Afternoon Tea 11.19.2020 - Black Pitch

The plot to kidnap Gov Whitmer involved daily beheadings, the NSA was found to be hacking European countries, managers at Tyson meatpacking plants bet on how many workers would get COVID-19, and our Dark Carnival Pokémon looks to be charging his final attack (no the picture is not anywhere in this newsletter). It’s Thursday, November 19th 2020, and this is the Tea.

'US spied on allies from Denmark, including the Netherlands' (NOS - Translated from Dutch) The NSA continues to betray the trust of America’s allies. And here’s Tom with the Weather.

Disturbing New Details in Alleged Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (ABC7 Chicago) If the 200 combatants that were planning to swarm the governor’s mansion and perform daily beheadings were Muslim, this would be the only story we were talking about today.

'We Are Shipping To The U.S.': Inside China's Online Synthetic Drug Networks (NPR) Remember how Trump said he beat the Opiate Crisis, heroin, overdoses, and Fentanyl? That went about as well as you could imagine.

Lawsuit: Tyson managers bet money on how many workers would contract COVID-19 (Iowa Capital Dispatch) The idea that anyone involved with this, actively putting workers in harm’s way, then betting on it, will go unpunished, makes me quite ill.

Millions Still Haven’t Gotten Stimulus Checks, Including Many Who Need Them Most (ProPublica) Unlike Rittenhouse who used his stimulus check to buy a gun, 12 million who never even got their $600-1200. And how to apply if you’re one and qualify BEFORE Nov. 21st which is SATURDAY.

Criminal justice reformers claim mandate as final election results trickle in (Politico) After election day, the balance of same-day ballots pointed to a rebuke of the criminal justice reform that NYPD and state level GOP candidates disingenuously blamed for the uptick in crime & gun violence. This “red mirage” has corrected their tongues as mail-in/absentee ballots took each of the left’s perceived losses into the win column.

Stringer Sues de Blasio in the Case of the Missing Pandemic Preparation Files (TheCity) I have no idea who will win the NYC mayoral race that’s starting to heat up. I know that the loser will be Bill de Blasio. All the stuff he thought he could skate on? One of the candidates for his seat will find it. And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving Great Value Lurch.

YouTube Will Start Running Ads on Channels That Aren’t Part of Its Revenue-Sharing Program (Variety) I stopped writing on Medium when they told me they would put my content behind a paywall that I not only wouldn’t see revenue from, but that I’d need to pay to bypass to see my own content. YouTube looks to be taking the same route.

The First Responders (Columbia Journalism Review) We train chronic care & ER doctors differently, same with paramedics & physician’s assistants. Why not think of the journalists that put themselves in harm’s way, to bring you the facts on the ground as they happen, as different than those who sit in an office doing research, editing, and framing all day. This idea deserves a lot more attention, as we already have them, they’re just not getting hazard pay or insurance.

Satellite Images Suggest North Korea Is Training Kamikaze Dolphins (Popular Mechanics) I mean, sure why not? Not only did we experiment with dolphin human communication, they made one fall in love with a human, who later wasted away after the research was shut down.

Song of the Tea: A Tribe Called Red blends indigenous rhythms and drum beats with EDM, trap, and dubstep vibes. This track, that samples the Thanksgiving speech Wednesday Addams gives about 3/4 of the way through Addams Family Values, is a great conversation starter next week.

The Afternoon Tea will be off next week, gotta do some needed track work. Please stand clear of the closing doors.

Yours, until next time,T