The Navigator, Saturday, December 7, 2024
The luxury of human interaction, Notre Dame's comeback, a TikTok ban moves closer to reality, the return of the PIP, global famine, falling in love with FRED—and more
Many of us got our first taste of winter this week as the so-called Alberta Clipper — a weather system originating in Canada — sent temperatures plummeting across the United States. Areas around the Great Lakes received over five feet or one-and-a-half meters of snow, and more is on the way!
Like many of you, we’re trying to stay warm. We’ve also been getting ready for the holidays — trimming the tree, decking the halls, picking up gifts for friends and family, and, of course, finishing up some projects we can’t wait to share with you.
This year, we’re asking all of you for one small gift to help us continue to grow. Please share New Rules Media with your social networks by clicking the button below. It only takes a moment and would mean the world to us.
As always, thank you for including us in your regular reads. Please keep the conversation going by leaving a comment below, and let us know what you’d like (or need) us to look into for you next.
Human Interaction Is Now a Luxury Good (The New York Times)
Allison Pugh's The Last Human Job highlights how technology's push to monitor and standardize "connective labor" — emotionally intensive jobs like chaplaincy and teaching — undermines human connections, contributing to institutional mistrust and a society where personal care increasingly becomes a luxury.
Out of the Ashes: The Comeback of Notre Dame ( NBC News)
Today, five years after a fire nearly destroyed it, the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens to the public. This short feature provides a close up look at the extensive rebuilding efforts which have been made to restore the cathedral to its original glory—and beyond.
Torrent of Hate for the Health Insurance Industry Follows C.E.O.’s Killing (Vanity Fair)
The fatal shooting on Wednesday of a top UnitedHealthcare executive on a Manhattan sidewalk has unleashed a torrent of morbid glee and social media mockery of the company from patients and others who say they have had negative experiences with many health insurance companies during some of the hardest times of their lives.
The TikTok Ban Just Got One Step Closer to Reality (New York Magazine)
On December 6th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit voted to uphold a federal law that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States. Will efforts to ban the popular app in the United States force its sale— or a retreat by the Chinese company that controls it?
Special Report: An elaborate global system exists to prevent famine. It’s failing. (Reuters)
The IPC is meant to head off famine by sounding alarms that direct food aid to brewing crises. But the tiny watchdog and other key players are struggling to operate in areas ridden with conflict – the main driver of hunger today.
The Most Hated Way of Firing Someone Is More Popular Than Ever. It’s the Age of the PIP. (The Wall Street Journal)
Performance improvement plans are on the rise. Workers dread them. Managers do too.
Why do so many young people suddenly have cancer? (Vox)
When you were born is actually an important risk factor for cancer.
Everybody Loves FRED: How America Fell for a Data Tool (The New York Times)
From Facebook political debates to college classrooms, the St. Louis Fed’s data tool has gained a major following.