In the News:

• Everyone rejoice: the days of paying over $1000 a year for cell phone service will soon be a thing of the past! Google is planning to launch its own wireless service and it is likely that the increased competition will force mobile service giants like Verizon and AT&T to slash their rates.
• U.S. millennials scored abysmally on the PIAAC test developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The test looked at math, literacy, and technical problem-solving and the U.S. ranked at the bottom in all the categories.  This doesn’t bode well for the future of the U.S. and continued competitiveness within an increasingly global world.
• Apparently it is now considered child neglect to let kids (ages 6 and 10) walk home alone.  Teaching kids to be independent and self sufficient is now a crime. This new attitude doesn’t bode well for the U.S.’ future performance on tests of problem solving skills…
• The Ringling Brothers circus announced that it is phasing elephants out of its circus performances and will no longer use the animals as of 2018.  Elephants have been utilized in performances in both the U.S. and abroad and they’ve suffered from abuse.  It has become apparent that the abuse takes a toll on them.  In 2014, Raju the elephant cried tears of joy when he was rescued from an abusive situation.
• Hall and Oates is suing a granola company for a product they sell called “Haulin’ Oats.”

Entertainment:

• Netflix released season 3 of House of Cards last weekend.  The reviews haven’t been good.  Some are saying its made itself over into a relationship drama, others say its a disappointment and others say this doesn’t bode well for Netflix’s credibility as a producer of high-quality tv. Regardless of what the critics say, we’re still planning on watching it.
• This weekend Netflix releases Tina Fey’s new comedy The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which is being heralded as “The Most Inspiring TV Comedy in a Very Long Time”.
• With record cold temperatures, it looks like this weekend may be a good weekend for binge-watching.  Or maybe not, because it turns out binge-watching tv shows is terrible for you.
• Trying to cut back on your binge-watching and interested in a good book? The Lawyer just finished Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnson. Its a poignant story about a family struggling to reconnect after the return of their abducted son.