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Documentary follows Buffalo Starbucks workers’ union campaign
A new documentary, Baristas vs Billionaires, tells the story of Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, who launched a union-organising campaign in 2021, and the company’s fierce response, including intervention by billionaire founder Howard Schultz. Director Mark Mori, a former steelworker and union member, says he was drawn to the project by parallels between the…
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One of the great ‘what if’ moments in rock history: Ace by Desperado. “Had this been released in the early 80s, it would have gone down a storm”
This is an Album of the Week Club feature revisiting Ace, the sole album by Desperado, the short-lived band Dee Snider formed with ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and guitarist Bernie Tormé after Twisted Sister split in 1988. Originally scheduled for release in May 1990, the blues-infused heavy metal record was shelved by Elektra as…
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How ‘quiet’ Lady Louise is using the late Queen and Prince Philip as a blueprint for her blossoming relationship with university boyfriend Felix da Silva-Clamp: ROBERT JOBSON
Lady Louise, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, is drawing comparisons to her late grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip thanks to her understated relationship with boyfriend Felix da Silva-Clamp. According to royal author Robert Jobson, the couple, both 22, have deliberately kept a low profile since getting together, favouring quiet outings…
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Trump’s plan to sell off a part of Yosemite is what oligarchy looks like | Rebecca Solnit
In this comment piece, Rebecca Solnit argues that a Trump administration plan to sell off a small parcel of Yosemite National Park to benefit a private corporate development on its western border exemplifies a broader agenda of transferring public assets to a wealthy elite. Although the disputed land amounts to only a quarter-mile strip, Solnit…
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As Canada tariff talks collapse, who’s calling the shots in Trump’s trade team?
Trade talks between the United States and Canada have collapsed acrimoniously, raising fears of an escalating tariff war between the two closely linked economies, and highlighting confusion over who really controls Donald Trump’s trade policy. US trade representative Jamieson Greer, generally regarded as a calm and capable negotiator, found himself accused by Canadian officials of…
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Parasomnia review – sleep-schedule horror conjures up a succubus on the loose in waking nightmare
This Guardian review covers Parasomnia, the debut feature from director James Ross II, a horror film built around a woman’s dangerous relationship with sleep. The genre has long mined sleep for scares, and the reviewer notes growing cultural anxiety around the “sleep economy,” making the film’s premise timely, though the review finds that an overly…
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Abdul El-Sayed shares dozens of donors with ex-GOP candidate at center of antisemitism controversy
Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed shares nearly two dozen donors with former Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian, who is best known for antisemitic attacks he made against Rep Randy Fine during a primary campaign. Although El-Sayed and Bilzerian sit at opposite ends of the political spectrum on most issues, both have criticised US support…
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Retrospective bid seeks 12 mobile homes on Essex field
Travellers who bulldozed a wildlife-rich field in Willows Green, Essex, in what residents branded a “Bank Holiday land grab” have now applied for retrospective planning permission to install 12 mobile homes on the site. The group moved in with around 30 vehicles and heavy machinery on 1 May, hours after the local council closed for…