Planet Money - The laws of the office revisited

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If something is going wrong in your workplace, there's probably a law that explains why. Meetings always seem long, and never end early? There’s Parkinson’s Law, which says work expands to the time allotted, or, restated: meetings will always take up all the time blocked on Outlook calendars. Is your boss bad at managing? Check the Peter Principle, which says people are promoted to their level of incompetence. A good worker does not a good manager make. And yet … here we are. Once you hear these laws, and a few others, you start to spot them everywhere. 

Today on the show, we picked a few of the most famous and powerful ‘laws of the office’ and tested them out on each other. 

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This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone, Sarah Gonzalez, and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. Bryant Urstadt edited this show. Planet Money’s executive producer is Alex Goldmark.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The shadowy world of merchant cash advances

During the pandemic, mostly unregulated lenders went after struggling restaurants and music venues, charging at times sky high rates. Now, they’ve found a new market: small businesses that desperately need cash to pay tariffs.

Today on the show, the story of a financial lifeline that can turn into a financial choke hold.

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Related episodes: 
Can I get my tariff money back now? 
Three ways companies are getting around tariffs 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter 

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NPR's Book of the Day - To understand consciousness, Michael Pollan looked at plants, AI and himself

While researching a previous book, a mushroom trip in Michael Pollan’s garden left him curious about the boundaries of consciousness. His latest project A World Appears explores the mystery of human consciousness through scientific, philosophical and psychedelic frameworks. In today’s episode, Pollan talks with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about the sentience of plants and animals vs. our own. They also discuss “lantern” vs. “spotlight” consciousness, AI and why Pollan sees the computer as a faulty metaphor for the human brain.

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Global News Podcast - Iranian residents tell BBC about US and Israeli bombardment

The BBC hears from Iranian residents about life under bombardment, as the US says its military campaign is a "resounding success" - and ahead of schedule. Tehran accuses its enemies of targeting civilians. We also hear from one of the world's biggest shipping companies about how it's unwilling to risk its employees and vessels by sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. In other news, passenger trains are set to resume between China and North Korea. And why some people think it's important to distinguish between books written by humans and AI.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Amarica's Constitution - Substantive Expansion – with Advisory Opinions and Divided Argument

Amarica’s Constitution has joined with two other great podcasts! We’re still ourselves, but today we bring all three podcasts together to look at a recent case, Mirabelli v. Bonta, which brings substantive due process back to center stage.  And because we are who we are, we take a look ourselves at some more aspects of - what  else? - the birthright citizenship case.  Learn what the future holds for our listeners, as we bring you what we always have, and more.  Attorneys and judges can gain CLE credit from podcast.njsba.com.

It Could Happen Here - Outlaw: Criminalization of ICE Watch in Minneapolis

In Outlaw Podcast's first feature on ICHH, Olive talks with people detained and prosecuted for responding to ICE in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge. Clem and Ray describe being dragged from their car and taken into ICE detention, and Isavela Lopez and Lucy talk about catching charges and navigating ongoing cases. These conversations offer concrete insight into how federal agencies are responding to anti-ICE activity in the Twin Cities, and the impact that has on people's lives.

To learn more about how the law is used to crush dissent, check out the other episodes of Outlaw, an anti-repression podcast. Follow https://www.instagram.com/outlaw.pod/ on Instagram & @outlawpod.bsky.social Bluesky, & Substack https://outlawpodcast.substack.com/subscribe Get in touch: outlawpod@proton.me

Solidarity with Isavela: Support Her Legal Fight https://www.gofundme.com/f/solidarity-with-isavela-support-her-legal-fight

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The Goods from the Woods - Episode #515 – “Salad Daddy” with Erik Barnes

In this episode, Rivers and Carter are hanging out at Disgraceland Studios with comedian and professional wrestling commentator Erik Barnes! Things kick off with a discussion about some peculiar personalities Rivers recently discovered on Instagram and Carter's awkward experiences dining at restaurants with "Daddy" in their name. Then, they chug an energy drink called "Gorilla Mind" made by the steroid enthusiast who brought down the "Liver King". Rivers shares the story of Edgar Laplante, the conman who spent the Jazz Age posing as "Chief White Elk," a decorated Indigenous war hero who was actually just a two-bit white criminal from Rhode Island. Zac Brown Band's "Toes" is our JAM OF THE WEEK! Tune in now, folks. Follow Erik on social media @ErikWBarnes Follow the show on social media @TheGoodsPod. Rivers is @RiversLangley Sam is @SlamHarter Carter is @Carter_Glascock Subscribe on Patreon for the UNCUT video version of this episode as well as TONS of bonus content! http://patreon.com/TheGoodsPod Pick up a Goods from the Woods t-shirt here: http://prowrestlingtees.com/TheGoodsPod

This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 448. Dubai’s Golden Dome Crumbles

We discuss the breathless article in Jeff Bezo’s Washington Post about how Claude’s integration into the Palantir Maven Smart System has been used for rapid target generation and prioritization for missile strikes in Iran. Then we go deeper into the fraying relationship between the Gulf states and the tech industry and the highly concentrated forms of financial investment and physical infrastructure in the UAE and Saudi Arabia that are load-bearing pillars of the global economy. Pillars that are now, very surprisingly for folks living in the Dubai Geopolitics Slow Zone, suddenly at risk from the consequences of geopolitics. ••• TMK live show in San Francisco, 7pm on Thursday, March 19th, with our friends at Bay Area Current and DSA SF. Join us! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decoding-the-tech-vibe-shift-a-night-of-left-wing-tech-criticism-tickets-1984745130112 ••• Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/04/anthropic-ai-iran-campaign/ ••• The Trillions of Dollars of U.S. Investment at Stake in the Gulf https://www.wsj.com/business/the-trillions-of-dollars-of-u-s-investment-at-stake-in-the-gulf-f66f7883 ••• The Iran war is a jolt to Dubai’s business model https://www.economist.com/business/2026/03/03/the-iran-war-is-a-jolt-to-dubais-business-model ••• Big Tech’s Uncertain Future in the Persian Gulf https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/business/dealbook/iran-gulf-tech-investments.html Standing Plugs: ••• Order Jathan’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite ••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble ••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)

This Machine Kills - TMK Live Show in San Francisco – March 19th

Folks, we are doing a TMK live show in San Francisco! Come join Jathan and Ed, along with our friends, Wendy Liu and Jimmy Wu, for a fun night of left-wing tech criticism as we decode the tech vibe shift. Thanks to Bay Area Current and DSA SF for sponsoring the event. Entry is free, and they'll be drinks available with suggested cash donation. ••• Thursday, March 19th at 7:00pm ••• First Unitarian Universalist, Starr King Room ••• 1187 Franklin St, San Francisco Registration is recommended but not required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/decoding-the-tech-vibe-shift-a-night-of-left-wing-tech-criticism-tickets-1984745130112