June 15th – The Day’s Most Fascinating News

Today's Most Fascinating News delivered with witty intellect: Why do you work hard to work more? And did the media create the Donald?

Congratulations. You graduated with an advanced degree from a top school, you worked your way to a high-powered, high-paying job, and you’re making more money than ever. But that’s not all. Your newfound power and influence also has another benefit: More hours on the job. But wait. Wasn’t enjoying more leisure time the whole point of making it big in the first place? At one time it was, but “in America over the last few decades, the association between leisure and privilege has been flipped on its head.” From Jeff Spross: How insane work hours became a mark of American privilege.

2

Welcome to My Wheelhouse

“All eight of the major news outlets that the Shorenstein Center studied gave Trump a majority of neutral or positive coverage. That’s remarkable.” From WaPo’s Chris Cillizza: This Harvard study is a powerful indictment of the media’s role in Donald Trump’s rise.

+ As you know, I spend about half my waking hours observing, reviewing, ingesting, and sharing media. And the media is to blame for Trump. But not necessarily for the reasons the Harvard Study suggests. It’s a broader problem than that, and one that goes to the heart of how we all discuss politics. It’s a big deal, and one that won’t end when Trump’s campaign does. I wrote about this a couple weeks ago. Yes, the Media is to Blame for Trump
But So Are You…

3

AR-15 Minutes of Fame

What can I say about this NYT lede? “Current federal law does not disqualify those on the government’s terrorist watchlist from purchasing a gun from a licensed gun dealer.” Seriously. Even Ted Nugent must think that’s crazy. And Trump definitely does. And now there’s a Senate filibuster aimed at denying assault weapons and other guns to suspected terrorists.

+ Rep Jim Himes: Why I walked out of the House’s moment of silence for Orlando.

+ “I bought an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in Philly in 7 minutes.” And “How I Bought an AR-15 in a Five Guys Parking Lot.”

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About Those Radicals…

“The fundamental difference between Obama and Trump on issues related to Islamist extremism (apart from the obvious, such as that, unlike Trump, Obama a) has killed Islamist terrorists; b) regularly studies the problem and allows himself to be briefed by serious people about the problem; and c) is not racist or temperamentally unsuitable for national leadership) is that Trump apparently believes that two civilizations are in conflict. Obama believes that the clash is taking place within a single civilization, and that Americans are sometimes collateral damage in this fight between Muslim modernizers and Muslim fundamentalists.” The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg with a very interesting piece on what Obama really thinks about radical Islam.

5

Brexit, Lies and Videotape

Next week, the British are voting on whether or not to remain in the EU. So this week, there was a naval battle on the Thames. Someone should have had a battle to avoid calling this move the Brexit.

+ The Economist’s guide to Britain’s EU referendum.

6

Too Hot To Handle

For years, there’s been concern among some researchers that coffee can cause some forms of cancer. Now it turns out that coffee doesn’t cause cancer, and it may even reduce the risk of developing certain types of the disease. However, drinking extremely hot liquids does pose a risk, whether it’s coffee, tea, or just plain water.

+ Your morning cup of coffee could be made with 9 year-old beans. (No problem. Just label it artisanal.)

7

Park and Wreck

“Parking at the supermarket is embedded in the cost of groceries. Parking attached to an apartment building is built into the price of rent.” Emily Badger explains how poor people pay for parking even when they can’t afford a car

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Caught Up In the Rat Race

“He compared Netflix to a rat racing on a wheel, staying ahead only by going faster and faster and spending more and more: As its costs continue to go up, it needs to constantly generate more subscribers to stay ahead of others.” From Joe Nocera in the NYT Magazine: Can Netflix Survive in the New World it Created? Related question: Can my couch survive my ass sitting on it pretty much nonstop for the rest of my life?

+ The Hollywood Reporter: Meet Netflix’s “Juicers”: People Who Get Paid to Watch TV.

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Yahoo, What, When, Where, and Why

As Yahoo fields bids for its business, Gizmodo looks back at what happened the 53 acquisitions that the company has made in recent years.

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Bottom of the News

“So we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a museum where you could keep those things, and they could tell your story in a way that will help you?” Introducing a new branch of The Museum of Broken Relationships.

+ Alanis Morissette, take note: Vancouver fire prevention service van catches fire.

+ “Razie, the subject of Sol Friedman’s documentary Bacon & God’s Wrath, is a Jewish woman who’s about to turn ninety. She has also recently become an atheist and is about to try bacon for the first time.” (Once she tries the bacon, she may start believing in god again…)

+ My favorite news curator went out to edit the Internet and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.

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