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2016 Wrap-Up:

0:40 – Year in review

Idiot of the Year nominations:

• 7:39 – Jakob Morris: #BlackLivesMatter http://heatst.com/culture-wars/black-lives-matter-slams-christmas-asks-why-black-people-go-all-out-for-christmas/
• 9:06 – Travis Retriever: Saintclare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co5QpPXyTBs
• 13:14 – Charles Thomas: Social Justice Warriors
  • Wonder Woman not ‘feminist’ enough for Social Justice Warriors http://nypost.com/2016/12/13/wonder-woman-not-feminist-enough-for-social-justice-warriors/
  • Steve Martin Attacked for ‘Sexist’ Tweet in Remembrance of Carrie Fisher http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/12/29/steve-martin-attacked-for-sexist-tweet-in-remembrance-of-carrie-fisher/
• 16:36 – Chris Hangartner, Tim Dyson, and Daniel Wilcox: The news media
  • Yes, Political Correctness Helped Elect Trump: What Skeptics Need to Know http://reason.com/blog/2016/12/19/yes-political-correctness-helped-elect-t
  • Celebrities Blaming Donald Trump For Violence In Syria http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/19/hollywood-is-now-blaming-donald-trump-for-destruction-in-syria-but-not-barack-obama/
  • The Tainted Election http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/opinion/the-tainted-election.html
    • Anonymous Leaks to the WashPost About the CIA’s Russia Beliefs Are No Substitute for Evidence https://theintercept.com/2016/12/10/anonymous-leaks-to-the-washpost-about-the-cias-russia-beliefs-are-no-substitute-for-evidence/
  • How to Rig an Election http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/opinion/how-to-rig-an-election.html
• 23:20 – Venezuela
  • Chaos in Venezuela as Nicolas Maduro flip-flops on currency withdrawal https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/chaos-in-venezuela-as-nicolas-maduro-flip-flops-on-currency-withdrawal
  • The Secret, Dangerous World of Venezuelan Bitcoin Mining https://fronteranews.com/news/latam/the-secret-dangerous-world-of-venezuelan-bitcoin-mining/
  • Venezuela seizes 4 million toys to distribute to the poor http://www.irishtimes.com/news/offbeat/venezuela-seizes-4-million-toys-to-distribute-to-the-poor-1.2901289

This Week’s Quote: “Venezuela reaches the final stages of socialism: No toilet paper…Venezuela has demonstrated that ‘Socialism of the 21st Century’ is pretty much like socialism in the 20th century.” —David Boaz

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:19 — 23.6MB)

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Co-Hosts: Jakob Morris and Daniel Wilcox

1:09 – Election Special:

• Election Betting Odds by Maxim Lott and John Stossel https://electionbettingodds.com/
• PredictIt | Election 2016 https://www.predictit.org/Home/Election2016
• BlameThe1st: http://blamethe1st.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-voted-for-gary-johnson.html
• Jonathan Loesche: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-sep-the-case-for-gary-johnson
• Doug Casey’s Top Five Reasons Not to Vote http://www.internationalman.com/articles/doug-caseys-top-five-reasons-not-to-vote
• Triangulation 271: Election Security https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_to6XbkdJI

34:53 – News of the Bogus:

• You Can Legally Hack Your Own Car, Pacemaker, or Smartphone Now https://www.wired.com/2016/10/hacking-car-pacemaker-toaster-just-became-legal/
  • Crypto guru Matt Green asks courts for DMCA force field so he can safely write a textbook http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/30/green_asks_protection_from_dmca_lawsuits/

39:58 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: The MPAA and RIAA https://torrentfreak.com/mpaa-and-riaas-anti-piracy-plans-harm-the-internet-161027/

• uBlock Origin – An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean. https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

44:55 – Idiot Extraordinaire: Egyptian President Abd el-Fattah al-Sisi (nominated by Ibrahim Zallum) http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/10/29/sisi-criticized-saying-fridge-nothing-water-ten-years/

• After Saudi Minister, Bahraini Official Mocks #Al-Sisi’s Fridge http://bhmirror.myftp.biz/en/news/34464.html
• #Al-Sisi_Fridge Rating No. 1 on Twitter Trend Chart https://www.middleeastobserver.org/archives/25759

This Week’s Quote: “We’d all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate.” —Kin Hubbard

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News of the Bogus:

• 0:45 – Obese patients and smokers banned from routine surgery in ‘most severe ever’ rationing in the NHS http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/02/obese-patients-and-smokers-banned-from-all-routine-operations-by/
• 4:58 – Markets Are Breaking Down India’s Caste System, Turning Untouchables into Millionaires http://thinkaboutnow.com/2016/09/1008/
• 12:44 – Why I’ve Paused My Blogging at Forbes http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2016/08/why-ive-paused-my-blogging-at-forbes.htm

16:07 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Nebraska and Kansas police deputies https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160828/23232235375/court-to-cops-residing-state-where-marijuana-is-legal-does-not-automatically-make-motorist-suspicious.shtml

25:21 – Idiot Extraordinaire: Warner Bros https://torrentfreak.com/warner-bros-flags-website-piracy-portal-160904/

This Week’s Quote: “The police aren’t hired to protect you. They’re hired to keep an eye on you to see what you did that was wrong so that they can book you. That’s their function. They are not protectors. They are not hired to be protectors. They are hired to keep an eye on all of us as potential criminals. Now, do you think they’re going to make you safe? They weren’t hired to make you safe.” —Robert LeFevre

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:52 — 21.0MB)

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Co-Host: Charles Thomas

News of the Bogus:

• 0:50 – Study: No Scientific Basis for Laws on Marijuana and Driving http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/study-scientific-basis-laws-marijuana-driving-38998447
• 7:34 – Linksys WRT routers won’t block open source firmware despite FCC rules http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/linksys-wrt-routers-wont-block-open-source-firmware-despite-fcc-rules/
  • ASUS firmware will change the verification method http://www.snbforums.com/threads/asus-firmware-will-change-the-verification-method.32357/
• 16:21 – Hugo Chavez’s economic miracle http://www.salon.com/2013/03/06/hugo_chavezs_economic_miracle/
  • Sorry, Venezuela haters: this economy is not the Greece of Latin America http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/07/venezuela-not-greece-latin-america-oil-poverty

29:20 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Gizmodo or John McAfee http://gizmodo.com/john-mcafee-apparently-tried-to-trick-reporters-into-th-1776765480

38:07 – Idiot Extraordinaire: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/9/nyc-de-blasio-forces-bars-serve-pregnant-women/

This Week’s Quote: “If the government were to take over the Sahara Desert, in five years there would be a shortage of sand.” —Milton Friedman

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:23 — 18.5MB)

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Co-Host: Travis Retriever

News of the Bogus:

• 0:50 – Venezuela energy crisis: President tells women to stop using hairdryers and go with ‘natural’ style to save electricity http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-energy-crisis-president-tells-women-to-stop-using-hairdryers-and-go-with-natural-style-to-a6976246.html
• 8:31 – School’s new policy bans parents from walking children to school http://www.fox26houston.com/news/117783912-story
• 13:27 – Supreme Court Rules Against Freezing Assets Not Tied to Crimes http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/us/politics/supreme-court-rules-against-freezing-assets-not-tied-to-crimes.html

23:41 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Brian Bergstein https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601145/what-if-apple-is-wrong/

31:06 – Idiot Extraordinaire: The RIAA https://torrentfreak.com/riaa-says-youtube-is-running-a-dmca-protection-racket-160412/

This Week’s Quote: “Our trend in copyright law has been to enclose as much as we can; the consequence of this enclosure is a stifling of creativity and innovation. If the Internet teaches us anything, it is that great value comes from leaving core resources in a commons, where they’re free for people to build upon as they see fit.” —Lawrence Lessig

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:23 — 16.7MB)

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Co-Host: Chris Hangartner

News of the Bogus:

• 0:36 – Paris terrorists used burner phones, not encryption, to evade detection http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/03/paris-terrorist-attacks-burner-phones-not-encryption/
  • House bill wants to crack down on prepaid ‘burner’ phones http://www.zdnet.com/article/california-lawmaker-wants-to-crack-down-on-pre-paid-burner-phones/
  • Bruce Schneier: Focus on terrorists, not tactics https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2006/08/bruce_schneier_focus.html
• 13:40 – Venezuela to Shut Down for a Week to Cope With Electricity Crisis http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-16/venezuela-to-shut-down-for-a-week-as-electricity-crisis-mounts
• 19:42 – Texas House Panel Approves Full Legalization Of Marijuana In ‘Unprecedented’ Move http://realhealthtreatments.info/texas-house-panel-approves-full-legalization-of-marijuana-in-unprecedented-move/

23:07 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: New York http://www.coindesk.com/months-bitlicense-bitcoin-still-startups-await-approval-new-york/

28:31 – Idiot Extraordinaire: Judge Amanda Sammons http://www.knoxnews.com/news/crime-courts/defendants-barred-from-entering-court-arrested-for-being-late-records-show-2d7ac08e-4a20-4080-e053-0-371336111.html

This Week’s Quote: “The similarity of arguments against the abolition of slavery and arguments against the abolition of government (as we know it) should shake the faith of all Americans who still labor under the misconception that ours is a ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people.’ From where I stand, it looks distressingly like an institutional complex that rests on the same shaky intellectual foundations as slavery.” —Robert Higgs

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:52 — 19.6MB)

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Co-Host: Travis Retriever

0:58 – News of the Bogus: iPhone Special #NoBackdoors

• US trying to force Apple to unlock ‘about a dozen’ other iPhones, says WSJ http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/23/11097044/us-forcing-apple-to-unlock-dozen-iphones-says-wsj
• APPLE: The FBI screwed up its investigation and now we can’t unlock the shooter’s iPhone http://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-says-government-lost-access-to-shooters-iphone-backup-by-changing-passcode-2016-2
• CountyWire on Twitter: “The County was working cooperatively with the FBI when it reset the iCloud password at the FBI’s request.” https://twitter.com/CountyWire/status/700887823482630144
• FBI Admits — It was a ‘Mistake’ to Reset Terrorist’s iCloud Password http://thehackernews.com/2016/03/reset-icloud-passcode.html
• In Fighting FBI, Apple Says Free Speech Rights Mean No Forced Coding http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/27/468308775/in-fighting-fbi-apple-says-free-speech-rights-mean-no-forced-coding
• FBI Director — “What If Apple Engineers are Kidnapped and Forced to Write (Exploit) Code?” http://thehackernews.com/2016/03/fbi-apple-unlock-iphone.html
• Police chief: There’s a “reasonably good chance” not much is on seized iPhone http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/police-chief-theres-a-reasonably-good-chance-not-much-is-on-seized-iphone/
• Carole Adams, mom who lost son in San Bernardino shooting, sides with Apple http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/20/carole-adams-mom-who-lost-son-in-san-bernardino-sh/

19:33 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Venezuela https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/inflation-poverty-food-shortages-venezuela-heads-toward-disaster/2016/02/11/10aad5b4-d035-11e5-88cd-753e80cd29ad_story.html

• Tom Smith and His Incredible Bread Machine by R.W. Grant https://mises.org/library/tom-smith-and-his-incredible-bread-machine
• Bastiat’s famous Candlestick makers’ Petition http://bastiat.org/en/petition.html
• USDA ERS – Interactive Chart: Food Expenditures http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-expenditures/interactive-chart-food-expenditures.aspx
• Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth by Ludwig von Mises https://mises.org/library/economic-calculation-socialist-commonwealth

27:43 – Idiot Extraordinaire: Greenpeace http://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/jul/27/food.foodanddrink

• Greenpeace GM crop attack declared legal http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/greenpeace-gm-crop-attack-declared-legal-698440.html

This Week’s Quote: “Genetically modified organism (GMO) foods are feared and hated by environmentalists and the public alike. Yet the scientific assessment of GMOs is remarkably different. Every major scientific evaluation of GMO technology has concluded that GMOs are safe for human consumption and are a benefit to the environment.” —Ramez Naam

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Co-Host Takeover 2: Electric Boogaloo

With Dave Turcotte, Jakob Morris, and Charles Thomas

• 1:23 – The Game Changed in Venezuela Last Night – and the International Media Is Asleep At the Switch http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02/20/the-game-changed/
• 9:37 – Actors in Pornographic Films Fight Proposal to Enforce Safety Regulations http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/19/us/actors-in-pornographic-films-fight-proposal-to-enforce-safety-regulations.html
  • Dear New York Times https://medium.com/@MissLoreleiLee/dear-new-york-times-9f64155b5e19
• 15:23 – Where’s The Fair Use? – Nostalgia Critic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVqFAMOtwaI
  • TEAMFOURSTAR AND YOUTUBE: Where’s the Fair Use? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eHbJ9U8YLY
  • Where’s the Fair Use? – AlphaOmegaSin #WTFU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GoQM_Z-CUc
  • Make YouTube Great Again – AlphaOmegaSin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti3HTQGzAzw
  • Why the DMCA is Bad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue_84-p4kac
  • Early Copyright History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_aOHpn_vqQ
  • Pirates Spend Much More Money on Music, Study Shows https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-spend-much-more-money-on-music-study-shows-160226/
  • Creators frustrated with Copyright Office’s outdated technology, procedures http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-copyright-office-20150623-story.html

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:28 — 19.0MB)

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Co-Host: Chris Hangartner

News of the Bogus:

• 0:33 – In Silk Road Appeal, Ross Ulbricht’s Defense Focuses on Corrupt Feds http://www.wired.com/2016/01/ross-ulbrichts-defense-focuses-on-corrupt-feds-in-silk-road-appeal/
• 13:18 – Banning GM Salmon Is a Terrible Idea http://fee.org/anythingpeaceful/banning-gm-salmon-is-a-terrible-idea/
• 23:37 – Price Tag of Bernie Sanders’s Proposals: $18 Trillion http://www.wsj.com/articles/price-tag-of-bernie-sanders-proposals-18-trillion-1442271511

28:30 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Jeb Bush http://www.businessinsider.com/jeb-bush-cybersecurity-2016-1

37:12 – Idiot Extraordinaire: The Department of Justice http://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/former-drug-kingpin-serving-multiple-life-sentences-receives-additional-20-year

This Week’s Quote: “Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.” —Kenneth Boulding

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:38 — 17.7MB)

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Co-Host: Charles Thomas

News of the Bogus:

• 0:34 – The No Fly List Isn’t Just Broken, It’s Insane. You Must Read This Before You Talk About Gun Control. http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/12/07/42000/
  • Dem governor moves to ban no-fly list gun sales http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/262797-dem-governor-moves-to-ban-no-fly-list-gun-sales
• 8:06 – France is considering a ban on Tor and public WiFi http://www.businessinsider.com/france-is-considering-a-ban-on-tor-and-public-wifi-2015-12
• 12:06 – Venezuela’s opposition wins legislative majority http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/12/07/venezuela-opposition-victory/76909468/

16:03 – Biggest Bogon Emitter: Robert Reich http://robertreich.org/post/134670682190

26:47 – Idiot Extraordinaire: Vandana Shiva, Ronnie Cummins, et al http://www.forbes.com/sites/kavinsenapathy/2015/12/07/no-monsanto-is-not-going-on-trial-for-crimes-against-humanity/

This Week’s Quote: “Submitting to censorship is to enter the seductive world of ‘The Giver’: the world where there are no bad words and no bad deeds. But it is also the world where choice has been taken away and reality distorted. And that is the most dangerous world of all.” —Lois Lowry