Category: 3-SometimeCommentary

Hello from a USPS mailbag!

This week, before getting into your letters, we reminisce about Saturday’s election news a.k.a the international dopamine-flood event. We “wow just wow” at the Democratic establishment’s (ridiculous and ridiculously premature) punch left, and swoon over AOC’s punch back in an interview with the New York Times. We also dissect a viral video of Tucker Carlson explaining why Butler, PA, and so many other places in the US (will) remain loyal to Trump.

Listener Questions

@irl_neil asks how “small business owners” fit into a broader progressive agenda. How should we confront the bootstraps values so popular with immigrant communities?

@hasui_SEA asks what the Biden administration might mean for the US–China Cold War-style tensions we often discuss on TTSG?

Listeners Henry and Cathy H. ask about the utility of the “Asian American” (or Asian Canadian) category from the perspective of South Asian and Southeast Asian immigrants.

M. asks about the racial landmines, circa 2020, that await her young hapa (mixed-race Asian) child.

Finally, Adriana and Ellen ask about the black–white binary in academia—within both the “diversity” bureaucracy complex and the ethnic-studies classroom.

On the Gist, getting back to normal.

In the interview, WHYY’s Katie Meyer is here to discuss Pennsylvania politics with Mike. They talk about how the changes in voting collection and counting changed in the state during 2020, why it caused such national turmoil, and if Republican meddling even helped their strategy at all.

In the spiel, anchors having too many opinions.

Email us at thegist@slate.com

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.

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Sir Roger Penrose was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in physics this year for his ground-breaking work on black holes and their relationship with the general theory of relativity. He looks back at his extraordinary career with Andrew Marr – from his early interest in mathematical patterns and the ‘impossible’ works of Escher, to his revolutionary use of mathematics in cosmology and his continued fascination with the beginning and end of time.

Carlo Rovelli is a theoretical physicist who researches quantum gravity, as well as a best-selling author. In his latest collection of essays, There are Places in the World Where Rules are Less Important than Kindness, he demonstrates a curiosity that crosses the boundaries from the sciences to the arts. He reflects on everything from Newton’s alchemy to Einstein’s mistakes, and from Dante’s cosmology to Nabokov's butterflies.

The world underwater is the physicist Helen Czerski’s playground. The focus of much of her research has been the physics of breaking waves and bubbles on the ocean surface. As one of this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lecturers, Czerski will reveal the vital role oceans play in the Earth’s heating and plumbing systems, and the impact of human activity on the planet.

Producer: Katy Hickman

With COVID-19 cases surging around the country and winter fast approaching, this may be the most important toolkit episode yet. Infectious diseases physician Nahid Bhadelia and indoor air quality expert Richard Corsi answer every tough question about winter safety – from holiday gatherings, to indoor dining, and flu season. Understand what’s happening with indoor particles and how to make sure homes, offices, and schools can be as safe as possible with ventilation, filters, and CO2 meters. Andy and Lana team up for the episode they say they learned the most from. And be sure to stick around for a very nice surprise at the end of the show.

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

Follow Nahid Bhadelia @BhadeliaMD and Richard Corsi @CorsIAQ on Twitter.

Keep up with the work of Dr. Bhadelia and her colleagues at Boston Medical Center @The_BMC on Twitter. 

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: 

• Learn more about the ‘Swiss Cheese Model’ Dr. Bhadelia mentions in today’s episode: https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/31/21542207/swiss-cheese-infection-control-covid-19-antivirus 
• Check out this FAQ guide on COVID-19 aerosol transmission, co-authored by Richard Corsi: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1fB5pysccOHvxphpTmCG_TGdytavMmc1cUumn8m0pwzo/mobilebasic 
• Keep up with the most pressing issues in healthcare today on the HealthCity website from Boston Medical Center: https://www.bmc.org/healthcity
• Read the British Medical Journal study looking at co-infections of COVID-19 and influenza: https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3720 
• Find a list of MSN’s 9 Best Carbon Dioxide Meters here: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/rf-buying-guides/best-carbon-dioxide-meters-reviews. 
• Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165 

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.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Gist, Democrats practiced caution and Republicans jumped into the deep end.

In the interview, Emily Bazelon and Mike recap election week, its days-long outcome, and our current reality with the two candidates. Bazelon writes for the New York Times magazine, co-hosts Slate’s Political Gabfest, and is the author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration.

In the spiel, what is the Democratic Party’s way forward?

Email us at thegist@slate.com

Podcast production by Margaret Kelley and Daniel Schroeder.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices