The Best Paragraph I've Read...

By Zac & Don

A podcast that discusses an interesting article or concept.... more

· Education

4.9

3232 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about The Best Paragraph I've Read...:

How many episodes does The Best Paragraph I've Read... have?

The podcast currently has 285 episodes available.

The Best Paragraph I've Read... episodes:

August 24, 2023 Shopping Returns! Do Americans Return too Many Things? Where Does the Stuff Go? Are Stores too Generous With Return Policies? Should We Feel Bad About the Carbon Footprint?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
Steady growth in Internet shopping has been accompanied
by steady growth in returns of all kinds. A forest’s worth of artificial
Christmas trees goes back every January. Bags of green plastic Easter grass go back every spring. Returns of large-screen TVs surge immediately following the Super Bowl. People who buy portable generators during weather emergencies use them until the emergencies have ended, and then those go back, too. A friend of mine returned so many digital books to Audible that the company now makes her call or e-mail if she wants to return another. People who’ve been invited to
fancy parties sometimes buy expensive outfits or accessories, then return them the next day, caviar stains and all—a practice known as “wardrobing.” Brick-and-mortar shoppers also return purchases. “Petco takes back dead fish,”Demer said. “Home Depot and Lowe’s let you return dead plants, for a year. You just have to be shameless enough to stand in line with the thing you killed.” It almost goes without saying that Americans are the world’s leading refund seekers; consumers in Japan seldom return anything.
This paragraph comes from the New Yorker. The article is titled: "What Happens to All the Stuff We Return?" The article is written by David Owen. You can read the full article here:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/21/the-hidden-cost-of-free-returns
Zac and Don discuss the world of retail and online shopping returns. They reflect on some of the returns they have made. They marvel at how how cheap certain goods remain even when the cost of returns are built in.
...more
46min
August 10, 2023 Should Schools Sue Facebook, Google, Snap, & TikTok? How Does Social Media Impact the School Day? Burner Phones & Invisible Messages! Can Even the "Good" Parents Win? Solutions? Sara Wendland Joins!
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are pitching school boards throughout the country to file lawsuits against social-media companies on allegations that their apps cause classroom disciplinary problems and mental-health issues,
diverting resources from education.
Nearly 200 school districts so far have joined the litigation against the parent companies of Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. The suits have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., along with hundreds of suits by families alleging harms to their children from social media.
The lawsuits face a test later this year when a judge is expected to consider a motion by the tech companies to dismiss the cases on
grounds that the conduct allegedly causing the harm is protected under the internet liability shield known as Section 230.
School districts say teachers and administrators waste valuable time responding to cyberbullying and other disciplinary problems,
adding new training and school policies around social-media use, and counseling youths whose addiction to online apps is leading to anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts.
This paragraph comes from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled: "Schools Sue Social-Media Platforms Over Alleged Harms to Students." The article is written by Sara Randazzo and Ryan Tracy. You can read the full article here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-sue-social-media-platforms-over-alleged-harms-to-students-ebca91a5
Middle School Principal Sara Wendland joins Zac and Don to discuss the issue of social media in schools. They share their thoughts about the proposed lawsuit. They also talk about their jobs in schools and how social media impacts their day and school climate.
...more
1h 2min
August 04, 2023 Weddings & the Planners Who Make them Happen! Why Do Weddings Seem Stressful? Why Are they So Expensive? Is It Ok If You're Sad When It's Over?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
It’s not the wedding professionals’ fault that weddings are expensive. The fact is that weddings are luxuries, not necessities. It costs a lot to make something look nice; it costs even more to make it feel nice—to make sure all your guests are comfortable, and well fed, and entertained. A wedding is not a photograph of a wedding. A wedding—a good wedding—is immersive theater, a living, breathing work of art.
This paragraph comes from The Atlantic. The article is titled: "The Fake Poor Bride." The author is Xochitl Gonzalez. You can read the full article here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/07/luxury-wedding-planners-industrial-complex-cost/674169/
Zac and Don discuss the world of weddings and wedding planners. They admire the expense and considerations needed when planning a wedding. They also discuss the fallout on the day after a wedding.
...more
34min
July 27, 2023 The Case Against Travel! Is Being A Tourist Bad? Should People Stop Traveling? Does Traveling Change A Person or the Place More?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:

A tourist is a temporarily leisured person who voluntarily visits a place away from home for the purpose of experiencing a change. This definition is taken from the opening of "Hosts and Guests," the classic academic volume on the anthropology of tourism. The last phrase is crucial: touristic travel exists for the sake of change. But what, exactly, gets changed? Here is a telling observation from the concluding chapter of the same book: "Tourists are less likely to borrow from their hosts than their hosts are from them, thus precipitating a chain of change in the host community." We go to experience a change, but end up inflicting change on others.

This paragraph comes from an essay in the New Yorker, titled: "The Case Against Travel." The essay is written by Agnes Callard. You can read the full essay here:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-case-against-travel

Zac and Don reflect upon the arguments made against travel. They also reflect upon their recent summer travels and how that fits within the case against travel.
...more
39min
July 13, 2023 The Water Crisis Out West! Who's at Fault? Alfalfa? Cheese? Almonds? 1st Pioneers? People Continuing to Move West? Is there Actually a Crisis? Why Aren't Water Prices Higher? Is Desalination the Key?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
The idea of building a desalination plant in Mexico has been discussed in Arizona for years. But now, a $5 billion project proposed by an Israeli company is under serious consideration, an indication of how worries about water shortages are rattling policymakers in Arizona and across the American West. On June 1, the state announced that the Phoenix area, the fastest-growing region in the country, doesn’t have enough groundwater to support all the future housing that has already been approved. Cities and developers that want to build additional projects beyond what has already been allowed would have to find new sources of water.
This paragraph comes from the New York Times, in an article titled: "Arizona, Low on Water, Weighs Taking It From the Sea. In Mexico. The article is written by Christopher Flavelle. You can read the full article here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/10/climate/arizona-desalination-water-climate.html
The following article from Vox.com is also discussed:
Let's Talk About the Biggest Cause of the West's water crisis.
Zac and Don discuss water scarcity in America's west. They wonder if desalinization technology is the ultimate solution for everything. They also wonder what role water prices need to play. They also wonder how much we should care about the water intensive crop of alfalfa.
...more
43min
June 29, 2023 Happy 4th of July! What Makes America Great? Our ADA Act? Big Retail? Year Round Fruit? Our Enormous Amount of Space? Free Bathrooms? Central Air? Our Highways & Public Libraries? & More Ideas!
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
Listen, the US is a big dumpster fire. At least, it's easy to feel that way with the constant horrible news — and any and all apathy and distress we feel is valid.
But we often tend to forget about the good things about America. So, when Reddit user u/hippiechick725 asked, "What's the best thing about the US?" and a bunch of people from other countries or those who have traveled a lot chimed in, it was actually a really needed reminder of the things Americans can appreciate about the US. So, in case you need a little bit of perspective and positivity, read on to hear what people think the US is actually killing the game at.
This paragraph comes from an article in BuzzFeed titled: "America Gets A Lot Of Hate, But You Can't Deny That These 35 Things About It Are Actually So Top Tier." The article is written by Hannah Marder. You can read the full article here:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/good-things-about-america
Zac and Don consider the BuzzFeed list of things that make America great. They discuss everything from Costco, year round fruit, regional food, national parks, the ADA Act, Entertainment, being nice and more.
...more
58min
June 23, 2023 Is Ninja Warrior A Sport or A Reality Show? Should It Be In the Olympics? How Should Parents Feel If Their Kid Is Into Ninja and Not A Traditional Team Sport? Has America Reached Peak Ninja Interest?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
Inside the repurposed warehouse, human superballs fling themselves from unwieldy plastic rings and bars suspended from steel
scaffolding, while others scurry up the trio of towering, curved (better known as “warped”) walls looming in the corner, the tallest of which stands a
foreboding 14' 8". On the rear wall, there is a peg board, navigated by ninjas who insert and hang from wooden rods along a jagged course of holes. And
beside that hangs a homemade wooden salmon ladder, which a ninja ascends by dangling from a horizontal metal pole and heaving it up a series of vertical grooves.
The kids, many of whom aren’t quick to make eye contact with strangers and are prone to slumped shoulders, seem to double in size in that room. They laugh and—quite literally—bounce off the walls.
This paragraph comes from Sports Illustrated. The article is titled: "Go Ninja." The article is written by Brian Burnsed.
Zac and Don discuss the sport of Ninja Warrior. They wonder if it is really sport or more of a reality exhibition. They also talk about whether Ninja Warrior has reached its peak in popularity and whether it should become an olympic sport.
...more
28min
June 15, 2023 We Read the Vince McMahon Biography! Is this a Book For Everyone? Did Trump Learn from Pro Wrestling? Why Do People Like Pro Wrestling? Is Vince's Story Just Like Other American Business Tycoons?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:
Is wrestling real? Is it fake? The answer to both questions is, paradoxically, yes. The outcome of each contest is scripted. The body slams and submissions are choreographed. Sworn enemies are, in all likelihood, friends. But the Undertaker (Mark Calaway) really did throw Mankind (Mick Foley) off the top of that steel cage during a 1998 King of the Ring pay-per-view match. Foley really did fall 16 feet and crash through the announcers’ table. He was carted off on a stretcher, only to fight the paramedics and stumble back to the ring, where the Undertaker once again sent Foley’s massive body flying, this time through the “Hell in a Cell” chain-link roof. A bit later, the Undertaker choke-slammed him onto a pile of thumbtacks. By the time the match was over, Foley had a badly injured shoulder and a broken tooth shoved up his nose. Professional wrestling delivers sensory overload that’s almost impossible to capture with mere description. “It’s the best [thing] I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” Andy Warhol said of a 1985 match at Madison Square Garden.
This paragraph comes from The Atlantic in an article titled: "How Wrestling Explains America." The article is written by John Hendrickson. You can read the full article here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/03/wwe-wrestling-trump-mcmahon-politics/673517/
This article is a part of a review of the following book:
Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vince+mcmahon+book&sprefix=vince+mc%2Caps%2C182&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8
Zac and Don review the recent biography of Vince McMahon and the WWE.
...more
41min
June 05, 2023 School Librarian Exit Interview! Melissa Middleton Reflects on Book Bans, Teenage Reading Habits, the Shortage of Librarians, Ineffective Technology, Accomplishments, & Concerns for Public Education!
Zac and Don speak with Melissa Middleton as she gets ready to retire from education. They ask her about the changes she has seen in education. They ask her about being a librarian, books bans, whether students are losing an interest in reading, and more!
...more
44min
May 23, 2023 Debt Ceiling Drama! Will America Default or Will Our Leaders Cut A Deal? Should Biden Mint A One Trillion Dollar Coin? Will People Start Investing in Another Currency? Oil? Copper? Cobalt? Or Bitcoin?
The Best Paragraph I've Read:

As many economists, including Sarah House of Wells Fargo, have argued, “you don’t even need to actually default on the debt for there to be real damage in the economy.” At Bloomberg Economics, a team led by Chief US Economist Anna Wong modeled a scenario where a protracted standoff leads to elevated market stress, and Treasury is forced to cut social spending to prioritize funds to repay the debt. They estimate, conservatively, that gross domestic product could contract at an annualized rate of 8% in the second half as a result.
Through wars, recessions and the pandemic, Americans have benefited from the US Treasury bond being the closest thing there is to a risk-free asset, allowing the federal government to fund itself often at lower costs than its peers. Demand for those securities supports a $24 trillion market that is the world’s deepest and most liquid. US Treasury bonds also anchor a world-spanning network of financial transactions.
Even if a last-minute deal averts a default, America’s reputation as a country that honors its debts could take a hit, with the effects lingering for months or even years.
This paragraph comes from Bloomberg in an article titled: "The True Cost of an Extended US Debt Ceiling Standoff." The article is written by Saleha Mohsin and Enda Curran. You can read the full article here:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-18/debt-ceiling-standoffs-threaten-an-already-wobbly-dollar

Zac and Don discuss the current debt ceiling drama. They wonder if the president and congress will make a deal at the last minute. They also discuss the merits of President Biden minting a one trillion dollar coin.
...more
37min

FAQs about The Best Paragraph I've Read...:

How many episodes does The Best Paragraph I've Read... have?

The podcast currently has 285 episodes available.

More shows like The Best Paragraph I've Read...

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,100 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,528 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,856 Listeners

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast by Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

28,937 Listeners

The Bill Simmons Podcast by The Ringer

The Bill Simmons Podcast

30,300 Listeners

Conversations with Tyler by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Conversations with Tyler

2,447 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,508 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

58,066 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

29,207 Listeners