The worst fears of privacy advocates were confirmed this week after a Bloomberg report noted that Amazon employs thousands of specialists to decipher private conversations picked up on different types of Echo speakers. Of course, these devices use an automated assistant named “Alexa” to respond to requests for information, play music and supposedly make life easier for customers. Now, we understand that there are tremendous costs in the drive for a “smart” home. What is really happening is frightening as Echo customers have no privacy and may have Amazon employees listening to very private or embarrassing conversations.

For those folks who believe New Orleans got cheated when it failed to make Amazon's major expansion cut, who want a few tips how to escape being murdered as you walk the friendly streets of the Big Easy orwho can't take any more of the now infamous Sewage and Water Board--there's a perfect show for you for solace. It's this weekend. It's called, "News with The Pist".

In the current competition to land a new Amazon second North American headquarters, Louisiana pulled out all stops.  It would have been quite a coup for a Louisiana location to land this big prize with some 50,000 new jobs to the winner.  But from the beginning, the Bayou State never had a chance. 

by Stephen Waguespack, President and CEO of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry

It hit me this week while fielding questions from radio listeners on The Jim Engster Show: as much time as we all spend these days talking about what divides us, the truth is we are not as far apart as most think.

A few callers asked about proposals for new revenue streams, mandates or regulations on businesses and non-profits, while others wanted to explore different options to fight poverty. The affordability and quality of health care were discussed, as was the specific structure of our tax code and its inability to provide stability for both private markets and public services.