Welcome to ORLYRADIO #109B for Friday MAY 13th, 2016 - where we dismantle the current events for your edutainment through mostly rational conversations that make you go ‘Oh Really’! I’m your host Andy Cowen, with my usual suspects, Fred Sims, Stephen Griffith, and Daniel Atherton.
We make mistakes. Please, if you find one, pause the podcast, and send us a note. orlyradiopodcast@gmail.com or phone it in 470-222-6759
Second Half:
SCOTUS Stuff
This week the Court was in conference to determine a number of petitions. A few interesting ones:
Moore v. Texas 15-797 Issue: (1) Whether it violates the Eighth Amendment and this Court’s decisions in Hall v. Florida and Atkins v. Virginia to prohibit the use of current medical standards on intellectual disability, and require the use of outdated medical standards, in determining whether an individual may be executed; and (2) whether execution of a condemned individual more than three-and-one-half decades after the imposition of a death sentence violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Bible 15-861 Issue: (1) Whether Auer v. Robbins and Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co. should be overruled; and (2) whether, in affording deference to an agency’s interpretation of its own regulation that conflicts with the governing statute, regulations adopted through rulemaking, and decades of prior agency guidance, the Seventh Circuit’s decision conflicts with this Court’s decisions in Auer and Christopher v. SmithKline Beecham Corp.
Stormans, Inc. v. Wiesman 15-862 Issue: Whether a law prohibiting religiously motivated conduct violates the Free Exercise Clause when it exempts the same conduct when done for a host of secular reasons, has been enforced only against religious conduct, and has a history showing an intent to target religion. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160208/NEWS/160209870
Good Ideas:
President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law Monday, two weeks after both houses of Congress approved the bill by what appeared to be unanimous voice votes. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/theoval/2016/05/09/president-obama-signs-bill-declaring-bison-national-mammal/84147012/
Universal Basic Income (UBI) trials,tests and debates in Europe. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-universal-basic-income-ubi-national-vote-first-country-june-5-poverty-welfare-a7025801.html , http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/12/06/finally-someone-does-something-sensible-finland-to-bring-in-a-universal-basic-income/#50c8b2bb76f6 http://freakonomics.com/podcast/mincome/
The 30 hour work week. http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/04/30-hour-work-week.html http://positivesharing.com/2016/01/toyota-gothenburg-30-hour-work-week/ https://overland.org.au/2016/02/the-case-for-a-30-hour-working-week/
-BREAK- GSoW - PSA
Bad Ideas:
NC, feds sue each other over HB2 affectionately called HateBill 2 (Video) while it is in court, there will be no removal of funding. http://www.wcnc.com/news/politics/national-politics/doj-sues-nc-over-hb2-bathroom-provision/182880692
Personal Picks:
Stephen’s: Monster Strike: http://us.monster-strike.com/
Fred’s: A Skeleton and his pet Dino? https://www.facebook.com/AdamNSteveComic/?fref=ts http://highburn.com/adamsteve1.asp
Daniel’s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmetropolitan
Acknowledgements:
Music: "Rocket and Pamgaea” by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)
PSA: Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia - GSoW https://www.facebook.com/GSoWproject
