July 13, 2022

From the NY Times The Morning column: The changing politics of economic class in the US

By David Leonhardt


My colleague Nate Cohn, The Times’s chief political analyst, has spent a lot of time thinking about the changing politics of economic class in the U.S. College graduates used to favor Republicans, while blue-collar voters favored Democrats. Increasingly, though, the opposite is true.

The social liberalism of Democrats — on immigration, marijuana, L.G.B.T. rights, affirmative action, abortion and more — has simultaneously attracted progressive college graduates and repelled more culturally conservative working-class voters. If you’re trying to figure out why Latino voters have shifted right in the past few years, even during the Trump presidency, this dynamic offers an explanation.

In this year’s midterm elections, the changing politics of class may get supercharged, Nate notes. Why? Look at the stories in the news. Many working-class voters are frustrated over inflation and other economic disruptions, making them unhappy with the Biden administration and Democrats. Many college graduates are angry about the recent decisions from a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees.

These attitudes are evident in the first New York Times/Siena College poll of the midterm cycle: Among registered voters who never attended college, Republicans lead by almost 20 percentage points. Among college graduates, Democrats lead by almost 30 points. One startling comparison is that Democrats lead by almost as much among white college graduates as among all voters of color.


How Educational Differences Are Widening America’s Political Rift https://nyti.ms/3BSvKgY



'What used to be the party of the factory floor is now the party of the faculty lounge'. Bill Maher


On the other hand the column describes the congressional generic battle race as very tight.

July 13, 2022

Kramatorsk Ukraine was subjected to heavy shelling last night

https://twitter.com/Flash43191300/status/1547087911463653376


Kramatorsk actually is the key strategic city held by Ukraine in the Donbas.

July 13, 2022

Russia is engaged in enormous artillery shelling in the Donbas tonight

https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1546980474752475136

On the other hand Ukraine blew a large ammo depot in Luhansk
This is happening as I write.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1546991699246858242?t=p4-fZt5c9m68JEgIJdkw2w&s=19

I read a claim that Ukraine fired the missile at the orc ammo dump from Bakhmut. Don't know if that's related to the orc arty.

July 12, 2022

Important thread on the war in Ukraine by expert Rob Lee.

Just out this afternoon. All the mavens will be talking about the issues he raises.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1546907014756024321

July 12, 2022

Is Ukraine's strategy of blowing up ammo dumps working?

Time will tell.

https://twitter.com/Euan_MacDonald/status/1546893043390898176

July 12, 2022

Patron on being Ukrainian.

https://twitter.com/PatronDsns/status/1546797350340935685

July 12, 2022

NY Times: Bookstores are booming and becoming more diverse!

Two years ago, the future of independent book selling looked bleak. As the coronavirus forced retailers to shut down, hundreds of small booksellers around the United States seemed doomed. Bookstore sales fell nearly 30 percent in 2020, U.S. Census Bureau data showed. The publishing industry was braced for a blow to its retail ecosystem, one that could permanently reshape the way readers discover and buy books.

Instead, something unexpected happened: Small booksellers not only survived the pandemic, but many are thriving.

“It’s kind of shocking when you think about what dire straits the stores were in in 2020,” said Allison Hill, the chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, a trade organization for independent bookstores. “We saw a rally like we’ve never seen before.”


Nyshell Lawrence's store carries titles by Black authors -- most of them women. Photographs by Ali Lapetina for The New York Times
The association now has 2,023 member stores in 2,561 locations, up from 1,689 in early July of 2020. Some of the growth reflects the renewal of memberships by existing stores that put off doing it last year amid the uncertainly caused by the pandemic. But there has also been a sharp and sustained rise in new bookshops, and more than 200 additional stores are preparing to open in the next year or two, Ms. Hill said.

Some Surprising Good News: Bookstores Are Booming and Becoming More Diverse https://nyti.ms/3IsNLXC

July 12, 2022

Prof. Phillips Peyson OBrien on the big boom near Kherson the other night.

https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1546745849534988289


While the Prof nails it I'll just mention one detail. The attacks come at night so orc drones can't locate the Ukraine artillery. Even if the orcs could locate the guns from the artillery fire Ukraine will have moved the HIMRS by the time the orcs can launch their inaccurate shells. Shoot and Scoot.

July 12, 2022

Something exploded last night near Kherson Ukraine

https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1546583165417963520

Nice bit of commentary by the great Def Mon.

Looks even better the second time.

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1546610758020206593


I won't say anything more at this point but it seems like big things are going to start happening soon in the Kherson Oblast.

July 11, 2022

Moviegoers are leaving their couches for theaters, bringing summer box office sales close to

prepandemic levels.


It’s becoming clearer that audiences are no longer satisfied just sitting on the couch to watch movies. Not only are they returning to movie theaters in droves, theater operators say they’re opting for pricier tickets and spending more on concessions.

Over the weekend, Disney’s newest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, “Thor: Love and Thunder,” opened to nearly $145 million in ticket sales domestically and drew around 10 million moviegoers out to cinemas.



With additional ticket sales from movies like Paramount and Skydance’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” Universal’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Jurassic World: Dominion” as well as Pixar’s “Lightyear” and Warner Bros.? “Elvis,” the weekend’s domestic box office raked in around $240 million.

That’s well above the $185 million for the same weekend in 2019, according to data from Comscore. At the time, Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” topped the box office alongside Disney’s “Toy Story 4? and “Aladdin,” Universal’s “Yesterday,” Warner Bros.? “Annabelle Comes Home” and A24?s “Midsommar.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/11/moviegoers-are-leaving-their-couches-for-theaters-bringing-summer-box-office-sales-close-to-pre-pandemic-levels.html


Sorry DU, it's over.