Edition 9: The case for starting your day in the afternoon

(This newsletter was sent to email subscribers on January 31, 2020.)

Good morning, muggles. The Super Bowl is just around the corner, but we are still recovering from a heavy week. Our thoughts go out to the Bryants and all the families who lost their loved ones in the L.A. helicopter crash. This week, we want to highlight a few uplifting stories from local news headlines.

High schoolers are sleeping in and getting better grades

Tues Jan 28

A high school in Lansing, Michigan is trying something different: starting the school day in the late afternoon. The experimental program, which holds classes from 3–8 pm on weekdays, has been incredibly beneficial for students with part-time jobs or family responsibilities. As an extra bonus, they’re actually getting a full night’s sleep, which has yielded higher grades and happier teens.

Illinois caps insulin costs, saving some patients up to $350 per month

Fri Jan 24

In the U.S., insulin refills can cost patients up to $450 per month — an injustice perpetrated by the three pharmaceutical monopolies that control 90% of the global insulin market. However, Illinois has signed a new law that caps patients’ out-of-pocket costs at $100 for a 30-day supply, making this medical necessity more affordable for the state’s 1,300,000 diabetic residents.

“As we work to address the high cost of prescription drug prices that are burdening millions all across our state, this new law is an essential step in fulfilling our promise to put state government back on the side of working families.” — Governor JB Pritzker

The new law is scheduled to go into full effect in Jan 2021.

By the way: Illinois was also featured in last week’s Below the Fold, having signed another law to stop the suspension of licenses due to non-moving violations.

Florida tries to crack down on its growing human trafficking industry

Thu Jan 23

With 466 reports filed in 2019, a local Florida Police Department has launched a task force to snuff out human traffickers, and is anticipating a surge in activity during Super Bowl weekend.

Here are some additional eye-opening statistics about human trafficking in the U.S.:

• Roughly 18,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year
• 83% of victims found through task force cases are U.S. citizens
• The average age among victims is 12 to 14, although some are as young as nine

What can you do to help? First, learn to recognize the signs of sex and labor trafficking — commonly seen within the agriculture and hotel industries. You can also donate to any of these organizations that support trafficking survivors in both the U.S. and abroad.

Injured Uber passenger may have signed away her right to a jury trial

Mon Jan 27

Remember when South Park joked about how we could be signing our lives away by accepting iTunes’ “Terms & Conditions” without reading them? Well, that joke is no longer funny — or hypothetical — in 2020, as many of the app-based services we use on a daily basis have slipped in potentially unconstitutional clauses into their user agreements.

Currently, one woman is suffering from brain and spinal injuries after her Uber driver sped through a red light. The worst part? It appears that just by using the app, she had relinquished her right to bring a public suit against the company. Luckily for her, the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court determined that Uber’s policy is not legally valid, because the company could not prove that she had actually read its terms or clicked any hyperlink before using the service.

Heads Up, California

Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), which reclassified over one million freelancers as company employees, has kickstarted a new movement within the stripping community, encouraging dancers to push back against their employers’ exploitative practices. However, this also means that the club owners are putting more pressure on their dancers, coercing them into signing more restrictive — and in many cases, illegal — contracts. Currently, LA-based dancers are trying to unionize and educate their colleagues about their rights under the new law.

It has been almost one month since AB 5 went into effect, reclassifying over one million freelancers as company employees. Despite its good intentions, the law’s changes have not been well-received by all. See how AB 5’s has impacted freelancers across a variety of different industries.

Forecast

That’s all for this week. Have a magical weekend. ✨

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