Russia has fined Google more than two undecillion rubles, which is more than 20 decillion dollars. How much you ask? 20 decillions is a 20 with 33 zeros behind it, more money than there is in the entire world!
This unpayable fine inspired us to look at extremely large numbers, from the amount of cells in our body, to infinity hotels and beyond. Plus, two-time world memory champion Jonas von Essen teaches us how to memorise these supermassive numbers.
Also, we unpick a dubious influential biodiversity statistic that has no basis whatsoever, and we look at the scientific tools of ghost hunting.
Plus, to round it off, presenter Marnie looks at a sport with more possible moves than there are atoms in the Universe. Can you guess what it is?
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton with Tristan Ahtone and Candice Bailey.
Producer: Florian Bohr with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Imaan Moin.
Sound engineer: Rhys Morris
Watch this episode on YouTube. In this episode, we're diving into the mainstream media's post-election outrage and the (hopefully) hard-learned lessons. Tune in for the full breakdown!
From the U.S. lead negotiator on climate change, an inside account of the seven-year negotiation that culminated in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015—and where the international climate effort needs to go from here. The 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change was one of the most difficult and hopeful achievements of the twenty-first century: 195 nations finally agreed, after 20 years of trying, to establish an ambitious, operational regime to address one of the greatest civilizational challenges of our time.
In Landing the Paris Climate Agreement: How It Happened, Why It Matters, and What Comes Next(MIT Press, 2024), Todd Stern, the chief US negotiator on climate change, provides an engaging account from inside the rooms where it happened: the full, charged, seven-year story of how the Paris Agreement came to be, following an arc from Copenhagen, to Durban, to the secret U.S.-China climate deal in 2014, to Paris itself. With a storyteller’s gift for character, suspense, and detail, Stern crafts a high-stakes narrative that illuminates the strategy, policy, politics, and diplomacy that made Paris possible. Introducing readers to a vivid cast of characters, including Xie Zenhua, Vice Minister of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, Bo Lidegaard, chief strategist for Denmark’s Prime Minster, and Indian minister Jairam Ramesh, Stern, who worked alongside President Barack Obama and Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, depicts the pitfalls and challenges overcome, the shifting alliances, the last-minute maneuvering, and the ultimate historic success. The book concludes with a final chapter that describes key developments since 2015 and the author’s reflections on what needs to be done going forward to contain the climate threat. A unique peek behind the curtain of one of the most important international agreements of our time, Landing the Paris Climate Agreement is a vital and fascinating read for anyone who cares about the future of our one shared home.
Todd Stern is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a nonresident distinguished fellow at the Asia Society, concentrating on climate change. He served from January 2009 until April 2016 as the Special Envoy for Climate Change at the Department of State, where he was President Barack Obama's chief climate negotiator.
If you happen to be feeling blue because you feel like a loose cannon, fear not, because I happen to like the cut of your jib.
Perhaps if you have a square meal, you’ll be riding high, and by and large, you might avoid being three sheets to the wind.
If you know the ropes and don’t cut and run, you might be above board without being taken aback.
Learn more about the origin of words and phrases that come from the nautical world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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What to know about the first major decisions of President-elect Trump’s new term, including a historic chief of staff pick.
And what President Biden said in his first post-election speech.
Also, the Fed’s latest interest rate cuts—and what to expect next.
Plus, what’s known so far about disturbing, racist text messages sent to people in several states, why the FDA wants to ban an ingredient in some popular cold medications, and what one small-town school custodian did that led to the building being named after her.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
President Joe Biden addressed the nation Thursday for the first time since Election Day. He promised to “honor the constitution on January 20th” and peacefully hand over power to President-Elect Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the blame game and painful soul-searching within the Democratic Party has begun in earnest. Jon Favreau, co-host of ‘Pod Save America’ and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, stopped by to discuss what comes next.
And in headlines: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he will not resign when Trump takes office, former New York City mayor and disbarred attorney Rudy Giuliani goes to court again, and Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey pushes back on the Associated Press’ race call against him.
As Kamala Harris officially concedes after a terrible election, Democrats begin searching for lessons—and singling out others for blame. Jon, Lovett, Dan, and Tommy discuss Harris's farewell message, the various conflicting and enraging theories being floated as to why she lost, and how we should think about campaigns going forward. Plus: Sen. Jacky Rosen appears to score a win in Nevada, and Democratic House candidates in uncalled races see a path to victory—and maybe even a narrow majority.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.
If you want to understand the election, just look at Elf Beauty’s results… we explain the parallel.
Elon is the big business winner of the election… we found how it could transform X.
There is 1 powerful word to win any business or political discussion this weekend… It’s “we.”
Plus, TGIFriday’s just declared bankruptcy… so it’s your last day for $50M in unused gift cards.
$ELF $TSLA $LVMUY
Looking for a long-form listen? Check out our new episode on… The Jeep 🚙: The car that saved the world. It’s our latest episode of The Best Idea Yet. Listen here: Wondery.fm/TheBestIdeaYetLinks
A pivotal week in Corey Gray's life began with a powwow in Alberta and culminated with a piece of history: The first-ever detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two neutron stars. Corey was on the graveyard shift at LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in Hanford, Washington, when the historic signal came. This episode, Corey talks about the discovery, the "Gravitational Wave Grass Dance Special" that preceded it and how he got his Blackfoot name. (encore)
Two new nonfiction books blend research and memoir to explore ideas of family, language and culture. Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez's Tías and Primas draws on her experience being raised in a large Nicaraguan family, one that she describes as messier than the typical nuclear model. Her relationships with her mother, cousins, and aunts shaped her view of the world and the female archetypes that exist within Latin American culture. In today's episode, Rodríguez speaks with NPR's A Martínez about how nuance is lost in Latina stereotypes, the cultural significance of ghost encounters, and practicing critique from a place of love. Then, Julie Sedivy is a linguistics and psychology professor who started speaking five languages before first grade. Growing up in diverse linguistic environments inspired her memoir Linguaphile, which explores the relationship between language, emotion and life. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Eric Westervelt about the way linguistic divisions reflect our social reality and the surprising strengths of the aging brain.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
