Good Morning, RVA: Hot and sunny

Ha! Screw you last week: Hot and sunny weather returns!

June 8, 2015; 6:57 AM • by Ross Catrow

Photo by: UnknownNet Photography

Good morning, RVA! It’s 62 °F, and unlike last week, this week opens with a series of beautifully hot days. Highs in the 90s and sunshine for as far as the eye can see! Plan to sweat, so dress accordingly.

Water cooler

Another day, another report about Minor League Baseball’s increasing frustration with Richmond. This time it’s Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner who says, “I’m not going to sit still with the city of Richmond — or the metro region — having the only option (to extend the team’s lease)…They’ve not earned the right to be trusted.” Ouch. Graham Moomaw and Michael Martz summarize the last decade of back-and-forth in the previous link–it’s a long one, so grab some coffee!

Did you see the big political news on Friday? Councilman Charles Samuels will not seek reelection in 2016. Who among you dares to represent the 2nd District on City Council? Who will voluntarily submit to an extremely important yet hard, low-paying, and thankless job? A few folks have already expressed some interest in the seat.

The ever-charming Will Richardson and his delicious ramen shop Shoryuken Ramen won best dish at this year’s Broad Appétit for their hiyashi chuka (cold ramen). We’re big fans of ramen in general and Will in specific, congratulations are both in order and deserved! Read our profile of him from back in January before he got all super famous and award-laden.

Fun Home, the musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel of the same name, won five Tony Awards yesterday. You’ve probably heard about Bechdel from the eponymous Bechdel Test, which you should think about after each and every movie you see.

Yet another video of police using excessive force toward black people.

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference begins today. Prepare for your Apple Nerds to yammer on insufferably for the next week.

Sports!

• Squirrels swept New Hampshire, including a 12-1 crushing on Friday. Richmond has yet to lose in the month of June and have the day off today before returning home tomorrow to host Portland. The Squirrels are now in third place in their division.
• Kickers downed the Independence 2-1 at home yesterday.
• Rams baseball fell to the evil Miami Hurricanes in college baseball’s super regionals.
• Nats won one of three over the weekend in the series against the Cubs. They’ve got the day off today to regroup.

What to expect

• Meet Richmond’s best new farmers market vendors
• Soak in the sweet sounds of Friday Cheers (and maybe win some tickets)
• News on the VCU recruiting front
• Women’s World Cup! USA vs. Australia tonight!

This morning’s longread

The Online Privacy Lie Is Unraveling

One thing is clear: the great lie about online privacy is unraveling. The obfuscated commercial collection of vast amounts of personal data in exchange for ‘free’ services is gradually being revealed for what it is: a heist of unprecedented scale. Behind the bland, intellectually dishonest facade that claims there’s ‘nothing to see here’ gigantic data-mining apparatus have been manoeuvered into place, atop vast mountains of stolen personal data.

Stolen because it has never been made clear to consumers what is being taken, and how that information is being used. How can you consent to something you don’t know or understand? Informed consent requires transparency and an ability to control what happens. Both of which are systematically undermined by companies whose business models require that vast amounts of personal data be shoveled ceaselessly into their engines.

Read a counterpoint here.

This morning’s Instagram

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June 8, 2015 6:57 AM 0