Friday, November 25: Black Friday
Don't go shopping today, try and resist the undying urge to consume
I learned the origin story of why it’s called “Black Friday” today, and of course it’s police that are to blame. Also unsurprising that retailers then chose to embrace the term ‘Black Friday’, saying it signified when their financial books went from red to black…right.
Important Black Friday reminder: You will likely see a lot of signs boasting price markdowns if you go shopping today. That does not really mean you are getting a good deal. In fact, it often means you are getting a bad deal. Save yourself the headache and avoid shopping, chances are you don’t actually need anything.
Side Items
Chinese Getting Restless: Protests are growing as China continues its zero-Covid policy by enacting more lockdowns and quarantines, with no end in sight. As these rules extend deep into their third year, there are growing signs of discontent across the country. At an iPhone factory in central China, thousands of workers clashed with riot police and tore down barricades. In the southern city of Guangzhou, protesters broke out of locked-down buildings to confront health workers and ransack food provisions. These acts of defiance are a test of Xi Jinping’s authoritarian leadership
The Worst Thing You’ll Read Today: David Brooks, a columnist and scumbag of absurd proportions known for openly admitting some of the worst opinions available, decided to share his musical preferences. This white man talks about his love of hip-hop while moaning and moralizing about how black people should grow up and evolve past the toxic messages of the music. For context, David Brooks divorced his wife of 27 years and later married a research assistant 25 years younger than him…not sure who he’s preaching to, but it ain’t me
World Cup Recap
Uruguay and South Korea subjected an audience to 90 minutes of scoreless football, for which they will be punished
Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 in one of the most exciting games of the tournament so far, featuring a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo in his fifth World Cup, a men’s record, as well as a baffling goalkeeper error in the final minute that nearly tied the game
Brazil opened their 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Serbia, in which Richarlison, arguably my least favorite player at the tournament, scored both goals, the second of which was an overhead kick that even I had to appreciate
Early this morning Iran took down Wales 2-0 as the Welsh goalkeeper received a red card in the final minutes of regulation time, opening the door for Iran to score twice in added time. This result makes the US path to escaping the group stages a little more difficult
Currently, Senegal are playing Qatar, with the Africans holding on to a first half lead and trying to ensure that the spoiled hosts are the first team eliminated from the tournament
Ecuador take on the Netherlands later today to determine who will almost certainly qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. My money is on the Netherlands winning by a goal or two
Today’s marquee matchup is a reenactment of the Revolutionary War, but on a football pitch. England takes on the US of A for bragging rights and to determine whether or not color is spelled colour. I predict an English victory, likely by a few goals, which shouldn’t be a controversial take, but I know sometimes the truth is hard to hear