The Planet Money podcast with "In Hollywood, 'packaging' has been a longstanding industry practice: An agency assembles a group of clients--such as a writer, an actor, and a director--and pitches them all together to a studio or network. Then, instead of collecting a commission from its individual clients, the agency gets a fee from the studio once the project is sold and airs." The WGA struggle last year and the practice of "packaging" and who pays whom for what.
"A meteorite that crashed into rural southeastern Australia in a fireball in 1969 contained the oldest material ever found on Earth, stardust that predated the formation of our solar system by billions of years, scientists said on Monday."
"The planet’s oceans were the warmest in recorded history in 2019, according to a new analysis published Monday." But for the full atmosphere it was the 3rd warmest. We're boned.
"Researchers in the US have created the first living machines by assembling cells from African clawed frogs into tiny robots that move around under their own steam." Xenobots… the future is weirder than we imagined.
"The researchers also looked specifically at the 2008 economic collapse and estimate that a $1 minimum wage increase could have prevented over 13,000 suicides if previous trends held for this period." (Grokked from John who reminds us that if the minimum wage set in 1968 had been tied to inflation it would be $22/hr right now, that's almost as much as I make at the hospital for skilled, accredited, and knowledgable work).
"On January 8 2020, MSN.com aggregated a Los Angeles Times article, which reported that Americans pay four times as much per capita for health care than Canadians did under their country’s single-payer healthcare program…"
"A traveller in Thailand has become the first person outside China to be diagnosed with a new coronavirus… The Chinese woman was quarantined after arriving in Bangkok from Wuhan, in eastern China, where the outbreak began in December." Rhut rho.
"A 4-year-old has gone blind after getting the flu. The little girl, Jade DeLucia, hadn’t received the flu vaccine this year, and now her mom is sharing Jade's story to raise awareness, with the aim of saving other families from a similar fate." Get the goddamn flu shot.
"Some people pay $200 a month on the golf course or a fancy cable TV package, says David Westbrook, a hospital executive in Kansas City, Mo. His splurge? He pays Dr. John Dunlap $133 a month for what he considers exceptional primary care." Concierge health care.
"Here are 10 headlines comparing Meghan Markle to Kate Middleton that might show why she and Prince Harry are cutting off royal reporters… Over the years, Meghan has been shamed for the same things for which her sister-in-law, Kate, has been praised." Totally not racist at all. (Grokked from Anne Wheaton)
"Princes William and Harry have denied a UK newspaper story alleging that a rift in the royal family was caused by William's 'bullying attitude.'"
"Discussions are ongoing in Canada over who will pay the costs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security for their proposed new life in the country, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau."
"NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with The Economist's Anne McElvoy about what it would take for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to become financially independent."
"What students learn about U.S. history can differ drastically depending on the state where they live. A new analysis from The New York Times shows stark political differences in social studies textbooks in California and Texas even though they're the same books with the same titles from the same publishers." We no longer have a shared history.
"Over the past 41 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been buying up land on the lower Texas-Mexico border to protect one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America from developers and farmers… But the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is a hotspot for illegal immigration and drug smuggling, as well as biodiversity. That's why the Trump administration is planning to build 110 miles of border wall through the valley (which is actually a river delta)." If only we can get the deer, rabbits, and lizards to recognize international borders.
"The owner of the Houston Astros announced Monday that he is dismissing the baseball team's general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager, A.J. Hinch, over an elaborate sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 and 2018 seasons."
How go the Trade Wars? "Here’s what’s in the phase one China trade deal Trump is signing this week… For all the pomp and circumstance expected of the signing ceremony, many are still unsure of exactly what the two nations are agreeing to and how they’ll enforce their deal." Basically there's not a lot in there.
UK "Counter-terrorism police placed the non-violent group Extinction Rebellion (XR) on a list of extremist ideologies that should be reported to the authorities running the Prevent programme, which aims to catch those at risk of committing atrocities, the Guardian has learned." Making climate activism a crime. You're doing something right when the government is that scared of you.
"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that the victims of the Ukrainian airliner shot down in Iran would still be alive if the recent escalation of tensions in the region had not happened, according to a transcript of an interview with Global News TV." Mirror Mirror Universe Trudeau wants you to know that Trump bears some responsibility here.
"'Bridgegate' was the political scandal that marked the beginning of the end of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's presidential hopes. The scandal's legal consequences could prove more consequential if, as prosecutors fear, the criminal convictions in the case are thrown out by the Supreme Court." In case you forgot about the other conservative corruption cases.
And with Sen. Booker "suspending" his presidential campaign the only people of color left are Deval Patrick (who doesn't even show up in the polling) and Andrew Yang (best poll number is 5%)… Not a good look fellow liberals.
"The blessing of what's being called 'the official Bible for the new U.S. Space Force' at the Washington National Cathedral on Sunday is drawing an outpouring of criticism on social media and condemnation from a prominent religious freedom advocacy group." When I swore in, there was no Bible used. For any oath of office (or even oath to "tell the truth") no Bible is required. This is complete bullshit.
"On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top-secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials… The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter." Again the "imminent attack" narrative (which is necessary because without it we are violating many international laws and would face sanction in the UN) doesn't hold up. (Grokked from Dan)
"In the 10 days since it carried out the drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the Trump administration has been struggling to draft an after-the-fact narrative to justify it. On Monday, President Trump put an end to that hash of explanations. 'It doesn’t really matter,' he tweeted, 'because of his horrible past.'" Actually, Mr. President, it matters a lot.
"Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the U.S. has the constitutional authority to strike Iranian proxies in Iraq and Iran on the Islamic Republic's home soil in retaliation for attacks on American forces." That's an interesting take, Sec. Esper, especially after you admitted that you had not seen the intelligence the president had cited as justification for the last strike. Also, IIRC, the AUMFR was specifically crafter for al Qaeda and allied forces. The definition for "allied forces" has been stretched very thin, and with Iran I believe it will break.
"After the US military assassinated an Iranian military general, war propaganda kicked into overdrive. On this week’s On the Media, how news consumers can cut through the misleading claims and dangerous frames. Plus, how Generation Z is interpreting the geopolitical crisis through memes. And, how apocalyptic thinking is a near-constant through history."
"US Attorney General William Barr has asked Apple to unlock two phones of a Saudi man who carried out a mass shooting at a US base… He accused the company of not having 'given us any substantive assistance', a claim that Apple denies." The government again demand crypto backdoors and Apple (again) tells them to shove it. "Apple had given the FBI iCloud data from the attacker's online account, the New York Times reported, but refused to unlock the phone, saying it would undermine their own encryption software."
"President Trump is adding one of his personal attorneys to the team of White House lawyers defending him in the impeachment trial. Here's why."
Tweet of my heart: @chelseagsummers Gwyneth not choosing to call her vagina candle “Pepper’s Pot” is a missed opportunity IMO. (Grokked from Dan)
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