The Five: A must-hear podcast, a must-read op-ed and some great guitar
Every week, senior producer Stephanie Curtis recommends five things to see, do or experience.
1) You need to listen to "Saving Grace," a podcast episode from "The Nod" about a young girl who feels all alone in the world and finds a way to build her own world online. It's heartbreaking and beautiful.
2) Bill Pascrell Jr.'s Washington Post op-ed "Why is Congress so dumb?" works like a brief civics lesson on legislative dysfunction.
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"In a year of congressional lowlights, the hearings we held with Silicon Valley leaders last fall may have been the lowest. One of my colleagues in the House asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai about the workings of an iPhone — a rival Apple product. Another colleague asked Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg, "If you're not listening to us on the phone, who is?" One senator was flabbergasted to learn that Facebook makes money from advertising. Over hours of testimony, my fellow members of Congress struggled to grapple with technologies used daily by most Americans and with the functions of the Internet itself. Given an opportunity to expose the most powerful businesses on Earth to sunlight and scrutiny, the hearings did little to answer tough questions about the tech titans' monopolies or the impact of their platforms.
It's not because lawmakers are too stupid to understand Facebook. It's because our available resources and our policy staffs, the brains of Congress, have been so depleted that we can't do our jobs properly."
3) "Claws," an escapist crime comedy from TNT set in Brandenton, Fla., stars Niecy Nash as a nail salon owner who wants to rise in the world and gets involved in a crime syndicate. The stellar cast includes Judy Reyes, Carrie Preston and Karrueche Tran.
4) Halva is a dessert popular in the Middle East, North Africa and my home. It's made of sesame paste, it's gluten-free, and its delicious. You can make it yourself, or pick some up at the House of Halva at Keg and Case in St. Paul or Holy Land in Minneapolis. Not enough people know about it. Try it.
5) "Jitterbug Waltz" by Chet Atkins is lovely.