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Unf*cking The Republic

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Jul 9, 2022 • 48min

The Clinton Years (Part One): Don't stop thinking about tomorrow.

When we think of prosperous eras in modern U.S. history, conservatives often point to the Reagan administration as a crucial turning point. To the corporate class, there’s a good deal of truth to this, but mostly to the extent that the seeds of neoliberalism planted in the 70s were watered during this period. The full blossom would come under President William Jefferson Clinton. Today, establishment democrats recall the Clinton years with the same fondness conservatives treat the Reagan era with. Forget the sex scandals, questionable real estate investments and swirling conspiracies about body counts. The real scandal of the Clinton 90s was the death of progressivism. Part One of “The Clinton Years” examines the legacy of Bill Clinton through the lens of the Clinton Foundation and how it continues to embody the neoliberal ideals of the New Democrats.  Chapters Intro: 00:01:12 Chapter One: 00:07:10 Part One Closing Thoughts: 00:23:56 Post Show Musings: 00:27:39 Skit Flashback: 00:45:32 Resources Philanthropy News Digest: Future of Clinton Foundation Uncertain The New Yorker: How to Save the Clinton Foundation Clinton Foundation Annual Report 2020 Clinton Global Initiative Focus Areas Clinton Foundation Impact Statement The Washington Post: Foundation faceoff: The Trump Foundation vs. the Clinton Foundation Book Love Lily Geismer: Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Bill and distributed by Hillary. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jul 8, 2022 • 1h 39min

Show Notes [Ep 65: Fuck U, PragerU.]

In today's Show Notes Maxisode, 99 has terrible audio (sorry!), we finally put the condiment war to rest and enjoy our usually smattering of Unf*cker write-ins on an assortment of topics like health care, the DNC and of course, PragerU. Listen to Fuck U, PragerU. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:12:41 Facebook Shout Outs: 01:13:27 Twitter Shout Outs: 01:17:35 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:28:56 Outro: 01:37:50 Resources Emily Ladau: Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally Paul Starr: The Social Transformation of American Medicine: The Rise of a Sovereign Profession and the Making of a Vast Industry Michael Crichton: Five Patients In Sickness and in Wealth: American Hospitals in the Twentieth Century ACOG Guide to Language and Abortion The Independent: Bill Nye: ‘Voting is more important than recycling in fight against climate crisis’ Quartz: Ketchup isn’t the king of American condiments. Mayonnaise is Charity Navigator: Prager University Foundation TED: The way we think about charity is dead wrong UNFTR Episode Resources AOC & the Lying Men Hydra. Quickie: Fox in the Outhouse. Immigration Nation. Libertarians Are Exhausting (Part 1). Libertarians Are Exhausting (Part 2).  -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jul 2, 2022 • 58min

Fuck U, PragerU: The Internet’s Fake Toxic University

For years, the propagandists with the greatest visibility in the United States were on television; the ones who contributed most to the “manufacture of consent.” Think Fox News. And we’ve covered many of the dark, hidden figures looming in the background churning out the ideas that make it into the mainstream and out of Tucker Carlson’s mouth. Uncle Milton, James Buchanan, Lewis Powell, The Koch Brothers, Robert Mercer, Peter Thiel and the myriad think tanks like Mercatus, Cato and Heritage. Today we cover another contributor to the perverted right wing ecosystem: Prager University and its folksy, baritone, asshole patriarch, Dennis Prager. Chapters Intro: 00:00:51 Chapter One: The sort of Jews but not actual Jews behind the hateful, spiteful, very awful no good university that isn’t a real university: 00:05:20 Chapter Two: Dennis the menace to society: 00:15:14 Coffee Break: 00:25:14 Chapter Three: So much fucking money: 00:26:16  Chapter Four: Bring it home, Max: 00:36:45 Post Show Musings: 00:41:50 Outro: 00:56:24 Resources PodVoices.Help Bloomberg: Billionaire Fracking Brothers Hammered by Permian Holdings Mint: Texas fracking billionaires drew Covid-19 aid while investing in rivals Financial Post: Wilks brothers-backed ProFrac valued at over $2 bln in Nasdaq debut Sludge: Who Funds PragerU’s Anti-Muslim Content? Buzzfeed: How PragerU Is Winning The Right-Wing Culture War Without Donald Trump Bridge Initiative Team: Factsheet: PragerU PragerU: Form 990 | Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax 2021 Francesca Tripodi: Searching for Alternative Facts: Analyzing Scriptural Inference in Conservative News Practices Southern Poverty Law Center: Hungary Paid Dennis Prager $30,000 for an Hour of Appearances at Far-Right ‘Education’ Conference The New York Times: Right-Wing Views for Generation Z, Five Minutes at a Time The Guardian: Guess what the three Democrats blocking lower medication prices have in common? Congress.gov: H.R.3 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) Congress.gov: Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by cartoon nazis and distributed by billionaires. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 29, 2022 • 1h 45min

Show Notes [Ep 64: $5 Gasoline + Unf*cking Flashback: Peak Oil.]

In today's Show Notes minisode we talk about the backwards SCOTUS decision and how we even got to this point, and chat about the $5 Gasoline episode as well as some older ones (The Assange Problem, Capitasociafascilibdemarxism, etc.). Listen to $5 Gasoline. Listen to Unf*cking Flashback: Peak Oil. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 SCOTUS Chat: 00:03:00 Emails: 00:19:10 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:51:59 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:55:54 Substack Shout Outs: 01:09:27 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 01:14:01 Reviews: 01:28:32 MustardGate: 01:31:10 Outro: 01:42:48 Resources Emily Lambert: The Futures: The Rise of the Speculator and the Origins of the World's Biggest Markets Bernard E. Harcourt: The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order UNFTR: Capitasociafascilibdemarxism. District Sentinel Radio Nick Turse: Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam UNFTR: The Assange Problem. Tim Pat Coogan: On the Blanket: The Inside Story of the IRA Prisoners' "Dirty" Protest Kieran Allen: 32 Counties: The Failure of Partition and the Case for a United Ireland The David McWilliams Podcast: The transformation of Ireland and what comes next Hot Ones: Daniel Radcliffe -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 25, 2022 • 43min

$5 Gasoline: The Real Culprit Revealed.

I know, I know. Didn’t we just do this episode? Kinda, sorta. But not to this extent. In our Peak Oil episode we reviewed the history of oil as a commodity, currency and weapon on the world stage. This episode picks up where we left off to drill deeper (pun intended) into the story of crude and how it shows up as $5 gasoline at the pumps. We debunk several myths surrounding high gasoline prices and unequivocally point the finger at who’s to blame.  Chapters Intro: 00:00:16 Part 1: 00:01:14 Part 2: 00:04:24 Part 3: 00:09:07 Part 4: 00:13:50 Part 5: 00:18:48 Post Show Musings: 00:26:11 Outro: 00:40:24 Resources Investopedia: Understanding the Correlation Between Oil and Currency Econbrowser: Gasoline price calculator EnergyWorld.com: How much for gas? Around the world, pain is felt at the pump EnergyWorld.com: Opinion: White House tries to blame US refiners for its own overheating error U.S Energy Information Administration: World liquid fuels production and consumption balance Statista: Daily demand for crude oil worldwide from 2006 to 2020, with a forecast until 2026* Marathon Petroleum Corporation: Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2022 Results MacroMicro.me: US Dollar Index vs. Oil Price CNBC: China oil demand must remain weak or we will have tough summer, IEA’s Birol says The New York Times: Biden Pushes Congress for Three-Month Gas Tax Holiday UNFTR Episode Resources Peak Oil: It's a Crude, Crude World. -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by onions and distributed by Shrek. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 24, 2022 • 1h 35min

Unf*cking Flashback: Peak Oil.

Hey Unf*ckers, it’s Max. Just wanted to weigh in very quickly. This is an episode that we’ve dropped already, it’s called Peak Oil. We dropped it a few months back to try and explain why oil prices were so high. It is a very deep dive into the history of oil prices, commodities markets, and all of the factors that go into the price of oil and the exchanges that they’re traded on. So we go through the history of the Mercantile Exchange, adding oil as a commodity on the exchange in the early ’70s, the disruptions due to the Iranian oil embargo and the OPEC embargo in the ’70s, how that influenced the volatility and the pricing markets, all of the different actors and exchanges that grew along the way to begin to manipulate prices through to where we are today, to where there’s only a handful of players that really determine the market price of oil. Now, the reason that we’re re-dropping this particular one is because tomorrow we’re dropping a half Topical Cream, half full Unf*cking on the price of gasoline today. So what’s different is we discussed the history of oil pricing as a commodity and how it relates to gas prices and prices at the pump in this episode. But the one that we’re dropping tomorrow really drills more deeply into the inputs behind gas prices right now. When we say it’s $5 at the pump, how did it get there? What does that actually mean? So I feel like this first episode does a really good job explaining the market in general and how oil basically moves from the ground to wind up as something that’s traded on commodity exchanges. But the one that we’re going to drop tomorrow—again, half Topical Cream, half full Unf*cking—is really an explainer behind what drives the prices when you take that pump out of your hands at the gas station and you put it in your car. We’re going to explain why those fucking stickers that you see at the pump of Joe Biden being like “I did this,” couldn’t be further from the fucking truth. So we’re going to dispel a whole bunch of myths tomorrow. We’re going to pack you with enough information and resources to destroy all of the myths that you hear in the pundit class and in the mainstream media. And I know this is a really obnoxious thing to say, but I promise you everything that you’re hearing in the mainstream media and in that punditry class is wrong. They’re all getting it wrong, and we’ll explain why. So enjoy this re-release of Peak Oil and look out for the episode tomorrow titled $5 Gasoline. Chapters A Note From Max: 00:00:00 Intro: 00:04:24 Prologue: 00:07:28 Chapter 1: 00:10:21 Chapter 2: 00:13:53 Oil Rundown: 00:19:46 Skit: 00:27:32 Chapter 3: 00:31:20 Chapter 4: 00:44:16 Chapter 5: 00:53:51 Show Notes: 01:00:15 Book Love: 01:03:08 Pod Love: 01:08:54 Emails + Shout Outs: 01:24:07 Outro: 01:32:25 Resources World Population Review: Richest African Countries 2022 Trading Economics: Corruption Rank by Country | Africa Worldometer: Equatorial Guinea Oil Democracy Now!: African Dictatorships and Double Standards U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Outlook 2021 Book Love Peter Maass: Crude World- Required reading for anyone interested in the dark underbelly of the oil and gas trade.  Leif Wenar: Blood Oil- Not my favorite. A little overreaching in the historical and socio-political connections it tries to make but contains some solid anecdotal insights to support a broader thesis of corruption.  Morgan Downey: Oil 101- A fundamental book to understand the product itself and the markets that move it.  Dan Dicker: Oil’s Endless Bid- Pedestrian but informative account of what it’s like to be a commodities trader and what went wrong with the business.  Leah McGrath Goodman: The Asylum: The Renegades Who Hijacked the World’s Oil Market- If you’re really into this topic, this is the book for you. I came to it late as it came out in 2011 but it’s an excellent, deep narrative dive into a world that very few people know or understand. Bernard Harcourt: The Illusion of Free Markets- We’ve talked about Harcourt a lot. The first few sections of the book are very inaccessible but provide an invaluable history of the impact of Enlightenment thinking on the new class of free market promoters.  Emily Lambert: The Futures- Possibly one of my favorite business books of all time. A great read told in fun and engaging anecdotes that helps anyone access and understand the bizarre world of the markets.  Pod Love American Scandal: Enron UNFTR Episode Resources F*ck Milton Friedman. The Climate Industrial Complex. The Global Order of Money. A (Mostly) Vegan World. --If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Daniel Plainview and distributed by wildcatters. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 22, 2022 • 54min

Show Notes [Ep 63: Amazon (Part 2) + Phone a Friend.]

In today's Show Notes minisode we review Phone a Friend feedback, welcoming some Prestige Heads into the Unf*cking family, argue about the new Matilda movie and Max loses the ketchup v mustard debate. Listen to Amazon (Part 2). Listen to Phone a Friend. Chapters Intro: 00:00:20 Emails: 00:03:37 Facebook Shout Outs: 00:30:13 Twitter Shout Outs: 00:34:39 Buy Me A Coffee Donations + Memberships: 00:41:51 Reviews: 00:49:08 Outro: 00:50:40 Resources The Guardian: 'It was a great run': rebel grocer Pirate Joe's closes after lengthy legal battle Congressional Dish Podcast JSexton3: Bourbon Talk Drilled: This Is Not the First Time Climate Has Been Part of the "Culture War" The Intercept: Elephant In The Zoom: Meltdowns Have Brought Progressive Advocacy Groups to a Standstill at a Critical Moment in World History Jake Hanrahan: Megacorp Christy Harrison: Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 20, 2022 • 49min

Phone a Friend: Daniel Bessner + Derek Davison of the American Prestige Podcast.

Our inaugural edition of Phone a Friend, where we interview luminaries in different fields, features Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from the American Prestige podcast. The pair answer some easy questions on lighthearted topics like Israel/Palestine, the war in Ukraine, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and whether the United States even has a foreign policy anymore. Chapters Intro: 00:00:43 Israel/Palestine: 00:07:25 U.S. Relations with China: 00:16:51 Russia/Ukraine: 00:28:07 U.S. Foreign Policy: 00:39:16 Lightning Round: 00:44:37 Outro: 00:48:23 Resources American Prestige Podcast Daniel Bessner Daniel Bessner: Democracy in Exile Derek Davison Foreign Exchanges Substack A History of Modern Palestine w/ Rashid Khalidi Quincy Institute: Ending Primacy to End U.S. Wars Margaret MacMillan: The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 Paul Thomas Chamberlin: The Cold War's Killing Fields: Rethinking the Long Peace Lindsey A. O'Rourke: Covert Regime Change: America's Secret Cold War The Atlantic: The One Key Word Biden Needs to Invoke on Ukraine -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 19, 2022 • 4min

Introducing: Phone a Friend.

Here's a sneak peak at the inaugural drop of Phone a Friend, a new Unf*cking series where we interview people smarter than Max. (The possibilities are endless.) This episode features Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from the incredible foreign policy podcast American Prestige. Resources Daniel Bessner Derek Davison American Prestige Podcast -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jun 18, 2022 • 1h 2min

Amazon (Part 2): The Unfulfillment Company.

In Part 1 of Amazon, the Unfulfillment Company, we reviewed Amazon’s rise from online bookseller to third largest company on the planet and well on its way to number one. The extreme focus on the customer is the centerpiece of founder Jeff Bezos’s philosophy and while it has increased consumerism and driven down prices on several categories of goods and services, it’s had big ripple effects in the wider economy and the labor market. Today’s episode picks up where we left off to examine the company’s earnings and acquisitions more closely and addresses how the company is one step ahead of efforts to break it up. We finish with some examples of victories and what must happen to contain Amazon’s influence before it becomes sentient and destroys us all. Or something like that.  Chapters Part 1 Recap: 00:00:05 Intro: 00:02:17 Chapter Four: Big, Bigger, Biggest: 00:07:26 Chapter Five: It’s a matter of antitrust: 00:18:01 Chapter Six: Tiny Victories: 00:30:53 Epilogue: Bring it home, Max: 00:35:33 Post Show Musings: 00:42:49 Know Your Bills: 00:43:16 Outro: 00:57:57 Resources Business Insider: Jeff Bezos famously embraces failure. Here are the biggest flops Amazon has overcome under his watch. The New York Times: Amazon reports slowing sales growth and indicates slowdown may continue. Marketplace Pulse: Amazon Net Sales 1996-2022 World Population Review: GDP Ranked by Country 2022 Forex Sentiment Board: 10 Largest Companies with Highest Revenue in 2022 Insider Intelligence: Amazon annual revenue breakdown by segment in 2022 The Register: Cloud a three-player market dominated by AWS, Google, Microsoft CNBC: Amazon has a $31 billion a year advertising business E Marketer: Amazon has a larger advertising business than YouTube - Insider Intelligence Trends, Forecasts & Statistics Forbes: Amazon Buys MGM For $8.5 Billion: Deal Could Be Unwound In The Future Next Big Brand: Here Is The List Of Top 10 Firms Acquired By Amazon TechCrunch: Amazon to acquire autonomous driving startup Zoox CB Insights: Visualizing Tech Giants' Billion-Dollar Acquisitions PYMNTS.com: Amazon's All-Time High US eCommerce Share: 56.7% Reveal News: Private Report Shows How Amazon Drastically Undercounts Its Carbon Footprint Congress.gov: 117th Congress (2021-2022): Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 Book Love Alec MacGillis: Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America Pod Love Pitchfork Economics -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Leonard Nimoy's corpse and distributed by dick rockets. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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