Our Two Cents

China Imposes Retaliatory Sanctions

China announced unspecified sanctions against 11 U.S. citizens on Monday, including five Republican senators (Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, & Pat Toomey) and the heads of several non-governmental U.S.-based organizations. Beijing’s move is in response to Friday’s announcement of U.S. sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and ten other senior Chinese officials.

More: Hong Kong national security police arrested pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai early Monday morning as part of an operation that saw eight other men taken into custody, including several of Lai’s senior executives.

Lebanese Government Resigns

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation of his entire cabinet on Monday in response to protests in the wake of last Tuesday’s massive explosion in Beirut. The country's president asked Diab and his ministers to continue performing their duties until a new government is chosen. Lebanon’s unique political system mandates that the presidency must go to a Christian, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament must be a Shiite Muslim.

Afghanistan Releases Final Taliban Prisoners

The Afghan government on Monday agreed to release the final 400 Taliban prisoners as part of  February’s U.S.-Taliban agreement that stipulated a Taliban-Afghan prisoner swap (weighted 5:1 in the Taliban’s favor) before peace talks could begin. Many of the inmates set for release reportedly stand accused of serious offenses, with more than 150 of them sitting on death row. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are expected to begin within one week.

Worth Noting: A fast-moving group of thunderstorms - called a derecho - left roughly 500,000 homes and businesses without power across IA, IL, & NE on Monday.

A Throne Of Lies

McDonald’s filed a lawsuit against its former CEO, Steve Easterbrook, for allegedly lying during the company’s internal probe into his sexual misbehavior. The fast-food company terminated Easterbrook in November for having a consensual relationship with an employee, and is now accusing Easterbrook of having sexual relationships with more employees and lying about it.

One Man’s Trash…

EV startup Nikola announced a deal to produce 2,500 all-electric garbage trucks for Republic Services on Monday, with the option to expand the order up to 5,000 units. Nikola, which will reportedly receive $1B to $2B, expects manufacturing and testing of the trucks to begin in 2022, with deliveries to follow in 2023.

Injunction Junction

A California judge granted a preliminary injunction on Monday that requires Uber and Lyft to stop classifying their workers as independent contractors effective in ten days. Both companies said they would appeal the ruling immediately. The decision comes a week after California’s Labor Commissioner announced lawsuits against Uber and Lyft alleging wage theft due to misclassification.

More: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called for establishing “benefit funds” for gig workers in a New York Times Op/Ed published Monday.

The Dogctor Is In

In the spring of 2019, as he finished his sophomore year of high school, Kyle Hanson of Wauwatosa, WI, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The cancer, which affects the immune system, caused the 16-year-old to have difficulty breathing and required five grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Whenever Kyle was left feeling exhausted and miserable throughout the 3-month treatment regimen, his medical facility’s therapy dogs helped bring him joy.

Recognizing the positive influence of the comforting canines on his recovery, Kyle is now training his own pooch, a two-year-old poodle named Copper, to serve as a therapy dog for other sick youth. Officially cancer-free as of last October, Kyle has received support for the project from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who is footing the bill for Copper’s therapy certification.

Intern-al Growth

When the pandemic struck in March, Lia Rubel of Barre, VT, despaired as her plans for acquiring a summer internship fell apart. With countless emails alerting her of canceled internship opportunities, the 18-year-old undergraduate worried that she would not be able to make the most of her academic break. Then, Lia received a call from a friend, asking for her help to solve an increasingly urgent crisis – the inaccessibility of telehealth.

Over the past five months, Lia has served as a leader within Telehealth for Seniors, an initiative to provide communications technology to elderly patients who lack the resources to access virtual medical services. In her home state, where 19 percent of the population is over 65, Lia has helped connect more than 50 seniors with smart devices.

Come Fly With Me

David Thatcher of Pensacola, FL, has been fascinated with airplanes since he was a child, building an imaginary aircraft out of a cardboard box at age three. Later, David followed his passion into the Air Force, serving as an airplane mechanic during the Korean War. By the time he retired from his aviation career, David had amassed an impressive wealth of technical knowledge to meet his affinity for aircraft.

Last month, the now 88-year-old David finished building his very own airplane, the third that he has designed and constructed since his retirement ten years ago. The octogenarian, who takes great pride in the beauty of his machines, sells the plans and parts for his small private planes to customers worldwide.

Is it time to spice up your home or office?

We're an Austin-based design + build company focusing on furniture, fabrication, and residential and commercial projects.

Quality and durability is the name of the game...
We believe in thoughtfully designed and well-executed products that are made to last. Every piece of furniture, custom installation, and project is thoughtfully crafted by a small team of designers, woodworkers, welders, and craftsmen.

Plus, an unparalleled product selection...
Our products span seating, tables, home goods, storage, lighting, or fully custom projects - everything from simple furniture to larger build-outs and installations. Check out petrifieddesign.com to explore our selection today.