Uncle frankys

For the next seven weeks, employees at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama will vote on whether to become the first of the company’s US employees to unionize. The only other US Amazon employees to make it as far as a union election was a smaller group of maintenance workers at a Delaware warehouse in 2014. That effort failed after an aggressive anti-union campaign from a company that has long been hostile to worker organizing. The vote in Alabama, at a warehouse outside Birmingham called BHM1, comes at a pivotal time for the company and its workers. Amazon is emerging from the pandemic in a stronger position than ever: posting record earnings, opening new warehouses at a rapid clip, and hiring hundreds of new workers a day. Those workers, however, have become increasingly vocal about the fact that they haven’t shared in the company’s success. Last year’s wave of protests and walkouts over COVID-19 safety measures and other issues won some partial … [Read more...] about Alabama warehouse workers prepare to face down Amazon in union vote

England's King Richard III is at the center of one of the most famous assassination legends in history, immortalized in one of William Shakespeare's greatest tragedies. It's quite the tale: a power-hungry duke seizes the throne when his brother unexpectedly dies, and he orders his young nephews (one the rightful heir) murdered in the Tower of London to cement his claim to the throne. But was he really a murderer? The debate over Richard III's presumed guilt has continued for centuries. Now, a British historian has compiled additional evidence of that guilt, described in a recent paper published in the journal History. The so-called "princes in the Tower" were the sons (aged 12 and 9) of King Edward IV, who died unexpectedly in April 1483. Edward's elder son and heir (now technically King Edward V) and the younger sibling (Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York) were originally brought to the Tower of London in May by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, ostensibly to … [Read more...] about We now have new evidence that Richard III murdered the princes in the tower

The legal action between Sony and George Hotz has come to a close, with both sides seemingly happy with the results . Sony has Hotz agreeing not to do bad things to its hardware, and Hotz gets to be left alone and continue with his life. Neither side has admitted any liability in the matter, and things seemed to have worked out... for the best? Ars Technica spoke with Yasha Heidari, one of Hotz's lawyers, who said the most important thing to take from this case is a knowledge of how large companies strong-arm their opponents when it comes to copyright issues and the DMCA, and to be aware of your rights. The best way to fight back? Don't give companies who do these things your money. The conversation was enlightening on a number of levels. According to the settlement agreement, Hotz will not be "engaging in any unauthorized access to any SONY PRODUCT under the law," nor will he be "engaging in any unauthorized access to any SONY PRODUCT under the terms of any SCEA or SCEA … [Read more...] about Hotz lawyer: PS3 hacking case over, DMCA and IP abuse live on

About this episode - Episode 6 (of 9), 'All-New Halloween Spooktacular!' Spoilers for the latest episode of WandaVision follow. Watch it first before reading this. Home video footage, a pop punk theme song… Wanda and Vision’s twin sons, Tommy and Billy, guide us around their house in some late ’90s or early ’00s-appropriate opening credits – albeit with Wanda and Vision bringing some superpowers to the conventional suburban template. “Don’t try to fight the chaos, don’t question what you’ve done,” says the song. “If it’s all an illusion, sit back and enjoy the show. Let’s keep it going through each distorted day.” Wanda’s brother, Pietro, also gets an “as himself” credit. It’s Halloween, and Billy – dressed in a red cape – talks to the camera. He’s discussing the joys of dressing up and pretending to be someone else for a day. Tommy – dressed in standard ’90s attire – counters that Halloween is all about candy. And scaring people. Billy asks where Tommy’s costume is. … [Read more...] about WandaVision episode 6 recap: what next for Westview?

Disappointed DC Extended Universe fans were clamoring for a "Snyder cut" soon after the release of 2017's Justice League , and Warner Bros. eventually obliged them, announcing it would release the full director's cut on HBO Max. For Valentine's Day, the studio dropped a full two-minute-plus trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League to further reward the fandom's patience. Count me among the skeptics on the question of whether we really needed a "Snyder cut," but I must admit, based on the full trailer, Snyder's version does seem markedly different from the theatrical release. Among other changes, the trailer includes a brief glimpse of Jared Leto's Joker, who didn't appear at all in the original. As we've reported previously , the original Justice League was the third film in a trilogy that included Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). It brought together Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), … [Read more...] about Jared Leto’s Joker is back in new trailer for