10 chapters across the catalog
The Bank of International Settlements is urging central banks to accelerate the development of their own digital currencies to compete with private cryptocurrencies. In diplomatic news, China's new ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, reportedly told American authorities to shut up during a private Zoom meeting regarding ongoing economic disputes. The blunt rhetoric signals a hardening of China's stance toward the United States.
Planting Peace, Transgender Flag, and Bi-Curious Definitions
A house in Topeka, Kansas, owned by the group Planting Peace, was painted in the colors of the transgender flag to protest Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. The hosts examine the design of the transgender flag and read the Wikipedia definition for "bi-curious" and "heteroflexible" identities.
Austin Ozone Action Day and White House Bi-Visibility Day
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued an Ozone Action Day for Austin on September 25 and 26, 2013, due to high pollution levels. Residents are encouraged to carpool, walk, or avoid drive-thru lanes to conserve energy. Additionally, the White House held a closed-door roundtable for Bi-Visibility Day on September 23, which the hosts find ironically non-transparent.
GEO Group Acquisition of BI Incorporated
The GEO Group, a major operator of correctional facilities, acquired BI Incorporated for $415 million. BI Incorporated is known for manufacturing electronic monitoring bracelets and remote alcohol detection systems, signaling an expansion of the private prison industry into home-based detention.
Judge David Kobos, GPS Ankle Monitors for Students
Judge David Kobos of Midland, Texas, implements a program using GPS ankle monitors to track truant students. The program, which utilizes technology from the BI Corporation, allows the court to "send in the troops" if a student leaves a prescribed school zone.
BI Incorporated, a company providing electronic monitoring for 16,000 offenders across 49 states, suffered a 12-hour system shutdown after hitting a 2-billion record data storage limit. Spokesman Jock Waldo stated the company is expanding the threshold to a trillion records following the unprecedented failure.
A new "Day Reporting Center" in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, run by BI Incorporated, is highlighted. The facility uses electronic bracelets to monitor "clients" (non-violent criminals) to ease jail overcrowding. The hosts criticize the terminology used by news readers, such as "enrollment" in prison and "clients" for inmates.
A news report details the case of a 92-year-old man who was jailed for three days for stealing coupons from a newspaper at a convenience store. The hosts use this as an example of the absurdity of the justice system, suggesting that electronic monitoring by companies like BI Incorporated is being marketed as a "solution" for such trivial offenses.
Media Propaganda, Private Corporations and Electronic Monitoring
The hosts analyze the production quality of local news segments on electronic monitoring, suggesting they are pre-produced packages created by the companies that manufacture the bracelets, such as BI Corporation. They argue these "human interest" stories are actually propaganda designed to facilitate a system where citizens pay for their own "freedom" through monitoring fees.
BI Incorporated, Ankle Monitors, Prison Privatization
An article in The Atlantic titled "Prison Without Walls" details how ankle monitors from BI Incorporated are being used to replace traditional incarceration. BI Incorporated, based in Boulder, Colorado, partners with Microsoft and various law enforcement associations to provide tracking technology. The hosts characterize this as a shift toward "home-based slave labor" that benefits private corporations.
