To make work meetings less awful, chop them

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a Chop of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - All work [meetings should be chopped](. - [Putin is feeling the heat]( but needs to feel more. - Economic policy makers [gotta know when to fold ’em](. - Idle hands [make for dumb trades](. How to Meeting Good It’s a real emotional roller coaster learning how Andy Jassy — who will soon replace Jeff Bezos as Amazon.com CEO — runs business meetings. He calls them “the Chop,” which right away is scary, invoking bladed weapons (or maybe pork, if you’re hungry). But then you learn this name started as an acronym for “The Charterhouse of Parma,” the 19th-century French novel by Stendahl, which sounds nice. But then you learn the titular charterhouse is where the novel’s main character goes to (spoiler alert) die, which is scary again. And then you learn Jassy called his college dorm room the Chop, which raises a host of uncomfortable questions we don’t have time to explore in this newsletter. All in all, [the Chop is where bad ideas and unprepared employees go to die]( like fictional Italian noblemen, apparently. And Sarah Green Carmichael writes other businesses can learn something from it, once they get over their fear of blades or distracting hunger for pork chops. Because how many work meetings have you attended, especially over Zoom, that were aimless and awkward and time-murdering? Such foolishness is not allowed in the Chop. Amazonians spend weeks preparing for Chops, because their ideas and their mettle will be stress-tested in the presence of a person who called his college dorm room the Chop. Maybe these particulars don’t suit your own business, but making meetings as lean and nourishing as a pork loin chop can only help everybody. What I’m saying is I missed lunch. Read the [whole thing](. Putin Has a Navalny Problem Vladimir Putin should be having a good year. Russia’s Covid vaccine — called Sputnik, natch — turned out to be surprisingly [effective](. Putin should be riding a bear shirtless at the head of a parade celebrating Russia’s scientific accomplishment and eventual recovery from the pandemic. Instead, he’s burning up his goodwill by cracking down on demonstrations against his iron rule, including throwing the dissident Alexey Navalny in prison. [Such extreme measures suggest he feels vulnerable](, writes Clara Ferreira Marques. The West shouldn’t pass up this chance to put even more pressure on him to change his ways. [Europe has the most effective political and economic power]( right now, writes Bloomberg’s editorial board, starting with the ability to leverage the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It’s not exactly in a position to antagonize a source of precious Covid vaccines, but it shouldn’t sacrifice its democratic principles, either. Further Anti-Democratic Reading: - The [Myanmar coup is part of a reversal of democratic gains]( throughout Southeast Asia. — Clara Ferreira Marques - [Cracking down on university students]( sure is a weird way to entice students to Turkey. — Bobby Ghosh Pull Back on Economic Support When? With President Joe Biden [pushing]( a $1.9 trillion stimulus package through Congress, it feels like a weird time to talk about how and when to tear down the scaffolding keeping the economy upright. But [layoffs]( have slowed a bit from nightmarish levels, and there’s reason to hope the pandemic recession could end this calendar year. [Keeping the economy on life support for too long can weaken it](, writes Noah Smith, discouraging hiring and keeping zombie companies alive. Richard Cookson argues the [Federal Reserve will also have to think about how to withdraw]( its own stimulus soon. Cheap money has already spawned a million asset bubbles, and Richard writes unwelcome inflation is next. But Conor Sen suggests [companies will be raising prices in the months ahead]( as tight supply meets rebounding demand. The resulting inflation should be temporary until companies can build more capacity, and policy makers could hurt the recovery by rushing to stamp it out. Telltale Charts The pandemic has revealed that [bored traders trade much more often than usual](, which hurts their returns, writes Mark Gilbert. As Queen Mary [said]( on Netflix, “To do nothing is the hardest job of all.” But it can also save you a lot of money. Speaking of Netflix, the TV ad business has had a rough year as Americans hunkered down with streaming services and televised sporting events became dour, fan-less affairs. It’s gotten so bad that Budweiser won’t advertise at this year’s pinnacle of Sportsball, the Super Bowl. But Tara Lachapelle writes the TV ad business isn’t dead yet, and in fact it [could start to infiltrate some of those streaming services](. Further Reading We should [focus vaccination efforts on hot spots](, not only to stop the spread but also to address inequality. — Faye Flam [Israel’s poor compliance with safety measures]( keeps Covid circulating despite vaccinations. — Zev Chafets [Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev did a poor job]( explaining his clampdown on trading in hot stocks. — Tim O’Brien [Distressed-debt investors were swimming in opportunities]( last year, which have all dried up now. — Brian Chappatta Biden may be [less friendly with Israel and Saudi Arabia](, but he will still work with them to counter Iran. — James Stavridis ICYMI Democrats want [Donald Trump to testify]( at his impeachment trial. Voting-machine vendor Smartmatic [sued Fox News for defamation](. At today’s vaccination rates, [life will return to normal in 2028](. Kickers Archaeologists in Israel find [purple fabric from the time of King David](. (h/t Ellen Kominers) Scientists discover [why food sticks to nonstick pans](. (h/t Scott Kominers) Chemists [create and capture einsteinium](, the 99th element. Trump [staffers were lousy tippers](. Note: Please send einsteinium and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Twitter]( and [Facebook](.  Like Bloomberg Opinion Today? [Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access and get much, much more](. You’ll receive our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](.  You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022