25 vaccine mandates are here, black widow sues Disney

we've always felt that it's creepy when facebook reminds us when we've been friends with someone for 10 years. we don't really mind that they know that fact, just that they've reminded us of how old we are. we hope us reminding you that TWR is now 25 issues in doesn’t make you feel old, but we do hope this special occasion encourages you to refer a friend. we still have groovy thank you gifts available, so grab some before they change this fall!

big idea: roll up that sleeve...if you haven’t already

1. the CDC revised its astonishingly confusing mask guidelines this week, recommending that everyone in high risk areas, including vaccinated individuals, wear masks. this dramatic shift came as new data revealed the delta variant is as infectious as chickenpox, may result in worse illnesses, and vaccinated people who catch it can still spread it (even though they won’t really get sick from it).
2. that’s a lot to unpack, but it’s clear that both public and private sector employers are requiring their employees to get vaccinated as a result. Walmart, Disney, Ford, Google, Morgan Stanley, the federal government, and the military have all announced that some or all of its workers must get vaccinated and/or face weekly COVID testing. some large public universities have also followed suit, and school districts in blue states may follow.
3. employers and Joe are trying to walk a fine line. heavy-handed tactics will likely only push dummies who refuse to get vaccinated even further away from reason, but the reality is the US is losing this latest battle against COVID. european and canadian vaccination rates are higher than ours. even bhutan (one of the poorest countries in the world) managed to vaccinate 90% of its adult population in a week, and those nurses literally had to climb mountains to get it done.

story to watch: scarjo sues Disney

1. Scarlett Johansson, star of the Marvel-produced flop “Black Widow”, is suing Disney for releasing her film on Disney+ at the same time as its theatrical release. she allegedly lost up to $50 million in bonuses because Disney+ took away from box office totals, which hollywood bonuses are tied to.
2. it’s hard to have sympathy for either party here. Johansson already made $20 million off the movie, and Disney’s stock is trading near all time highs. it’s more than likely this dispute will end in private arbitration or a negotiated settlement, but for the time being it’s fun imagining why a super-spy needs lawyers to fight her battles.
3. however, this lawsuit is likely a bellwether for the larger entertainment industry, including the likes of Netflix and Amazon. how should stars be compensated now that people don’t buy movie tickets and companies don’t pay for TV advertising? 
4. Warner Bros solved this problem by spending a whopping $250 million on actor payoffs when it moved its 2021 movie lineup to HBO Max, and will likely continue to shower cash on talent starring in upcoming movies to be released directly onto that streaming platform. Disney clearly just doesn’t want to spend that much on paying actors, though to be fair, all they're doing is playing make-believe.

this week’s image: baby tiger king

• (BBC) in honor of global tiger day on thursday, we present a tiger cub cuddling with his mama

this week’s number: maine spends $17.5 million on recycling annually

1. maine passed a groundbreaking law last week intended to recoup the about $17.5 million taxpayers spend funding recycling programs annually. the law establishes an extended producer responsibility program, which will essentially charge large manufacturers and distributors of products for the cost of recycling the packaging their products are sold in.
2. this type of program is already used in the US for products like mattresses and car batteries, but maine is extending it to virtually all consumer products. similar laws were passed years ago in europe and canada, resulting in recycling rates doubling or tripling in some countries.

what we’re reading: “Amusing Ourselves to Death”

1. listen, we can’t have an entire story on the entertainment industry without also plugging the classic societal critique “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. a 206-page read, the author argues that TV has fundamentally degraded our ability to inform ourselves, with even news becoming sources of entertainment, not information.
2. even though this was published over 30 years ago, this is still frighteningly prescient in the age of social media, reality TV presidents, streaming platforms, and endless email newsletters ;)

and, in case you missed it:

• for the first time since 1998, GM wasn’t america’s top selling car brand, with Toyota edging it out due to the ongoing chip shortage
• our favorite aardvark, Arthur, is going off the air, with PBS announcing it is ending the beloved children’s show after 25 wonderful years
• a llama is on the run in ontario, apparently deciding he’s had enough of all that poutine, and making for the border

the weekly rundown is produced by Yunus, Faisal, and Ahmed. learn more about us and email us your comments and feedback!