More or Less: Behind the Stats - Hottest Easter, Insects, Scottish villages

Was it a surprise that Easter Monday was so hot?

A heatwave struck the UK over Easter ? and in fact Easter Monday was declared the hottest on record in the UK. But listeners asked - is it that surprising that it was the warmest when the date fell so late in April? We crunch the numbers supplied by the Met Office.

Insectageddon

Insects live all around us and if a recent scientific review is anything to go by, then they are on the path to extinction. The analysis found that more than 40% of insect species are decreasing and that a decline rate of 2.5% a year suggests they could disappear in 100 years. And as some headlines in February warned of the catastrophic collapse of nature, some More or Less listeners questioned the findings. Is insect life really in trouble?

Collecting income tax from the 1%

Recently Lord Sugar said in a Tweet ?The fact is if you taxed everyone earning over ?150k at a rate of 70% it would not raise enough to pay for 5% of the NHS.? Is that true? Helen Miller, Deputy Director and head of tax at the Institute for Fiscal Studies looks at how much such a policy might raise from the 1% of tax payers who earn over ?150,000.

Where is Scotland?s highest village?

A battle is brewing in the Southern Scottish uplands between two rival villages. How can statistics help determine which village should take the crown? Wanlockhead and Leadhills both lay claim to the title of Scotland?s highest village but there can only be one winner. More or Less attempts to settle the age old dispute once and for all.

Image: A man and woman sitting on deckchairs on the beach Credit: Getty Images

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Is April the US government’s blood sacrifice season?

Whenever you tune into the news nowadays, it seems like there's yet another tragic disaster on the airwaves. And, over recent years, some fringe researchers have been arguing that disaster has a season -- not some part of the year wherein disasters are naturally more likely to occur, but a time of the year when certain forces are purposefully creating tragedies. Listen in to learn more.

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They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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The Intelligence from The Economist - The strain in Spain: an election looms

Ahead of this weekend’s general election, we examine Spain’s fractured political landscape. A much-needed bastion of stability in Europe looks set for a long fight to form a government. We also take a look at two lingering effects of Japan’s post-war policies: first, we speak to one of the victims of decades of forced sterilisation, for which the government apologised this week. And, given the country’s notorious culture of work—itself a consequence of post-war reconstruction—not everyone relishes extra time off to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension.

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - How Black Feminists Exposed the Alt-Right Online

Back in 2014, a mysterious hashtag started trending on Twitter: #EndFathersDay. The accounts tweeting the extremist sentiments appeared to be the accounts of black women. But black feminists on Twitter knew something was amiss. So they got to the bottom of the hashtag—and used their own to fight back. 

Guest: Rachelle Hampton, Slate writer. 

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The NewsWorthy - Largest Primary Field, Microsoft Hits $1 Trillion & Avengers: Endgame – Friday, April 26th, 2019

The news to know for Friday, April 26th, 2019!

We're talking about why the 2020 race to the White House is already historic, why hundreds of college students and staff members are quarantined, and when you can expect Uber and Lyft drivers to go on strike.

Plus: what to know about Amazon's new one-day shipping goals, and Avengers: Endgame sets a new one-day record (will it reach $1 billion in its opening weekend?).

Those stories and many more in less than 10 minutes!

Award-winning broadcast journalist and former TV news reporter Erica Mandy breaks it all down for you. 

Head to www.theNewsWorthy.com to read more about any of the stories mentioned under the section titled 'Episodes' or see sources below...

Today's episode is brought to you by the American Beverage Association. Go to www.BalanceUS.org to learn more.

Become a NewsWorthy Insider! Click here: 

https://www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Biden 2020: AP, Fox News, NBC News, NYT

Measles Quarantine: NBC News, LA Times

Uber Strike: CBS News, Salon, Bloomberg

Cannabis Industry Jobs: NYT

Microsoft $1 Trillion: WSJ, The Verge

Amazon’s One-Day Shipping: Reuters, TechCrunch

Walmart’s IRL: TechCrunch, Engadget, AP

CVS SmileShops: CNBC, USA Today

Avengers: Endgame: AP, Deadline, NBC News

 

Read Me a Poem - “Well, I have lost you” by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Amanda Holmes reads Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, “Well, I have lost you.” Have a suggestion for a poem? Email us: podcast@theamericanscholar.org. If we select your entry, you’ll win a copy of a poetry collection edited by David Lehman.


This episode was produced by Stephanie Bastek and features the song “Canvasback” by Chad Crouch.



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Opening Arguments - OA273: Sears, Steve Mnuchin & “The Producers”

Today's episode features a deep dive into a just-filed lawsuit by Sears against its CEO, Eddie Lampert, and certain directors, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The lawsuit alleges that Eddie & Steve managed to wreck not one but two long-standing American institutions. How? Why? And what does any of this have to do with one of the best comedies of all time, The Producers? Listen and find out!

We begin, however, with a very brief Andrew Was Wrong malapropism in which he confused a journalist with a philosopher. (There's a comedy setup in there somewhere.)

Then, it's time for the main segment, which breaks down the background on Mnuchin, especially how he teamed up with billionaire Eddie Lampert, and then how the two of them managed to turn less than a billion dollars into full ownership of both Kmart and Sears, each of which had eight-figure valuations at the time. And, as if that wasn't enough, you can find out how Lampert (allegedly) ripped off the public on Mnuchin's watch, all while enriching himself. Drain the Swamp! You'll also learn all about The Producers-style fraud. You can make more money with a flop than with a hit!

After all that, it's time for the glorious return of Thomas Takes the Bar Exam -- this time, featuring guest Monica Miller, who will be joining us for a full-length interview next episode.   TTTBE question #123, however, is a dreaded real property question...will anyone be able to get it right?? 

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.

Show Notes & Links

  1. Click here to read the Sears lawsuit, and here to check out Mnuchin's Wikipedia page.
  2. This page contains a good explanation of Delaware corporate law regarding duty of loyalty.

Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/law

Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/

Don't forget the OA Facebook Community!

For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki, which now has its own Twitter feed!  @oawiki

And email us at openarguments@gmail.com

The Gist - It’s Getting Hot in Here

On The Gist, the difference between one million and one billion.

In the interview, Nathaniel Rich is here to discuss his new book Losing Earth about the decade of 1979-1989 and why they are so important to understanding America’s political history of climate change and the current state of denialism we find ourselves in. 

In the Spiel, is impeachment worth it? If we don’t will Trump get reelected?

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Pod Save America - “Make America 2016 Again?”

The President ignores the law and Congress in an effort to shut down further investigations, the federal government is woefully unprepared for future election sabotage, and former Vice President Joe Biden officially enters the Democratic primary. Then Mother Jones’s Ari Berman talks to Dan about the Supreme Court case over Trump’s effort to rig the Census in favor of Republicans. Also – Pod Save America is going on tour! Get your tickets now: crooked.com/events.