The Intelligence from The Economist - Laïcité, égalité, fraternité? France’s secularism bill

President Emmanuel Macron’s draft bill walks a fine line balancing the country’s foundational secularism and worries about Islamist terrorism. Amid slumping economies everywhere, Taiwan’s looks surprisingly buoyant; we ask how that might continue after the pandemic. And how managers can best navigate the holiday-party season in a cheerless year.

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer

The Best One Yet - “Jack Daniel’s trilogies” — Brown-Forman’s blockbuster strategy. Stitch Fix’s 40% pop. Uber’s self-drive ditch.

Liquor legend Brown-Forman is borrowing a movie strategy for its top-shelf-ification of Jack Daniel’s. Stitch Fix stock surged 40% because it’s pulling a move straight outta Netflix. And Uber’s selling its self-driving biz… which completely changes our calendar of when self-driving actually arrives. $SFIX $BF $UBER Got a SnackFact? Tweet it @RobinhoodSnacks @TBOYJack @NickOfNewYork Want a shoutout on the pod? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/KhUAo31xmkSdeynD9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - What Does the Teachers Union Want?

Teachers unions are catching flack for obstructing a return to in-person school. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, says teachers want to be in school. The question still is, can it be done safely? 


Guest: Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. 


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NBN Book of the Day - Virginia Postrel, “The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World” (Basic Books, 2020)

In The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World (Basic Books, 2020), Virginia Postrel describes how humans coevolved with textiles.

The story begins with our distant ancestors who used string to fashion the earliest tools. Then, ten thousand years ago, humans began farming not only for food but also for fiber to make cloth. In the intervening millennia, for people everywhere, an inordinate amount of human time and energy went into the growing, harvesting, spinning, weaving, and dying of cloth for garments, bedding, blankets, rugs, hangings, tents, tarps, sails, sacks, and all manner of containers and fittings. Based on investigation and practice, Ms. Postrel explains the artisanal processes and sciences involved.

In addition, this book is about how textiles shaped our society more broadly: labor, trade, tribute, collaboration (and also exploitation), credit, banking, migration (some voluntary, some forced), style and cultural restrictions, all figure into the discussion. The Industrial Revolution that began when steam power replaced human toil in the spinning of thread and the weaving of cloth, changed our world. Cheap, high-quality, cloth became available to people everywhere. In the twentieth century, the advent of plastics, of synthetic fabrics, transformed our world again. All of this, Ms. Postrel achieves in 250 beautifully-written pages, with numerous helpful pictures and diagrams. She also has a blog filled with videos explaining the processes she investigates in the book at https://vpostrel.com/blog.

Virginia Postrel is a journalist, author, and independent scholar. Her books include author of The Substance of Style, The Power of Glamour, and The Future and its Enemies. She is currently a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and has been a columnist for the Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.

Krzysztof Odyniec is a historian of the Early Modern Europe, the Spanish Empire, and the Atlantic World, specializing in sixteenth-century diplomacy and travel.

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The NewsWorthy - Biden’s First 100 Days, Cybersecurity Firm Hacked & Olympic Breakdancing- Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

The news to know for Wednesday, December 9th, 2020!

We'll tell you about:

  • President-elect Biden's plans for his first 100 days in office; they all have to do with the pandemic
  • why changes are coming to the U.S. military
  • the hack of a top cybersecurity firm that means more breaches could be coming
  • Mount Everest being taller than we thought
  • a type of dancing that's now an Olympic sport
  • why Hawaii is offering some people free roundtrip flights

Those stories and more in about 10 minutes! 

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

This episode is brought to you by DukeCannon.com (available at Target) and and Fitbod.me/newsworthy

Get ad-free episodes and support the show by becoming an INSIDER: www.theNewsWorthy.com/insider 

 

 

 

Sources:

Biden Reveals COVID-19 Plan: WaPo, Axios, AP, Biden Transition

U.S. Virus Case/Death Records: AP, The Hill, USA Today, Johns Hopkins

Supreme Court Denies PA Election Challenge: AP, WaPo, Reuters, NBC News

Krebs Sues Trump Campaign: NPR, WaPo, AP, CNBC

14 Fort Hood Soldiers Fired, Suspended: AP, ABC News, CBS News, USA Today

House Passed Defense Spending Bill: NY Times, WSJ, ABC News, Axios, Trump Tweet

Everest Grows Higher: NPR, AP, CNN

Top Cybersecurity Firm Hacked: NBC News, NY Times, Axios, WSJ, FireEye

DoorDash Set to Go Public Wednesday: WSJ, CNBC, NY Times, Reuters

Famous College Football Game Canceled: USA Today, NY Times, Michigan

2024 Olympics to Include Breakdancing: ESPN, Reuters, CNN

Work Wednesday: HI Offers Workers Free Roundtrip Flights: CNN, People, Business Wire, Movers and Shakas, Hawaii.Gov

In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt - How Biden Can Reach Trump Country (with Laurie Garrett)

Andy calls up author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Laurie Garrett to explore one of the most challenging questions of the day: how will Biden reach Trump supporters on the vital issues of the pandemic? It’s a question that needs an answer. 

 

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

 

Follow Laurie Garrett on Twitter @Laurie_Garrett. 

 

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 

 

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

 

  • Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off.

 

Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

 

 

 

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

 

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What A Day - No One’s Quick As Gascón

As vaccinations kick off in the UK, the approval process is moving forward here in the US as well. The FDA now says Pfizer’s vaccine offers protection within just 10 days of getting the first dose, though efficacy goes up even further after a second one. Authorization is still pending. The US had planned to rely heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, having made a deal to buy 300 million doses… but new data indicate the drug isn’t as effective as some of the other options being reviewed. 

On his first day, the new district attorney of Los Angeles George Gascón announced a suite of policy reforms that will change how law enforcement is done in the city. Gascón is part of a larger wave of newly-elected progressive DA’s, from places like Austin, Orlando, and New Orleans.

And in headlines: the Army fires or suspends 14 officials at Fort Hood, police raid the home of COVID data scientist Rebekah Jones, and Christopher Nolan is not happy with Warner Bros.


Show Links:

"Blunders Eroded U.S. Confidence in Early Vaccine Front-Runner"

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/business/covid-vaccine-oxford-astrazeneca.html


"AstraZeneca vaccine details published in Lancet, but data suggests need for more trials"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/astrazeneca-lancet-covid-vaccine-oxford/2020/12/08/482ca0f0-34b5-11eb-9699-00d311f13d2d_story.html

The Goods from the Woods - “The Corona Diaries #110” with Dave Stone

Comedian Rivers Langley is back in his hometown in Alabama for the rest of 2020. Also, there's a global pandemic still happening. This podcast is him catching up with his funny friends; sometimes on the phone, sometimes socially-distanced outside. These are "The Corona Diaries" and this is Episode #110.  Our guest today is comedian Dave Stone. You should listen to his podcasts "The Boogie Monster" and "The Stonebergs" and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @DaveStoneComedy.  Listen to Carter Glascock's new album 'The Crystal Pistol' now streaming on all platforms!

The Daily Signal - Congress’ Race to Pass COVID-19 Relief Package

The clock is ticking as Congress attempts to reach bipartisan agreement on a COVID-19 relief bill before Christmas. After multiple failed attempts to agree upon what should be included in a new aid package, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are trying one more time to pass the package before year's end. 


Garrett Bess, vice president of government relations and communications at Heritage Action for America, the grassroots partner organization of The Heritage Foundation, joins the show to break down what you need to know about the proposal and how much it may add to the national debt. 


We also discuss these stories:


  • Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton files a lawsuit against Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin as a result of the presidential election.
  • Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy says he will fire or suspend 14 personnel over sexual harassment and violence, including cases of suicide and homicide.
  • Joe Biden selects retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense.


Enjoy the show!



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Security Unlocked - Threat Modeling for Adversarial ML

How ready is your corporate security team to handle AI and ML threats? Many simply don’t have the bandwidth or don’t see it as a priority. That’s where security engineers like Microsoft’s Andrew Marshall step in. In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Andrew about just what his team is doing to teach security professionals and policy makers about the dangers of AI and ML attacks, and walks through some of the documentation, available for free online, that can help guide the response. Plus, why he really, really doesn’t want to talk about Windows Vista. 

Nic and Natalia then explore what it’s like to hunt down threats with Sam Schwartz, a program manager with Microsoft Threat Experts. She came to Microsoft right out of college and didn’t even know what malware was. Now, she’s helping coordinate a team of threat hunters on the cutting edge of attack prevention. 

  

In This Episode, You Will Learn:   

  • Why data science and security engineering skills don’t necessarily overlap 
  • How attackers are using ML to change decision making 
  • What security teams are doing to protect AI and ML systems 
  • How threat hunters are tracking down the newest security risks 
  • Why Microsoft Threat Experts are focused on human adversaries, not malware 

  

Some Questions We Ask:   

  • What does the ML landscape look like at Microsoft? 
  • How are ML attacks evolving? 
  • What is ‘data poisoning’? 
  • Why do threat hunters need to limit the scope of their work? 
  • What skills do you need to be a security program manager? 


Resources

Threat Modeling AI Systems and Dependencies 

Andrew’s LinkedIn

Sam’s LinkedIn

Nic’s LinkedIn 

Natalia’s LinkedIn

Microsoft Security Blog


Related:

Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson

Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault 

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts


Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network. 


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