Goddamnit. I can’t post this week’s links without talking about George Floyd and Breanna Taylor. The death of George Floyd is now under investigation by the FBI, but we all know how that will most likely play out, even with a horrific video being widely circulated by the media. And as for the latter? Many Kentucky papers are shifting the focus to Taylor’s boyfriend, most likely to ease themselves out of the spotlight for killing Breanna Taylor.
In 2015, 104 unarmed black people were killed by police in the U.S., and only four of those cases resulted in convictions of the officers involved (at the time of the picture above, the officer who killed Walter Scott was still on trial. Michael Slager, the officer who shot Walter Scott, was convicted and given 20 years in prison – two years later.).
In 2019? There were only 27 days in which the police did not kill someone, and 33% of victims were black, despite making up only 13% of the population of the U.S.
The United States must stop killing black people. White people must take action and join in the fight. If you are silent, you are complacent. NONE OF US IS FREE UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE.
Regular links below. If it feels wrong to keep reading, I am totally fine with that. Do what you need to do – if the links below help, take what you need.
So since we’ve rolled through baking sourdough bread and moved on to cookies, I propose we venture forth into biscotti territory. Last week, I made this biscotti recipe of mine using white chocolate chips, but the original deconstructed Nutella biscotti is, if I may say, fucking delicious. It is impossible to screw up and can be made in a variety of flavors. It only gets better as the days go by, but it never lasts long enough for me to see how long it lasts. Go make some. Pro tip: if you don’t have almond flour, make your own in a high-speed blender or food processor. This recipe does not require a fine almond flour.
Since it’s your business, check out this New York Times article on Tabitha Brown, the vegan TikTok star with a soothing voice and delicious food. You won’t really understand the hype without hearing the voice, so check her out on Instagram and TikTok – vegan or no, she is v comforting in these times.
Next, I have been trying to figure out ways to completely break up with Amazon. They are no good for anyone, and we all know it, BUT THEY’RE SO DAMN CONVENIENT. And then I read this: “The Max Borges Agency polled 1,108 people from the ages of 18 to 34 who’d bought tech products on Amazon in the last year. An astounding 44 percent said they’d rather give up sex than quit Amazon for a year, and 77 percent would choose Amazon over alcohol for a year.” Yikes. It’s really, really time to limit or eliminate purchasing on Amazon. See the full article here.
And finally, by the time you read this, a vaccination for COVID-19 may be heading to human trials, potentially ready by the fall. If this is true, it is the fastest a vaccination has ever been prepared in the history of such things. The next challenge becomes preparing billions of doses for all of humanity, and the inevitable cash grab by various pharmaceutical companies looking to profit. Isn’t saving millions of lives payment enough?
That’s it for this week. Perhaps as we turn the calendar to June (!!) we are turning a corner with coronavirus, quarantine, and humanity. I suppose we’ll see.
Be kind to each other. Wash your hands. Wear a mask.