| | Dose Of News Useful Today Friday September 13th | | | | Pencil Punisher
| Good morning and happy Friday. If you’re looking for weekend plans, you can attempt to surpass the recently broken Guinness World Record for pencils snapped in a minute (98 in case you were wondering). Doesn’t float your boat? Check out some other recently broken records here. | | | Daily Sprinkle | If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. - Dalai Lama | | |  | The Gig Economy | This week, California lawmakers passed a bill that would change the way companies are able to classify workers, making it illegal to use independent contractors for anything that falls within the usual course of business. The legislation also would require businesses to provide paid sick leave, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, and other protections to those employees. In a Labor Day op-ed, Governor Gavin Newsom lent his support to the bill and has said he will sign it into law. If he does, the bill will go into effect January 1, 2020. What happens next?
This law could have implications for multiple industries, like ride sharing, journalism, real estate and others. Uber and Lyft have been outspoken about their opposition to the legislation, and alongside Doordash, the rideshare companies pledged $90 million in an attempt to take the bill to California voters. In response to the bill’s passage through the Senate on Wednesday, Uber said that it does not plan to reclassify its drivers as employees. Hours later, a driver filed a lawsuit against the rideshare giant for misclassifying workers. So what are people saying? | | | | | | Share Today's Dose of Discussion | | |  | EPA & waterThe Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday that it was repealing a 2015 rule that expanded the definition of protected waters under the Clean Water Act. The EPA cited regulatory patchwork and federal overreach as the reason for the change. | | A letter to senatorsOne hundred forty-five CEOs signed a letter that was sent to the U.S. Senate yesterday, urging action to reduce gun violence. The letter called for background checks on all gun purchases and red flag laws that would allow courts to keep firearms out of the hands of high-risk individuals. | | Debate roundupThe third Democratic presidential debate took place last night in Houston. If you’re looking for a recap, we've got you covered. | | | | | |  | Eliminating errandsWalmart announced yesterday it will be expanding its unlimited grocery delivery subscription, the creatively named Delivery Unlimited, to 1,400 stores across the US following successful pilot tests. The membership costs $98 per year, or $12.95 per month, and will be available to more than 50% of the country by the end of this year. | | CNet → | FrownDirectClubSmileDirectClub shares dropped ~30% in its public market debut yesterday, the worst debut for a unicorn startup so far this year. The company initially priced its offering at $23 per share (valuing the company at $8.9 billion), and the company’s shares closed at $16.67 (valuing the company at $6.4 billion). | | CNBC → | New NavyOld Navy announced plans to open 800 new locations on top of its 1,140 existing locations. This comes as Old Navy plans to split from parent company, Gap, and as the retail industry has seen 40% more store closings so far this year than all of 2018. | | USA Today → | Don't Mess With The ZoZoYahoo Japan (formerly owned by the US Yahoo website, now under SoftBank control) purchased a 50.1% stake in Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo for $3.7 billion. Zozo founder and CEO Yusaku Maezawa sold most of his stake in the company and resigned from his position to focus on traveling into space. | | Wall Street Journal → | | | | |  | Saving live(r)sAs a nurse in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Wisconsin, Cami Loritz pours her heart and soul into caring for people in need of immediate and life-saving medical attention. But when 8-year-old Brayden Auten came into her hospital, he needed something that Cami wasn’t exactly trained to provide. When a virus attacked Brayden’s liver, his health spiraled downward in a matter of days. Soon after leaving school to be rushed to the hospital, his parents were sending out pleas to friends and family for potential liver donors – Brayden would need a transplant in order to recover. As the family struggled to find a match, the connection that Cami had forged with Brayden compelled her to go beyond her nurse-ly duties – she was tested, they were a match, and all of a sudden, Brayden had a chance again. After a smooth surgery and several weeks of recovery, Cami and Brayden had a photo shoot to show off their matching scars and bright, healthy smiles. | | ABC Green Bay → | Yellow Brick RoadWhitaker Weinburger, like many other 4-year-olds, loves cars and Transformers – especially the yellow one. Riding around town, he points out every yellow car on the road with an ecstatic shout of “Bumblebee!” Unfortunately, Whitaker’s been battling stage four cancer, and had never been healthy on his birthday. So when his condition stabilized this year, his parents knew they wanted to make this birthday a memorable one. Calling on anyone with a yellow car to help, Whitaker’s mom cooked up a birthday surprise: a Bumblebee parade. Once the local news broadcast her request, the response was overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that the sheriff’s department had to come out and direct traffic. Yellow Camaros, Volkswagen Beetles, and even a Maserati came from three different states to Whitaker’s home in Virginia to celebrate his birthday. Tesla donated a tiny, custom-made toy car just his size, and Bumblebee himself wished Whitaker a happy birthday – well, the actor who voices Bumblebee, at least. Talk about an unforgettable birthday! | | ABC Washington D.C. → | | | | |  | | California’s state senate has sure been busy recently - they just passed a bill that would allow NCAA student-athletes in the state to profit from the use of their names, images and likenesses. For good measure, here’s an article on the highest earning college football programs for 2019.
| | | | | | |  | Full Moon Friday | via Wikipedia Tonight marks a full moon on Friday the 13th for the first time since 2000. Most know that Neil Armstrong was the first person in history to walk on the moon, but who is the last person to have accomplished this feat? A) Buzz Aldrin
B) Scott Kelly
C) Mo Onwalker
D) Gene Cernan | (keep scrolling for the answer) | | | | |  | Get Your FREE Stuff | Step 1. Click the share button below | Step 2. Share the DONUT with friends | Step 3. Cash in on tons of rewards | |  | | | | | | | Dose of Knowledge Answer | D) Gene Cernan Bonus: Cernan walked on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon, and they’ve all been Americans. Bonus x2: Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan both attended Purdue University, meaning the college can claim the first AND last person to have walked on the moon as alumni. | | We use a rating system powered by MediaBias/FactCheck. These ratings are SUBJECTIVE & should be treated as such. Learn more. | | | |
