With supply chain and inflation issues taking hold in the economy, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the how these issues reveal the incredible level of efficiency that the economy had previously operated with as well as what it will take to get things back on track (01:06).  The guys also discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s effort to try to cajole food companies and restaurants to all reduce sodium content in the foods (34:52). -Links coming soon.

Call It Like I See It

Supply Chain Issues and the Risk of Absolute Efficiency; Also, the FDA’s Attempt to Reduce Sodium Consumption

The reaction to Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” has included a lot of debate about what is scientific fact, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider whether this debate mirrors other disagreements over matters of science and if truth is being sought or if want to yell at each other (01:31).  The guys also discuss China’s reported efforts to force greater cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities in order to build a national collective consciousness (25:02).‘I’m team Terf’: Dave Chappelle under fire over pro-JK Rowling trans stance (The Guardian)China’s Communist Party Formally Embraces Assimilationist Approach to Ethnic Minorities (WSJ) (Apple Link)

Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” and the Public Debate About What is Scientific Fact; Also, China’s Effort to Force Greater Assimilation of Minorities

Seeing all the handwringing over the debt ceiling and the so called “meteor headed to crash into our economy,” James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider whether politics surrounding the debt ceiling illustrate dysfunction or gamesmanship, and the extent to which this is just the new normal (01:17).  The guys also discuss some findings on how living with high levels of uncertainty is difficult for us as humans (37:10). Biden warns ‘meteor headed to crash’ into US economy amid debt struggle (The Guardian)As Senator, Joe Biden Opposed GOP Debt Ceiling Votes and Mitch McConnell Hasn't Forgotten (Newsweek)Schumer forces debt limit vote to squeeze Republican resistance (Politico)Democrats Are Holding America Hostage, and Trying to Blame the GOP (Daily Beast)Our Brains Were Not Built for This Much Uncertainty (Harvard Business Review)

Debt Ceiling and Recognizing a New Normal; Also, Approaches to Living in Times of Uncertainty

With Arizona’s partisan election review reportedly confirming what all the prior reviews said about the outcome of the 2020 election and appearing to be an (expensive) exercise in futility, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider the extent to which the results of the 2020 election are being challenged to create a pretext to raise money and enrich friends (01:16).  The guys also take a look at some recent research on whether the way we approach free time in our society actually reduces our happiness (39:39). 'Truth is truth': Trump dealt blow as Republican-led Arizona audit reaffirms Biden win (Reuters)‘Big Lie’ Election Audits Go On After Arizona: Here’s What’s Happening In Wisconsin, Pennsylvania—And Now Texas (Forbes)Final report from partisan Arizona review confirms Biden defeated Trump in Maricopa County last November (CNN)‘Stop the Steal’ Movement Races Forward, Ignoring Arizona Humiliation (NY Times)The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model (RAND Corporation)The way we view free time is making us less happy (BBC)

Election Audits or Profiteering Schemes? Also, Can Leisure Time Reduce Happiness?

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at some of the revelations in the “Facebook files” series being published by the Wall Street Journal consider how our humanity in impacted by social media in ways that have serious effects on society (01:41).  The guys also react to recent research on changes in the average heights of various societies (40:54). The Facebook Files (WSJ)Leaks just exposed how toxic Facebook and Instagram are to teen girls and, well, everyone (The Guardian)From Instagram’s Toll on Teens to Unmoderated ‘Elite’ Users, Here’s a Break Down of the Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Revelations (Time)Wall Street Journal's Facebook Files series prompts comparisons to Big Tobacco (CNN)Facebook says WSJ allegations are 'mischaracterizations,' confer 'false motives' (Reuters)Why does world’s tallest populace seem to be getting shorter? (The Guardian)

This is Your Society on Social Media; Also, Making Sense of Huge Changes in Average Height

Following the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks in the United States, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider how the trauma experienced that day has affected Americans and American society and discuss the effectiveness of the nation’s response to the attack (01:21).  The guys also take a look at some recent research on why modern humans by and large have so many problems with their teeth (35:01). 'A heavy price': Two decades of war, wariness and the post-9/11 security state (NBC News)America Played Into Al-Qaeda’s Hands (The Atlantic)Why We Have So Many Problems with Our Teeth (Scientific American)

Looking at How the Trauma from 9/11 Changed Society; Also, Why Dental Problems Are the Norm

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the recent change in college athletics that has allowed student athletes to make money off of the use of their name, image and likeness and question whether college athletics have evolved enough over time that some to necessitate how we treat what has become with some sports the business of college athletics (01:30).  The guys also discuss how humans can learn to use echolocation for spatial awareness and the extent to which this, and any other supposed “sixth senses,” may be something we can learn to access and utilize (33:19). Everything you need to know about the NCAA's NIL debate (ESPN)The NCAA Dropped The Ball On NIL (Forbes)The NCAA and the impact of NIL compensation, explained (Denver Post)Business of Football: The Supreme Court Sends a Message to the NCAA (Sports Illustrated)Social media stardom: How changes to NIL will benefit athlete-influencers across the NCAA (ESPN)How NCAA athletes with little fame will benefit from NIL rights (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)Humans Can Develop a Sixth Sense, Study Proves (Popular Mechanics)

College Sports & the Puzzling Embrace of Socialism; Also, the Possibility of Developing a Sixth Sense

The federal eviction moratorium was in place for almost a year and now has been struck down, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the circumstances that led to its demise and what we have and don’t have to try to mitigate the ongoing economic effects from the Covid-19 pandemic that led to the moratorium in the first place (01:21).  The guys also take a look at the dispute between Spencer Elden, whose naked photographed appeared on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album, Nevermind, and the stakeholders who created and used the photo 30 years ago (37:40). Why the overturned eviction moratorium may be too little, too late for both renters, landlords (Yahoo Finance)Here's what renters can expect after the end of the federal eviction ban (CNN)Biden's COVID-19 eviction freeze is back at the Supreme Court. Here's how it got there. (USA Today)Eviction moratoriums aren't enough to rescue millions of Americans behind on rent (CNN)As national eviction ban expires, a look at who rents and who owns in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)Emergency Rental Assistance Program (U.S. Treasury)Baby on Nevermind cover sues Nirvana over child sexual exploitation (Guardian)

What’s Next with the Eviction Moratorium Put to Bed; Also, Nevermind Nudity Leads to a Belated Lawsuit

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has clearly not gone as smoothly one would like, and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana try to make sense of what has happened and also discuss the media’s role in the over-the-top reactions coming from the public (01:27).  The guys also take a look at a recent report about a Spanish engineer who devised a machine that produces drinking water out of thin air (37:42). The Withdrawal From Afghanistan Was Destined for Disaster (NY Mag)Afghan conflict: US and Taliban sign deal to end 18-year war (BBC)Russia takes over base left by U.S. forces near Syria's Raqqa: TASS (Reuters)How Iran Has Kept Its Aging American-Made F-14 Tomcats Flying (The National Interest)You Literally Can't Believe The Facts Tucker Carlson Tells You. So Say Fox's Lawyers (NPR)Judge: Dominion suits against Trump allies can proceed (The Hill)Spanish engineers extract drinking water from thin air (Reuters)Water Facts - Worldwide Water Supply (US Bureau of Reclamation)The Water From Your Tap Is an Engineering Marvel Millennia in the Making (Popular Mechanics) (Apple Link)Rivers of Doubt - The North Georgia Water Crisis (The Bitter Southerner)

A Messy Withdrawal and a Manipulated Reaction; Also, Producing Drinking Water out of Thin Air

Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” may be a military treatise that dates back to the 5th century BC, but it remains popular to this day because many of the concepts it teaches are timeless and extend beyond waging war.  James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss what stood out to them in the material (02:03) and how the concepts in the text can be applied to other aspects of life (38:58). The Art of War (MIT)The Art of War (Wikisource)How to Use Military Strategy to Build Better Habits (James Clear)

Culture Series: The Art of War, a Treatise by Sun Tzu

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss how nostalgia and the tendency to think about the past in an idealized way may, from a societal standpoint affect our ability to deal with our new issues and circumstances (01:23).  The guys also consider whether even those of us who care about global warming are failing to appreciate the urgency of the threat (29:56). The Myth of the Golden Years (The Atlantic)Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' (BBC)Dixie Fire, still raging, is now California's second-largest wildfire ever (Reuters)Utah’s Great Salt Lake has been shrinking for years. Now it faces a drought (The Guardian)

Nostalgia as a Barrier to Progress; Also, Whistling Past Our Global Warming Graveyard

It is apparent that many employers intend to require, or at minimum try to induce, their employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, so James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider whether this approach represents an overreach and also try to make sense of the lingering vaccine hesitancy we still see in society (01:21).  The guys also discuss how Simone Biles’ recent struggles illustrate the how intertwined the psychological aspects and physical aspects of performance really are (33:23). Google And Facebook Mandate Vaccines For Employees At U.S. Offices (NPR)From offices to restaurants, companies are requiring proof of vaccination (CNN)The NFL Is Setting the Standard for COVID Vaccine Crackdowns (Vanity Fair)Ryan Tannehill: I wouldn’t have gotten vaccinated if not for NFL’s protocols (ProFootballTalk)Corporate America to workers: Get vaccinated or get out (CNN)Vaccine hesitancy is nothing new. Here’s the damage it’s done over centuries (Science News)Jacobson v. Massachusetts (Wikipedia)Simone Biles withdraws from individual all-around gymnastics competition at Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental well-being (ESPN)Simone Biles said she got the ‘twisties.’ Gymnasts immediately understood. (WaPo)Simone Biles plans to compete in Olympics balance beam final (NBC News)

The Growing Vaccine Mandate Trend; Also, Simone Biles and the Mental Aspect of Performance

After seeing billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos literally shoot for the stars recently, as well as some of the criticism of their efforts, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana weigh in on the consequences of space travel becoming a private enterprise and the veracity of some of the criticisms of these efforts (01:31).  The guys also discuss takeaways from Shape Magazine’s recent discussions on the latest on optimal approaches to exercise (37:20).Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson went to space. What's next? (CNN)Elizabeth Warren took aim at Jeff Bezos, saying 'the richest guy on Earth can launch himself into space while over half the country lives paycheck to paycheck' (MSN)The Commercial Space Age Is Here (Harvard Business Review)How Will Private Space Travel Transform NASA's Next 60 Years? (Space.com)The Pros And Cons Of Privatizing Space Exploration (Forbes)Senate Approves Bill Championed by Senator Hutchison to Preserve America’s Human Spaceflight Capabilities (U.S. Senate)Shape Magazine Website (Apple Link to 2021 Science of Strong Article)Lifting Weights? Your Fat Cells Would Like to Have a Word. (NY Times)

With Billionaires in Space, What Comes Next; Also, the Latest on Exercise and Body Health

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss wokeness in our society, taking a look at its traditional social justice framing as well as the way it has been made a part of the so called “culture wars.”  The guys also marvel at the scale of the world’s caffeine additions and consider the implications of this. -Links coming soon.

Has Wokeness Gone Too Far; Also, Caffeine as the World's Addiction

With the U.S.’s 20-year war in Afghanistan coming to an end this summer, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the move to withdrawal the remaining troops and the legacy of the conflict (01:37).  The guys also take a look at recent research that in some circumstances, the color lost in gray hair can be regenerated by simply reducing stress (32:56).Biden announces U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will end August 31 (CBS News)Afghanistan war cost more than $2T and 240,000 lives, report finds (Military Times)From Afghanistan, disgraceful echoes of Vietnam (Star Tribune)Yes, we can reverse gray hair. No, we don't know why it works. Just chill. (Mashable)

America’s Longest War Comes to an End; Also, the Regenerating Color in Gray Hair

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Call It Like I See It

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