🌞 Landslide will bring you down – August 11 2021

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00am ET. 

• Markets: Early this morning European markets surged on news that Team Biden passed a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure package. The spending goes beyond American borders. Both the Dow and S&P saw record closes thanks to infrastructure. 

The Lead: Infrastructure Clears The Senate

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The Senate did in fact pass the $1 trillion infrastructure bill on Tuesday. Let's call this the baby infrastructure bill. It is a fraction of what President Biden wants but it’s just a start. 

The bill includes funding for roads, bridges, railways and internet access. The Hill reports that the details of the package were hard-fought by bi-partisan leaders for more than a month’s worth of meetings “that included hours of Capitol meetings filled with pizza and several bottles of wine.” We hope someone sober proofread it before the vote! 

The bill will head to the House of Representatives when they return from their summer break next month. After passage, Democrats will put more of the President’s $3.5 trillion wishlist back on the table, presumably with more pizza and wine.

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Google: Work From Home

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Google has an algorithm for how much less employees will be paid if they continue to work from home. Employees who live outside of the metropolis where their offices is located will make much less. 

Reuters reports that Google employees are asked to use a work-from-home calculator that shows them exactly how much less salary they will earn based on where they live. An employee who works from home and lives an hour away from the company’s Manhattan offices could make between 5 and 15% less than an employee that works from home but still lives in the city. 

Facebook and Twitter have also been experimenting with these pay cuts. The rationale is that they do not have to support an employee’s lifestyle to the same extent if they live in less expensive areas. 

Couldn’t a counterargument be that by paying the same salary, Google is subsidizing a carbon reduction due to a reduced number of commuters on the road? Maybe they should consider making that argument to Congress and work themselves out a little tax incentive? Just sayin’!

Horny Hermit Crabs

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Plastic is an aphrodisiac to hermit crabs and this is a problem. It’s funny but not funny. We’ll explain. 

Plastics have a chemical called oleamide. Plastics are also excessively dumped into the sea. The increased oleamide in the ocean has disrupted the hormones of hermit crabs, causing them to be “sexually excited,” according to researchers from the University of Hull.

Crabs can sense oleamide from a distance and travel from far away to get some only to find plastic. What a tease!

Researchers say that this is a problem because it shows how an acidified ocean disrupts communication in sea life and confuses breeding cycles.

News By The Numbers

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$29 million. That is the reported annual salary for Lionel Messi, who will now join the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team as a free agent. 

320%. That is how much the Covid virus has increased in the city of Houston’s wastewater since last year, according to the health department.

14. That is the age of the youngest person to swim the length of Lake Tahoe. The boy’s name is James Savage and he swam across the 21.3-mile lake in 12 hours. 

7 days. That is how long Rand Paul’s YouTube channel was suspended because he posted a video that claimed that masks are not effective at preventing the spread of Covid. 

Harold, That Explains Why We Aren't Getting Pregnant

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Regular use of marijuana can cause infertility in men, according to a new study out of Tulane University. 

The study linked regular marijuana use to low sperm count and damaged sperm production. Oddly, the sperm that was produced by this group had “greater motility,” which means that they swam faster. Isn’t the joke that weed slows you down? 

“It’s unclear if the sperm changes that take place due to marijuana use are reversible and if there’s a specific amount of time required to achieve sperm recovery following the discontinuation of marijuana smoking,” the study’s lead author said. “Much more research as randomized studies are needed to gain a full understanding of the relationship between marijuana and male reproductive health.”

Sunscreen Cancer Warning

credit: istock

A new carcinogen has been discovered in sunscreens and researchers are asking the FDA to pull some brands from the shelves as a result. 

Nonprofit group Haereticus Environmental Laboratory claims that sunscreens with octocrylene are dangerous because they can act as an endocrine disruptor. That means that it interferes with hormones such as estrogen. Researchers found this chemical in 2,300 SPF products including sunscreens by Neutrogena, Coppertone and Supergoop. 

The FDA says that it will “continue to monitor the sunscreen marketplace.” Which does not mean it will do much very fast so it is up to you to be a safe consumer of sunscreen. 

Today's Live Show

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