#Anderson Economic Group

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

General Motors (GM.N) on Thursday made a counterproposal to the union representing its U.S. hourly workers in a bid to avoid a costly strike, but United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain called the offer "insulting."

The largest U.S. automaker said it offered workers a 10% wage hike and two additional 3% annual lump sum payments over four years in its offer to the union ahead of the Sept. 14 contract expiration.

Last week, Ford said it had offered a 9% wage increase through 2027 and 6% lump sump payments, much less than the 46% wage hike being sought by the union. The UAW has said 97% of members voted in favor of authorizing a strike if agreement is not reached.

Fain, who represents 146,000 workers at the Detroit Three, said GM's offer was "an insulting proposal that doesn’t come close to an equitable agreement for America’s autoworkers.... The clock is ticking. Stop wasting our members’ time. Tick tock."

GM shares were down 1.3% in mid-day trading.

GM said the wage hike is the largest proposed since 1999. It is also offering a $6,000 one-time inflation-related payment and $5,000 in inflation-protection bonuses over the life of the agreement, along with a $5,500 ratification bonus.

Chrysler-parent Stellantis said Wednesday it planned to make a counteroffer to the UAW this week.

GM said that under its offer, current temporary employees will receive a 20% increase to $20 per hour wage and it would shorten the time it takes to get to the maximum wage rate for permanent employees - mirroring proposals from Ford.

GM President Mark Reuss said in a video posted on Thursday "we need a fair contract that both rewards our employees and protects the long-term health of our business."

A UAW strike that shuts the Detroit Three manufacturers could cost carmakers, suppliers and workers over $5 billion, Michigan-based Anderson Economic Group estimated.

With new car inventories tight, consumer experts have said that could translate into higher car prices - an important component of inflation.

Last week, the UAW filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against GM and Stellantis saying they refused to bargain in good faith.

The union's demands include a 20% immediate wage increase followed by four 5% annual wage hikes, defined-benefit pensions for all workers, 32-hour work weeks and additional cost of living hikes. GM is proposing to give employees an additional paid holiday.

The UAW also wants all temporary workers at U.S. automakers to be made permanent, seeks enhanced profit sharing and the restoration of retiree health-care benefits and cost-of-living adjustments.

The UAW said Ford's profit-sharing formula change would have cut payouts by 21% over the last two years.

J.P.Morgan on Thursday said supply chain disruptions from a potential UAW strike would cut new vehicle production, drive up used car prices and put pressure on margins in the personal auto insurance business.

[jsaseen]

[queerasfact]

Queer Calendar 2023

We put together a calendar of key (mostly queer) dates at the start of the year to help us with scheduling - so I thought I’d share it around! Including pride and visibility days, some queer birthdays and anniversaries, and a few other bits and bobs. Click the links for more info - I dream one day of having a queer story for every day of the year!

This is obviously not an exhaustive list - if I’ve overlooked something important to you, feel free to add it in the reblogs!

January

3 - Bisexual American jazz-age heiress Henrietta Bingham born 1901

8 - Queer Australian bushranger Captain Moonlite born 1845; gay American art collector Ned Warren born 1860

11 - Pennsylvania celebrates Rosetta Tharpe Day in honour of bisexual musician Rosetta Tharpe

12 - Japanese lesbian author Nobuko Yoshiya born 1896

22 - Lunar New Year (Year of the Rabbit)

24 - Roman emperor Hadrian, famous for his relationship with Antinous, born 76CE; gay Prussian King Frederick the Great born 1712

27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

February

LGBT+ History Month (UK, Hungary)

Black History Month (USA and Canada)

1 - Feast of St Brigid, a saint especially important to Irish queer women

5 - Operation Soap, a police raid on gay bathhouses in Toronto, Canada, spurs massive protests, 1981

7 - National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (USA)

18 - US Black lesbian writer and activist Audre Lorde born 1934

12 - National Freedom to Marry Day (USA)

19-25 - Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week

March

Women’s History Month

1 - Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day

8 - International Women’s Day

9 - Bi British writer David Garnett born 1892

12 - Bi Polish-Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky born 1889 or 1890

13 March-15 April - Deaf History Month

14 - American lesbian bookseller and publisher Sylvia Beach born 1887

16 - French lesbian artist Rosa Bonheur born 1822

20 - Bi US musician Rosetta Tharpe born 1915

21 - World Poetry Day

24 - The Wachowski sisters’ cyberpunk trans allegory The Matrix premiers 1999

April

Jazz Appreciation Month

Black Women’s History Month

National Poetry Month (USA)

3 - British lesbian diarist Anne Lister born 1791

8 - Trans British racing driver and fighter pilot Roberta Cowell born 1918

9 -  Bi Australia poet Lesbia Harford born 1891; Easter Sunday

10 - National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (USA)

14 - Day of Silence

15 - Queer Norwegian photographer and suffragist Marie Høeg born 1866

17 - Costa-Rican-Mexican lesbian singer Chavela Vargas born 1919

21-22 - Eid al-Fitr

25 - Gay English King Edward II born 1284

26 - Lesbian Day of Visibility; bi American blues singer Ma Rainey born 1886

29 - International Dance Day

30 - International Jazz Day

May

1 - Trans British doctor and Buddhist monk Michael Dillon born 1915

7 - International Family Equality Day

7 - Gay Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky born 1840

15 - Australian drag road-trip comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert premiers in 1994

 17 - IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia)

18 - International Museum Day

19 - Agender Pride Day

22 - US lesbian tailor and poet Charity Bryant born 1777

22 - Harvey Milk Day marks the birth of gay US politician Harvey Milk 1930

23 - Premier of Pride, telling the story of the 1980s British activist group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners

24 - Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day; Queer Chinese-Japanese spy Kawashima Yoshiko born 1907

26 - queer American astronaut Sally Ride born 1951

29 - Taiwanese lesbian writer Qiu Miaojin born 1969

June

Pride Month

Indigenous History Month (Canada)

3 - Bisexual American-French performer, activist and WWII spy Josephine Baker born 1906

5 - Queer Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca born 1898; bi English economic John Maynard Keynes born 1883

8 - Mechanic and founder of Australia’s first all-female garage, Alice Anderson, born 1897

10 - Bisexual Israeli poet Yona Wallach born 1944

12 - Pulse Night of Remembrance, commemorating the 2012 shooting at the Pulse nightclub, Orlando

14 - Australian activists found the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands in 2004

18 - Sally Ride becomes the first know queer woman in space

24 - The first Sydney Mardi Gras 1978

25 - The rainbow flag first flown as a queer symbol in 1978

28 - Stonewall Riots, 1969

28 June-2 July - Eid al-Adha

30 - Gay German-Israeli activist, WWII resistance member and Holocaust survivor Gad Beck born 1923

July

1 - Gay Dutch WWII resistance fighter Willem Arondeus killed - his last words were “Tell the people homosexuals are no cowards”

2-9 - NAIDOC Week (Australia) celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture

6 - Bi Mexican artist Frida Kahlo born 1907

12 or 13 - Roman emperor Julius Caesar born c.100BCE

14 - International Non-Binary People’s Day

23 - Shelly Bauman, owner of Seattle gay club Shelly’s Leg, born 1947; American lesbian cetenarian Ruth Ellis born 1899; gay American professor, tattooist and sex researcher Sam Steward born 1909

25 - Italian-Australian trans man Harry Crawford born 1875

August

8 - International Cat Day

9 - Queer Finnish artist, author and creator of Moomins Tove Jansson born 1914

9 - International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

11 - Russian lesbian poet Sofya Parnok born 1885

12 - Queer American blues musician Gladys Bentley born 1907

13 - International Left-Handers Day

22 - Gay WWII Dutch resistance fight Willem Arondeus born 1894

24 - Trans American drag queen and activist Marsha P Johnson born 1945

26 - National Dog Day

30 - Bi British author Mary Shelley 1797

31 - Wear it Purple Day (Australia - queer youth awareness)

September

5 - Frontman of Queen Freddie Mercury born 1946

6 - Trans Scottish doctor and farmer Ewan Forbes born 1912

13 - 1990 documentary on New York’s ball culture Paris is Burning premiers

15-17 - Rosh Hashanah

16-23 - Bisexual Awareness Week

17 - Gay Prussian-American Inspector General of the US Army Baron von Steuben born 1730

23 - Celebrate Bisexuality Day

24 - Gay Australian artist William Dobell born 1889

30 - International Podcast Day

October

Black History Month (Europe)

4 - World Animal Day

5 - National Poetry Day (UK)

5 - Queer French diplomat and spy the Chevalière d’Éon born 1728

8 - International Lesbian Day

9 - Indigenous Peoples’ Day (USA)

11 - National Coming Out Day

16 - Irish writer Oscar Wilde born 1854

18 - International Pronouns Day

22-28 - Asexual Awareness Week

26 - Intersex Awareness Day

31 - American lesbian tailor Sylvia Drake born 1784

November

8 - Intersex Day of Remembrance

12 - Diwali; Queer Mexican nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz born c.1648

13-19 - Transgender Awareness Week

20 - Trans American writer, lawyer, activist and priest Pauli Murray born 1910; Transgender Day of Remembrance

27 - Antinous, lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian, born c.111; German lesbian drama Mädchen in Uniform premiers, 1931

29 - Queer American writer Louisa May Alcott born 1832

December

AIDS Awareness Month

1 - World AIDS Day

2 - International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities

8 - Pansexual Pride Day; queer Swedish monarch Christina of Sweden born 1626

10 - Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners host Pits and Perverts concern to raise mining for striking Welsh miners, 1984

14 - World Monkey Day

15 - Roman emperor Nero born 37CE

24 - American drag king and bouncer Stormé DeLarverie born 1920

25 - Christmas

29 - Trans American jazz musician Billy Tipton born 1914

[fatt-twitter-updates]

Friends at the Table Retweeted:

Mike Drucker @MikeDrucker:

if their work is that important, pay them like their work is that important

1:22 PM PDT, 14 July 2023 (Source)

Vox @/voxdotcom:

A 10-day UPS strike would cost the economy more than $7 billion and be the costliest work stoppage in at least a century, according to a new study by Anderson Economic Group, which researches labor disruptions.

10:08 AM PDT, 14 July 2023 (Source)

[teddysgrahms]

i love love LOVE headcanons so I’m gonna share some of mine (specifically for my modern au lol)

Todd’s favorite movie is fantastic mr. fox <3

Charlie is the number one Britney Spears fan in the great state of Vermont

Knox is the only one of the group with a license and a car (Todd is scared of driving, Neil’s parents won’t let him get his license until he’s 18, charlie should never be allowed to operate any vehicle ever, Pitts has failed his exam twice now, meeks is blind, and Cameron’s saving up to buy a car) also yes the car was a gift from his dad

Ginny takes French and sprinkles it into her sentences all the time to impress her friends (mostly Chris)

Neil did track and field for the first two years of high school but his dad made him drop it to focus on his grades and soccer </3

Charlie introduced neil to Britney Spears and has converted him into a pop girlie

Neil has a Walkman and loves collecting tapes and putting mixtapes together :)

Meeks is president of the physics club

Knox’s parents are divorced and he lives with his dad

Favorite seasons:

Spring: Pitts, Cameron, Knox

Summer: Charlie, Meeks

Autumn: Neil

Winter: Todd

(The favorite seasons are so controversial between me and my friend because they insist that Todd’s favorite season would be fall because of what happened in winter but I raise you: if that didn’t happen (and before it happened) Todd’s favorite season would be winter because he likes spending time inside bundled up by the fire reading and hanging out with his buddies)

Charlie is a Reese Witherspoon stan

Cameron loves Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry

Charlie has known he’s bisexual since 6th grade and since then has been unashamedly open about it <3

Mr. Keating is married to his wife and he loves her very much (also he is my bisexual king)

Pitts is ambidextrous because he got bored one summer and taught himself to write with his non dominant hand

Oh also here are their soccer positions:

Goalkeeper: Charlie (of course)

Defenders: Neil (sweeper), Pitts (center back, left back)

Midfielders: Knox (right mid)

Strikers: Todd, Cameron

And then meeks team manager :)

All the boys except Todd have been close friends since freshman year. Neil and Charlie have known each other the longest since they were neighbors growing up and have been besties ever since

Cameron became part of the group by accident when meeks invited the whole 7th grade home room class to his birthday and Cameron was the only one outside the main group to show up

Todd was one of those kids who would watch worms at recess and talk to them very kindly

I am a good big brother Jeff stan and I will never apologize for it. Jeff and Todd are besties. Todd got into soccer because of Jeff and some of his fondest memories are of them playing together when they were younger

Jeff is taking a gap year before he starts his third year of college (at like Yale or something idk he’s an economics major) and he’s been staying at home recently which has made Todd a bit happier about having to change schools so suddenly

Balincrest (Todd’s old school) was a boarding school, but in the modern au Welton is not. Todd is more upset about this than anything but at least he gets to see the family dog Lucy (who is a golden lab because the andersons are basic ass white bitches)

I have more but that’s enough for now lol

[arieso226]

The Inconsistencies of Race and Class

   NO. 1

  Class is primarily an economic measure, of course, based on wealth and income. This is explained more in Karl Marx’s and Max Weber’s ‘The Communist Manifesto, where Marx touches on Capitalism, an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit rather than the state's need to expand throughout Markets. The three main groups in class society are 1) The Aristocracy, 2) the bourgeoisie, which owns most of society’s wealth and production. And 3) the proletariats, or the working-class people. These terms are even more present today than during the Industrial Revolution. The bourgeoisie thrives off alienation and false consciousness, which is the way of thinking that prevents a person from understanding the true nature of their social or economic status.

NO. 2

Patricia Hill-Collins writes in Toward a New Vision, ‘’Each group identifies the type of oppression with which it feels most comfortable as being fundamental and classifies all other types as lesser importance. Oppression is full of such contradictions. Errors in political judgment that we make concerning how we teach our courses, what we tell our children, and which organizations are worthy.’’ (Collins, 1993).  Oppression of education and fundamental voting rights happened exclusively to minorities, especially black people. During the ’50s and the ’60s, Brown vs. The Board of Education was one of the most iconic moments in history when the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled that the segregation of public schools between blacks and whites was unconstitutional.

NO. 3

Basically, proving that separate is not equal. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and of course, the Civil Rights Movement that led up to it, was a landmark civil rights and U.S. labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Now, with the Civil Rights Movement passed, it makes it seem that all people have rights, but it’s not true. Minorities alike do not have the same rights, no matter the changed laws and how much we think we’ve changed. White privilege is the societal belief that benefits white people over non-white people. It makes it almost impossible for all minorities to overcome the system. White privilege is the belief that there’s nothing wrong with being a white nationalist and that the removal of our nation’s past physical examples of racism, ex. The erasure of Confederate statues, affirmative action, and other such policies is an attack on white heritage.

NO. 4

Whether they want to admit it or not, the overlap between race and class has a great impact on society, and it intersects in complex ways, and simply focusing on one aspect alone may not lead to comprehensive solutions. Affirmative action was used to bridge the gap between racial and class disparities, and now that it is being threatened and taken away, we must carefully consider the impact that it has had and continues to have on marginalized communities. Carol Anderson, the author of White Rage, talks about the definition of white rage, which is how their anger fuels hatred, and that hatred fuels violence which has caused the deaths of black people, men, and women alike, ever since the first boat brought the slaves. It touches on white privilege and the indifference white people feel for black people, sort of like colorblind racism, a ‘toilet assumption’, the naivety that all people are created equal, when that’s far from the case. 

[iww-gnv]

A potential strike by U.S. auto workers in September would be a high-stakes problem for President Biden, who's trying to balance his push for electric vehicles with his self-description as "the most pro-union president ever." Driving the news: The United Auto Workers worries that EV factories won't employ as many people as traditional plants, and that new battery factories spurred by the president's tax incentives will pay lower wages. Why it matters: In addition to the political implications, a work stoppage by nearly 150,000 UAW workers at GM, Ford and Stellantis would result in an economic loss of more than $5 billion after 10 days, according to Anderson Economic Group. Zoom in: UAW members will vote this week on whether to authorize their fiery new leader, Shawn Fain, to call a strike against Detroit carmakers when their contract expires Sept. 14.

[Read the rest]

[zvaigzdelasas]

The White House is closely monitoring the upcoming labor talks in the US auto industry, negotiations that could put it at odds with the traditional support of a major union. [...]

The three contracts between the UAW and General Motors, Ford (F) and Stellantis, which sells cars and trucks under the Dodge, Ram and Chrysler brands, are due to expire September 14. Traditionally the UAW will select one of the three companies to go first and have the other two put on hold while it concentrates on reaching deal that the union will then push for from the other two automakers as part of a “pattern.” The last round of negotiations in 2019 resulted in a strike at GM by nearly 50,000 union members that lasted about six weeks, costing the automaker nearly $3 billion. There was even greater cost to the overall economy in the Midwest due to the impact on GM suppliers and local businesses in the towns where GM plants are located. Beyond that, Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan think thank estimates that UAW members lost $835 million in wages during the strike and federal and state income and payroll tax collections were nearly $350 million.

All three automakers are investing billions of dollars as part of a transition from traditional gasoline powered vehicles to electric vehicles. Such a move would allow them not only to meet tough new emissions rules, but also to build cars with less need for labor because of fewer moving parts. Ford estimates the shift to EVs will reduce the hours of work needed to build a car by one third. So the shift to EVs, supported by the Biden administration, is a major concern of the UAW heading into these talks. Biden has already been endorsed for reelection by the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, with Liz Shuler, the group’s president, describing him as “the most pro-union president in our lifetimes.” But the UAW, which is part of the AFL-CIO, has held off on joining other unions in endorsing Biden so far.[...]

“We have been absolutely clear that the switch to electric engine jobs, battery production and other EV manufacturing cannot become a race to the bottom,” Fain said in a statement from the union. “Not only is the federal government not using its power to turn the tide – they’re actively funding the race to the bottom with billions in public money.” “These companies are extremely profitable and will continue to make money hand over fist whether they’re selling combustion engines or EVs,” Fain said. “Yet the workers get a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. Why is Joe Biden’s administration facilitating this corporate greed with taxpayer money?”

5 Jul 23

[reasoningdaily]

Another America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It

Another America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It

In 1820, a small group of African Americans reversed the course of history and sailed to Africa, to a place they would name after liberty itself. They went under the aegis of the American Colonization Society, a white philanthropic organization with a dual agenda: to rid America of its blacks and to evangelize Africa. The settlers, eventually numbering in the thousands, broke free from the ACS, and, in 1847, establish the Republic of Liberia. James Ciment’s Another America is the first full account of this dramatic experiment. With empathy and a sharp eye for human foibles, Ciment reveals that the Americo-Liberians struggled to live up to their high ideals. They wrote a stirring Declaration of Independence but re-created the social order of antebellum Dixie, with themselves as the master caste. Building plantations, holding elegant soirees, and exploiting and even helping enslave the native Liberians, the persecuted became the persecutors—until a lowly native sergeant murdered their president in 1980, ending 133 years of Americo rule. The rich cast of characters in Another America rivals that of any novel. We encounter Marcus Garvey, who coaxed his followers toward Liberia in the 1920s, and the rubber king Harvey Firestone, who built his empire on the backs of native Liberians. Among the Americoes themselves, we meet the brilliant intellectual Edward Blyden, one of the first black nationalists; the Baltimore-born explorer Benjamin Anderson, seeking a legendary city of gold in the Liberian hinterland; and President William Tubman, a descendant of Georgia slaves, whose economic policies brought Cadillacs to the streets of Monrovia, the Liberian capital. And then there are the natives, men like Joseph Samson, who was adopted by a prominent Americo family and later presided over the execution of his foster father during the 1980 coup. In making Liberia, the Americoes transplanted the virtues and vices of their country of birth. The inspiring and troubled history they created is, to a remarkable degree, the mirror image of our own.

[bright-and-burning]

just remembered i missed all sorts of tags dkjnkjfdsanf tagged by @foggieststars @omigodyall @liamlawsonlesbian @albonoooo AND @freeuselandonorris !!!

1. do you make your bed?

not unless people are coming over (i have a studio apartment), but i also only sleep w a duvet in the summer lol

2. favourite number?

13! my first high school soccer number. i loved being the unlucky number <3 something so fun about being the shortest person on the team w the unlucky number coming on and playing aggressively lol

3. what's your job?

i'm a data analyst! for a government research group. kind of. it’s complicated aksjksjd. demographics + economics + policy stuff most of the time, i think (idk, they just pay me to do numbers and code)

4. if you could go back to school, would you?

yeah, my job'll get me my masters for free and i am definitely taking them up on that

5. can you parallel park?

yes!!!

6. do you think aliens are real?

the universe is mad vast there's def lifeforms out there. definitely no humanoids in our solar system imo tho

7. can you drive a manual car?

no kfjdsakfj i've never driven manual. i want to learn! but you would not believe how hard that is like, logistically. just finding someone who owns a manual is impossible lmao

8. guilty pleasure?

i simply do not feel guilt abt pleasure. jk uhhhh. ok this is so hard i did the full thing and came back to this and still dont have an answer. naps during the workday? some of my music taste is like . fjdskajf. i guess

9. tattoos?

none for now !

10. favourite colour?

all of the sunset ones!! orange and pink and purples.. beloved....

11. favourite type of music?

im sure spotify will say my top genre recently is. rap? pop? one of those two. but that's just the mood im in this summer. last summer was extremely folk americana rock indie modge podge

12. do you like puzzles?

YES!!!! it's like. why i'm in the career im in lol every project i work on is just solving puzzles w the exact same rush of satisfaction at completing it/figuring it out lol

13. favourite childhood sport?

i did . so many sports as a kid. if it was free/cheap my parents were throwing us in just to try lol. played soccer, did taekwondo, did like ten years of dance (tap >>> ballet if im honest), running, kickball every day after school for years, gymnastics for a bit, more or less self-taught figure skating w second hand skates, etc etc. to say nothing of the random sports i tried one(or two or three)-offs of with friends at like birthday parties or w/e (loved hockey ! loved softball ! loved tennis !) i liked soccer best for sure tho. perfect mix of the like quick feet agility i loved about tap dancing and the exhilaration of success and watching everything come together in the right moment of all the other things

14. do you talk to yourself?

yes and no? im actually quite quiet despite living alone but i have a constant running monologue so things slip out all the time ldkfjal

15. tea or coffee?

...neither

16. first thing you wanted to be when growing up?

an engineer!! #womeninstem. when i was 3 i would go around saying i wanted to be an engineer and make a million dollars a year and adopt 12 kids (6 boys 6 girls). that was the very first eve dream

17. what movies do you adore?

40s and 50s musicals >>>>. technicolor how i miss you so... gene kelly movies were my bread and butter as a kid. i do love wes anderson can't lie. also chris nolan movies! they hit! like they just do!! also robots (2005).

i genuinely think everyone has been tagged. just guessing based on how many times ive been tagged here. DJFLAK

[nem0c]

I first encountered tabletop hobbies when wh40k was unavoidable here (and hadn't yet been streamlined) and 3.5e/pathfinder 1e was the popular D&D edition so it remains funny whenever someone tells me 5e has too much crunch.

What I find compelling about the BECMI line and AD&D 1E's DM guide is the occasional slips into simulationism and arcturial fantasy: Players may never reach a level where Domain Play comes into effect but as a DM I can use it to abstractly define how the town on the borderlands they stay at supports itself economically, how much time, gold, and obscure items wizards are putting into magic items, why Count Flautran Heartly should care that his peasants are demoralised by repeated giant rat attacks. Similarly, does any group use Gygax's rules for ageing, disease acquisition (progression, diagnosis), the madness chart? No, but I appreciate the attempt at introducing verisimiltude to fantasy.

It's the same urge that prompts Asimov to describe the agricultural planets supporting Trantor or why Poul Anderson will open with something like 'Dominic Flandry, dashing rogue of the Imperium, set flashing heels down on the ground poised for adventure' and then follow this with 5 pages discussing orbital mechanics and what sort of social systems evolve on worlds with low access to iron.

I don't find as compelling the core system of BECMI or AD&D being 'rules-lite' (I mean, it is only by comparison to 3.5e, and has the disadvantage to readability of being a hodge-podge historic accumulation of rulings rather than a designed core system) and cannot help but laugh when TRVE CVLT grognards balk at basic subtraction or bell curves in probability calculations.

This may be why in my own time I'm being drawn more into traveller and basic roleplaying: systems that are pretty simple in play but have all sorts of fun systems to encourage simulation of a pocket universe for the DMs.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

It’s the prices (NYT) The United States spends an average of about $13,000 per person every year on health care. No other country comes close to spending so much. The runner-up, Germany, spends about $7,400 per person. What do Americans get for all this spending? Our health care system does tend to produce more innovation than many others. But much of the spending does little to improve people’s lives. Despite all our spending, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy of any high-income country, at 79.3 years. Twenty years ago, a group of researchers—Gerard Anderson, Uwe Reinhardt, Peter Hussey and Varduhi Petrosyan—published an academic paper that tried to solve the mystery. The title told the story: “It’s the prices, stupid.” The main reason that U.S. health spending is so high is not that Americans are sicker than people elsewhere or are heavier users of medical care (although both those factors play a role). The main reason is that almost every form of care in the U.S. costs more: doctor’s visits, hospital stays, drug prescriptions, surgeries and more. The American health care system maximizes the profits of health care companies at the expense of families’ budgets.

Nicaragua takes on Miss Universe (Washington Post) As Nicaragua has marched steadily toward dictatorship in recent years, its government has attacked opposition politicians, the Catholic Church, journalists and universities. Now it’s going after the beauty queens. Just when authorities appeared to have squelched all forms of dissent, a willowy 23-year-old Nicaraguan, Sheynnis Palacios, won the Miss Universe pageant on Nov. 18. People poured into the streets of the Central American country in jubilation. The government initially praised the victory—then photos emerged of Palacios taking part in mass anti-government protests in 2018, which were eventually crushed by security forces. The government struck back by attacking the country’s Miss Universe franchise, accusing the family that runs it of “conspiring against the nation.”

UK needs new plan to reverse hit to living standards, researchers say (Reuters) Britain needs a new economic strategy to reverse 15 years of falling living standards and worsening inequality, a leading think tank and an academic research centre said on Monday. British productivity growth has been half that of other rich economies, costing workers an average of 10,700 pounds ($13,577) a year in lost pay, the Resolution Foundation and the London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic Performance said.

Ukrainians in Germany Weigh Wrenching Choice: Stay or Go Home (NYT) Since fleeing Ukraine with her daughter, Iryna Khomich has made a home of a tiny space in a village of prefabricated units in southwestern Germany. A full tour of its single room takes only a few moments: an iron bunk bed and a wardrobe, shoes scattered near the door, clothes drying on radiators. On one recent afternoon, her cat, Dimka, walked in and out, while her daughter, Sofiia, 8, read a German textbook at a desk. But like other displaced Ukrainians who fled west to wait out the war against Russia, Ms. Khomich, 37, lives each day wrestling with an agonizing choice: Should she return home to Ukraine, where the fighting drags on interminably, or put down roots in Germany, effectively turning a temporary separation into something more lasting? It is a cruel dilemma faced by countless Ukrainian refugees scattered across Europe as the war nears the end of its second year, one that pits a longing for family and a sense of shared duty to rebuild their shattered country against the realization that the death and destruction are unlikely to end anytime soon. And they are debating it in places like Freiburg, a city nestled on the edge of the Black Forest close to the French border that has offered open arms, an extensive social safety net and the attractive promise of a life without war. “The heart says go back,” Ms. Khomich said. “But I want the best future for my daughter.”

Temperatures in Siberia dip to minus 50 Celsius as record snow blankets Moscow (Reuters) Temperatures in parts of Siberia plummeted to minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) while blizzards blanketed Moscow in record snowfall and disrupted flights as winter weather swept across Russia. In the Sakha Republic, located in the northeastern part of Siberia and home to Yakutsk, one of the world’s coldest cities, temperatures fell below minus 50 C, according to the region’s weather stations. An abnormally early cold snap in Sakha pushed temperatures to even lower than minus 50 C in several areas of Sakha, a vast region just a little smaller than India.

India’s mission to clean the Ganges (Wired) The Ganges River in India supplies water to over 600 million people, and every inch of the waterway is sacred to the Hindu religion—so holy, in fact that many Hindus drink or bathe in its waters. Unfortunately, the Ganges is also one of the most polluted major rivers on our planet, playing host to tons of industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and too much human waste to quantify. India’s government has, of course, taken a variety of different measures to clean up the holy river. Between 2014 (when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into power) and 2019, the government has provided Indians with 110 million toilets, providing sanitation services to over half a billion people nationwide. At the same time, the government has rolled out the Namami Gange (“Obeisance to the Ganges”), spending $3.77 billion to clean up the river by setting up over 170 new sanitation plants and 5,211 kilometers of sewage lines nationwide. However, experts say that all that government spending isn't making much of a dent in the Ganges’ grime. The river is still filled with islands of plastic waste, and parts of the Ganges contain over 20 times the government-recommended limits for fecal coliform and fecal streptococci bacteria.

China's military: US Navy ship 'illegally' entered territorial waters (Reuters) China's military on Monday said a U.S. Navy ship illegally entered waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed South China Sea atoll that has recently seen several maritime confrontations. "The U.S. seriously undermined regional peace and stability," a spokesperson for China's Southern Theater of Operations said in a statement, adding that the U.S. disrupted the South China Sea and violated China's sovereignty. The U.S. Navy said the USS Gabrielle Giffords, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, was conducting routine operations in international waters in the South China Sea, consistent with international law. The Second Thomas Shoal lies in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, according to an United Nations tribunal ruling in 2016. The Chinese military spokesperson said the U.S. ship was monitored and followed, and that China's "troops in the theater are on high alert at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty".

Islamic State claims deadly blast at Catholic Mass in the Philippines (Washington Post) The Islamic State claimed responsibility Sunday for an explosion in the southern Philippines that killed at least four people, an attack President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had blamed on “foreign terrorists.” The blast targeted a Catholic Mass inside a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in the majority-Muslim city of Marawi, some 500 miles south of the capital, Manila. More than 40 others were wounded in the explosion, the Philippine Star newspaper reported. The Islamic State announced on Telegram that its members detonated the device that caused the explosion, news agencies reported. The island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, which includes a Muslim-majority autonomous region, has historically been racked by armed conflict, and insurgent groups remain active in some areas.

'Wounded child, no surviving family': The pain of Gaza’s orphans (BBC) Medics working in the Gaza Strip are using a specific phrase to describe a particular kind of war victim. “There’s an acronym that’s unique to the Gaza Strip, it’s WCNSF—wounded child, no surviving family—and it’s not used infrequently,” Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan who works with Doctors Without Borders told BBC News. The expression captures the horror of the situation for many Gazan children. Their lives change in a second—their parents, siblings and grandparents are killed, and nothing is the same ever again. Ahmed Shabat is one of those children who was described as a wounded child, with no surviving family, when he arrived injured and crying at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza. The three-year-old survived an air strike on his home in Beit Hanoun, in mid-November. But his father, mother and older brother were killed. Miraculously, at the time he had only minor injuries. Later, an uncle was found, who decided to look after them, along with his own family. He initially took them to Sheikh Radwan city but said they left after “Ahmed was hit by glass fragments” from an explosion. They then went to Nuseirat camp to stay in a UN-affiliated school. But even in their new location, they were hit again. “I ran out of the school’s door and saw Ahmed in front of me on the ground, both legs gone. He was crawling towards me, opening his arms, seeking help.” “He wanted to be many things,” his uncle said sadly. “When we went out together to attend football matches, he said he wished to become a famous football player.”

Israel, Expanding Offensive, Tells More Gazans to Evacuate (NYT) Amid a barrage of airstrikes, Israel sharply expanded its evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in preparation for an expected ground invasion in the southern part of the territory. The new orders, coming three days after the collapse of a weeklong truce, sowed confusion and fear among Gaza residents, some of whom have already been displaced at least once before. Images from Gaza on Sunday showed plumes of dark smoke rising above a rubble-covered landscape and bloodied children wailing in dust-covered hospital wards. Mourners stood beside rows of bodies wrapped in white sheets. The Israeli military said over the weekend that it had approved plans for a larger ground invasion. Israeli forces have already taken control of large parts in and around Gaza City following a ground invasion from the north. The Times of Israel quoted Israeli officials saying on Sunday that the Israeli military had launched 10,000 airstrikes since the initial ground invasion began.

Who will run Gaza after the war? No good options (Washington Post) The Israelis say they don’t want the job. Arab nations are resisting. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas might volunteer, but the Palestinian people probably don’t want him. As the Biden administration begins to plan for “the day after” in Gaza—confronting problematic questions such as who runs the territory once the shooting stops, how it gets rebuilt and, potentially, how it eventually becomes a part of an independent Palestinian state—the stakeholders face a host of unattractive options. Following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Israel vowed to destroy the group as both a military and governing entity. But after more than 15 years in power in Gaza, Hamas and its supporters are deeply embedded in every sector of society—not only in the government ministries they run, but in charities, courts, mosques, sport teams, jails, municipalities and youth groups.

After Watching 10 Migrants Die at Sea, He Now Pleads: ‘Stay’ (NYT) Crowded together with 90 other migrants on a rickety fishing vessel bound for Spain, Moustapha Diouf watched 10 of them die, one by one, from heat and exhaustion. Five were friends. It was in that macabre moment 17 years ago, Mr. Diouf said, that he vowed to do everything in his power to stop others from making the choice he had and enduring the same fate: He would make it his mission to dissuade his fellow Senegalese from trying to reach Europe and drowning or dying in myriad other ways on the perilous journey. “If we don’t do anything, we become accomplices in their deaths,” said Mr. Diouf, 54. “I will fight every day to stop young people from leaving.” Mr. Diouf was among the lucky ones: He made it to the Canary Islands alive. But the whole experience was dreadful, he said. He was imprisoned and deported to Senegal. Upon his return, together with two other repatriates, he set up his nonprofit, known as AJRAP, or the Association of Young Repatriates, whose mission is persuading Senegal’s youth to stay. But he is painfully aware of his limitations. He does not have the capacity to offer anyone a job, and most choose to migrate anyway.

[eaglesnick]

Britain’s Continued Lurch To The Right

Unelected Rishi Sunak and his Tory government are taking Britain closer and close to the extreme right in politics. According to the University of Oslo:

“Right-wing extremism is usually defined as a specific ideology characterised by ‘anti-democratic opposition towards equality'. It is associated with racism, xenophobia, exclusionary nationalism, conspiracy  theories, and authoritarianism.”

Although we are not yet an extreme right-wing nation there are those in the Tory party who would, and have, taken us further towards this goal than ever before. The most extreme Tory government was that headed by Liz Truss.

 A study by the Financial Times claimed the Tories under Liz Truss had become the “most right-wing government" in the world in terms of economic policies.

“The decision to slash tax for the rich, lift caps on bankers’ bonuses, and provide next-to-nothing for working class citizens has spooked international markets. Over the last few days, we’ve all looked on in horror as the value of The Pound fell like a stone.” (The London Economic: 30/09/22)

Liz Truss was very quickly deposed, but ONLY because the value of the pound went into free fall. If the money markets had not reacted so negatively towards Truss’s economic strategy she would still be Prime Minister along with all of her other right-wing policies. We have to remember that even before the Conservative party choose right-wing Liz Truss as its leader, the right was in the ascendancy, sparking headlines like this:

“The new Tory right is fanatical and dangerous…”  (Guardian:05/12/21)

That danger has not gone away with the appointment of Rishi Sunak as PM. His government has been full of right-wing politicians, from the now disgraced authoritarian bully, Dominic Raab to the anti-human rights Home Secretary, Suella Braverman. A former co-chair of the Conservative Party publicly accusing her party of failing to deal with “vile evidence of racism in the party a every level from MPs to activists”, while the present deputy chairman Lee Anderson has been accused of links with far-right groups, and of “parroting far-right information”.

The definition of far-right politics also includes the tendency to believe conspiracy theories and this is certainly a characteristic of Sunak’s government, Bully Raab firmly believed his civil servants were conspiring against him, which is one of the excuses he used in defence for bullying  his  staff.

We all know that despite the promises of the Tory Brexiteers things are not going as promised, their xenophobic and exclusionary nationalism leading to massive manpower shortages in our NHS, and a failing economy. Despite economic growth being at a standstill and inflation still in double figures, Sunak’s right-wing government continues to ignore the evidence of its actions and instead continues to push “free-market” economic policies because it is ideologically driven. While bankers have their bonus caps abolished public sector workers are expected to take real-term pay cuts and slide further towards poverty.

Worse, Sunak’s right-wing government is quite prepared to take workers to court to stop them from striking in support of a fair wage claim. And should anyone take to the streets to protest against this governments woeful running of the country then the police now have powers to stop and search individuals without suspicion, and the courts can ban individuals from being in certain places at certain times, and even limit the way they use the internet. 

The UN is so concerned about the new police powers that were passed into law only this week they had this to say:

“It is especially worrying that the law expands the powers of the police to stop and search individuals, including without suspicion; defines some of the new criminal offences in a vague and overly broad manner; and imposes unnecessary and disproportionate criminal sanctions on people organizing or taking part in peaceful protests…”  (United Nations:27/04/23)

If the UN is concerned about Britain becoming a right-wing police state then surely it is time we did the same.

[coochiequeens]

A 75-year-old trans-identified male has won in an unopposed race for Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus.” Ladies this is why we need younger women to run for office. This dude lived with male privilege for 69 years and now he’s a leader of something meant for women.

A 75-year-old trans-identified male has won in an unopposed race for Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus. 

Donnie Anderson, formerly known as Donald, lives in Providence, Rhode Island and serves as a minister at a church in neighboring state Massachusetts. Anderson began to identify as a “woman” in 2018 at the age of 69.  

The deadline for the estimated 500 Caucus members to vote in their 2023 elections was Friday, January 26, and results were announced the next day. In a press release from the group penned by Anderson himself, the results were shared: “The Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus has elected the Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson as their new Chair.” Those elected to the positions of Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Committee were also named.

Earlier this month, Anderson spoke in a Zoom meetingamongst members of the group and told them, “I don’t want you to vote for me because I am transgender… Please don’t do that. And I hope you won’t vote against me because I am transgender either.” 

Anderson also shared that he had already “made arrangements to change some of [his] other commitments” so he could serve as Chair of the group.

The Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus was established in November 2019 and is not officially affiliated with the state. The caucus allows anyone who “identifies as a woman or non-binary person” to join, contingent on using “they or she series pronouns.” The website directs “men and those of other identities” to join as associate members. According to their mission statement, they aim to “impact government and political processes in order to ensure equality in power, influence, and economic status for those who identify as and with women.” 

Anderson is the former Executive Minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, and is well-known for his advocacy at the State House and his unsuccessful 2022 bid for State Senate. His “gender transition” made public news in 2018 after the then-President of the state’s Council of Churches published a statement supporting him.

The 75-year-old father of four and grandfather of seven is referred to as a “woman” by The Providence Journal who have also been utilizing “she/her” pronouns for him throughout their coverage. They announced the prominent pastor’s intention to “complete [his] transition to becoming a woman” in May of 2018 when he stated that he would be taking a three month sabbatical from his position of Executive Minister.

In September of 2018, The Journal followed up on the report, writing that: “The Rev. Donnie Anderson completed [his] transition to a woman this summer.” The follow-up after he “completed his transition” included that he recalled “a fascination with [his] aunt’s makeup and clothes” as a young boy and revealed that he had been undergoing hormone replacement therapy since 2017 but had not undergone surgery. 

He also admitted that his wife was devastated when he “came out” to her. In one interview from 2018, his wife, Debbie Jamieson, described it as “salt in the wound” when boxes of women’s clothes flowed into the house just days after Anderson announced his transition to her. 

“I couldn’t stop crying. Couldn’t stop crying,” Jamieson says, recalling that she fled the house two days after Anderson “came out.” Jamieson sought therapy following Anderson’s transition, as did his two daughters. The couple had been married for 23 years.

While Jamieson initially resolved to try and keep the marriage together, Anderson’s Facebook now states that he is “single.”

Despite his wife’s negative reaction, Anderson recalled being content after announcing his transition, and shared that a “rabbi friend from Israel” sent him a gift card to J.Jill, a popular women’s clothing store. After returning from sabbatical, he received another gift card for Nordstrom “from a group of five Rhode Island rabbis.”

Anderson also shared his story on his personal website, again including that his close friends and family were shocked at his announcement of being transgender. 

He says after “six long decades,” he “emerged” out of hiding his transgender identity in what he calls his own “exodus,” a reference to the stories from religious texts.

He continues to address his family’s devastation with: “… freedom is never cheap, there is always a price. The cost was not just mine, but the pain was felt by … my beloved family.” 

After acknowledging his family’s difficulty, Anderson continued to express positive feelings towards his decision. “I believe that I may be the most blessed person on the planet. It is a joy to share with gatherings that I am living life as the person I was always meant to be.”

In addition to his work in religious institutions and politics, Anderson provides guidance to college students, offering “an inside track on the transgender experience, what it means to decide and act upon the fact of one’s identity –- and to live it openly and proudly.”  

Anderson also regularly participates in speaking engagements and offers himself as a public speaker on his website. His recent engagements include events at Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Providence College, Salve Regina University, and the University of Rhode Island.

Since his transition, Anderson has become a vocal activist, sometimes turning up to protest those critical of gender ideology.

Last September, the Cranston Public Library hosted a panel titled “What Your Kids Learn About Gender in School,” organized by the Independent Women’s Network. The panel featured “Billboard” Chris Elston, Candice Jackson, and Nicole Solas. The three discussed “gender ideology in schools, parental transparency, and protecting children from physical mutilation.” 

Anderson spoke, and at times yelled, in front of the library in protest of the panel. He said: “I believe with all my heart in free speech. I believe in the market place of ideas. I believe that we should be confronted and talk with people who see the world differently than we do. But, my friends, there is a limit to free speech.” 

He railed against the speakers involved in the panel, claiming they were “recruiting people to be part of legislative efforts that will make it more difficult for our children to realize who they are and be who they are and the result of that is going to be that children are going to die. That is an absolute, positive fact.” 

Anderson also called the administration of the library “cowards,” and proclaimed they allowed “hate speech.” Photos posted by Anderson on social media show that several of the attendees at the protest were young children. 

In response, the Independent Women’s Network published a statement, reiterating that they respect peaceful protestors but “believe in the value and importance of open discussions on one of the biggest issues facing America’s children.” 

Earlier this year, Anderson was similarly present at a demonstration outside of a drag queen story hour event held at a local library in support of the event.

Anderson now serves as the minister of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in New Bedford, Massachusetts. On the church’s site, Anderson boasts: “For years my fantasy was to preach openly in a pink clergy shirt, fully expressing the fact that I am a woman. That fantasy is now my REALITY.”

Prior to his current position, Anderson served as a pastor at the Provincetown United Methodist Church in Provincetown, Massachusetts, a known hub for over-the-top “LGBTQ+” events.

Anderson is also active as a board member for the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and SAGE RI, a Services and Advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender seniors.

Anderson is the second openly transgender male in New England to be elected to a Democratic position. The other, Stacie Laughton, resigned from his post in December after being charged with stalking a woman who had a protective order against him. 

By Yuliah Alma Yuliah is a junior researcher and journalist at Reduxx. She is a passionate advocate for women's rights and child safeguarding. Yuliah lives on the American east coast, and is an avid reader and book collector.

[newengen]

Update: On July 25th, UPS avoided a workers' strike by reaching a labor deal with the Teamsters Union.

Background

Negotiations between UPS and Teamsters-represented workers have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of abandoning talks. If the current contract expires on July 31st without a new agreement, a strike involving 340,000 unionized UPS workers is highly likely. This potential 10-day strike is projected to be one of the costliest in a century, with estimated losses of $4 billion for UPS customers, according to the Anderson Economic Group. The last UPS Teamsters strike occurred in 1997 and had significant economic consequences. Since then, package shipment volume has surged, with an average of 59 million daily packages sent in the US in 2021. With a 24% market share, a walkout by UPS workers could cause substantial delays affecting millions of shipments. Competitors like FedEx are urging UPS customers to switch, but experts doubt their capacity to handle the resulting backlog. Although UPS has started training its nonunion workforce (around 100,000 employees in the US) to manage operations during a strike, it remains inadequate for handling UPS's entire volume.

What Does It Mean for Brands?

A strike will cause significant disruptions for businesses relying on UPS for inbound shipping and order fulfillment. While there is some indication that consumers are becoming less fixated on fast shipping and prioritizing factors like Free Shipping and Easy/Free Returns, it's important to note that nearly all customers (91%) still expect their orders to arrive within 7 days. Furthermore, 70% of customers expressed discontent if their orders failed to arrive on time. In situations of fulfillment disruptions, effective communication is crucial.

Businesses affected by the strike should consider the following actions:

Explore alternative shipping providers, giving preference to regional or local options to avoid overwhelming major competitors who may experience a surge in volume. Recognize that 58% of consumers prefer retailers offering flexible delivery options (such as varied shipping speeds, in-store pickup, curbside delivery, etc.). Thus, even in the absence of a strike, providing multiple options will remain important.

Plan for appropriate messaging on order checkout and shipping pages, such as informing customers that their orders may be impacted by labor disruptions. If multiple shipping options are available, consider highlighting non-UPS fulfillment options on the order page.

Develop a strategy for handling return windows if customers attempt to return products during the strike.

For Marketing Teams:

If you anticipate being unable to fulfill orders, consider pausing or reallocating marketing budgets. Focus on upper-funnel activities such as audience growth and engagement to generate momentum for lower-funnel spending once normal operations resume.

Narrow your targeting to markets where you have physical stores and emphasize options like BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) or in-store shopping. Monitor and analyze changes in sales volume across offline channels during this period.

Similar to high-volume sales periods or holidays, closely monitor inventory levels. Keep a close eye on out-of-stock items and be prepared to prioritize products that are available, adjusting your creative to feature them. Collaborate with your agency or internal team to develop playbooks for how to respond to out-of-stock products.

If you sell wholesale and your retail partners are capable of fulfilling orders faster than your direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce business, consider prioritizing retail media spending.

Prepare email campaigns for affected customers, maintaining transparency about the status of their orders and keeping them informed about any additional delays. Consider sending proactive email campaigns specifically for loyal customers, addressing the potential for delayed shipping. This is particularly important for brands offering auto-replenish or subscription-based products that may be impacted.

Temporarily adjust loyalty incentives for customers willing to tolerate delays, expressing gratitude for their patience and loyalty with a message like "Thanks for riding with us."

This is a developing story. Stay on top of the news by following us on LinkedIn and subscribing to our newsletter.

[nickgerlich]

Beautiful Sunday

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you are doing well. If this were 1970, the odds are high that the vast majority of us would be getting ready for church. And if you are not of the Christian persuasion, you would have included synagogue or temple somewhere in your weekend mix. It’s what we did.

Notice I used the past tense.

Instead, I find myself writing and working on a Sunday morning. I just returned from Walmart with some groceries, as well as another five gallons of diesel for my tractor. I’ve still got mowing, thanks to the nearly 20 inches of rain that fell while I was gone in May. Can anyone say jungle? My ten acres have proven once more to be tough rows to hoe. I mean mow.

I haven’t been to a regular church service in years, at least eight years, and probably closer to ten. It’s not that I didn’t go before, because I most certainly did. I was raised by a Protestant mother (Church of God—Anderson Indiana denomination) and a Roman Catholic father, and I often went to his and her services in a weekend, not to mention the Sunday and Wednesday evening services in my mother’s church. I was truly holier than thou.

I was involved to the point of even being church organist, as well as member of multiple praise bands. From “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” to “I Can Only Imagine” I played them all through the years. And while off at university, in addition to majors in Marketing and Economics, I grabbed one in Religious Studies as well. I was somewhat slightly an over-achiever, you see, and, sadly, more theologically qualified that some of the preachers I endured.

But I had growing doubts, many of which were seeded by my profs at Anderson University, the flagship school in the Church of God. While the campus ethos was decidedly conservative (no drinking, dancing, smoking, etc.), those profs taught me critical thinking, and so I had a growing list of questions and concerns I could never resolve.

I wanted to believe, and tried hard. There were simply too many questions. But marrying a PK (that’s church-speak for Preacher’s Kid) who also attended Anderson pretty much meant I had to resign myself at minimum to Sunday mornings in a pew or at the keyboard.

Of course, when she came out and married her best girlfriend, any semblance I had remaining of Christianity rapidly vanished, especially once I saw how our past church—one of Amarillo’s finest mega-churches—removed them from their life group leadership positions and kicked them out. You could say that in the process of a marriage crumbling to pieces, REM’s “Losing My Religion” became my theme song.

Done, and now None. And for the record, the ex, her wife, and I are friends now. We have family gatherings with all the kids. Hate doesn’t win. Love wins.

But enough of my confessions, which I hear are still good for the soul. The fact is that I am just one anecdote among many, and the list of Leavers has grown to the point that only 47% of USAmericans belong to a church, synagogue, or temple, and only 30% attend at least once a month. Can you say empty pews?

And it is a generational thing as well, with religious affiliation trailing off the younger a person is. Older folks like me—but not including me—are more likely to attend just as they always have, similar to those surviving members of generations before the Boomers.

So what does this have to do with marketing, you ask? Plenty, and especially for Christianity, which has its own marketing plan if you will located in Matthew 28:19-20. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

How will the Church—and by this I mean all houses of worship—overcome this downward trend and find relevance among the masses once more? What was once the norm has increasingly become an outlier.

Never mind that younger people have become skeptical of churches that say one thing, yet do another. That pithy “Love the sinner, hate the sin” slogan has worn thin, especially in the LGBTQ era. I recently saw the perfect comeback in a meme: “Hate the belief, love the believer.”

Let’s not forget the recent Southern Baptist Convention ruling that women cannot serve in positions of leadership. Well, I give them a couple of points for at least being somewhat consistent in their literal interpretation of the Bible. They need to work on some of the other admonitions, though, like shellfish and mixed fabrics. You really shouldn’t cherry-pick your scriptures, and then explain it all away as saying this part was metaphor, but that another part was intended to be taken as the last word on the matter.

And then there’s The Righteous Gemstones on Max, which makes a mockery of mega-churches. You know what I’ll be watching at 9pm CDT today. It would be easy to say that COVID played a role the last few years, which it probably did when churches were forced to go online, but the trend was already firmly in place before 2020. COVID just solidified it, even though the percentage of people claiming no religious affiliation—the Nones—has leveled off, for now, at 21%. Our highly polarized society, though, will likely exacerbate the problem.

Furthermore, I doubt the Millennials and Gen-Zers will reverse their views on the big social issues. That ship left the port, which means that once the Boomers and earlier generations are dead and gone, our society may never have to deal with a Pride Month controversy again because it will have become normalized. I can only imagine.

Meanwhile, I cannot help but recall one of my favorite Van Goghs, “The Church At Auvers.” Look closely. A church with no visible doors. Hmmm. You can’t get in, but neither can you leave.

That doesn’t sound like a place I would want to be today or any other day. I’m looking forward to a nicely paced Sunday, and heading to the brewery later. As for whether I would ever find myself in a churchly setting again, I learned long ago never to say never. Besides, I still know all the words. But all the so-called modern-day saints collectively digging in their heels are not going to convince me or many others to come back.

It will take a Church that reaches out to people where they are, just like the Savior they worship did. What a crazy idea.

Dr “Running Through The House With A Pickle In My Mouth” Gerlich

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