“Populism may not place a high premium on honesty, but it is all about authenticity. Virtually every Trump voter I know loves that he speaks his mind and says what other people are thinking but are too afraid to say. Lots of people have lived rather messy lives, and they can see themselves in the politician who doesn’t hide his warts — and sometimes even in the politician who revels in his transgressions.
They’re seen as real, while even the most honest politician can seem fake for coming across as too polished.
(I remember once being in a room with Mitt Romney during his second run for president, in 2012, and listening to a number of activists and consultants urging him to “show America the real you.” Exasperated, Romney responded, “This is the real me!” He was authentically polished and polite.)
Category: Local / Living
Desultory bsky Posts – Origins, Buskers, Note on Collaboration
“so where are you from originally?” a random chemical reaction on some rock 4 billion years ago
— the hyperspace (@thehyyyype.bsky.social) February 6, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Had an extremely “everyone on the bus clapped” moment in NYC. A busker was playing “every little thing is gonna be alright” and everyone on the platform started singing along. It was really surreal but also great.
— aysha u. farah (@ayshaufarah.bsky.social) February 7, 2025 at 8:44 AM
“If everyone had just gotten on board with my way of doing things, we’d be doing great now!” – someone who could be right or wrong (who can know?), but who isn’t really helping
— Andy Richter (@andyrichter.co) February 9, 2025 at 8:54 AM
King Soopers Strike
Some 10,000 grocery store workers across the greater Denver area went on strike Thursday, claiming unfair and illegal negotiating practices by King Soopers while their union has been negotiating a new contract with the store chain.
Striking workers at 77 King Soopers stores in Denver and its suburbs, plus those in nearby Boulder and Louisville, Colorado, urged customers not to cross picket lines that began taking shape before dawn.
“Stand together. Stay strong,” United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 7 President Kim Cordova wrote union members in a Monday letter announcing the strike.
UFCW Local 7 members voted by 96% last week to authorize the unfair labor practices strike.
Thousands of Denver-area King Soopers grocery store workers go on strike
World News – Indian Religious Gathering, German Political Rallies
Millions perform bathing ritual on day two of India’s Mahakumbh Mela
On Tuesday, India’s Mahakumbh Mela, which is the world’s largest religious gathering, entered its second day.
Over the next six weeks, 400 million visitors are expected to attend the festival. Thousands of religious leaders and pilgrims could be seen charging into the icy waters in a ritual they believe will cleanse them of sin and help them achieve salvation.
Thousands protest against far-right in Berlin
Police estimate that about 160,000 people came out to protest on Sunday. The rally began just outside the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament building and moved on towards the CDU’s headquarters.
Protester Anna Schwarz, 34, told AFP she was joining a political rally for the first because “we can no longer avert our gaze”.
“(We want to) make as much noise as possible to call for the self-described ‘democratic’ parties to protect this democracy,” she said.
Philadelphia Whole Foods – First Unionized Store
Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia voted on Monday to become the first unionized store in Amazon’s grocery chain, opening a new front in the e-commerce giant’s efforts to fend off labor organizing in multiple segments of its business.
Employees at the sprawling Whole Foods store, in the city’s Spring Garden neighborhood, voted 130-100 in favor of organizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers union, the National Labor Relations Board said.
Whole Foods Workers in Philadelphia Vote to Form Chain’s First Union
The union win comes as Amazon, which owns the grocery chain, is also fighting labor organizing in its warehouse and delivery businesses.
Snowy Day – Denver – January 25, 2025
Reddits Banning Twitter Links
More than 50 subreddits ban X links to protest Musk
The cascade of link bans came after Musk made a hand gesture at a Monday rally that many compared to a Nazi salute, which many cited in their protests, among other things.
One of the largest subreddits that banned links to X is the NBA community for professional basketball, which has 15 million members. In the same post, moderators also banned links to Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads, as well as any other social media platform that requires users to log in to see posts, based on feedback from community members.
“We have reached this decision after taking recent events and strong sentiment from our community into account,” the announcement post said. “While we try our best to stay neutral and apolitical, we do not believe taking a stance against Nazi symbolism is or should be a political issue. Hate speech and the promotion of it has never been tolerated in our community.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/50-reddit-communities-ban-x-links-protest-musk-rcna188719
Does a humidifier make your house feel warmer? Asking Google AI
Yes, a humidifier can make your house feel warmer, even though it doesn’t actually raise the air temperature, because increased humidity slows down the evaporation of sweat from your skin, making you perceive the temperature as higher; essentially, you feel warmer due to the moisture in the air, not because the room is physically warmer.
Key points about humidifiers and temperature perception:
When the air is humid, sweat evaporates more slowly from your skin, causing you to feel warmer.
Your body uses sweat evaporation to cool itself, so less evaporation in humid air means you feel warmer.
Denver Weather – It Might Get Cold
Snowy Day – Denver – January 9, 2025
Thoughts on Aging – Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1hu5iy9/what_were_you_doing_the_day_you_realized_you/
What were you doing the day you realized you entered middle age?
caddis789
A buddy of mine and I were driving around. I don’t remember why. I remarked about how we had changed over the years. In the years before, we would have noticed pretty women, or cool cars. What were we noticing? Nice yards, and shrubbery.
Busty-Girl
Had to zoom in on my phone to read a menu at a restaurant. The waitress noticed and brought me a large print version without me asking. The worst part? I was actually grateful for it.
i-classycouture
I fell over in the pub and instead of laughing and jeering, people were concerned.
Candle-Jolly
I’m 42.
I’ll let you know when it happens.
DeadpoolLuvsDeath
Same age but had 2nd heart attack at 40 so I’d say then.
DucktapeCorkfeet
I’m 50 and I still don’t feel middle-aged.
kingalingadingadongo
48 (I think) and feel the same way.
ravenous0
I was waiting in line to pick up prescriptions to lower my high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
wedeservethis
Statin gang checking in!
DrawThink2526
At my mailbox, on my way home from the gym, holding a letter from my insurance carrier informing me of a rate hike due to my upcoming birthday. I lost my shit.
Mental-Employment701
When I started my first job
Best Wishes for 2025
Language New Year’s Toast Translation Arabic !عام سعيد Happy New Year! Chinese 新年快乐 (formal) or 新年好 (informal) Happy New Year! Czech Šťastný nový rok Happy New Year! French Bonne Année Happy New Year! Gaelic Bliadhna Mhath Ùr A good New Year. German Frohes neues Jahr Happy New Year. Hindi नव वर्ष की शुभकामनाएँ Have a blessed new year. Italian Buon anno! Happy New Year! Japanese 明けましておめでとう! Happy New Year! Korean 새해 복 많이 받으세요 May you have good fortune in the new year. Portuguese Feliz Ano Novo! Happy New Year! Romanian Un An Nou fericit! A happy new year! Russian С Новым Годом! С новым счастьем! Congratulations on the New Year! Congratulations on new happiness! Spanish ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year! Swahili Heri njema ya mwaka mpyaa Happy New Year! Swedish Gott Nytt År! Happy New Year!
Health Care Reform Attempt – $7.50 Shot vs $75 Shot
Gruber: Yeah, that’s a great question. And I think that, ultimately, it’s providers. First of all, if I was the health-care czar, I wouldn’t just pay what Europe pays. I would do a study of what’s the value of a hip replacement, and I’d pay according to that study. Answer one. Answer two is, who’s going to scream? It’s going to be providers, in particular the specialists and the hospitals. And let me tell you a story that illustrates that, Derek. If you get a shot, a drug injected at the doctor—not one you buy at the pharmacy, but an injectable drug, like for cancer, at the doctor—the way the government reimburses you under Medicare, that’s our universal coverage for the elderly, is the doctor gets paid 7.5 percent of the cost of the drug.
So if I give you a shot, Derek, that costs $100, I get $7.50. If I give you a shot that costs $1,000, same effort, same risk of carpal tunnel, I get $75. That’s stupid. That makes no sense. So 20 senators wrote a letter to President Obama saying, “Look, the system’s broken, we should fix it.” So President Obama and his advisers came up with a new system where doctors would largely be paid a flat amount per shot. Budget neutral. We paid the same amount of money to doctors in total, but you get a flat amount per shot. Shortly thereafter, 80 senators, including most of the original 20, wrote a letter to him saying, “How dare you propose this radical revitalization American health care? You must stop this at once. It’s socialism.”
What happened? Well, the oncologists, the cancer doctors, are the ones that give the $1,000 shots, and they got upset and they lobbied. That is the challenge, Derek.
Why American Health Care Is a “Broken System”
plain-english-with-derek-thompson
2024 – Random Pics – Colorado
King Soopers in Denver – Which is the Most *Boujee*
Most Boujee King Soopers???
Ok, the difference between the Soopers on Mississippi and Havana and the Soopers on Yosemite and Bellview are worlds apart…Mississippi and Havana being the red headed step child of the King Soopers empire.
In your opinion which Soopers location is the most boujee?
Bougie is a slang word that you hear in everyday conversations and in the media. noun: Someone who’s considered middle class yet wants to be upper class and is determined to live a wealthier, flashier, more lavish lifestyle (designer labels) Adjective: high-class, fancy, materialistic, snobby. – Google
Limited_turkey
The Hampden and University store is a world away from my store.
hettuklaeddi
Orchard and Holly is bougier
Optimal-Can4635
Live in DTC but I drive the extra distance specifically for that store. Just me and the rich boomers
Koomerthedawg
This is the answer. Spouses used to work they, they are the Soops poster child for the area. Corporate loved showing that store off.
iamgt4me
This is the answer. Doesn’t feel like you’re in America. It’s so peaceful and relaxing in that store.
muchmaligned
I’m in Federal Heights and most of the Soops near me are shitholes with rent-a-cops doing SWAT team cosplay. The Erie one is like 20 minutes north and it’s practically a Whole Foods.
queenrose
The one on 84th & Pecos barely even qualifies as a grocery store. Worst King Soopers I’ve ever visited
muchmaligned
I live across the street from that one and I only go if I need, like, one thing I don’t want to drive ten minutes for haha. Feels like a militarized zone.
bediger4000
Scary Soopers at 13th and Speer is the dodgiest King Soopers.
jonmorrie
I lived in the condos above it for a few years. Can confirm
SadRobotz
Hampden and University is pretty swanky
Gunnerx1337
What about the boujiest Safeway?
Dubayess
Oxymoron