Good for Starbucks! A small purchase is the least you can do if you just want to hang out. That would be expected in every other restaurant and coffee shop.

More Twitter links, please!

If AP news' description of the draft ceasefire terms is accurate, it strikes me as a bad deal for Israel. Sure, they get the hostages back, but Hamas gets back many more prisoners, plus Israeli troops eventually have to withdraw from Gaza. In other words, the final outcome of the war will be a return to the status quo ante.

Israel's war aim was to topple Hamas as a government. If this deal goes through, Israel will not have achieved that aim. Instead, all they will have achieved is the mother of all "mowing the grass" operations, which, while not nothing, is not what they said they'd do. I think we have to chalk this one up as a loss for Israel, notwithstanding the significant bite they've taken out of Hamas as a fighting force.

Leaving Hamas in power in Gaza means a high likelihood of future wars. It will take Hamas a few years to re-arm and re-man, but re-arm and re-man they will. Their leadership has promised to deliver future raids on the scale of the October 7 attack, which Israel will not take that lightly, so I think we can all look forward to another round of fighting in Gaza some years hence. It's too bad, Israel had a real strategic opportunity here, but they appear to have mostly squandered it, and the draft ceasefire would lock in that loss.

I suspect a final peace in Palestine will have to await the fall of the maraji government in Iran. So long as the Iranians are willing to supply weapons, mujahideen in Palestine will be willing to die using them—and they'll be only too glad to see their neighborhood schools, hospitals, and apartment blocks go down with them.

But any good shop manager should let just about anyone (within reason) use the restroom without purchase.

Horseshoe Theory for the win again!

Actual fascist owns twitter and favors other fascists, uses it as a propaganda platform? The Stranger keeps posting the links, ignores.
The govt makes China divest from Tiktok? Rage! Posts about how to change to an even more manipulated Chinese platform!
The Hannah arts collective makes a snarky comment that favors Twitter in this context.

Kids, you can't pay money for this kind of comedy.

@5: It’s always been highly fashionable for young American lefties to cozy up with certain extremist foreign governments which are hostile to U.S. interests. RedNote is just the modern version of owning a Che poster, or carrying Mao’s book.

Starbucks is taking this action so they stop being a warm comfy homeless shelter,. They're a business and as a real customer I for one want to be able to hang out and enjoy my $10 drink and muffin.

@4
I wouldn’t.
Then again I worked retail in downtown Seattle and know what some folks did to the restrooms where I worked. Needles and other paraphernalia were the easy ones. The poop was the worst.
Someone has to clean it up.
Why should a manager expose themselves or their staff to that.

"Starbucks......until you agree to buy a $4 brownie."
First, I don't even buy Starbucks coffee anymore. Not even if I'm desperate for coffee at an airport & Starbucks is the only cup there, which was my last stand.
That said, if I'm traveling and I gotta go, I stop at a local tavern. But as I walk to the back, I put a $10 on the bar, and tell the bartender to give me a bottle of beer but don't open it. When he bring it, I take my change, leave the open bottle for him to sell for his tip, and I use the john.
If people want bathrooms for the homeless, let the city provide them.........and then see how they leave them for us. Go check out France or the large cities of other nations that have public toilets and then tell me what you think of providing bathrooms for the homeless.
People don't appreciate what you give them for free. I'm sorry, but if you make it difficult, they will at least try to clean up after themselves so it doesn't get even harder to find a place.

The greatest result of Trump's win is the mass rush back to normalcy.

Of course a purchase should be required to lounge around Starbucks. Their previous open door policy was a dumb move to pander to Black Americans (who didn't need pandering) by creating a horrible environment for everybody else.

Another welcome sign of normalcy - using pepper balls to put down an insurrection before the combatants have destroyed your city.

And while it's completely normal for "educators" to demand more money (story of my 48 years on this planet) the truth is that teachers are already very well compensated. And there has been a direct correlation between education spending and quality over the past two decades; for every marginal dollar invested, quality declines. A scientist with a solid understanding of cause and effect might even hypothesize that cutting educational spending would improve quality. Since we all respect science around here, it's an experiment worth running.

The Mexican President is a crazy Communist. Of course, for the good of all, the hardworking and productive come first, not the poor. There is no society and no social safety net without the efforts of the hard working and productive. It is nearly impossible to remain poor in America if you a> graduate high school, b> don't have children until you are married and c> work a full time job with an eye toward continuous improvement of your skills. Listen to me instead of Communists and you'll do fine in life.

Republicans are not going to allow Hegseth to be Kavanaughed. You are looking at the next SecDef. Get out of the way or get rolled over.

It's no surprise that Trump's words on Israel and Hamas have brought Jews and Arabs closer to peace. The Abraham Accords were a tremendous base of accomplishment upon which to negotiate this latest agreement.

It is absolutely the responsible and right thing to do to employ prisoners (at slave wages) to fight wildfires and for other state imperatives. It builds skills and allows the prisoners to properly atone for their crimes against society.

Whew, more Stranger bad takes than usual today.

"Everyone knows that Facebook & X are propaganda channels, it's just obvi--NOOOOOOOO!! Don't take away my TikTok it's my window to the world!"

@10 If you're normal, we're in for a rough ride.

The Mexican President is a Communist? Whooo-eee, get off the Fox News. Not everyone to the left of Trump is a Communist. Seattle has seen an honest-to-God Marxist City councilmember, and Sheinbaum is nowhere near Sawant.

You're absolutely, 100% wrong about it being impossible to stay poor under those conditions in America. One of my oldest friends checked all of those boxes, has had a long career in retail including topping out at store assistant manager, and is still poor and housing insecure.

Republicans will own Hegseth once he starts drinking and womanizing in office. They'll try to paper it over, but their votes (if he makes it) will haunt them down the line.

There's a lot of bad takes here, but maybe start by looking in the mirror.

@10 hegseth is an inexperienced yes man, he'll make Very Great secdef, shame you're too old and weak to serve in his mil

don't worry about rednote tho, musk will sweep in and buy usa tiktok so the strangers will have another one of his platforms to use hourly

But, but, but .... What if I only want a cup of coffee?

@9: Your bathroom strategy is insane. What a complete maniac 🤣

I could not imagine going to bat for an alcoholic talk show host overseeing the department of defense but the way Trump can make millions of people feel it’s their civic duty to debase themselves like this is honestly impressive. I was not put on this earth to understand it but I can’t deny it’s a genuine skill. If he were just left to his business and real estate dealings he would be living in a cardboard box. The guy bankrupted a casino for fucks sake.

@3 I thought Trump winning was going to make things so much worse for Gaza, what happened?

@16: The American right wing likes their lies delivered in certain ways. Even in pre-internet days, it was obvious Reagan was a doddering old fool, completely out of touch with most of what he was supposedly supervising, and yet they believed the words he was mouthing all the same. Trump’s only truly profitable venture came from hosting a game show on television, wherein he pretended to be a competent, and therefore wealthy, executive. It was all a lie, of course, but again, that’s the way the American right wants it.

(The brilliant Gawker article, “The Long Con,” seems unavailable now. It did a great job of explaining how hucksterism and politics combine for the American hard right.)

@12 - Sheinbaum's father and uncle were active in the communist parties in Mexico and Cuba and the writers at Jacobin get wet spots just thinking about her. That's communist enough for my liking. Also, if your friend topped out at "Retail Assistant Manager" then they did not have an eye for "continuous improvement of skills". In other words, they settled for exactly what they have. Not a societal problem.

@13 - we've had very experienced yes men in the SECDEF role before and they landed us in several intractable wars at tremendous expense of blood and treasure. I'm happy betting on Hegseth. Also, I agree with you, TikTok would be much better under Musk's control.

@6:

Please define what constitutes being "hostile to U.S. interests", taking into account that the U.S. imports goods valued at roughly $600,000,000,000 per year from China.

@19 hey, whatever puts more of you guys on the battlefield gets my vote

@17: Read it harder this time: “Leaving Hamas in power in Gaza means a high likelihood of future wars.”

That sounds like “worse for Gaza” to me, but if you want to tell the folks living there all about how great future wars could be for them, I cannot stop you.

@20: The reason given for the TikTok ban answers your question: “Congress said the law was necessary because ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese government, and that its ability to harvest vast amounts of personal information from American users is a national security threat.”

(https://www.axios.com/2025/01/13/tiktok-ban-timeline)

@10:

Yes, because as we all know, protesting the violent killing of BIPOC at the hands of out-of-control law enforcement is exactly the same as an attempted coup, yes?

Are YOU such a scientist? Do you have any clue as to how a REAL scientist would start to formulate a hypothesis and then map out a series of experiments related to it? (Here's one clue: it doesn't start with making a conclusion FIRST and then working backwards from it to find "evidence" supporting it). In the few instances where there are states with comparatively higher per-student spending, but lower outcomes (e.g. MS, NV, WV), this can be attributed to a number of other factors not directly related to how much is spent: poor curriculum choices, lower certification standards for teachers, along with other systemic issues, have much more of an impact. But, I suspect you already knew this.

@12 boatgeek: +1 for the WIN!!!

@21 feral_catbox: If all toxic gun-lovin' MAGAs could just blow each other up and the Elon Musk / Jeff Bezos owned Mein Trumpf GOP consequentially faced immediate extinction, I'd be happy. The whole world--what's left of it--would sigh with relief.

@23 - no, Scientists don't start with a conclusion. But they sure as hell do start with a HYPOTHESIS. As in, "I hypothesize that educational quality declines as per-pupil spending exceeds x amount." Glad I could educate you on the scientific method.

@23 - oops, forgot to mention, Kamala's coup attempt was a spectacular failure, no need to keep bringing it up if it causes you to feel bad.

@23 COMTE (re @10): I usually scroll down past his comments. Baby doofus is all trash talk and no brains. He's got his FOX TeeVee annihilated head so far up his ass it's a wonder he can even see where he's going.

@19 That's a lot of stuff about Sheinbaum's ancestors, not her. If the sins of the parents transfer to the sins of the children, does that make DJ Trump a Klansman because his father was arrested at a Klan rally? Or perhaps DJT is by definition a racist slumlord because of Fred Trump being the same? This is so much fun!

How do you know so much about my friend? Do you know what positions he applied for? Or maybe you think that nobody who works retail should be able to afford housing because they have no ambition. Hmmmm hard to tell. Do enlighten us.

@28 - I have no idea what positions he applied for based on the information you've given me. I can only conclude that he didn't get those jobs / promotions. Since you imply this man is a very ambitious fella, I must assume it was a lack of skill development. Never stop learning!

And of course I don't believe Trump is a racist. But you've given me something to think about. I should wait until after Sheinbaum's term ends in abject horror for the Mexican people before I prattle on about her being a communist.

@17: lol, you talking to me? I never said Trump would be worse for Palestine, I said he might be worse for Israel. Selling out American allies is a cornerstone of Trump’s foreign policy, which can only be good news for Palestinians, at least those of the Hamas orientation. I even suggested Hamasnik American progressives ought to be rooting for Trump, so, uh, go you, I guess? 😉

@29. What is this illiterate screed?

@31 Conservatives are back, baby! and they don't need to make any sense or have any compassion, either!

@29 You were the one who assumed in #19 that he topped out (and settled!) once he reached management levels. My contention is that someone who works for a company for 20+ years and reaches management levels should be able to afford a 1-bedroom apartment on their salary. Sadly, that's not the American Way!

@9: Your bathroom strategy is brilliant. What a complete*(ly) thoughtful thing to do* 🤣

@31 CDizzle: I don't know. He just crawled out of the sewers last week.
The best I can theorize is that he's a trash spewing little MAGA doofus, either 13 going on 6 or 40 going on 12, and logged in on his mommy's account. Most likely he's also proudly unvaccinated and holing out inside a fruit cellar-turned gun arsenal somewhere east of Yakima, living on hotdogs, cheap, skunky beer, and Twinkies. Mein Trumpf and its cronies have him thoroughly brainwashed.
Additionally, if Baby Doofus is the latter supposed age of 40 going on 12, my guess is that for shits and giggles he'll drive his fossil fuel powered fume spewing, wild animal killing Ford F450 coal roller out to the nearest roadhouse off I-90 or US Rt 2 on Friday nights. He'll beer belly up to the bar, and drunkenly announce that with a twist of lime, he's "got Corona virus!" And like Elmer Fudd, adds "Huhhuhhuhhuhhuh" to prove how stupid he is.

Ok, I’m speculating our new pet troll is a fake. Using “normalcy” (@10) sounds more like a liberal parody of a right-winger than an actual right-winger.

I don't think doubling down on CCP controlled apps just to stick it to the man is worth it.

BEIJING — China's government banned effeminate men on TV and told broadcasters Thursday to promote "revolutionary culture," broadening a campaign to tighten control over business and society and enforce official morality.

President Xi Jinping has called for a "national rejuvenation," with tighter Communist Party control of business, education, culture and religion. Companies and the public are under increasing pressure to align with its vision for a more powerful China and healthier society.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1033687586/china-ban-effeminate-men-tv-official-morality

"Racism, union busting, and now classism?"

If you lack the resources to buy a cup of coffee, you can always got to a public library, community center, visit a museum on the first Thursday of the month, go to a public park, or otherwise utilize the public resources intended for this purpose. .That makes a lot more sense than expecting a for-profit corporation to provide those amenities for free.

BabyBack@29 may be only 11 days old, but I actually LOL'd when they wrote "And of course I don't believe Trump is a racist."

There is no one in this comment community that would make such a statement without somehow profiting off of it, or doing serious performance art. Maybe RainDerp dropping in?

@3 -- "I think we have to chalk this one up as a loss for Israel,"

Well, duh. We knew that months ago. Netanyahu overreacted and played right into the hands of Hamas and every similar idiot in the region. He is not interested in peace or security -- he never has been. Otherwise he wouldn't have aided Hamas when they were fighting with the Palestinian Authority over control of the region. Bibi wanted things to be so fucked that he could go the world community and say "See? I can't deal with these people -- they are busy in a civil war". That allowed him to build more settlements. And puff out his chest every time some Palestinian did something stupid. Netanyahu has made life miserable for Israelis -- first in letting his guard down and second in his reaction. Of course the same can be said for Hamas. Neither gives a fuck about "their people". They are merely out for blood, vengeance and power.

"... to make Starbucks a more
inviting place to enter, and the
first step to that is barring access to the
bathrooms until you agree to buy a $4 brownie."

if you bring in your own Starbux cup
last I checked they only charge you
a dollar for the drip.

*$13 retail
$5@goodwill

"It's just the right thing to do."

fuck
Union
Busters.

oh and while you're waiting
ask if you might go and
wash your hands

long as your're
already There
may as well
take a wee
Sponge
bath
too.

just! the
crotch
& pits

thnx
Howie!

@10 Hegseth's drinking and alleged sexual predation (often sanitized in the media as "womanizing") arguably are the least of his issues. As he has made clear in his recent books and public statements prior to his nomination, he firmly believes the following: (1) DEI policies that attempt to address the morale problem generated by the vast racial disparity between officers and enlistees should be abolished; (2) BIPOC officers (particularly high-ranking Blacks) are virtually all unqualified "diversity hires" who should be discharged; (3) LGBT-identified personnel (both officers and enlisted) should be summarily discharged regardless of their skills or how urgently they're needed; (4) that women, regardless of their physical or mental abilities, should be barred from "combat roles" (which are often not easily defined in a war zone); and (5) that taking these actions will bring about a tsunami of enlistment by square-jawed G.I. Joe types who are currently avoiding service ONLY because they don't want to shower with gays and/or take orders from Blacks and women (and not because, as white males, they tend to have more options even if they're poor). Actually trying to manifest this culture-war fantasy in the messy, complex, diverse real world in which the U.S. military must operate is the ultimate FAFO, as you (and the rest of the country) will soon discover if he's confirmed. Nominating Hegseth is quite possibly Trump's biggest-ever political mistake, and that's saying something.

@39: Nah, if anything Israel underreacted. They’ve taken out half of Hamas’s manpower, but they’ll live to regret not taking out the other half. 😃

@45
& yet
Hogswort
might come in kinda
Handy when Thedonolde declares
martial law (& Bans dissent) on Day One

plus he'll look Good up there
lecturing us about all them
GOTT DAMN Commie
TERRORISTS aka pro-
testers Leftists and
Commies PLUS
LGBTQs+. for
Starters.

are you with
Thedon0lde
or with the
Terrorists?

However old school I may be, Griz says a hard no to the current big tech three: RedNote, Twitter / X, and AI.
I want my brain and body to function properly on my own, with plenty of fresh air, clean, drinkable water, sunshine, healthy diet, and exercise--not dictated by a government controlled and enforced robo-system.
SpellCheck and AutoCorrect are bad enough. I refuse to be so buried in my iPhone that I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing, where I'm going, or let a computer system monitor and determine my every thought.
Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, ad nauseum are out trying to make us into numb and faceless robots under their corporate rule for profit, profit, profit. And they're claiming it's technological "progress". While there are some recent medical breakthroughs, there is too much in cyberspace that isn't being properly tested before entering the market, yet. And this can easily get into the wrong hands (how many of us have had to deal with identity theft and / or attempted scams?).
Seriously, Ashley and everybody---don't get suckered into this. Otherwise there will be no turning back from total dystopian chaos worldwide.

@45 CKathes: I'm as concerned as you are. It is obvious that Mein Trumpf's incoming fascist Administration seeks to replace its current U.S. Armed Forces personnel with toxic white nationalist T-1000s.

Peace, everybody.
Think about it before it's too late.

@15, Why is it crazy?
Restaurants/Bars don't get their commodes cleaned for free. My way, I don't have to explain the whole story to the bartender, I just say, "Gimmie a beer but don't open it." I spent a lot of money in bars in my life but even I don't expect to walk into a strange bar, use the John, & leave without paying anything.
I'm writing this only to relate what I do. I'm not recommending this as a solution for the homeless.