Today’s episode is something a bit different to usual. A few months ago, I was a guest on the podcast Ologies, a terrific show where the very funny and delightful and curious Alie Ward interviews an ologist of some kind - bisonologist (ologist of bisons), ludologist (video games), corvid thanatology (crow funerals!).
Alie interviewed me as an etymologist (I’m not a qualified etymologist, mind; just an enthusiast), and we cover etymologies of words including ‘buxom’, ‘mediocre’, ‘coccyx’, ‘lacuna’, bust some etymological myths, discuss some broader attitudes towards language, and wonder why so many people hate the word ‘moist’. Here’s some of our conversation; you can hear the full-length version on Ologies.
There are a couple of swears in it, including what Alie calls ‘the Swiss Army Knife of cussing’.
Today's episode won't be a surprise; we're tackling all the developments in the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump, including a deep dive into the trial brief filed by his cadre of (terrible) lawyers that alleges a strange new legal defense: "duplicity." Figure out what it all means & why there's so much reason to hope on today's show!
We begin with a letter a listener received from Sen. Todd Young and a call to action to each of you to CALL YOUR SENATORS. The Senate switchboard is (202) 224-3121. They'll connect you! For the Republicans, make this simple request (and be polite!):
“I’d like to speak with Senator ____’s office. Hi, I’m _____, I’m a constituent, and I’m calling to ask Senator ____ to vote in favor of allowing the Senate to subpoena documents and witnesses in the impeachment trial. I don’t know how we can decide if Trump is innocent or guilty without seeing all of the evidence. Thank you.”
For the Democrats, call them and thank them for their promise to vote for subpoenaing documents and witnesses. That's all! It's that easy and you can REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Then, it's time for the main segment, where we delve into all of the supposed "impeachment rules" -- do they really have to drink milk? -- and why S. Res. 438 gives us some reason for optimism.
After that, it's time to deconstruct the "cargo cult legal brief" filed by Trump's lawyers. How is it lying nonsense and what's the next bizarre and false argument they're going to make in the trial? We tell you! We also explore the legal doctrine of "duplicity," and show how... duplicitous that argument is in Trump's brief.
Then, of course, it's time for a brand-new #T3BE on contemporaneously recorded notes and hearsay. Will Thomas build on his three-question winning streak? Will you get it right? There's only one way to find out....
Appearances
None! If you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com.
Remember that the two crimes covered by the Articles are bribery, 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2) (included in Art. I, Abuse of Power) and obstruction of justice, 18 U.S.C. § 1505 (included in Art. II, Obstruction of Congress).
On the Gist, the how the senators are occupying themselves.
In the interview, writer Will Self is here to talk with Mike about his new memoir Will. They discuss addiction, how Will accesses memory, and the difficulty of his name.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, we hear from the folks behind Truth Racial Healing, and Transformation Greater Chicago. They’ve planned events across the area to help people better understand each other, and to help individuals heal from racial trauma.
Schiff makes the case against Trump, Trump confesses to obstruction and floats cuts to Medicare and Social Security in Davos, and Bernie gains momentum with less than two weeks until Iowa. Then Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition talks to Dan about fighting the Republican effort to keep returning citizens from voting.
The way in which a new virus has emerged in China is reminiscent of SARS, a highly infectious virus that spread rapidly. It’s so similar that Health officials demanded action as soon as its existence became known. And the Chinese authorities and global medical community have acted to try and stop the spread.
Events were still developing, even as we were in the studio making this programme, new reports of suspected cases were coming in. The WHO was yet to give its view on the severity of the outbreak. This week’s edition is very much a snapshot of what we know or knew about this virus on the afternoon of Thursday January 23rd 2020.
(Image: Wuhan Residents wear masks to buy vegetables in the market. Credit: Getty Images)
This week on the Patreon, the Jellicle Boyz are back! Rivers and Carter return to the cinema-plex to review yet another talking animal movie with comedian and host of the This is Rad! Podcast, Kyle Clark! This time we saw 'Dolittle' which means that we saw Kumail Nanjiani as an ostrich, John Cena as a polar bear, and Robert Downey Jr. as a guy who CANNOT DO ACCENTS! Still, this movie is way better than you thought it was gonna be. Also, it's looking like the whole "make Kyle Clark watch movies with CGI animals" thing is going to be a regular feature here on the Patreon so next month we're gonna do 'Call of the Wild'. Join the Tower of Power by signing up for our Patreon now for only $5 a month! http://www.Patreon.com/TheGoodsPod
There is an ongoing debate in the crypto community about where mainstream adoption. One point of view is that it will be the slow steady acceptance of digital assets. On that front, Bakkt president Adam White said in Davos yesterday that the company is on track to launch their app this year.
Another perspective is that the main use case of crypto is to enable otherwise censored transactions. Lending credence to this perspective is the case of Pornhub, which saw payouts to its more than 100,000 performers blocked unexpectedly by PayPal in November, and which announced cash outs via Tether (USDT) today.
In this episode, @nlw breaks down these two arguments and asks whether they’re mutually exclusive.
Also discussed is the new BCH mining group (cartel?) insisting on a 12.5% block reward dev fund, as well as interesting insights and data from research from CoinDesk and The Block today.
Many states and localities are placing restrictions on home sharing. Now the feds are considering a move that would worsen the landscape for renters and rentees alike. Romina Boccia of the Heritage Foundation comments.
Many states and localities are placing restrictions on home sharing. Now the feds are considering a move that would worsen the landscape for renters and rentees alike. Romina Boccia of the Heritage Foundation comments.
