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Funny Podcasts to Escape Politics – The New York Times

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Having trouble sleeping lately? Racing thoughts? Agita? Perhaps you are looking to ease the emotional hangover from that nail-biter of a presidential election. Utterly apolitical podcasts are just the ticket. These shows are not current events- or pop culture-based. They are not trying to teach you anything. They do not seek to challenge you, or stretch your brain in any way. Instead, the hosts of these shows have one goal: to make you laugh. Tuning in to any of these goofy podcasts to relax, unwind and giggle.

Three brothers from Huntington, W.Va., — Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy — dole out jokey advice for the “modren era,” as they pronounce it at the top of every show. Their mission is to give the funniest possible advice to questions that desperate souls have left on the Yahoo Answers website. Start anywhere in the more than 500-episode catalog, which tsackle big questions like, “Is it weird that I’m attracted to Transformers?” or “What is your favorite wizard swear?” Sprinkled throughout are recurring segments like “Haunted Doll Watch,” an appraisal of eBay’s latest possessed playthings, and “Munch Squad,” reporting the latest innovations in fast-food dining, such as the Olive Garden Lifetime Pasta Pass. Occasional “guestperts” include Hank Green, Jimmy Buffet and Lin-Manuel Miranda, himself a superfan of the show who delights by putting the boys’ bits to song. It’s a silly, consistently funny, no-stakes show that gives you the feeling of sitting at the McElroy family dinner table, listening to three natural improvisers trying to make each other laugh.

Have you ever been so annoyed by a product or experience that you took to the internet to leave a sharply worded negative review? Depending on how unhinged your screed reads, it very well may have been read aloud by the hosts of “Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet.” Alex Schiefer and his older sister Christine, herself a co-host of the (highly-rated) paranormal/true crime podcast, “And That’s Why We Drink,” perform dramatic readings of one-star reviews, adding background music and the serious tone that they deserve. Sometimes, they even get through them without cracking up. Listen to the recent Halloween episode, in which the pair performed a negative review of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (too sexy), or their airing of grievances against grocery stores in “Tescos in Dublin, Ireland.”

Meet Sasheer Zamata, a former cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” and her best friend, Nicole Byer, the host of Netflix’s “Nailed It!” (She also has her own podcast, “Why Won’t You Date Me.”) Every week, the pair check in and catch up with each other on the kind of things iconic best friends do, like getting away with passing gas at work (pretty easy when everyone is in a mask, it turns out) and how their roller skating hobby is progressing. These two seasoned comedians have different personalities that complement each other in the most satisfying way: Byer’s outlandish, often pervy energetic charm plays beautifully against Zamata’s more low-key, earthy type. Each episode moves from laugh-out-loud casual chitchat to answering the most absurd quizzes the internet has to offer, like “which Disney princess are you based on the sushi roll you build.”

Join The New York Times Podcast Club on Facebook for more suggestions and discussions about all things audio.

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Politics

NDP caving to Poilievre on carbon price, has no idea how to fight climate change: PM

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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.

Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.

On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.

Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.

Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.

British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Quebec consumer rights bill to regulate how merchants can ask for tips

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Quebec wants to curb excessive tipping.

Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.

That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.

The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.

And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.

Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Youri Chassin quits CAQ to sit as Independent, second member to leave this month

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Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.

He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.

He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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