Monday, August 25, 2025

How Stuff Works, Creative Economics Version

The transformation of the entertainment economy over the past few decades has been exceptional in so many different ways. Consumers have benefited significantly by suddenly having the ability to access an immensely diverse menu of content. Corporations have profited, despite often being late to the party in understanding new distribution and consumption models. But creatives in the majority of cases have been negatively impacted, or at least found themselves scrambling to figure out how to make rent in a wildly different and quickly and continually changing economic environment.

Understanding how artists, writers, journalists, and other creative professionals are navigating this new world is the central premise of Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle. The podcast describes itself thusly: "Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle explore what it takes to survive as a creative today. From juggling side gigs to redefining success, we dive into the real stories behind making a living when one job isn't enough."

Cox is a veteran journalist, writer, and podcaster who's known for her political writing (she's the founding editor of the venerable Wonkette). Mike is a rapper, comedian, producer who skews to the alt side of the musical art form. Together, they're insightful and interesting. 

Past Due was launched in July, but it first came to my attention last week when the two hosts had a conversation with Rhett Miller in the runup to his new solo album. It's fascinating right from the jump. If you've ever wondered whether rock and roll frontmen worry about making their mortgage, this one's for you.

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Something American We Can Get Behind

We've celebrated badass women of all kinds since the beginning* here. And you know about our affinity for the America's lesser-publicized sports. Tomorrow, our interests intersect in what promises to be a most entertaining way.

* The really early days weren't our finest in that regard, but we got our shit straight eventually.

At 2:30 Eastern at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, England, the United States takes on hosts England in the first match of the Women's Rugby World Cup. Sixteen teams will battle over the next five weeks to determine the champion in the tenth edition of the tournament.

No. 8 Kate Zackary captains the Women's Eagles
The U.S. comes in with a good deal of momentum, at least in terms of popular support. American back Ilona Maher has more followers on social media than any other rugby player in the world, male or female. She's returning to the 15-player game that she played at Quinnipiac after building her professional career in sevens - entering the World Cup, she's only played seven full-sided international matches. 

Maher's a great story, and she really can play - she was the national collegiate player of the year in 2017 - but the Americans face an uphill road. England are the world's top-ranked side, and sixth-ranked Australia are also in the United States' four-team group (the U.S. is ranked tenth in the world). The Americans' match with the Wallaroos will likely tell the tale.

Only three nations have ever lifted the Women's World Cup trophy. The U.S. won the very first in 1991, and since then New Zealand have won six times, including the last two, and England a pair. The Red Roses enter the event on a roll, only losing once in 58 matches since 2022.

We're not gonna pretend we know a ton about the teams and the players, but we do know how to Google, and this preview from Opta is pretty robust. I asked my favorite rugby expert who he thought would win the event, and he said, "Scottie Sheffler". Our expert has taken a few blows to the head in his day. He followed his initial prediction by saying, "Can't see England not winning at home". Good enough for me - the Red Roses are G:TB's Official Women's World Cup pick. But keep an eye on Canada and Fancy Bermudez. The Canucks are the second-ranked team in the world, and the best bet to break England and New Zealand's hold on the trophy.

@rugbycanada A double vs the USA 😮‍💨 @Fancy Bermudez is on another level 📈 #RugbyCA | #OneSquad | #HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSSGP ♬ original sound - Rugby Canada

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

EMERGENCY FOOD IS DUMB UPDATE!!!

Apparently a conflagration of ketchup and fruit isn't enough for some folks. It seems, in fact, that some people just wanna watch the world burn, or possibly just feed us.

A good number of those kind of people work for Pabst and Campbell's, who just issued a joint press release entitled "Campbell's® Chunky® and Pabst Blue Ribbon Invite Fans to "Crack Open a Warm One" with New Collaboration"

As always, we cut and paste so you don't have to. Here's what they're on about:
Just in time for soup season, the two new varieties will be available exclusively at Walmart starting this month:

Campbell's Chunky x Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Cheese with Potatoes & Chorizo Soup is packed with savory chorizo sausage and hearty potatoes simmered in creamy cheese infused with Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer flavor. Pair it with a soft pretzel, serve it in a bread bowl, or top it with extra shredded cheese.

Campbell's Chunky x Pabst Blue Ribbon Beef, Bacon & Beer Chili with Beans is the perfect addition to brisk fall days and features seasoned beef, hearty beans and smoky bacon, all infused with Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer flavor. Enjoy it straight from the can, load up a hot dog or drizzle it on top of nachos.
That's...that's so crazy that it just might work. As Ryan Pawling, Senior Brand Manager, Campbell's Chunky, says, "Our fans love bold, unexpected taste experiences, and pairing Chunky's hearty recipes with the iconic, malty flavor of PBR brings something totally unique to the soup aisle."

If you're in Manhattan on Thursday, stop by Ray's Bar for a dive bar takeover, complete with free PBR to pair with the soup, and exclusive merch. And report back on how the soups taste, obvs.

Monday, August 18, 2025

What We Heard

As y'all know, the kidlet and I made a trans-continental road trip last week. In advance, I asked the assemblage for listening recommendations, and you came forward. And the kidlet showed up prepared, as well. So to get you into the new week, here's a quartet of playlists that'll get you rolling.

This one's from Whitney. It's a great mix of stuff that's not smack in the mainstream, deeper cuts from bands I love and stuff I didn't know. Got a lot of new out of it.

 Zman came through with an entirely different vibe. Dig on African Funk Desert Blues Friday Morning.

Last, but definitely not least, the kid came prepared with her wide-ranging musical taste.


Friday, August 15, 2025

Disagreeable Climate

Today’s episode of Nobody Does Alienation Like America features what is likely to be extreme indifference, if not twin middle fingers, from national leaders in response to combating climate change. 

Last month the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice at the Hague, issued an advisory opinion that said countries are obligated to protect climate systems and to mitigate the damages caused by climate change for present and future generations. 

“Failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions — including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences (sic) or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies — may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State,” according to the ICJ press release on the decision. 

The Court floated the ideas of cessation of harmful practices, promises by nations to not repeat them and even restitution and reparations to communities and entire nations adversely affected by a particular country’s actions. Just days later, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency went the opposite direction and announced that it aimed to repeal a provision that greenhouse gases endanger public health and that permitted their regulation under the Clean Air Act. 

The proposed repeal of the so-called “endangerment finding” is part of a planned rollback of more than 30 environmental rules dealing with air and water and climate change that EPA chief and arsonist Lee Zeldin announced back in March. “There are people who, in the name of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country,” Zeldin said on a conservative podcast. His predecessors under Presidents Obama and Biden, he said, “twisted the law, ignored precedent and warped science to achieve their preferred ends and stick American families with hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year.” No mention of the increased costs, financially and psychically, of more frequent and severe disasters exacerbated by climate change. 

The “endangerment finding” dates to a 2007 court case brought against the EPA under George W. Bush’s administration in which the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that greenhouse gases qualified as an “air pollutant” under the broad definition in the Clean Air Act. The EPA announced the endangerment finding in 2009. Despite the SCOTUS ruling, Zeldin and the Trump administration are buoyed by a couple of recent court decisions that limited the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases (gee, I wonder what changed between then and now?) 

If you think that resistance to climate change accountability is limited to conservatives and the fossil fuel lobby, consider that last December the U.S. legal advisor to the State Department under Biden, a woman named Margaret Taylor, argued before the ICJ that human rights laws do not provide for a right to a healthy environment, nor should countries be financially responsible for the effects due to past emissions. The Court disagreed. The Court also disagreed with two oft-used arguments against accountability – that climate change is too big and complex to assign blame to individual countries or entities, and that agreements on emissions and pollutants, such as the Paris Agreement or Kyoto Protocol, are largely voluntary and thus not open to legal action. 

The ICJ’s counters to those arguments are that science has advanced to the point that companies’ and countries’ emissions and pollutants can be more accurately measured and thus not an excuse to evade liability. The Court also said that combating climate change can no longer be voluntary because of the increasing damage to communities, individuals, entire regions, and that climate agreements are legally binding. The ICJ also cited customary law – well established fundamental legal principles interwoven with many countries’ own legal systems, such as human rights laws – that a state can be legally liable for failure to reduce climate change practices. 

Granted, an advisory opinion isn’t legally binding, and there’s no global police force to come knocking on the door and perp-walk the accused. But the ICJ’s findings, and our actions, carry symbolic heft. At a time when much of the world leans toward cooperation and consensus on addressing climate change, the U.S. has leaders who respond with a hearty “No thanks,” if not “Piss off.” The current administration, in particular, understands only power and views cooperation and compromise as weakness. Reducing dependency on fossil fuels is inconvenient, if not un-American. 

The Big Dumb Orange Guy hasn’t responded directly to the ICJ’s findings, but as he routinely criticizes domestic courts and judges with which he disagrees and treats the U.S. Constitution as a work-around, he and his enablers aren’t likely to fall in with international court decisions. Globally, we are well on our way to becoming the obnoxious, bullying uncle that the family despises but is forced to endure at holidays because he’s president of the town bank and owns the local hardware store. We are a transactional actor that abandons colleagues (Ukraine), antagonizes allies (NATO), shelves “soft diplomacy” (USAID cuts abroad), slaps tariffs on friend and foe alike, and targets immigrants and the “wrong” sorts of Americans, all while further enriching the wealthy. Many of those actions can be reversed or undone, though not without cost in terms of trust and respect. The costs of denying or ignoring climate change, however, are far greater than scorn and ridicule.

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Remedy For What Ails Ya

If, that is, what ails ya is a lack of silly content made by serious musicians. I've watched this one several times, and I find it both amazing and absurd. In it, you'll see content creators (as an aside, why does nobody call us content creators? We've created content for over 20 years now. Bullshit.) Anthony Vincent and Mac Glocky covering the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" in the style of System of a Down. The band's bassist Shavo Odadjian lends his approval to the project.


Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Heinz You Doin?

You Are Looking Live!!!!

Well, not really. This is an image I took from my car window just an hour ago at the local Smoothie King I patronize a few times a week. My frequent order is a Peanut Power Plus, chocolate flavor. Tasty, filling, fast. It's my jam. 

As I approached the order kiosk, I did so with wonder, curiosity and a little bit of anxiety. Would my Smoothie King be one of the select few promoting the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie, the same smoothie tens of people first read about right here on GTB just yesterday?! 

Indeed it is. And I did. 

After handing my Smoothie Queen payment, she informed me that I was the first at this location to order said smoothie. I asked if she had tried it - "no" was her answer. Not a great sign. But she added, "You can't really taste the ketchup, it's just a little bit tart." Okay, I can handle tart. 

Filled with pride and a smile to go with, I inserted straw and thought it through....let's just go with a tiny little sip. She wasn't yanking my chain. The ketchup is almost but not entirely indiscernible. Maybe a dollop of a dollop? The acai, apple juice, strawberries and raspberries (why isn't it rasBerries?) -yup, can taste them all. The ketchup, not so much. And that's a good thing. 

Will I order again? No. But I did finish without problem. It isn't terrible, it isn't bad. It's mid, as the kids these days say. Rating? Six Rotten Tomatoes out of 10.