Man, it is way too nice today to be here reading this garbagy end-of-the-world news.
⛽ AP: Biggest stock slide on Wall Street since ’20 as oil surges
I’ve been hearing horror stories about gas prices all weekend – $6-$7/gallon, though those prices seem to be mainly on the east side of the country. We’re running about $4.30-$4.50 in my area of the West Coast. If you’re curious, prices are surging because Those In Charge Of Such Things are thinking we’re going to ban imports from Russia. (Update – looks like we are going to ban imports from Russia.)
🇺🇦 Vox: Russia’s war in Ukraine, explained
Vox has a decent overview of why Russia’s invading Ukraine. Putin seems to have decided he’s going to be the guy who puts the USSR back together, at least, territory-wise? I guess?
On a slightly related note, over the last week I’ve been seeing tons of GenXers my age or so talking about nuclear bomb drills when they were in school – teachers having students get under their desks and all that, and I was a bit baffled. We didn’t do those drills in my school, a little rural school about 30-ish miles north of Midland, MI. My boyfriend, who went to school much closer to Midland, did, however.
I mention Midland because it’s the home of Dow Chemical, and was on Russia’s “To Be Thoroughly Nuked” list when I was a kid. I assume my school didn’t bother with the drills because we all knew we weren’t making it out of any nuking that occurred.
📖 Lifehacker: What Critical Race Theory Actually Means (And What It Doesn’t)
We’re not hearing about the GOP’s critical race theory temper tantrum as much in the news right now, but it’s still going on. Lifehacker has a nice overview of what CRT actually is (hint: not anything they’re teaching your kindergartener).
Oh, cool. Y’know, in case the possibly-long term cardiac damage wasn’t enough for you.
⚕️ Washington Post: Sen. Ron Johnson says Obamacare should be repealed if GOP wins power back
Oh, hey, I know this tune. The GOP sings it every year!
I guess I don’t need to remind anyone that the GOP has no plan to replace Obamacare. They’re basically just mad that 1. The poors might be able to go to the doctor slightly more often, and 2. A popular government plan got branded with a Black guy’s name.
Seriously, if you put the exact same bill up with Trump’s name on it, they’d vote it into law in a hot second and never ever shut up about how cool it is.
Notes & Thoughts 