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)
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)
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)
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)
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” (01:29). The guys also marvel at the scale of the world’s caffeine additions and consider the implications of this (35:58). Where ‘woke’ came from and why marketers should think twice before jumping on the social activism bandwagon (The Conversation)Why Attacking ‘Cancel Culture’ And ‘Woke’ People Is Becoming The GOP’s New Political Strategy (538)Woke activists hurt cause with ‘self-righteous toxicity’: left-wing think tank (NY Post)The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine? (The Guardian)
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)
Seeing the effects of climate change appearing to continue to pick up steam, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss extent to which what we are seeing is the off the charts as well as things that may be driving our societies inability to truly address to the problem (01:47). The guys also react to recent reports that scientists have cloned an endangered ferret from the genetic material of a ferret that died over 30 years ago (46:19).Pacific Northwest heat wave reaches astonishing peak on Monday (Axios) Here’s how the heat is impacting residents of the Pacific Northwest (CNN)How climate change ‘loads the dice’ for heat waves (NBC News)A Former Trump Adviser May Have Revealed What The Fossil Fuel Bonanza Was Really About (HuffPost)Proud Boys and petro-masculinity (Heated World)Men Resist Green Behavior as Unmanly (Scientific American)Defense Secretary Calls Climate Change an Existential Threat (Defense.gov)Ford’s Electric Mustang Mach-E SUV Outsold the Gas Mustang Last Month (MotorTrend)Scientists Have Cloned an Endangered Species. Will They Be Able to Bring Back Extinct Animals? (Popular Mechanics)
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss what Critical Race Theory is and how it has gone from exclusively being an academic and scholarly matter to a dominant topic in our political and media environments (01:16). The guys also take a look at recent findings on how to combat attention fatigue with soft fascination (41:30).What the hysteria over critical race theory is really all about (Vox)Anti-Sharia law bills in the United States (Southern Poverty Law Center)Stephen Bannon thinks GOP could gain 50 House seats if they focus on critical race theory (Yahoo)Critical race theory battle invades school boards — with help from conservative groups (NBC News)How ‘Soft Fascination’ Helps Restore Your Tired Brain (Elemental)
Following years of advocacy, Juneteenth has been made a federal holiday in the U.S. and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the way the holiday fits into the U.S. narrative and consider how, after years of this being a disputed matter, an overwhelming consensus supporting the issue was formed in Congress (01:18). The guys raise the alarm about recent findings on how antidepressants being found in our waterways may be affecting how animals are behaving (21:22).One Woman’s Decades-Long Fight To Make Juneteenth A U.S. Holiday (NPR)For Black People In Corporate America, Juneteenth Is About More Than A Day Off (Forbes)Antidepressants in waterways may make crayfish bolder, increasing risk of predation (National Geographic)
Following ProPublica’s bombshell report on the massive levels of tax avoidance that America’s highest earners are engaging in, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take opposite sides on whether the existence of this level of tax avoidance means that our tax system is broken and unfair (01:28). The guys also look at some recent research on whether the universe may be conscious as we understand it (42:51).The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax (ProPublica)‘These revelations make me sick’ — Cramer suggests a billionaire surtax after ProPublica bombshell (CNBC)Some Scientists Believe the Universe Is Conscious (Popular Mechanics)
