The former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says that the cost of maternity litigation claims in England is now more than the cost of salaries for maternity nurses and doctors. We crunch the numbers and ask how worried parents and taxpayers should be. Also are there more bees in the world than stars in the galaxy? And would planes be much lighter if they didn?t bother with windows? Maths Professor Hannah Fry talks to us about her experience of cancer and the choices she and others have faced after a diagnosis. And we hear from author Simon Singh, who wants to bring fun maths conversations into homes everywhere.
In 1975, design engineer Dave Nutting completed work on a new arcade machine. A version of Taito's Western Gun, a recent Japanese arcade machine, Nutting's Gun Fight depicted a classic showdown between gunfighters. Rich in Western folklore, the game seemed perfect for the American market; players easily adapted to the new technology, becoming pistol-wielding pixel cowboys. One of the first successful early arcade titles, Gun Fight helped introduce an entire nation to video-gaming and sold more than 8,000 units.
In Gamer Nation: Video Games and American Culture(Johns Hopkins UP, 2019), John Wills examines how video games co-opt national landscapes, livelihoods, and legends. Arguing that video games toy with Americans' mass cultural and historical understanding, Wills show how games reprogram the American experience as a simulated reality. Blockbuster games such as Civilization, Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption repackage the past, refashioning history into novel and immersive digital states of America. Controversial titles such as Custer's Revenge and 08.46 recode past tragedies. Meanwhile, online worlds such as Second Life cater to a desire to inhabit alternate versions of America, while Paperboy and The Sims transform the mundane tasks of everyday suburbia into fun and addictive challenges.
Working with a range of popular and influential games, from Pong, Civilization, and The Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Fortnite, Wills critically explores these gamic depictions of America. Touching on organized crime, nuclear fallout, environmental degradation, and the War on Terror, Wills uncovers a world where players casually massacre Native Americans and Cold War soldiers alike, a world where neo-colonialism, naive patriotism, disassociated violence, and racial conflict abound, and a world where the boundaries of fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred. Ultimately, Gamer Nation reveals not only how video games are a key aspect of contemporary American culture, but also how games affect how people relate to America itself.
Rudolf Inderst is a professor of Game Design at the IU International University of Applied Science.
Americans will soon have access to several new COVID-19 vaccines. The FDA is expected to finally approve Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children under 5 as well as the protein-based Novavax vaccine. Looking ahead, the FDA is meeting in late June to discuss a vaccine targeting multiple variants of the virus, which may be available in the fall. How do all these shots compare to our current ones, and how do you know what’s right for your family? Andy gets answers from epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina and New York Times health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli.
Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.
Support the show by checking out our sponsors!
America's psychiatric emergency systems are struggling to assist those in dire need of help. The Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity, a subsidiary of the Satcher Health Leadership at Morehouse School of Medicine, is partnering with Beacon Health Options to establish critical guidelines for dismantling inequity through its new research and policy initiative. You can join the movement too by attending their upcoming virtual summit. Go to kennedysatcher.org to register today.
Beacon Health Options has also published a new white paper online called Reimagining Behavioral Health Crisis Systems of Care. Download it today at beaconlens.com/white-papers.
Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/
Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
What to know about President Biden's optimistic view of the economy as his critics say he's responsible for a crisis.
Also, can former President Trump pick the winners of the primaries? We're talking about the track record of Trump-endorsed candidates so far.
Plus, what new data show about the cost to fly, how the pandemic impacted our pets, and what used to be a symbol of the internet will stop working today.
Inflation is at a four-decade high, and on Monday, stocks fell to their lowest levels since March 2021. We break down what’s happening in the economy, why, and what you need to know about what the Federal Reserve might do in response at its meeting today.
Russian troops are reportedly in control of as much as 80 percent of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk. Jack Crosbie, a correspondent for Rolling Stone, joins us to discuss what he saw on the ground when he was in eastern Ukraine last week.
And in headlines: the House passed a bill to increase security for Supreme Court justices, BTS is going on an indefinite hiatus, and an appeals court ruled that a 51-year-old Asian elephant named Happy was not a person.
Everyday Americans are feeling the wallop on their wallets from unchecked inflation. From gas prices to food prices, the country is experiencing unprecedented levels of economic woes.
But who is to blame for this disaster?
“I think that there are two co-conspirators in this economic crime. And one is the Biden administration, for spending so much money,” says economist Stephen Moore, a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation. “And then the second would be the Fed for being so late to the game in recognizing that this inflation was real and not transitory, and taking steps to combat it.”
Although the government could take steps to address inflation and dodge a recession, Moore says, it’s unlikely that the Biden administration will act properly.
“I think, actually, that if you had the right set of policies put in place, we could avert a recession. We could get back on a good path,” Moore explains. “I think what worries me, and also worries the financial markets, is there’s not a hint out of this White House that they’re going to change strategies. None.”
Moore joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” from Heritage’s recent Resource Bank conference to discuss America’s economy and how we can get back on track.
We also cover these stories:
The man accused of planning to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh reportedly texted his sister, who convinced him to call 911 from Kavanaugh’s neighborhood and turn himself in to police.
Three Pennsylvania state lawmakers, all Republicans, begin impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who they say is soft on crime.
A new poll by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland finds that a vast majority of Americans are against transgender athletes, or biological males, competing in women’s sports.
Not sure what to do with an old retirement plan from a previous job? Laura answers a listener's question and reviews five options for managing your retirement account.
San Francisco is all but short-hand for “liberal American city,” but their progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin just got booted from office in a not-so-close recall. Elected as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors, why is Boudin now out, while his reformer-minded peers remain popular? And what does it mean for criminal justice reform in America?
Guest: Jessica Brand, founder and co-director of the Wren Collective, a consulting service focused on transforming the criminal justice system.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.
After a string of heartbreaking news in the United States, are we doomed to fear, anger, and a descent into gridlocked politics? Today, Judge Victoria Pratt, an advocate for reforming the criminal justice system, and Lauren Leader, the cofounder and CEO of All In Together, discuss America's biggest challenges and how each have enacted change in large, complex systems.
As the January 6th committee’s hearings continue, the nation is treated to recounting of wild, false claims of election fraud, and outrageous schemes which countenanced blocking or surmounting the duly conducted vote in the electoral college. What was behind those schemes? A so-called theory of “Independent State Legislatures.” What’s that? How would it further the undermining of the electoral process? Is it still a threat? And where did it come from? Here’s one hint that should tell you something about its DNA: it is in large part the residue from the notorious, noxious, nullity that was Bush v. Gore. Professor Amar, and his brother, Dean Vikram Amar, have teamed up to head off this danger to the Republic, through a new article which is already widely acclaimed and cited. Today Akhil and Andy (joined by Vik in subsequent episodes) begin a three-part series that will explain the threat, review the background, and then take it on squarely and decisively.
