows. We asked regarding the flat prices there and got the answer that it was built for long term rent only, not for sale. Cannot say I like those developments.
I think a comment was sent anonymously. Could you check spam, please? I sent it by mistake w/o entering my username, let alone email.
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Now, if only we could sue our local leaders for allowing businesses (like Amazon!) to build in floodplains that flood fairly often. When I heard an Amazon warehouse went down, I thought it was the one in my neighborhood. There are a bunch of those big structures. And when the natural disaster comes, they always come crying for tax payers to help foot the bill. Bad leaders who are greedy for tax $ are the ones responsible for approving such architectural disasters-in-waiting.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
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