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5 ways your company will be better if you give to charity

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The spirit of the holiday season and the closing of the year often spur people to be more generous. And while it’s important to give throughout the year if you are able, here are five reasons companies will benefit from getting into the giving spirit during the holiday season:

1. It will improve company culture

Contribute to a worthwhile charity at the holidays where employees feel better about themselves and strongly support the organization they work for. This demonstrates to staff that the organization has a moral conscience and cares about more than turning a profit. Getting away from the office or working on a project that is drastically different allows people at work to come, see, and experience each other in a new and different light. Kerry Alison Wekelo, managing director at Actualize Consulting and author of the book Culture Infusionsays, “When your people take part in activates for a social cause, they get to know their coworkers and hone their teamwork skills while giving back to their communities and other organizations that have a positive impact on our world. At the same time, your company’s overall culture is enhanced, especially when these activities are also aligned to individual, team, and corporate goals.”

2. It will help your company makes stronger connections in the community

An organization accomplishing goals in this manner will be seen as a group who cares about their community and sees their responsibility to give back. There is the opportunity to meet and make valuable connections outside the company that can benefit this group or the individuals within it. Seeing that their organization is leading by example, employees are likely to feel more connected with those in their immediate workplace, as well as those at work that are outside of their normal work environment. Volunteering during work hours can bring together upper management with front-line workers and other groups that rarely communicate and have the chance to work with each other. Sharing a joint experience as equals toward a worthy cause and belief is a great way for various levels in an organization to get to know and appreciate one another outside of the formal constrictions imposed in the workplace structure.

3. It offers the opportunity to learn new skills and form new perspectives

Getting out of the office and working with fellow employees and management gives everyone a chance to try on new skills and learn in a relaxed, non-stressful environment. There may be opportunities to work with others who have different and divergent skill sets and to interact with people from different departments. There may be opportunities to get to know people from broader varieties of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds than at work, giving staff a wider scope and more diverse perspective to expand their overall knowledge.

4. It will increase empathy and gratitude

Reaching out to people in different circumstances increases our empathy for others. We recognize and feel grateful for what we do have. While sometimes we do not appreciate our job and complain about it, we may feel a sense of gratitude and realize that we are fortunate to have the work, realizing that there are many who don’t have the same opportunities as we do and would love to trade places with us. This awareness may cause us to rethink our relationships in and outside of the workplace. It could lead to more appreciation and to us focusing more on the positives of the workplace rather than constantly looking for what is wrong or lacking.

5. It adds energy to your team and breaks up routine

There is a saying that “A change is better than a rest.” Most workplaces can get caught up in the same routines. The longer that practice becomes the norm, the more comfortable it becomes and the more difficult it is to break out of the rut. To do something totally outside of the usual, like helping a charity, breaks the chains of routine and allows people to release their normal restriction, be themselves, have fun, feel renewed energy, and gain a sense of purpose. This is a great way to revitalize an organization while contributing to a worthwhile cause.


“Avengers 4” trailer highlights series favorite: Hawkeye

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What: The fiendishly anticipated trailer for the next Avengers movie.

Who: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and of course series lead Jeremy Renner.

Why we care: He’s back, baby! It may have taken half of Earth’s population getting wiped out for him to be needed, but Marvel’s purest hero, Hawkeye, returns in Avengers: Endgame. The trailer picks up in the aftermath of Thanos’s Promises Made, Promises Kept-style leadership, with the remaining Avengers scattered and brooding all across the galaxy. They need not brood for long, though, because Hawkeye has come home. Perhaps if he had been around in Avengers: Infinity War, the events that concluded that movie might never have happened in the first place. Hawkeye might have shot an arrow through Thanos’s enormous thumb, making him unable to properly snap. We’ll never know, though. We’ll never know. All we can do is look forward to April 26, when the next installment of the series restores the warrior-poet Hawkeye, setting the Avengers team up for glory. Have a look at the trailer below.

The 2019 Grammy nominations are here, and so are the women (finally)

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The Grammys drew criticism last year for their noticeable lack of female nominees. This year, women must have “stepped it up,” just like outgoing Recording Academy president Neil Portnow asked for.

In the big four categories (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist), there are a total of 22 female nominees, including features and collabs, compared to last year with just six. Granted, the Recording Academy increased the number of nominations in the general field this year, which was part of its efforts to curb the backlash from last year.

In his now infamous post-2018 Grammys interview, Portnow said women need to “step up” in order for the Recording Academy to recognize them. After female executives and artists in the industry made it abundantly clear how problematic Portnow’s comment was, he agreed to step down in July 2019. The Recording Academy has since made an effort to step up on its end, including hiring Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff, to lead the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion. One of Tchen’s first initiatives was to invite 900 new academy members who check off the boxes of being either a woman, person of color, under the age of 39, or any/all of the above.

And those efforts seem to be working with more women being recognized this year.

Read the full list of nominees here.

Pentagram designs a Harry Potter font, and it’s magical

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Harry Potter, the beloved children’s books by J.K. Rowling, is now a bona fide franchise, with books, theme parks, and countless movies. The latest? The Crimes of Grindelwald, a sequel to the spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It’s playing in movie theaters now.

While The Crimes of Grindelwald is set in the Harry Potter world, Harry isn’t actually in it. So the central design challenge became: How do you both communicate the connection to the original story and establish that it’s a different series entirely?

[Image: Pentagram]
Warner Bros. looked to the branding experts at Pentagram for help, tapping the agency to create the logo for the movie as well as a typeface that could be used on all the film’s promotional materials, from social media and trailers to product packaging, as well as for the titles within the film itself. “Warner Bros. likes to have a proprietary typeface so they can have something ownable and recognizable that suits the brand,” says Emily Oberman, the Pentagram partner who led the project. “It is also a handy way to help all the various agencies and companies that work with the film to stay on brand.”

[Image: Pentagram]
Along with the typeface, cleverly called “Crimes New Roman,” Oberman and her team created a logo for the film that shimmers like polished silver, its carved letters evocative of magic, intrigue, and the epic quests that remain at the heart of today’s fantasy stories. It was inspired by the Deathly Hallows, a group of objects that make the wizard who owns them invincible, which play a role in the new film as well as in the original Harry Potter series. An “I” in the title becomes the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in existence. An “A” becomes a triangular symbol for the invisibility cloak, which hides the wearer from the world. And the “G” in Grindelwald symbolizes the round resurrection stone, which can conjure the spirits of the dead. Each of the three letters have flames erupting from them, a nod to the story that the Deathly Hallows were forged in fire. The rest of the letterforms are from Crimes New Roman, meant to evoke the carved wood of wands.

Oberman didn’t just create the identity for Grindelwald–she and her team also helped establish the naming convention for the sequel. Oberman describes how she looked through scores of naming conventions, like how the Jason Bourne series always includes the character’s name in its sequels (like The Bourne Identity or The BourneUltimatum), or how the original Harry Potter series’s movies are always titled Harry Potter and the XYZ. Ultimately, she landed on a hierarchy where the final movie logo has “Fantastic Beasts” nestled above the full title. “For me the thrill is being involved in it in a way that’s not just doing the graphic design, but being able to work with Warner Bros. and [J.K. Rowling’s agency] the Blair Partnership to help figure out the structure,” Oberman says.

While that means that Oberman helped determine the logo’s hierarchy, she didn’t actually name the movie (though she did come up with fake names in her quest for a naming convention). That was all J.K. Rowling.

How to reframe your thinking about the worst parts of the holidays

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December is a tough time of year. It ought to be easy. Many businesses slow down. There are parties. You have the chance to spend time with friends and family.

And yet, holiday time is stressful.

Stress is the emotional reaction you get when there is something negative out there in the world that you’re trying to avoid. If you’re feeling stress around holiday time, then you need to figure out what you are trying to avoid and deal with it. That can be more complicated to do than it seems, because when you start being motivated to avoid negative things in the world, you also start focusing on all of the negatives around you, which can compound your stress.

Here are a few things to think about.

Navigating the party maze

Office parties are supposed to be fun. And sometimes, they’re great. But, your colleagues may not be your friends, and so the office party runs the risk of mixing different kinds of relationships.

Here are a couple of tips to make them go smoothly.

If you’re an introvert, then office parties are excruciating. You may enjoy your colleagues in small groups, but the stress of small talk (and—perish the thought—karaoke) puts fear in your heart. You still need to go, but go with a plan. Tell yourself that you’re just going for 20 minutes. That way, the party itself doesn’t create a lot of stress beforehand. Then, make a plan for who you need to talk to so that a few people will know you were there. Sometimes, the party is less bad than you think it will be, and you can always decide to stay longer. But, if you’re feeling uncomfortable, make a quick round and then head out.

You still want to be professional. These are people you have to work with. Go easy on the alcohol  at company parties—even if the ethos is for people to let it all hang out. You have to work with these people after the party. The last thing you want is to be followed around the office by stories of bad behavior.

Just because you’re at a holiday party, don’t feel like you have to divulge lots of personal information if you don’t want to. If your colleagues aren’t the people you want to invite into your life, you can still be sociable. If you listen more than you talk, you won’t feel pressure to say more than you’re comfortable with.

Handling the web of gifts

The hardest part about the holidays is the gift giving. There may be people at work you need to give something to. And you probably have some gifts to give to family.

At the office, remember that it really is the thought that counts. Almost nobody needs yet another coffee mug. A nice note and a small token of appreciation is plenty.

For family, it is probably best to keep in mind that experiences are almost always better than stuff. If you can spend some time with family members, that is a great gift. If you are far away, think about getting them something that will allow them to do something–passes to a movie, entry to a museum, a book of crossword puzzles, or a magazine on a topic they enjoy. These are gifts that will create memories rather than dust on the shelf.

When you start feeling stressed about gifts, think about the number of gifts you have gotten that you have completely forgotten. Most of what you get from others disappears from memory a few weeks into the new year. So, relax. An imperfect gift won’t destroy a relationship.

Get a jump on next year

An oddly stressful part of the work year is that things slow down during the holidays. That can make you feel as though you ought to be getting something done, but aren’t. So, your brain goes on the lookout for why you are suddenly doing less than you had been doing in the past.

It might be valuable to take some of that extra time and do some of the tasks you have been avoiding when work is most hectic. If there is a book you have been meaning to read in your field, keep it by your desk and open it up. If there is some continuing education you can do online, consider taking some hours to develop new skills. If there are colleagues you haven’t seen in a while, find a time to grab a cup of coffee and find out what they are working on.

As soon as you get to the other side of New Year’s, work is going to pick right back up where it left off. By the time you have a chance to breathe again, it could be summer. So, anything you can do to fulfill some of your long-term goals when work is slow is effort you will appreciate later.

As an added bonus, it will make you feel productive, and so you’ll stress less over the reduced holiday workload.

American Airlines is offering biometric boarding at LAX Terminal 4

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Don’t forget to pack your face the next time you head to LAX’s Terminal 4. The airport is getting into the facial recognition game thanks to a new pilot program between the Dutch digital security company Gemalto and American Airlines.

The program will let American test whether passengers like and are willing to use facial recognition to expedite the boarding process and ensure that the technology meets Customs and Border Protection requirements.

Gemalto’s tech can replace boring old paper boarding passes by instantly matching passenger faces against the pre-populated Department of Homeland of Security database. All images will be wiped from the system as soon as they are verified. If that still freaks the tuna salad out of you, though, individuals can opt out of the program, and gate agents will continue to check passports the old fashioned way before boarding.

It’s part of a growing trend: Starting this month, customers flying Delta through the Atlanta airport’s Terminal F also have the option to use face-recognition boarding, although Gemalto’s tech is different in that it could appeal to airlines that don’t want to take over an entire terminal. Its biometric tech is “uniquely flexible with regards to space limitations,” if they do say so themselves (and they do), and it could potentially be integrated into the existing agent podium to facilitate boarding, no new kiosks required.

Want to find fulfillment? Stop trying so hard to find it

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In the classic 1991 movie City Slickers, when Billy Crystal’s character asked Jack Palance’s character about the meaning of life, Jack held up one finger and said mysteriously, “One thing.” What he was trying to say was that you should find the one thing that gives you fulfillment in life.

But I think he’s wrong. Being overly focused on finding a single source of fulfillment (both in work and in life), is actually counterproductive. When you do that, you’ll probably end up dissatisfied, rather than satisfied, with your choices.

We compare ourselves to others in the name of “self-improvement”

In 1954, psychologist Leon Festinger suggested that the reason we compare ourselves to others is to drive personal growth and improvement. He called this “social comparison theory.” Today’s social media epidemic makes all this comparison both easier and more challenging. In a few clicks, we can find out whether we’re keeping up with our high school friends or our old college buddies, even though we know that those pictures don’t always reflect reality.

Comparing yourself to others is part of being human, but you can’t view work-life fulfillment like a competitive sport. Every situation is different. Every family is different. Every work dynamic is different.

Some people embrace a container approach to work-life–turning off at the end of their workday and then back on when it’s time to begin again. Others find greater satisfaction in a blended approach. They might leave in the middle of the day for a soccer game and then return to work later, or they might be someone who responds to emails when they’re at a concert to get it off their plate.

Each of these strategies is legitimate. It’s not right or wrong, and it’s not good or bad. There’s already enough burden for us to get our work and personal life right, we don’t need the judgment of others–or ourselves–to make it any tougher. When we judge, we are inadvertently driving people away. As humans, we crave connections, not separation.

What to do instead of searching for fulfillment

It’s not easy to stop comparing yourself to others, and it’s even harder to be fully satisfied with life. However, you can start by following the small steps below:

1. Keep expectations real. If you want to accomplish something, be realistic and don’t set the bar artificially high based on what you think others are achieving. It’s okay to lower the bar. If you’ve worked all day and need to come home and make dinner for the family, a prepackaged option–rather than a gourmet meal–may be just fine.

2. Nurture relationships. Cultivate friendships that include authenticity and sharing of real challenges. It’s easy to judge others harshly when you only know the surface of a situation. Foster connections in which you can get to know others and exchange ideas about how to handle difficulties.

3. Accept that your needs will change, and embrace it. You’ll need to leverage various work-life solutions over the seasons of work and life. Just when you figure out an equilibrium, things will change again. The kids will age out of daycare, you’ll get a promotion and need to work longer hours, or you’ll need to care for a family member unexpectedly. Life rarely works in a straight line, and a large part of happiness is about how you choose to deal with it.

Ultimately, work-life fulfillment is about making choices that fulfill your needs and priorities, not about chasing a magic bullet. No single activity or pursuit will bring you contentment if you neglect to nurture other aspects of your life.

Most importantly, understand (and accept) that “fulfillment” looks different for everyone, and that everyone’s journey takes a different timeline. There is no requirement for what (or how) you should feel at any given time, and there is no rule that dictates what your life should look like–even though society makes you feel like that. Learn to stop judging yourself, as well as others. Focus on what is best for your life right now, and if you still have questions–trust that you’ll find the right answers when you’re ready to do so.


Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCRw is a sociologist focused on work, workers, and workplace. She is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations.

Kevin Hart’s tweets are homophobic, but what about Jimmy Kimmel’s blackface?

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On Wednesday, Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the 2019 Oscars. On Thursday, he stepped down.

The internet was swift to dredge up a list of Hart’s homophobic tweets, some dating back to 2010. According to Hart, the Academy gave him an ultimatum to apologize or they’d find a new host. In a classic you-can’t-fire-me-I-quit scenario, Hart stepped down.

“I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year’s Oscar’s [sic],” Hart said in a tweet. “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”

While Hart’s past tweets are certainly troubling, did the Academy give the same ultimatum to two-time host Jimmy Kimmel?

Kimmel has been called out before for sexist and racist skits from his past, mainly as a cohost on Comedy Central’s The Man Show. Given the #MeToo energy in full force at last year’s ceremony, many found it odd that Kimmel was the host, even with a segment in his past where he asked women on the street to guess (and feel) what was in his pants. Also, in 2017, right after Chris Rock hosted an #OscarsSoWhite-fueled ceremony the previous year, there were eyebrows raised with Kimmel putting on blackface to portray basketball star Karl Malone on The Man Show.

Kimmel’s sexist and racist comedic bits mainly resurfaced during his odd battle with Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this year–but it didn’t come to mind strongly enough for the Academy when they asked him to host the ceremony twice?

Fast Company has reached out to the Academy for comment.

Today’s callout culture can be a forceful tool for positive change, but also an echo chamber of selective outrage. Oddly enough, Hart’s very current controversy of throwing his son a “cowboys and Indians” birthday party (and his refusal to apologize to Native Americans) hasn’t really been mentioned in this dustup. That said, Hart’s homophobic tweets, regardless of when they were made, are inexcusable.

However, in the court of pubic opinion–and within the hallowed halls of the Academy–everyone should be held to the same standard. That means you, Kimmel.


Skip the gimmicky toys. Get kids these beautiful, durable gifts

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Every year around the holidays, the toy industrial complex comes up with a couple of gimmicky new toys. Brands throw millions of dollars into advertising their respective toys in the hope of generating some a viral hit that parents will clamor to buy on behalf of Santa.

This year, I have vowed not to get sucked into this marketing frenzy, like I do every year. Toys-of-the-year are always a disappointment. Take Tickle-Me Elmo, the terrifying red stuffed character that convulsed with haunting laughter. Or last year’s most popular toy, the Fingerling, a monkey that clung to your finger and farted on command. These toys often have one trick that will make a kid laugh, but they will get cast aside after a few hours, filling Goodwill donation bins in the months to come.

There’s a better way. Skip the junky, plastic, disposable toys, and invest in things they’ll actually use. Here, I bring you a list of presents that kids will enjoy for years. They’re all products that came out this year, and are useful, durable, and most importantly, a hit with kids. I’ve tested them all on my own toddler, who gives each an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Clothes They’ll Love and Wear

Princess Awesome Dresses (With Pockets)

[Photo: Princess Awesome]

There’s a well-documented dearth of pockets in women’s clothes, and in girls’ clothes, they are practically nonexistent. Princess Awesome is here to save the day. The brand makes a range of girls’ clothes full of patterns relating to science, including dinosaurs, trains, planes, sharks, and math. It sends a message to girls that empowerment doesn’t mean abandoning femininity. You can have your girly, twirly skirt, but also love traditionally masculine things like fire engines. Importantly, every dress in the collection has usable pockets. My favorite holiday dress contains the entire solar system, with Pluto hiding in the pocket, and it’s appropriately glittery.

Cubcoats: The Toy That Morphs Into A Hoodie

[Photo: Cubcoats]

It’s a simple, ingenious idea: A stuffed animal that morphs into a hoodie, and can just as quickly be turned back into a toy. Kids love the fun–and magic–of transforming a Cubcoat, but it’s also incredibly practical. This time of year, you can’t have too many layers. And a cute toy stuffed cat or tiger is a great thing to keep in the car or stroller, and can instantly turn into a warm layer when the weather gets cold.

Sesame Street Bombas Socks

[Photo: Bombas]

Why are kids’ socks so poorly made? I’ve purchased so many that lose their elasticity or develop holes after a few wears. Here are some Sesame Street socks that will make you and your child happy. Bombas has devoted years to engineering the perfect socks, and it shows. These socks are thick, they cling to the foot in all the right places (the ankle and in front of the toes), and they’re durable. The brand didn’t go over the top with the Sesame Street characters, but decided to go subtle instead. There’s a stray cookie on the blue Cookie Monster socks, and a pink dot on a blue background suggestive of Grover’s nose.

Pom-Pom Hat and Mittens

[Photo: Primary]

It’s freezing, and your kid’s head is cold. But it’s always a chore to get them to wear their hat and mittens, and then, inevitably, they lose them. You need comfortable, affordable winter accessories that your kid will actually want to wear. Primary.com has heard you. It has just launched $15 hats and mittens that are machine washable, lined with cosy sherpa fabric, and designed to stay on your kid’s head thanks to an elasticized fabric. The most important thing here is the pom-pom. Parents rave that their kids actually want to wear this set, sometimes even around the house.

The Best Books

I Walk With Vanessa

[Image: Schwartz & Wade]

This book is about a little girl who moves to a new neighborhood. She feels scared, has no one to sit with at recess, and walks home alone. But the story unfolds without words, but through a series highly detailed drawings by the French husband-and-wife illustrator team, jointly known as Kerascoët. The beauty of the book is that you can ask your child to “read” it to you, even before they have learned their alphabet. They can talk you through what is happening on each page, which can feel empowering to them. And the story itself is beautiful: It’s about how even children can do little acts of kindness that can transform another person’s life.

I Look Up To Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsberg Board Books

[Images: Random House]

At a time when women’s rights are under attack, you can’t go wrong introducing little boys and girls to inspiring role models. The good news is that there’s a new board book series devoted to amazing women, created for children between the ages of two and three. The first two books in the series are about Michelle Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Okay, there’s only so much you can communicate to a drooling toddler about female empowerment and social justice. But these books introduce some valuable concepts, like how important it is to work hard and be healthy.

Wee Hee Hee

[Image: Clarkson Potter]

Most kids love telling jokes. They instinctively laugh when they hear other people laughing, even when they don’t fully understand the nuances. Wee Hee Hee is specifically designed to introduce kids to the concept of humor, with a set of incredibly corny–but simple–jokes, and a lot of beautiful graphic art. (“Where do snowmen keep their money? In snowbanks!”) I haven’t met a kid who doesn’t love this book. My 2-year-old memorized every single joke in the book, and is now working on her comic timing.

For The Mini Foodie

Omie Lunch Box

[Photo: Omie]

Lunch is always a bit of a struggle. You need to make something healthy that your kid will actually eat, so she’s not super grumpy on the car ride home. But since kids–just like adults–are influenced by how the food is presented, OmieBox is a smart way to make lunch more fun. The lunchbox comes in assorted color combinations, and contains several bento-box-like sections. But the real genius of the box is that it has a small insulated section that will keep food warm while the rest of the box stays cool. So you can give your child hot pasta, with a side of cold blackberries. It’s easier for you, but from my experience, kids also love the fun and surprise of unboxing their lunch every day.

East Fork’s Kiddo Meal Set

[Photo: East Fork]

If you have a toddler, your kitchen is probably full of plastic plates and cups. Sure, they make sense because you never know when your kids will reject the broccoli you have served them by throwing their bowl on the floor. But when your children are old enough to understand that certain things are breakable, you may want to introduce them to proper ceramic dinnerware. East Fork’s kids’ meal set is solid and well made, so they will survive a bit of mealtime rough-and-tumble, but of course, they will break if a real plate-throwing tantrum ensues. In a way, that’s the point. The set allows kids to feel like they are civilized members of the family.

Rifle Paper Company Apron

[Photo: Rifle Paper Company]

Most kids love “helping” out in the kitchen, which mostly means making meal prep a little messier for you. But it’s all for a good cause. Studies show that kids who are allowed to participate in household chores and cooking eventually learn domestic skills faster than their peers, and become contributing members of the household. To encourage their culinary adventures, why not give your children beautiful, well-made aprons, by Hedley & Bennett, a company that serves some of the best chefs in the world? The design on this apron is created by Anna Bond, the designer best known for her whimsical floral design. There’s even a matching pattern for adults, in case you want to twin.

American parents are depressed, and the reason why is even more depressing

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Ray Romano once joked, “Everyone should have kids. They are the greatest joy in the world, but they are also terrorists. You’ll realize this as soon as they’re born, and they start using sleep deprivation to break you.”

Parents might laugh at that, or they might just nod knowingly because they’re too tired to laugh. In fact, working parents (yes, every parent is a working parent, but only some have an HR department they can complain to) have no choice but to be exhausted. Too often they spend long hours working for money—and then more hours working to ensure their children are fed, have a roof over their heads, and aren’t sociopaths.

It is by definition exhausting, unless you’re lucky enough to work for a super progressive company, or you live in a country or state that has decent parental leave policies, flexible scheduling, or any other family-friendly workplace policies. Unfortunately, such policies are exceedingly rare in the U.S.

A recent article in the New York Times about attitudes toward gender and equality in the workplace and at home included a little nugget about the happiness of working parents versus non-parents, and it’s not very reassuring. Out of the 22 countries surveyed, “American parents stood out” as the “most unhappy.” Yes, U.S. parents are miserable and there’s a really simple reason why—lousy family-friendly workplaces. Per the Times, “in countries that had such policies, there was no happiness gap between parents and nonparents.” One expert was quoted by the Times saying she believes “it’s harder to be the parent of a young child and a full-time worker now than 30 years ago.”

The U.S. is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to federally mandated paid parental leave, and while more companies are offering parental leave, there is still a lot to be desired. For instance, only 21% of family leave is taken for new babies. And each year, more than 40 million people, or 18% of the U.S. workforce, spend an average of 24 hours a week providing unpaid care for a chronically ill, disabled, or elderly family member. So parents and families need to either accept their misery or add fighting for change to the long list of things they need to do each day.

The Roger Ailes doc Divide and Conquer tries to find the Fox News mogul’s humanity

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Fox News’s former mantra of being “fair and balanced” is exactly how director Alexis Bloom approached her new documentary about the network’s founder Roger Ailes–except she actually meant it.

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes chronicles the rise and dominance of Ailes, from his childhood in Warren, Ohio, to sitting atop his media juggernaut. Between the vicious right-wing propaganda he stoked at Fox News to the toxic culture toward the women who worked there, Bloom’s documentary could’ve easily become a scathing takedown piece of one of the U.S.’s most controversial figures in recent memory.

But that’s exactly what she didn’t want.

“We try to balance the monstrous things that Roger did in his life with an acknowledgement that he was also very canny and a bit of a television genius,” Bloom says. “We were interested in capturing a sense of his humanity. He’s capable of monstrous acts but he isn’t a monster–he’s human.”

Roger Ailes with Richard Nixon during the Nixon campaign, 1968. [Photo: courtesy of The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/Magnolia Pictures]
Bloom was very particular with which voices she included to help contextualize Ailes as a person. She pulled in his childhood friends and people who worked closely with him at Fox News (including Glenn Beck) and what was essentially its prototype in the mid-’90s, America’s Talking. Getting people in Ailes’s orbit, particularly toward the end of his life, was a challenge Bloom anticipated. Some sources gave a flat-out no, while others took up to a year of courting. While Ailes’s death in 2017 didn’t alter the story Bloom was in the middle of developing, she says it opened the door for people to tell their truths.

“He was a very litigious man and loved a battle. And he tended to terrify and intimidate people. So the fact that he was no longer around and wouldn’t sue them was a factor for people,” Bloom says. “We told [sources] this is a project that’s going to look at all of his life. It’s not an activism piece, and it’s not something that’s narrowly focused only on sexual harassment.”

Knowing Ailes’s troubled history with women spanned as far back as his days as a producer on The Mike Douglas Show and came to the career-ending blow with former Fox News correspondent Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment allegations, Bloom was meticulous in making sure that the narrative didn’t supersede the larger picture of Ailes and the influence he had across media and politics.

Roger Ailes talking with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan for an upcoming Address to the Nation on Drug Abuse, 1986. [Photo credit: courtesy of The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/Magnolia Pictures]
“This isn’t a #MeToo film. That’s not to minimize the importance of the women’s stories,” Bloom says. “Sexual harassment happens in the context of work–it happens in the real world. We didn’t want to just put it in a vacuum. It was never going to be just a film about sexual harassment because that would ignore so much of his influence in our culture.”

Bloom also makes it clear that her doc shouldn’t been seen as propagating an idea of “men versus women.” As she points out, there were many women within Fox News’s inner circle, namely head of PR Irena Briganti and the former legal counsel Dianne Brandi, who helped cover up what was going on with Ailes and hosts, including Bill O’Reilly.

“It’s not men versus women–we shouldn’t think about it like that,” Bloom says. “It’s money versus everything else.”

Roger Ailes in The Fox Studios, 2011. [Photo: courtesy of Jake Chessum/ Supervision/Magnolia Pictures]
Bloom’s aim for audiences is to understand part of the reason behind the deepening chasm in the U.S.–and to get a comprehensive portrait of the man who brought us here. Bloom paints Ailes as an astute but deeply insecure TV mogul. He was a bully who could bulldoze a career, and he was also a charmer–and an amateur tap dancer, to boot. Divide and Conquer doesn’t read as sympathetic, and it doesn’t downplay who Ailes was and what he’s done.

It’s just as close to honest as Bloom could make it. “It’s so easy to demonize people. People demonize Trump. People on the right demonized Obama and that is a losing proposition,” Bloom says. “In order to understand life in its full freakish complexity, you have to start at the beginning, and that’s that we’re all human, and people do these extraordinarily inhuman and evil acts, but they put their pants on like everyone else in the morning.”

Divide and Conquer is in theaters and on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video today.

Reminder, this is the last full weekend to sign up for Obamacare open enrollment

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It’s that time of the year to sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act–also known as Obamacare–but for whatever reason [insert thinky face emoji], the Trump administration isn’t committing very many resources toward making sure that Americans know that. In fact, the Trump administration has slashed the advertising budget for the program by 90% and cut funding for enrollment assistance by 80%. Now the average number of people signing up at healthcare.gov for 2019 coverage is down roughly 8% as of December 1 from the same period a year ago, according to figures released Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

While there are many possible reasons for the decline, according to the New York Times, it can’t hurt to spread the word. Many people who need to buy their own insurance don’t know when open enrollment ends, and if you need health coverage, missing the deadline could have dire consequences.

To boost the signal, Andrew Slavitt, who served as the Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2015-2017, sent out a reminder on Twitter and people like Stephen Colbert, Kristen Gillibrand, Jimmy Kimmel, Wanda Sykes, Beto O’Rourke, and us here right now, are helping to spread the word that December 15th is the cutoff—after that it will be too late to get covered.

Permeable architecture can open up our sealed lives

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Traditional buildings are designed to provide protection against a savage world, with us safe on one side and our waste on the other. Architects have long relied on “hard” materials such as masonry, aluminum and glass, specifically chosen to prevent the outside environment from getting in. Impermeability was, and is, a driving goal.

It is time to rethink that approach. Our current built environment squanders too much fresh water and other vital resources, and tips too many poisonous substances into our surroundings. To develop a more sustainable relationship with the natural world, we need to allow chemical exchanges that take place within our living spaces, and between the inside and the outside. We need to embrace permeability.

Until the rise of modernity, a certain amount of the outside world always leaked into our living spaces, entering through crumbling brickwork, broken seals and open windows and doors. However, with the rapid growth of industrial cities in the mid-19th century, pollution, overcrowding and disease posed new external threats. The remedy was to exert tighter control over our habitats, with the result that buildings became true barriers.

Today’s building “envelopes” seal off our living and working spaces to a degree previously unencountered. In many offices, it is no longer possible to open windows manually to let in a breeze. Automated air-conditioning systems (often answering only to sensors and software) blast summer heat out into scorching walkways, amplifying the urban heat-island effect and contributing to heat-related health risks. Such buildings ignore the metabolism that is the dynamic scaffolding of living systems.

The facade of the BIQ (Bio Intelligent Quotient) house in Hamburg has tanks filled with microalgae that produce biomass used to generate electricity. [Photo: NordNordWest/WikiCommons]

During the 1970s, the ecologists John and Nancy Jack Todd and William McLarney founded the New Alchemy Institute–now the Green Center on Cape Cod in Massachusetts–to reconceive building spaces as part of a self-sustaining human ecosystem. Such spaces would not be hermetically sealed, but rather open to the flow of natural elements. The research institute experimented with integrating a range of sustainable systems, such as solar power, organic agriculture, aquaculture and bio-shelter design, which went hand in hand with the permeability of these living spaces. Their results pointed a promising way forward.

Incorporating permeability into architecture begins with a building’s composition. In the past 20 years, engineers have developed organic construction materials that have various degrees of permeability. Mycotecture–architectural building blocks that are formed from the fibrous material of fungal roots–are as strong as concrete and as insulating as fibreglass. BioMASON bricks are built by microorganisms; they do not need firing and are as strong as traditional masonry. Bioplastics are produced by bacteria using biogas from landfills and wastewater treatment plants. Since they are not derived from petroleum, bioplastics have lower carbon footprints. Like wood, they are “farmed” into existence.

Riddled with spaces, these ‘soft’ materials allow a whole different set of geometries, structural properties and effects than are possible with traditional construction. David Benjamin’s Hy-Fi tower, constructed from mycelium (mushroom) bricks, offers a hint of the vast potentials. Yet even when modern builders use the new organic materials, they generally treat them so that they present “hard” interfaces to the environment.

Fully embracing permeability opens up broad ecological and environmental possibilities. Semi-permeable ceramics in particular can be treated to provide binding surfaces for biofilms, large coordinated colonies of bacteria or other microorganisms. Biofilms can be grown to have semiconductor properties, akin to solar cells or computer circuits. When treated with manganese, biofilms can become filters that regulate the flow of air and water into a building.

Builders are starting to explore the possibilities of strategically placing “hard” and “soft” interfaces within a structure to regulate the delivery of resources and organic responses to these inputs. For example, the BIQ House in Hamburg has a façade of thin-walled tanks filled with microalgae. The algae harvest sunlight and carbon dioxide, and produce biomass that can be used to generate electricity. The translucent, living tanks also regulate the building temperature by absorbing more sunshine as the biomass increases. In this case, the glass of the tanks is impermeable to water but lets in sunlight–a different kind of permeability, which is critical for the organic exchanges within the façade.

The Living Architecture (LIAR) project, funded by the European Union among others, is a fruitful effort to create showcases of semi-permeable design. For instance, the project aims to transform bathrooms, kitchens and commercial spaces into environmentally sensitive, productive sites. Wall sections in the rooms are replaced with bioreactors, self-contained microbial systems. One type of bioreactor is a fuel cell that houses anaerobic bacteria to produce electricity and clean water. Another is an algae photobioreactor that produces biomass for fuel or food. The third type is a synthetic bioreactor that can make alcohol or other plant-based materials.

Bioreactor walls are strong enough that they can form interior partitions, but they are also active, functional parts of life inside the building. They can recycle detergents from domestic wastewater, produce fertilizers for the garden, and synthesize new, biodegradable detergents–just from grey water, carbon dioxide and sunlight. Future bioreactors could also generate bioluminescent lighting, produce nutrient-rich food supplements, and remove problematic estrogen-mimic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from drinking water. In commercial spaces, living walls could recycle water, fertilize green roofs, and purify air to make building interiors healthier and more like natural environments.

The LIAR project is still in a prototype phase. Quantitative inputs and outputs have not yet been formally established. But project leaders expect to see integrated bioreactor wall systems in real homes within the next 10 years.

Hard, inert interfaces are unlikely to become obsolete any time soon. The real impact of living architecture will be to introduce a new palette of structural and functional systems that change how we think about sustainability and resource management within the built environment. In particular, the LIAR project raises the possibility of a new, active relationship with natural processes.

We could develop new ways to speak with the living world physically, biologically, mechanically and even electrically. Breaking down the barrier between inside and outside will allow us to choreograph a flow of vital resources such as water and minerals. The end result will be a kind of artificial metabolism for our homes, commercial spaces and cities–a long-overdue realization of a more ethical and symbiotic relationship between the built and the natural worlds.


Rachel Armstrong is professor of experimental architecture at Newcastle University in the U.K. She is the author of Star Ark (2017), Vibrant Architecture (2015) and Living Architecture (2012).

This article was originally published at Aeon and has been republished under Creative Commons.

Report: Huawei’s troubles may be worsening as Japan and British Telecom weigh bans

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Things are getting even worse for Chinese telecom giant Huawei. British Telecom, one of the U.K.’s largest internet providers, said this week it will not use Huawei’s equipment in its 5G mobile network when it is rolled out in the U.K., according to the BBC. Japan is also reportedly limiting the use of Huawei components in government-backed networks.

These moves date back to 2012, when Huawei and its rival Chinese telecom, ZTE Corp, were the subjects of a U.S. congressional investigation into whether their equipment could pose a threat to U.S. security. Congress issued a report concluding that “Huawei did not fully cooperate with the investigation and was unwilling to explain its relationship with the Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party, while credible evidence exists that it fails to comply with U.S. laws.”

Those findings led the U.S. to launch a movement called Five Eyes, made up of the United States, Canada, the U.K., New Zealand, and Australia to monitor the Huawei situation, with Japan and Germany following along at home. The movement now appears to be reaching some sort of crescendo, with four of the Five Eyes banning Huawei, and Canada reportedly under pressure to add its name to the list.

In February, officials from the CIA, NSA, FBI, and the Defense Intelligence Agency told a U.S. Senate committee that smartphones produced by Huawei and Chinese company ZTE posed a security threat. And in May, the Pentagon ordered stores on U.S. military bases to stop selling smartphones made by those two companies out of concern that the Chinese government could be using their technology to spy.

And of course, the company’s troubles were compounded this week when Meng Wanzhou—its chief financial officer and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei—was detained by Canadian authorities. She is facing extradition to the U.S. Details of the charges against Meng are unclear, but speculation is running rampant. Huawei has reportedly been accused of violating sanctions against both Iran and North Korea.

For its part, Huawei has claimed its only tie to the Chinese government is paying its taxes, although its founder was a former engineer in the country’s army and joined the Communist Party in 1978. We reached out to Huawei for further comment and will update if we hear back.

Top 5 Ads Of The Week: Whoppers at McDonald’s, Mexican-positive search results

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Ultimately, it probably comes down to our near primal enjoyment of trash talk. From the Bounty paper towel tests to the Pepsi challenge, all the way up to brands chirping at each other on Twitter, public beefs are something people just can’t seem to get enough of. Which is why Burger King’s newest stunt exploded this week, skyrocketing the fast-feeder’s app to the top of the App Store charts and collecting bucketloads of earned media along the way. Brands like Nike and Domino’s have creatively used geo-fencing to get products into the hands of customers, but by offering one-cent Whoppers within 600 feet of any McDonald’s, “Whopper Detour” did it with the trolliest of trash-talking flare. Onward!

Burger King “Whopper Detour”

What: A geo-fencing prank that offered one-cent Whoppers for those ordered through the Burger King app… within 600 feet of a McDonald’s.

Who: Burger King, David

Why we care: Well, firstly, it’s damn good gag. It’s not the first time BK has poked fun at its golden-arched rival in recent years–remember McMansions? Scary Clown Night?–but it’s certainly the most elaborate. Earlier this week, CMO Fernando Machado told CNN the app had about 6 million downloads, with about 1 million within 36 hours of Whopper Detour.

Estrella Jalisco “Share For Good”

What: The beer brand created a ton of content to share on Facebook to influence the social network’s search algorithm into producing positive, auto-complete terms about Mexicans.

Who: Estrella Jalisco, David

Why we care: Auto-filled search results can be a dark and depressing place. Here, the AB-InBev beer brand saw a problem and figured out a way to use the platform itself to solve it. It enlisted Mexican-American artists to create Facebook pages, groups and external websites that were shared on Facebook as articles, and the more these pieces of content are shared, the more positive an influence it has.

Sonos “The Best Sounding Yule Log Ever”

What: A 90-minute yule log video that claims to sound better than any other yule log video ever made.

Who: Sonos, Anomaly New York

Why we care: As the Log Audio Expert says in the making-of video, “Single mic yule logs don’t really cut it for me.” Why only listen to the fire in one room, when you can have it blasting all over the house? Whether it’s Old Spice, Deadpool, or Lagavulin, the yule log has long been a holiday marketing tool, and here Sonos is a sweet-sounding entry into the Brand Yule Log pantheon.

National Geographic “Nujeen”

What: The inspiring story of a wheelchair-bound Syrian refugee.

Who: National Geographic, 72andSunny

Why we care: The Syrian refugee crisis may be off the front pages, but here we get an inspiring reminder that their journey continues, thanks to the story of how Nujeen and her sister fled Syria and made the 3,500-mile expedition to Germany.

Zippo “People Make An ASMR Video For the First Time”

What: A fun, and bizarrely brand-appropriate look at the weirdly wonderful world of ASMR.

Who: Zippo, BuzzFeed

Why we care: Zippo has officially trademarked its signature “click” sound, that happens when its top pops open, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. To celebrate, it decided to dip its flaming toes into ASMR, with the help of BuzzFeed, no stranger to a sound-gasm itself. Topping it off–and because this is 2018 and if you’re going to do something cool, you gotta make it more than a one-off–Zippo has also rolled out a line of ASMR-friendly lighters.


These 5 numbers show how GoFundMe is booming

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In 2017, charitable crowdfunding giant GoFundMe stopped sharing two key figures about its growth: How much total money it’s raising, and how many donors are involved. (The last available stat was $5 billion since 2010, with over 50 million donors participating.)

By a few other measurements in its year-end report, though, it’s been another big year for the tech company. One of the biggest trends revolves around what GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon terms the “moments to movements” phenomenon: The Parkland shooting happened, for instance, and then survivors spoke out. That resulted in more than 60 campaigns supporting the March For Our Lives in Washington.

Similarly, the growing wave of women in Hollywood and elsewhere speaking out against sexual harassment and assault led to the creation of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, GoFundMe’s highest-grossing campaign ever. “People are giving from everywhere,” Solomon adds. “There are no barriers to race, gender, religion, location.”

At the same time, some of the efforts are decentralized, but can have an enormous collective impact: Fundraisers created a total of 10,000 individual campaigns to help victims of the California wildfires, which together raised $30 million for that effort. Here are five other statistics that highlight how the service is growing:

$22 million: The record-breaking total of the site’s largest campaign.

More than 21,000 people contributed to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund to counter workplace sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault. Since it started 11 months ago, the movement has become the service’s highest-ever grossing campaign, and it’s still ongoing. Time’s Up earned $10 million more than the largest grossing campaign from 2017, which went to support the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.

142,000 people: The largest number of givers to any one campaign.

Their generosity raised nearly $15.2 million Canadian dollars (about $11.3 million U.S.) for “Funds for Humboldt Broncos” honoring members of a Canadian junior hockey league team. A truck hit the team’s bus while they were traveling for a game, leaving 16 dead and 13 injured. In this case, support came from at least 80 countries. GoFundMe considers that level of geographical participation record-breaking too, although it didn’t have an immediate year-over-year comparison.

600 related campaigns: The total fundraisers in a grassroots movement gone viral.

The significance of the #BlackPantherChallenge includes both how it started and why it spread. Community advocate Fredrick Joseph decided to raise money for kids in Harlem who otherwise couldn’t afford to go see Black Panther, Marvel’s first feature film about a black superhero. Joseph’s effort raised five times his $10,000 goal, and donated the money to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem to start a storytelling program. More importantly, the campaign became successful enough to inspire people in other communities, generating more than $1 million toward their own movie trips.

61% of all givers: The amount of first-time donors this year.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado, turned out to be the most generous city per capita, while Alaska became the most generous state. At least one in four Americans with credit cards has now pledged money through the site, Solomon says. “We see very high repeat rates in terms of people who have given previously,” he adds, in part because in times of bad news doing so may provide a feeling of empowerment.

19 countries: Where citizens now launch homegrown campaigns.

That’s way up from GoFundMe’s total of six including the U.S., and Canada in mid-2017. “We’re seeing a really big explosion in giving in the U.K. and Australia and Canada and France and Germany. That’s a really important change,” Solomon says. “We’re seeing the same phenomenon of people all over the world, in every country that we’re in, adopting the GoFundMe platform and gravitating to giving to causes that they care deeply about.”

Amazon Go’s expansion could face trouble if more cities ban cash-free retail stores

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A New York City councilman introduced legislation last week that would require retail establishments and restaurants to accept cash.

Councilman Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, has said that stores and restaurants that only take credit cards or digital payments are effectively discriminating against people who have trouble getting credit cards and bank accounts, the Associated Press reports. Mayor Bill de Blasio has indicated tentative support for the plan.

That might spell trouble for Amazon if the retailer plans to expand its Amazon Go line of cashless convenience stores to the city. The stores let customers check in with a smartphone app, pick up items they want, and exit the store, with the purchases automatically charged to their Amazon accounts. That likely wouldn’t fly under the bill, says Raymond Rodriguez, deputy chief of staff in Torres’s legislative office, on hearing a description of the stores.

“If you pay by phone, then you’re not using cash,” he says.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the proposed cash mandates.

New York isn’t the only jurisdiction to consider such a requirement: Similar bills have been proposed in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Chicago, reports Next City. State lawmakers in New Jersey are also weighing a cash-free retail ban. Amazon currently has Amazon Go stores open in Chicago, as well as Seattle and San Francisco.

New York state and city officials recently announced more than $1.7 billion in incentives to attract Amazon offices, part of the company’s so-called HQ2 project, to the city’s borough of Queens.

Here’s who Twitter thinks should host the Oscars now that Kevin Hart is out

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Somehow, at this late date in an exceptionally long-feeling eventful year, the hottest issue of this moment is who will host the Oscars.

For a second there, it was going to be Kevin Hart. Then it abruptly wasn’t. Now, we are hyper-speed barreling toward the maelstrom of chaos that would be a host-less Oscars. I mean, can you imagine? The Oscars telecast without 20 minutes of movie-based jokes up top that nobody can agree on whether they’re funny? I shudder to think. In any case, that will never happen because top people at the Academy are frantically fielding suggestions for Hart’s replacement(s?) right this second.

If those people were to check on Twitter, they would find some sharp suggestions.

There is a wide spectrum of contenders brewing on the platform. There are meme-y joke suggestions, such as Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty and Olivia, the dog from Widows and Game Night. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are consensus picks, as ever, but of course, they won’t do it, so the point is moot. A lot of people want Lin-Manuel Miranda, who would probably at least consider doing it, but maybe it’s time for just a five-minute breather from Lin-Manuel Miranda. He’s great! But maybe a five-minute breather.

Anyway, here are some tweets that represent suggestions lots of people are tweeting–and seem like actual, practical picks. Hopefully, the Academy is paying attention.

What @slapclap over here is referring to is that Kroll and Mulaney twice hosted the Independent Spirit Awards, and they were excellent both times.

In case you were wondering, though, here’s who Wanda Sykes would have as hosts.

Below is an alternate, equally compelling take on Haddish as host.

The two in question here are Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, who reunited for an HBO special earlier this year.

For his part, though, here is who Billy Eichner has nominated as host.

Finally, we have the absolute worst take on who should host from perma-smirking, debate-club troll Ben Shapiro.

As a palate cleanser, here is an idea on what to do if the Academy actually can’t find a suitable replacement.

Net neutrality could face a powerful foe in Trump’s nominee for attorney general

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Corporations that have spent millions to gut Obama-era net neutrality laws may soon get more influential help to thwart state measures aimed at protecting consumers from having to pay extra for internet “fast lanes.”

William P. Barr, nominated today to become the nation’s top law enforcement official in the Trump administration, is a former chief lawyer for Verizon Communications who has opposed net neutrality rules for more than a decade. Barr, who served as attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush from 1991-93, warned in 2006 that “network neutrality regulations would discourage construction of high-speed internet lines that telephone and cable giants are spending tens of billions of dollars to deploy.”

Barr’s appointment would be welcome news for at least three major internet service providers and a trade organization—including Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association—that have spent more than $600 million lobbying on Capitol Hill since 2008, according to a MapLight analysis. Their lobbying on a key issue was rewarded last December, when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by another former Verizon lawyer-turned-Trump appointee, overruled popular opinion by voting to scrap rules that banned internet companies from giving preferential treatment to particular websites or charging consumers more for different types of content.

Since then, at least four states–California, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington–have defied the federal government by passing their own net neutrality legislation. Governors in at least six states have signed executive orders designed to preserve net neutrality rules, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on September 30 that essentially restored net neutrality protections for the nation’s most populous state. The Trump White House filed suit later on the same day to block the California law.

The U.S. Supreme Court last month turned down a Trump White House request to throw out a 2016 appellate court ruling that upheld the right of the Obama administration to issue net neutrality rules. Although the high court ruling didn’t overturn the 2017 FCC vote to scrap the Obama-era guidelines, it set a legal precedent that could assist net neutrality advocates in future cases.

Potential conflicts of interest

Barr’s previous employment with Verizon foreshadows credibility problems similar to those faced by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, also a former Verizon lawyer. Barr, however, is likely to face even more scrutiny stemming from his role as a member of WarnerMedia’s board of directors. The entertainment conglomerate, which includes HBO, Turner Broadcasting, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Group, was created in the aftermath of AT&T’s 2016 purchase of Time Warner Inc.

The $85 billion acquisition was opposed on antitrust grounds by Trump’s Justice Department (DOJ); AT&T has speculated that the opposition is based on Trump’s hatred for CNN, a Time Warner subsidiary that the White House has frequently accused of biased reporting. Barr has argued with Justice Department lawyers about the merger, filing an affidavit disputing their accounts of being threatened by Time Warner executives at a tense November 8 meeting.

“Our opinion of the government’s lawsuit is no secret, and we appreciate former Attorney General Barr stepping forward to provide his firsthand account of the DOJ’s interactions with us in the days prior to filing suit,” an AT&T spokeswoman told Variety in a statement.

So far, the White House has failed to persuade a judge to block the AT&T deal; appellate court judges who heard arguments last week appeared inclined to allow the purchase to proceed, according to a Washington Post account of the hearing.

The Time Warner acquisition has been particularly troubling for net neutrality advocates because there are no practical rules in place to prevent AT&T from blocking or slowing down access to competitors such as Netflix. AT&T already favors some wireless customers by allowing them to view its DirecTV service without fully counting it against a monthly data cap; meanwhile, viewing Netflix or Hulu shows count against AT&T wireless customer caps.

Barr has argued that net neutrality rules will discourage internet service providers from investing in high-end delivery systems, such as fiber-optic networks. “Companies are going to make these kinds of investments only if they see an opportunity to earn a return that is commensurate with the risk, and only if they have the freedom to innovate, differentiate, and make commercially sensible decisions that they need to compete and win in the market,” he said at a 2006 Federalist Society convention.

Barr claimed that 81% of the nation’s roughly 40,000 zip codes have three or more choices of broadband providers; a PC Magazine study last year found only 30% of 20,000 zip codes had three or more broadband options.

Conservative ties

Barr’s law firm, Kirkland & Ellis, is the world’s highest-grossing law firm, according to American Lawyer magazine. It’s also a major contributor to federal campaigns. The Chicago-based legal powerhouse gave almost $2.1 million in campaign contributions during the midterm election cycle.

Eight of the 10 top recipients of its campaign donations during the midterm were Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), a former Kirkland & Ellis lawyer, was the single biggest beneficiary of the law firm’s largesse, receiving $115,650 for his 2018 re-election bid. The firm’s second- and third-largest contributions were made to a pair of Democrats often mentioned as potential 2020 presidential candidates: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, (D-NY) ($54,520), and Representative Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) ($40,147).

When it comes to institutional donations, however, the firm has given heavily to Republican interests. Their largest contributions went to organizations that included the National Republican Congressional Committee ($83,400), National Republican Senatorial Committee ($65,500), and Republican National Committee ($63,700).

The firm also has deep ties to conservative legal organizations. Wendy Long, a former Kirkland & Ellis lawyer, helped found the Judicial Crisis Network, a dark money organization that’s been credited with paving the way for the confirmations of conservatives Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

The Federalist Society, an influential conservative nonprofit organization, cites more than a dozen current and former Kirkland & Ellis lawyers as program contributors, including Kavanaugh, National Security Adviser John Bolton, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and former Whitewater Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr.


This story was produced by MapLight, a nonprofit organization that reveals the influence of money in politics.

Apple, Amazon, and Google drop as tech stocks bear the brunt of China trade worries

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Investors in tech stocks are nervously watching as the Trump administration continues to press China on trade. Some of them are unloading tech stocks to reduce risk in front of the weekend.

An hour before the market closed on Friday, Apple stock was down 3.6%, Google stock was off 2.8%, Amazon was down 3.8%, and Microsoft was off 3.7%. The Nasdaq as a whole was down more than 3%.

Tech investors were closely watching the court appearance Friday by Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who is accused of attempting to circumvent trade sanctions against Iran. Her arrest in Canada on Thursday is seen as a potential blow to progress in the tentative U.S.-China trade truce.

The U.S. is in the midst of trade talks with China. The two sides agreed to a 90-day cease-fire on any new tariffs, pending the progress made toward an agreement during talks.

Markets also reacted to a new report on Friday morning saying U.S. payrolls and wages rose by less than forecast in November, while the unemployment rate remained the same. The report gave some investors hope that the Federal Reserve might slow down interest rate increases in the first half of 2019. That boosted the market early in the day, but the effect soon wore off. The S&P 500 is down more than 50 points, and is on course to close down 4.4% for the week.

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