This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the weeks’ best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and to please a variety of music fans.
In this week’s column, we highlight the latest singles from two major pop stars and the release of a rock song from the veteran band Foxygen. Check them out:
Pop
Khalid — “Talk”
Khalid is one of our most interesting singers, releasing chart toppers that have more meat to them than the average pop song. The 20-year-old performer has had contributions with Billie Eilish, Normani, and more, so it wasn’t surprising then when he announced that Disclosure was producing his latest single. “Talk” is moody and entertaining, showing off Disclosure’s cool rhythms and Khalid’s always welcome voice. Although there’s nothing wrong with the song, I can’t help but wish that it worked harder or offered something more ingenious.
Ariana Grande — “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”
Ariana Grande’s last album Thank U, Next was released six months after Sweetener, the record that awarded her the title of 2018’s pop star of the year. Grande’s personal and public life have been well documented in the media and in her music, making Thank U, Next an album that people will speculate and mull over until their heads fall off. Still, none of this distracts from the fact that Grande is doing the best work of her career, finding new and darker ways of making pop songs. “Break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” is just as daring and fun as its name—if you’re still unconvinced about Ariana Grande, give it a listen.
Rock
Foxygen — Livin’ A Lie
“Livin’ A Lie” starts off like a lot of indie songs from bands made up of white guys, until it moves on and does something different. The sound becomes expansive and the song sprawls, with voices and noises popping up in different parts, resulting in something rather unexpected. Foxygen is always looking to push the envelope and weird you out, in a good way. Their sixth studio album titled Seeing Other People is slated for release on April and it’ll be worth a listen.
There was a point last year when a person couldn’t check up on marijuana news without seeing something about how pot stocks were becoming the key to financial success. Sure, there were other reports that pointed out the average investor would have been out of his or her lunatic mind to get involved with this business sector while it is still considered illegal in the eyes of the federal government, but green eyes are often blind. Most of these maniacs have been hell-bent on getting their foot on the door of the cannabis trade because of what is happening to the north.
As of last October, marijuana is fully legal in Canada. This means all of the cannabis firms operating in that part of the world are doing so without any risk of crackdowns, shutdowns and other prosecutorial measures as a result of dabbling in an outlaw substance. Nope. All is well in the Canadian cannabis industry. So why haven’t cannabis stocks experienced an explosion as expected?
Pot stocks have been relatively flimsy this week since a report from Statistics Canada showed that cannabis consumption hasn’t changed much since the legal pot market was rolled out. The numbers (both consumers of legal and black market weed were counted) show that 4.6 million people are using marijuana, which is the exact same as what was reported in the last part of 2018. The report goes on to suggest that more Canadians may give the market a shot in the coming months, but there are no guarantees.
Cannabis stocks have started to swell again in the United States, mainly because a lot of investors are convinced that weed is about to go fully legal. Meanwhile, financial experts are warning that pot stocks are a “fad,” a veritable bubble similar to what happened in the Tech market back in the 1990s, which is destined to leave early, overly-ambitious investors broke by the time it’s all said and done.
“Cannabis stocks are a fad,” George Boyan, president of Leumi Investment Services, told CNN. “Who knows where the market will go? And the problem with speculative investments? They all have an expiration date.”
It’s not that the cannabis industry is destined for failure, it’s more about these companies not being worth the paper they’re print on. Most Canadian pot stocks are overpriced. In other words, this business sector has a long way to go before it matures. Still, that hasn’t stopped many American companies from moving north to participate in legal weed without receiving blowback.
But it is conceivable that the majority of these American cannabis operations are just going to come running back to the states full throttle, forgetting all about Canada, as soon as prohibition is no longer a factor in the United States. That’s when major consumer companies like Coke, Pepsi, and the alcohol companies, many of which are working on launching cannabis products in Canada, are more likely to become fully vested in legal weed. This is what the cannabis industry needs right now to play ball with the big kids—the support of larger business. This will help legitimize the sector. But that isn’t going to happen on the scale that is needed until prohibition in the U.S. is dead.
So buying up cannabis stocks right now is more of a risk than responsible financial planning. All major stocks like Apple and Amazon are still better buys.
50 and fabulous! Jennifer Aniston celebrates her golden birthday on Monday, February 11, and a source tells Us Weekly the actress “is feeling great” about it.
“She’s not worried about the number 50,” says the insider. “She feels like life gets better with age and she isn’t looking back. The older she gets, the more comfortable she is in her own skin. She’s in a good place and happy.”
Aniston’s milestone birthday comes one year after she and estranged husband Justin Theroux confirmed their split after more than two years of marriage and nearly seven years together. In this next phase of her life, though, “She’s not worried about meeting a man or dating,” notes the insider. “It’s not a priority for her or something she’s thinking about. Being single is just fine for her.”
Instead, the Dumplin’ star is “focused on work, her friends, and taking great care of herself.”
“She feels like, ‘Bring it on,’” says the source. “A new decade is always a chance to turn over a new leaf and see what’s in store next. Life is good and she’s content. She’s just going to keep doing what she loves.”
WHO CARES!? Thank you, next! Ariana Grande isn’t phased that her ex-fiancé, Pete Davidson, moved on with Kate Beckinsale, because she has other things on her mind. “Ariana isn’t bothered at all,” multiple sources tell Us Weekly exclusively.
“I was never bitter about my divorce,” says Richards…
“Going through everything, it changed me,” she adds. “But I love life and I’m a glass-half-full kind of person. And I did my best to rise above it.”
Still, Richards, 47, admits that being pulled into a difficult time in Sheen’s life (he was open about a drug and alcohol relapse and went on bizarre rants about tiger’s blood and winning) was “extremely disheartening.”
“Times were extremely negative and I would have to tell myself, this too shall pass,” she says.
Now, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is happily remarried to wellness practitioner Aaron Phypers, whom she met in 2017 and wed last September. And she’s grateful for the lessons she’s learned in life and love.
“We have an amazing relationship,” Richards says of Phypers. “We love each other for who we are and we don’t judge each other. And for him to embrace a single woman with [three] daughters and an ex-husband with a wonderfully colorful past, it’s a lot. That made me fall in love with him even more.
Phypers “is amazing with the girls,” she adds. “He’s such a great stepdad, and they’re close to him.”
When it comes to Sheen now, Richards says despite their once contentious relationship, she is supportive of her ex, who is now sober, as well as his connection with their daughters.
“I’m supportive of the girls having a relationship with their dad,” she says. “Whatever is going on with a couple, the children should not be privy to it. Obviously, there are times when emotions might flare up. But we’re human beings and we make mistakes.”
There are all sorts of dogs, with different temperaments and looks, but they all share some basic similarities. These animals are creatures of habit, who revel in their routines. When it’s disrupted, dogs get anxious. No matter the dog’s breed or behavior, if you’ve ever owned one then you’ve definitely found yourself growing increasingly anxious because you can’t find a way of tranquilizing your pet. Dog relaxation videos are the new favorite thing.
Screenshot via dogsofinstagram/Instagram
Yes, Mashable reports the videos are a real thing, and they can put your dog to sleep with the help of a few specially designed tunes. These clips and playlists, readily available on YouTube, can last for hours, easing your dog’s stress and anxiety.
A YouTube channel that’s gathered some notoriety and that produces a large amount of content is called Relax My Dog. Founder Amman Ahmen explains that the company interlaces their songs with a high pitched noise that functions as a dog whistle, holding your dog’s attention over long periods of time. Although there’s not a lot of science that supports these findings, customer feedback suggest that the videos work, soothing humans who in turn project calm and peacefulness onto their pets.
Photo by Berkay Gumustekin via Unsplash
“All our research is based on 7 years of customer feedback. We are in a constant feedback loop from our growing fan base on what sounds, arrangements and frequencies work and as a result we crafted a formula,” explains Ahmen.
Research has shown that simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol , while the social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies).
In fact, an astonishing 84 percent of post-traumatic stress disorder patients paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms, and 40 percent were able to decrease their medications, reported a recent survey.
The purists will say it’s madness, but playing alchemist and blending marijuana can be a lot of fun.
Who hasn’t had a little of this sativa and a little of that indica left over in their stash, and tried mixing them together to stretch one last bowl? The purists will say it’s madness, but playing alchemist and blending marijuana can be a lot of fun. Here is a guide to blending marijuana tropes for a If you’re feeling adventurous, try one of these combinations, or make your own customized blend for the perfect day. You might want a little experiment before you go for the Big Bang.
For When You’re Nervous About That Big Meeting
Grape Ape and Candy Jack This carefree indica combined with a mood-enhancing sativa will mellow you out, while keeping you productive enough to prepare notes for your quarterly review/dissertation defense/job interview/whatever stressful moment tomorrow is throwing at you.
Green Crack and Jet Fuel
A do-shit sativa like GC combined with a hybrid keep you alert enough to get your pump on, with a sprinkle of relaxation to keep you nimble and content throughout your workout.
For When Your Head Is Killing You
Girl Scout Cookies and Skywalker
This gentle sativa blended with a pain-killing indica will ease you into restfulness, and get that migraine moving asap.
For When You Can’t Get To Sleep
Northern Lights and Dark Star
Knock yourself out for the night with these indica types that will relax your muscles and quiet your mind.
Kaboom and ACDC
An energetic-yet-mellow sativa combined with a hybrid that’s high-CBD can give some of the social high, with a dissolving of the anxiety that comes with meeting new friends.
For The Dinner Shindig You’ve Waited All Week For
Bubble Gum and Champagne Kush
A happy, slightly sweet hybrid mixed with a hybrid that encourages talkativity can ensure you’re getting the most out of your tastebuds, without being so focused on your food that you ignore your guests.
Whenever you see two artists working together unexpectedly—like Cardi B and Maroon 5 or Skrillex and A$AP Rocky—and the song becomes a hit, you should know it’s not an accident. Instead it’s science, according to a recently published study titled “The ‘Featuring Phenomenon In Music.”
Over the past two decades, songs that songs featuring another artist have risen exponentially on the Billboard Hot 100, the study found. Songs featuring other artists also have a greater likelihood of breaking into top 10 than songs by a standalone artist. What’s more—the starker the contrast between two artists collaborating, the higher chance their song has in breaking into the top of the charts.
According to the researchers, this stands in opposition of expectations, as “artists who deviate from existing genres are expected to be penalized for violating collective expectations and norms.” But collaboration inherently has a different approach. Instead by combining the “expertise of specialists in each genre”—as well as targeting those specialists’ musical audiences—artists “are able to produce more successful songs.
“I expected ‘featuring’ represented a route for chart success, and indeed it was, [but] I was surprised by how fast such phenomenon spread outside the hip-hop genre where it originated,” the study’s lead author Andrea Ordanini told Rolling Stone.
Ordanini, who is also a marketing professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, plans to continue her research with the study’s co-author Joseph Nunes, a marketing professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business. They plan on determining what role authorship of songs has in chart success, and whether if combining different genres could lead to similar success in movies and TV.
“While we do not have evidence in other contexts outside of music, if our explanation is correct, we should be able to see more appreciation by fans of genre-blending collaborations in other cultural industries such as movies or entertainment,” Ordanini said.
Why the U.S. can refocus its regulatory approach to pharmaceuticals, adapted from the one used in Europe, to better connect the value prescription drugs provide and their price.
Spending on pharmaceuticals is on the rise worldwide. And it well should be. Today, we are able to cure some diseases like hepatitis C that were virtual death sentences just a few years ago. This progress required significant investments by governments and private companies alike. Unquestionably, the world is better off for it.
At the same time, the United States also pays significantly higher prices than the rest of the developed world when it comes to prescription drugs, due primarily to limited competition among drug companies.
These two problems are well-known to policymakers, consumers and scholars alike. The Trump administration’s recent proposal seeks to lower costs by restructuring drug discounts that occur between pharmaceutical companies, health insurers and entities called pharmacy benefit managers.
But in my view as a health policy scholar, the plan does little to address the underlying problems of prescription drugs in the U.S. I believe the U.S. can refocus its regulatory approach to pharmaceuticals, adapted from the one used in Europe, to better connect the value prescription drugs provide and their price.
And it is not like Americans are overly reliant on prescriptions drugs as compared to their European counterparts. Americans use fewer prescription drugs, and when they use them, they are more likely to use cheaper generic versions. Instead the discrepancy can be traced back to the issue plaguing the entirety of the U.S. health care system: prices.
Lacking even rudimentary price controls, U.S. consumers bore the full brunt of the expensive development work that goes into new drugs. These costs were further augmented by marketing expenditures and profit seeking by all entities within the pharmaceutical supply chain. Consumers in Europe, where there are government-controlled checks on prices, were not as exposed to those high costs.
Additionally, the overall complexity of the U.S. health care system and the lack of transparency in the drug supply chain system create conditions favorable to limited competition and price maximization.
Finally, the U.S. has undergone a series of coverage expansions, including the prominent creation of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare Part D, and the Affordable Care Act. For many of the newly covered, this meant access to prescription drugs for the first time and pent-up demand was released. However, it also encouraged pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of the newfound payers for their drugs.
Trump’s proposed fixes
The consequences of pricey pharmaceuticals are significant in terms of costs and diminished health. Close to 20 percent of adults report skipping medications because they are concerned about costs. Nonetheless, the U.S. may be spending close to $500 billion annually.
The Trump administration’s discounting approach, however, is not uncommon. The Veterans Health Administration’s has done so quite successfully, obtaining discounts in the range of 40 percent. Likewise, Medicaid programs are also using their purchasing power to obtain discounts. And calls for Medicare to negotiate discounts with pharmaceutical companies are common.
The way I see it, there are three major issues inherent in negotiating discounts for drugs.
For one, true negotiations would only take place if Medicare or any other entity was willing to walk away from certain drugs if no discounts could be obtained. In a country that heavily values choice, and where such activities would become a political football, this is highly unlikely.
Moreover, it would only work for drugs where viable alternatives are available. After all, most Americans would likely be hesitant to exclude a drug, even at high costs, when no alternative cure exists.
Yet even if some version of a discount program were to be implemented more widely, such a program does not change the underlying pricing or market dynamics. Crucially, relying on discounts does nothing to reduce list prices set by manufacturers. Pharmaceutical companies and all other entities in the supply chain remain free to set prices, bring products to the market, and take advantage of loopholes to maximize corporate profits.
Ultimately, pharmaceutical companies and all other entities involved in the pharmaceutical supply chain are unlikely to be willing to simply give up profits. Quite likely, steeper discounts for Medicaid and Medicare may lead to higher costs for employer-sponsored plans.
Focusing on effectiveness and consumer information
The question then emerges: What could be done to truly improve the twin issues of high costs and limited cost-effectiveness when comes to pharmaceuticals in the U.S. health care system?
While Americans are often hesitant to learn from other countries, looking to Europe when it comes to pharmaceuticals holds much promise. Countries like Britain and Germany have taken extensive steps to introduce assessments of cost-effectiveness into their health care systems, refusing to pay higher prices for new drugs that do not improve effectiveness of treatment over existing options.
Since reforming its system in the early 2010s, Germany has allowed manufacturers to freely set prices for a limited period when bringing new drugs to the market. It then uses the data available from that period for a nongovernmental and nonprofit research body to evaluate the benefit provided by the new drug, as compared to existing alternatives. This added benefit, or lack thereof, then serves as the foundation for price negotiations between drug manufacturers and health plans.
Lacking the corporatist nature of the Germany economy, the U.S. should resort to a bottom-up approach focused on investing in assessing and subsequent publicizing of cost-effectiveness data as well as cost-benefit analyses for all drugs. In order to minimize politicization, these analyses would be best handled by one or multiple independent research institutes.
Ultimately, knowing what drugs provide what value would equally benefit consumers, providers, and payers, and serve as a meaningful first step towards connecting the prices we pay for prescriptions to the value we derive from them.
Simon F. Haeder is an Assistant Professor at West Virginia University. This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Businesses of all kinds are hoping to start a Valentine’s Day viral campaign that eclipses all others. The El Paso Zoo is leading the pack, attracting masses with their slightly dark take on the holiday.
Although Valentine’s Day is meant to celebrate love and friendship, for a lot of people the date is a reminder of exes and bad memories. Targeting those with a broken heart, the El Paso Zoo is encouraging people to share the name of their ex in order to name a cockroach after them. As if that wasn’t grim enough, on February 14 people will be able to tune in to a Facebook Live where they’ll get to see Meerkats eat these roaches.
The Facebook post has been extremely successful, with more than a million likes and 2.6 million shares to this writing. Users have responded positively to the post, calling the El Paso Zoo the right amount of petty and requesting if they can also submit the names of politicians.
If you’ve got an annoying ex pestering your life, you still have time to add their name onto list. It might not do anything in the grand scheme of things but who cares. A meerkat will eat them.
Pitchbook recently released its 2018 results for cannabis related investments, and the data is impressive: 139 deals scooped up a whopping $881 million. Those numbers are up over the prior year by 26 percent (number of transactions) and 120 percent (total amount invested), reflecting larger average deal sizes. Leading the way, Privateer Holdings closed a $100 million Series C financing.
Clearly, the success of Canadian public offerings in the space is creating a “chimney” effect where a few big exits result in early-stage capital being pulled into the ecosystem.
For example, Green Organic Dutchman Holdings, Ltd. (TSX: TGOD), IPO’d in May of 2018, is currently trading at $1.0 billion market cap. Meanwhile, Privateer’s Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) went out for $153 million in July and currently enjoys a $6.0 billion market cap. Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE CGC) is valued at $17.0 billion.
The Pitchbook report also lists the top dozen cannabis-related venture investors, led by Altitude Investment Manage, Casa Verde Capital and Salveo Capital, each with six or more investments in 2018.
The addition of sophisticated, institutional capital to the cannabis marketplace is a welcome game-changer. The net result is likely to be increased scrutiny on the quality of management teams, the scalability and defensibility of business models and heightened attention to corporate governance. All of which should lead to a more stable and ultimately more profitable industry for stakeholders.
Now that Democrats have gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, it seems they are committed to bringing the cannabis issue to the center stage. Their first line of business—a bill aimed at giving the marijuana industry access to banks. Although more than half the nation has legalized the leaf in some form or fashion, marijuana businesses have been mostly left to operate on a cash-only basis.
Not only has this presented safety issues—armed robberies where criminals are seeking large amounts of cash being among the biggest—but it has also made it difficult for these companies to pay their bills and set up payroll in a manner of which is appreciated by other members of traditional commerce.
But next week, a subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing intended to fix the banking problem. House members will examine a piece of legislation, which would allow banks to do business with the cannabis trade without the risk of prosecution for money laundering.
Even though marijuana businesses might be legal in their neck of the woods, any money filtered through financial institutions is technically illegal since the federal government still considers the substances a Schedule I drug. And while no bank has been hassled as a result of these types of transactions, the risk is enough to prevent many of the larger firms from opening accounts connected to weed.
The new bill would provide protections for those banks operating inside the scope of state law.
“The legislation would provide credit unions and other financial institutions accepting deposits from, extending credit or providing payment services to an individual or business engaged in marijuana-related commerce in states where such activity is legal with appropriate legal protections, so long as they are compliant with all other applicable laws and regulations,” said Jim Nussle President of the Credit Union National Association.
Although giving pot companies access to banking solutions seems like a no-brainer, lawmakers have struggled in the past to get any kind of marijuana banking protections pushed through on Capitol Hill. The hang-up has been mostly the fault of Republican control. For whatever reason, the majority of these Elephant-eared politicians are not quite ready to give banks permission to do business with the cannabis industry. In fact, Republican control in the Senate could jam up this issue even more.
Even if the bill gets through the House, it would still need to make it through Senate gatekeeper Mitch McConnell before it stands a fighting chance at going the distance. It remains to be seen, however, whether the upper chamber will present problems for this particular issue. We’ll have to wait and see.
One thing is sure, the banking measure will be the bill to watch, as its success or failure will dictate the course of marijuana reform in Congress for 2019. If it passes, other measures could find an easier passage. But if lawmakers cannot come to terms on a simple banking bill, there really isn’t much hope that anything more significant will land either in the coming months.
The subcommittee hearing is slated for February 13, with a full committee vote expected to take place before Spring.
