RIP Franchises of our youths

[Drunk Monk]

One of the co-owners of Bad Animal was a book buyer for Logos. Their book selection is the best. We weren't that impressed with the food (and we love Thai) but I'm told it's improved a lot lately. We need to go again soon. 

When I'm on that side of town, I usually hit up 11th Hour for eats (that's the coffee spot I recommended to you the last time you were down).

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

One of the co-owners of Bad Animal was a book buyer for Logos. Their book selection is the best. We weren't that impressed with the food (and we love Thai) but I'm told it's improved a lot lately. We need to go again soon. 

When I'm on that side of town, I usually hit up 11th Hour for eats (that's the coffee spot I recommended to you the last time you were down).

11th Hour exceeded the hype. So good!

[Drunk Monk]

3 min read

Jerry quits Ben & Jerry’s
ByJohn LiuUpdated Sep 17, 2025


Ben Cohen explains why his co-founder quit Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has quit the ice cream brand he started in 1978 amid a dispute with its British owner Unilever, according to a post by the company’s other co-founder, Ben Cohen.
Cohen shared a statement from Greenfield that said quitting was “one of the hardest and most painful decisions” he has made. He accused Unilever of curtailing Ben & Jerry’s ability to speak out on social and political causes – which became synonymous with the brand’s identity.
“It’s with a broken heart that I’ve decided I can no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee of Ben & Jerry’s,” he added.
Greenfield and Cohen sold their Vermont-based ice cream company to Unilever in 2000 and, according to Greenfield, were guaranteed the “independence to pursue (their) values.” But the brand’s relationship with Unilever eroded over the years.
The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which is being spun off from Unilever, said the company has tried to work with the brand’s co-founders.
“We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” a Magnum spokesperson said in a statement.
Tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company boiled over in 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s ended its sales in occupied Palestinian territories, saying it’s inconsistent with the values of the socially conscious brand. That triggered backlash from Israel and kicked off a battle with Unilever over the brand’s independence.
Last year, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit against Unilever, accusing the parent company of censoring its public statements to support Palestinian refugees and resolutions to end military aid to Israel. In January, the ice cream company alleged that Unilever “unilaterally barred” a post referencing abortion, climate change and universal healthcare because it mentioned President Donald Trump. In March, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of breaching its merger agreement for ousting its then-CEO David Stever over the brand’s public comments on progressive issues.

Unilever has rejected all of Ben & Jerry’s claims.
“For more than twenty years under their ownership, Ben & Jerry’s stood up and spoke out in support of peace, justice, and human rights, not as abstract concepts, but in relation to real events happening in our world,” Greenfield wrote. “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.”
Last week, Greenfield and Cohen, wrote an open letter addressed to the Magnum Ice Cream Company board, asking that Ben & Jerry’s be spun off to operate independently, following several disputes over the years about its views on several issues, including criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies and Israel’s war in Gaza.
In response, Unilever said that Ben & Jerry’s is a “proud part” of the Magnum Ice Cream Company and is not for sale.
Although neither co-founder has held any official role at the company for the past couple decades, both continued to serve as brand ambassadors. They helped to promote new flavors and store openings, and they’d make occasional appearances at the company to train staff.
“Standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important, and yet Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power,” Greenfield said in the statement. “And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community.”
Magnum thanked Greenfield for his partnership and his dedication to the causes he championed.
“We will be forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co-founding such an amazing ice cream company, turning his passion for delicious ice cream and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story,” the spokesperson told CNN. “We thank him for his service and support over many decades and wish him well in his next chapter.”

[Greg]

Is Democracy one of the franchises of our youth whose passing we soon shall mourn?

[Drunk Monk]

Freedom of speech is clearly on the endangered list.

[thatguy]

With the canceling of Kimmel, its going to be hard to boycott Disney since they own Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Hulu...

--tg

[Drunk Monk]

I confess that I didn't give up Paramount+ when Colbert was announced.

Because... Star Trek.

I'm a weak rebel. 

At least the Daily Show & John Oliver are 'cable' which I understand is outside of the FCC's purview.

[Drunk Monk]

26-foot-tall Bay Area freeway icon removed after 50 years
By Gillian Mohney, News EditorOct 7, 2025
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A statue of  [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsieh78/7532393032/in/photolist-GvNp8D-ctBu2o-mpHGyR-6hBua8-Fbe2Z-7a7DbR-pnp8pq-6aY6cC-2vqFP8-7vB7nH-QuFDa]Junipero Serra stands on a hilltop above Interstate 280 in Hillsborough, Calif. 
Wayne Hsieh via Flickr CC 2.0
For 50 years, a massive 26-foot-tall statue of Junipero Serra watched over motorists along Interstate 280 at the Crystal Springs rest stop in Hillsborough. But now the iconic concrete statue is no more after it was removed by Caltrans this summer. 
“The installation did not meet current Transportation Art Program requirements and had been a frequent target of graffiti and vandalism,” Jeneane Crawford, a spokesperson for Caltrans District 4, told SFGATE in an email.
The statue’s removal in August alongside the freeway that’s also named for Serraattracted little attention initially. But in recent weeks, social media users have wonderedwhere it went.
Caltrans said that the statue had been “evaluated for eligibility in the California Register of Historical Resource” but was deemed ineligible. There are currently no plans to replace the statue with any other artwork. 
The statue of Junipero Serra, an 18th century Catholic priest and later saint who founded several California missions, including San Francisco’s Mission Dolores, was created in 1975 by artist Louis DuBois. The immense statute was made of concrete and steel rebar, and depicted Serra looking out and pointing. It was dedicated in 1976, according to the Smithsonian Museum.
Serra is also commemorated with a statue in the U.S. Capitol building, but in recent years he’s drawn more criticism. Protesters have pulled down or defaced statues of Serra in California over his role in the California Mission system, which enslaved and forcibly assimilated Indigenous people, leading to cultural destruction and widespread death from disease.
Caltrans said it consulted with DuBois’ family in addition to local Ohlone tribes and “multiple historical, arts, and religious organizations” before the work was removed. 
Jonathan Cordero, executive director of the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, told SFGATE via email that they wanted to work with Caltrans to have the statue removed to “serve as a precedent for similar future actions.” The association sent Caltrans a letter in 2020 asking for the statue’s removal. 
“While Serra is an important historical figure, his accomplishments as Catholic missionary … are not worthy of honoring in statuary,” read the letter co-signed by Cordero. “Such an honoring offends many Indigenous peoples of California, especially the Ramaytush Ohlone who are the original peoples of the entire San Francisco Peninsula.” 
But Catholic officials said they were concerned about how the statue’s removal was handled. Peter Marlow, the executive director of communication for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said in an emailed statement that many parishioners had “reached out to us to express their concerns” after the statue’s removal. 
“It is incumbent upon government to be transparent and to not take actions that appear to single out particular groups in a negative way,” Marlow wrote on behalf of the Archdiocese. “It also appears that this action was carried out in the dark of the night.”

In high school, one of my friend's called this 'Father Pointatchu' and that always stuck with me.

[thatguy]

I was driving to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass last Friday. I was passing by that rest stop and that was one of the 280 landmarks, like the Flintstone House to gauge one's progress. I looked around and couldn't see the statue and wondered what had happened to it.

There was some period where some jokers hung a tire from his finger so it looked like he was playing with a yo-yo.

So, what happened to the statue? Did they just jackhammer him out of the scene? Or has he been relocated? 

--tg

[Greg]

I had the same question. Still unresolved.

[King Bob]

I've driven by there twice since they removed it and didn't notice either time. I didn't know it was gone until I saw it on the news.

[Greg]

I was trying to point it out to The Queen as we drove by, confused by its absence.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I've driven by there twice since they removed it and didn't notice either time. I didn't know it was gone until I saw it on the news.

Same.