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Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa Endures Real Doctor Confessions; New Images
Ncuti Gatwa might be scarred for life after hearing the confessions of real doctors; new Doctor Who Christmas Special images were released.
Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson Meet Blue Peter Winner (VIDEO)
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson met the Blue Peter fan art contest winner during a look behind the scenes of the new Doctor Who series.
How Amazon Is Ripping You OffShopping on Amazon? Stop! Watch...
How Amazon Is Ripping You Off
Shopping on Amazon? Stop! Watch this first.
Amazon is the world’s biggest online retailer. This one single juggernaut of a company is responsible for nearly 40% of all online sales in America. In an FTC lawsuit, they’re accused of using their mammoth size, and consumers’ dependence on them, to artificially jack up prices as high as possible, while prohibiting sellers on Amazon from charging lower prices anywhere else.
They’re accused of using a secret algorithm, codenamed “Project Nessie,” to charge customers an estimated extra $1 billion dollars,
If this isn’t an abuse of power that hurts consumers, what is? So much for all of those “prime” deals you thought you were getting.
Project Nessie isn’t the only trick Amazon has been accused of using to exert its hulking dominance over the online retail industry — leading to higher prices for you.
Much of the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit centers around the treatment of independent merchants who sell items on Amazon’s online superstore — accounting for 60 percent of Amazon’s sales.
Amazon allegedly uses strongarm tactics that force these sellers to keep their prices higher than they need to be. Like barring them from selling products for significantly less at other stores — or else risk being hidden in Amazon’s search results or having their sales stopped entirely.
And Amazon is accused of engaging in pay-to-play schemes and charging merchants excessive fees that end up costing you even more.
Independent sellers are effectively forced to pay Amazon to advertise their products prominently in search results. If they don’t fork over cash, then their products get buried underneath products of companies who do. This hurts sellers but also harms shoppers who have to parse through less relevant products that may be more expensive or lower quality.
And to be eligible for the coveted “Prime” badge on their items — which is considered crucial for competing on the platform — independent sellers are pushed into paying Amazon for additional services like warehousing and shipping, even if they could get those services cheaper elsewhere. If sellers forgo trying to qualify for Prime, their goods apparently become harder for customers to find.
When all of these extra fees are added up, Amazon takes around a 50 percent cut of each sale made by a third party. It’s projected that Amazon will earn around $125 billion from collecting fees in the U.S. in 2023, most of which get passed on to you.
By charging all of these extra fees and stifling independent companies from selling their products for less elsewhere, Amazon is using its dominance to essentially set prices for all consumers across the internet.
And when you combine Amazon’s control of ecommerce with all of the other industries it has entered by gobbling up companies — such as Whole Foods, One Medical, and MGM — you’re left with a behemoth that simply has too much power.
This is all part of a much larger problem of growing corporate dominance in America. In over 75% of U.S. industries, fewer companies now control more of their markets than they did twenty years ago.
The lack of competition and consumer choice has resulted in all of us paying more for goods because corporations like Amazon can raise their prices with impunity. By one estimate, corporate concentration has cost the typical American household $5,000 a year more than they would have spent if markets were truly competitive.
This power isn’t just being used to siphon more money from you. A giant corporation has the power to bust unions, keep workers’ wages low, and funnel money into our political system.
It’s a vicious cycle, making giant corporations more and more powerful.
But under the Biden administration, the government is making a strong effort to revive antitrust law and use its power to reign in big corporations that have grown too powerful.
We must stop the monopolization of America. This FTC lawsuit against Amazon is a great start.
Doctor Who: Does RTD Owe Janice From "The Muppets" An Apology?
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies revealed the TRUE story behind Janis Goblin's name - and he might owe a certain Muppet an apology.
Billionaires Don’t Want You to Know About This Supreme Court...
Billionaires Don’t Want You to Know About This Supreme Court Case
A majority of Americans support a wealth tax. But, surprise, surprise, the wealthy Republican megadonors who’ve been plying Supreme Court justices with gifts and vacations do not. And if those justices don’t recuse themselves from a case I’m about to explain, it will be a grave conflict of interest and potentially block Congress from ever enacting a wealth tax.
Moore v. U.S. concerns a one-time tax charged in 2017 on profitable foreign investments regardless of whether investors cashed them in.
The plaintiffs argue that the tax is unlawful under the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress the power to tax incomes.
Right now the super wealthy can take advantage of increases in the value of their stock portfolios by using stock as collateral to borrow all the money they need instead of taking taxable income. It’s a way to have their cake and eat it too.
If the Supreme Court buys the argument that the Constitution does not give Congress the power to tax increases in the value of investments, that would make it impossible to ever pass a wealth tax.
But here’s the kicker: This case raises profound conflicts of interest on the Supreme Court.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas both accepted luxury vacations from billionaires who stand to gain financially and are tied to conservative political groups that are responsible for appealing the case.
No wonder Americans don’t trust the Supreme Court.
So what can you do?
First, share this video to spread the word about this little-known case.
Second, contact your representatives, and urge them to demand that justices with conflicts of interest recuse themselves.
And third, if your representative doesn’t support a wealth tax to combat inequality, replace them with somebody who does.
With so much at stake, now is not the time to sit on the sidelines.
Doctor Who Christmas Special Serves Up Murray Gold's "Goblin Song"
Check out the lyric video for Murray Gold's "The Goblin Song" ahead of the Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The Church on Ruby Road."
Doctor Who: Sonic Screwdriver Reveal Video Previews Christmas Special
The Fifteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver reveal video also previews the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Plus, new preview images & more.
A Warning from 1994 of a Two-Tiered SocietyAs secretary of...
A Warning from 1994 of a Two-Tiered Society
As secretary of labor, I thought it important to explain why the Democrats had lost both the House and the Senate in the 1994 midterm elections. I attributed it to the fact that many middle class Americans felt angry and frustrated about not getting ahead, and they took it out on Democrats who had been running Congress for many years. I took a lot of heat for this speech 29 years ago.
Watch and tell me if I was wrong.
Doctor Who: "The Star Beast" Opener Credits Pat Mills, Dave Gibbons
The opening sequence to the Beep the Meep-starring Doctor Who 60th Anniversary episode "The Star Beast" credits Pat Mills & Dave Gibbons.
Doctor Who: "The Star Beast" Debuts Opening Title Sequence (Video)
Making its debut during "The Star Beast" earlier today, here's an official look at the new opening title sequence for BBC's Doctor Who.