Episode 182: The 1994 Crime Bill, Mount Everest, and the Grand Canyon

Past Present

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the 1994 Crime Bill, a surge in deaths among Mount Everest climbers, and controversy over a plan to build a luxury complex at the Grand Canyon.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:

• The 1994 Crime Bill is once again in the news, dogging Joe Biden's candidacy. Niki referred to Michelle Alexander's book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Niki also recommended a New York Times op-ed by Elizabeth Hinton, Julilly Kohler-Hausmann, and Vesla Weaver about African-American responses to the 1994 Crime Bill.
• Deaths among those attempting to reach the peak of Mount Everest have spiked. Neil referred to this National Geographic article about improvements in climbing gear. Natalia cited this detailed description in The New York Times of the crowded scene at the peak. Niki referred to this New Yorker article – from 1954 – about the Sherpa who first ascended Everest, and this Bitch Media article about "manless climbing."
• A viral Twitter thread was the first many heard of an intense controversy over a plan to construct a luxury hotel and water park at the Grand Canyon. Natalia and Neil commented on former Reagan Administration official Steve Hanke's Forbes article advocating the privatization of public lands.

In our regular closing feature, What's Making History:

• Natalia discussed the mostly-forgotten "50-Mile Kennedy March."
• Neil recommended Jeffrey Bloomer's Slate article, "Why Everyone Thought Aladdin Had a Secret Sex Message."
• Niki shared Ryan Grim and Kelly Eleveld's HuffPost article, "Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and the Secret of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal."