Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy Best of the Left

Air Date 5/28/2024
Today we look at the most disappointing yet most idolized false heroes of our day, the titans of tech and the zany hijinks they've been getting up to recently.
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Transcript
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KEY POINTS
1: When a tech company like OpenAI doesn't get the dark message at the heart of science fiction
2: How Peter Thiel Got Rich | The Class Room ft. Second Thought
3: Google's Sundar Pichai on AI-powered search and the future of the web
4: Elon's Reputation is Hurting Tesla
5: Crypto’s crown prince in court
6: The Entire OpenAI Chaos Explained
7: Scarlett Johansson's Open AI voice fight shows the need for consent in tech
8: Fascism and the Failure of Imagination
 
SEE FULL SHOW NOTES
1:03:38 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the misplaced excitement in private corporations pushing big technological advancements
1:09:33 DEEPER DIVE A: THAT WORD YOU KEEP USING…
1:36:58 B: SiliCON VALLEY, emphasis on the CON
1:53:05 C: MICROSOFT THE DESTROYER
2:10:35 D: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
SHOW IMAGE: 
Description: Composite image where the faces of Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Elon Musk are seen through an overlay of stock prices and a growth chart arrow.
Credits: Composite by A. Hoffman. Photos: 1) "Open AI co-founder & CEO Sam Altman" by TechCrunch, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 2) "Peter Thiel" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 3) "Sam Bankman-Fried" by Cointelegraph, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 ; 4) "Elon Musk Presenting Tesla's Fully Autonomous Future" by Steve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0

Air Date: 5-26-24
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
- the con of supply and demand economics being about distributing goods with the greatest efficiency, and is instead nothing more than predatory greed
- what we value as humans goes far beyond the price of commodities
- even more examples of the enshitification of life via hostile experiences from things we've already paid for
- how companies restrict functionality to create artificial price points as a way to extract even more from us

REFERENCES:
WELCOME TO PRICING HELL
The Gap Between the Price You See and What You Pay Is Getting Worse
Welcome to the Golden Age of User Hostility
My Printer Is Extorting Me
Bought a Model Y? Tesla may charge you to use the battery’s full range
Corporate America Knows We’re Miserable. Is a Toilet Bomb the Answer?
Billy Bragg - Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted

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Produced by:
Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 5/24/2024
Assessing the impacts of new diet drugs on physical and mental health in the context of our unhealthy food system and societal fat phobia
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Transcript
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: The world after Ozempic - The Gray Area - Air Date 5-13-24
KP 2: The Ozempic economy - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-23-24
KP 3: Have the new weight-loss drugs changed what it means to be body positive - Consider This - Air Date 5-13-24
KP 5: Body Neutrality - What The Actual Fork Podcast - Air Date 8-11-23
KP 6: Examining America's Unhealthy Obsession With Fitness w. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-24-23
KP 7: What Ozempic can't fix - Today, Explained - Air Date 2-26-34
 
SEE FULL SHOW NOTES
(56:10) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the metaphor of the new show format
(1:01:22) DEEPER DIVE A: BUSINESS OF DESIRE
A1: Examining America's Unhealthy Obsession... Part 2
A2: The Ozempic economy Part 2
A3: The world after... Part 4
(1:20:48) DEEPER DIVE B: BIAS AND RISK
B1: What Ozempic can't fix Part 2
B2: The world after... Part 5
B3: What Ozempic can't fix Part 3
(1:31:00) DEEPER DIVE C: BODY NEUTRALITY
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Overhead photo of a bunch of Ozempic pens in a plastic pharmacy basket. 
Credit: "Bundle of Ozempic Pens" by Chemist4U, Flickr | License: CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped

Air Date 5/21/2024
Whether by the US government playing matchmaker for the domestic weapons industry or through the illegal trade of the 'iron river,' the US is the leading seller of weapons around the world, fueling violence and conflict, oppression and rights abuses.
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Transcript
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FRONTPAGE
FP 1: US Leads Global Arms Sales - American Prestige - Air Date 3-15-24
FP 2: How Washington Plays Matchmaker For The US Gun Industry Part 1 - Big Take - Air Date 10-30-23
FP 3: Can a lawsuit stop Mexico’s ‘iron river’ of guns? - The Take - Air Date 8-13-21
FP 4: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence across the Border: With Guest Ieva Jusionyte - Facepalm America - Air Date 2-27-24 
 
SEE FULL SHOW NOTES
(1:02:19) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the problems with looking for good or bad intentions
(1:08:24) SECTION A: 
A1: Inside Biden's Secret Arms Deal - Deconstructed - Air Date 9-22-23
A2: Josh Paul Reveals The Truth Behind US Arms Supply to Israel - Laura Flanders and Friends - Air Date 11-7-23
(1:30:10) SECTION B: 
B1: Can Mexico win... Part 2 - The Inquiry - Air Date 3-7-24
B2: Ieva Jusionyte, "Exit Wounds: How America's Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border" (U California Press, 2024) - New Books Network - Air Date 4-15-24 
(1:42:43) SECTION C: 
C1: Why America's police look like soldiers - Vox - Air Date 6-25-20
C2: Why US gun laws get looser after mass shootings - Vox - Air Date 7-28-22
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A square version of the American flag with silhouettes of guns and bombs in place of white stars. Three bombs are falling from the pattern across the red and white stripes.
Credit: Pixabay image modified by A.Hoffman
 
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Original Air Date: 5/9/2015
Today we take a look at the continuing failure that is the War on Drugs™ as well as some of the signs of hope that we may be making progress toward shutting it down
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Is Marijuana Harmful to Health? - Healthcare Triage (@HCTriage) - Air Date: 04-19-14
Ch. 2: Man Gets 13 Years in Prison for 2 Joints Worth of Pot - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date: 03-13-15
Ch. 3: Legalized Marijuana = Millions For Public Schools In Colorado - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 03-16-15
Ch. 4: Johann Hari on Everything We Know About the Drug War & Addiction is Wrong - @democracynow - Air Date: 2-6-15
Ch. 5: Legalizing marijuana doesn't lead to doomsday scenarios - Le Show (@theharryshearer) - Air Date: 10-26-14
Ch. 6: Rand Paul & Others Introduce National Medical Marijuana Bill - @davidpakmanshow - Air Date: 03-11-15
Ch. 7: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Talk Drugs - Majority Report (@majorityfm) - Air Date: 06-01-15
Ch. 8: Marijuana Shows Medical Value, Feds Don't Give A Sh*t - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 04-12-15
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
 
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 5-16-24
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon and Erin discuss:
- How mega drive-throughs are ruining American towns and cities
- Why giant car washes are popping up across the country and what we could have instead
- How Tokyo's beautiful public toilets are an inspiration
- The impact boring and ugly buildings are having on our mental health
REFERENCES:
RFK Jr. revealed he had a parasitic brain worm. Here’s what to know. 
Social Media is Not What Killed the Web 
Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities 
Car Washes are proliferating across the U.S. Here’s why
Why are they building so many car washes? And storage facilities?
Tokyo’s Public Toilets Will Leave New Yorkers Sobbing 
The Global Danger of Boring Buildings 
 
Join our Discord Server

Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Produced by:
Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft 
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com 
Review the show on Apple Podcasts!