Seeing the firestorm surrounding Chick-fil-A over its employment of an executive for diversity, equity and inclusion, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss what appears to be a rising tide where the power of the pocketbook is used to pressure actors to be more exclusionary towards certain segments of society (01:31). The guys also consider whether boredom, which modern technology has seemingly eliminated, actually can be something that benefits us greatly (37:15). Not Even Chick-fil-A Is Safe Fr...
Jun 06, 2023•51 min
With the NAACP issuing a travel advisory relating to Florida in response its belief that Florida is openly hostile to Blacks and other minority groups, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the half measure nature of the travel advisory tactic and whether it can be an effective way to exert political influence (01:32). The guys also consider how the formal ending of the Covid pandemic emergency by organizations like the WHO and CDC will affect sufferers of long Covid (39:09). NAACP Issues Travel...
May 30, 2023•53 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the suspension of NBA star Ja Morant following the posting of another social media video showing him brandishing a gun and take a look at the more general “guns in society” that many seem to want to have when looking at the Morant controversy (01:22). The guys also take a look at the life of Jim Brown and consider how our society goes about remembering men who have done great things but whose legacy is not without any blemishes (39:37). Ja Morant suspended f...
May 23, 2023•55 min
Following the expiration of the Title 42 pandemic emergency rules for migrants, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the current crisis at the border and discuss America’s long time reliance on and hostility toward immigration (01:27). The guys consider the more is merrier approach to fatherhood apparently taken by people such as Nick Cannon and Elon Musk in light of current society norms and historical precedent (42:41). Fear and confusion, but not chaos, along the southern border after...
May 16, 2023•56 min
With the new diversity and inclusion standards for Oscar eligibility kicking in, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the standards and the purpose of efforts like this while also reacting to some of the hostility being directed at the standards (01:53). The guys discuss a recent piece in The Atlantic from Derek Thompson on the concept of workism and the idea that for many, their job is where they look for fulfillment (33:09). Richard Dreyfuss Slams New Diversity Requirements for Oscar Contenti...
May 09, 2023•50 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider what weaponizing of the government means, and also what it does not mean, and also discuss Rep. Jim Jordan’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and Disney’s new lawsuit against Ron Desantis and other Florida officials (01:27). The guys also take a look at recent studies which suggest that Americans are becoming increasingly less trusting and more isolated in their relationships (38:27). The weaponization of the federal govern...
May 02, 2023•56 min
Seeing that the America system needs its public officials to restrain their selfish impulses to work well, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss how the recently revealed conduct of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the circumstances surrounding California Senator Diane Feinstein look more like public servants putting themselves first (01:49). The guys also take a look at research that is underway that is aiming to further develop an enzyme that can pull carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ...
Apr 25, 2023•49 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss Yuval Harari’s bestseller “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” a book that tracks the growth and development of human societies and cultures from the Stone Age through the modern day, and presents several key revolutions as being what changed everything over time and put humans on a path to in large part master the world around them in a way that no other animal could dream of. “Sapiens” (Yuval Noah Harari)...
Apr 18, 2023•57 min
With Levi’s announcing that it will begin using AI generated models on its website and app, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider whether using artificial intelligence to replace people is the kind of “progress” we can expect moving forward and discuss how the rapid growth and implementation of AI has some tech leaders calling for a 6 month pause on the training of AI systems (01:30). The guys also react to the recent EPA survey which found more than 9 million lead pipes are being used to suppl...
Apr 11, 2023•53 min
Following the history making indictment of former President Donald Trump, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the historic nature of the indictment and compare the situation to what has been happening in Israel following the indictment of its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (01:30). The guys also take a look at Utah’s move to ban minors from accessing social media without parental consent (37:27). Highlights: Trump expected to turn himself in Tuesday after indictment by NY grand jury (NBC Ne...
Apr 04, 2023•49 min
Following the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank earlier this month, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the nature of what apparently went wrong and the role the government has and should play in both managing and preventing these types of situations (01:30). The guys also consider a popular technique many having been using to prevent burnout and be happier (41:11). Why almost everyone failed to predict Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse (CNN) Column: Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse may be a b...
Mar 28, 2023•55 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at back at the Iraq War, which began 20 years ago this month with the invasion Iraq by the US and its allies and with all that has followed, consider whether it was one of the most consequential geopolitical moves in the 21st century (01:23). The guys also discuss the disconnect many experience between their actual age and how old they think of themselves as (34:18). On the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, these photos tell the story of the...
Mar 21, 2023•48 min
Seeing the revelations that have come out so far in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the most concerning aspects and what the state of mind of the major players reveals about the market for fake news (01:24). The guys also take a look at Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in observance of Women’s History Month (46:01). Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch rejected election conspiracy theories, Dominion lawsuit documents s...
Mar 14, 2023•55 min
Following a couple of U.S. agencies coming out with at least lukewarm support of Covid-19 originating from a lab leak, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the ongoing debate/investigation/analysis into the origin of Covid-19 and the certainty many express despite how much remains unknown (01:58). The guys also discuss the emerging debate in the nutrition field over whether processed foods, independent of their nutritional profile, drive negative health outcomes (40:05). China scoffs at ...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr
With the conflict between Russia and Ukraine passing the one year mark, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the back and forth on the battlefield and take a look at the efforts by differing parties to shape how the war is seen by their people and the people in other countries (01:29). The guys also weigh in on the online backlash that has been seen over a Latina being crowned Miss Coppin State University in light of Coppin State’s status as a historically black university (43:48). As Ukraine m...
Feb 28, 2023•59 min
Following reporting on how many Taliban members in Afghanistan have come to miss the days of jihad, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the nature of this sentiment and consider how it is not uncommon dissatisfied groups because making something work is often harder than blowing it up (01:53). The guys also take a look at some interesting facts about the participation of Black Americans in the first half of American’s history and consider why learning about American history from more angles be...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana react to the still ongoing trend involving all of these high-altitude flying objects that are getting detected and shot down (01:38). The guys also take a look at fascia, which despite being a tissue we have all over our bodies, is something that we know much less about compared to things like muscle and bone (43:21). Here is what we know about the unidentified objects shot down over North America (CNN) New unidentified 'cylindrical' object shot down over Canada (Wa...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr
With the start of February, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss Black History Month, whether its observation as a momentary point of emphasis is helpful to society or not, and how picking fights over what history is taught, and how it is taught, can be a potent political tool (01:34). The guys also take a look at OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot system ChatGPT and consider the implications of a system like this being able to communicate as well as humans in some respects (32:17). Black...
Feb 07, 2023•46 min
Looking at the senseless murder of Tyree Nichols, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss whether anything can be taken from the relative speed in which the process of holding the responsible officers accountable has begun and consider what can be taken away from the fact that both the victim and the offending officers in this case were Black (02:02). The guys also discuss an interesting article by James Clear, author of the New York Times bestselling book Atomic Habits, which goes into why facts ...
Jan 31, 2023•55 min
Historian Jonathan D. Cohen has recently been making the rounds asking some important questions about whether operating a lottery is a proper thing for governments to do, and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at Cohen’s rationale for questioning lotteries and discuss why so many in the land of free enterprise have seemingly accepted the idea of having the state-run lotteries as an alternative to taxation (01:11). The guys also discuss a recent piece in the Atlantic which makes the case t...
Jan 24, 2023•51 min
With presidents being caught with confidential documents that they should no longer have now apparently being a trend, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana compare how President Biden and former President Trump responded to their respective document controversy, consider what is triggering the media in these controversies, and discuss how this is what rule of law looks like (01:20). The guys also react to the recent job numbers which indicate that the labor market is relatively strong despite condition...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr
Seeing the attack on the presidential palace, Supreme Court, and Congress in Brazil by supporters of their former President Bolsenaro James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss how this attack mirrored the 2021 insurrection in the U.S. and consider whether seeing this happen twice now signals a trend (01:41). The guys also weigh in on the addition of financial and information literacy courses being mandated by states and the benefits and concerns with expanding education beyond basic subjects (34:02)...
Jan 10, 2023•50 min
Michelle Ferrari’s “The Eugenics Crusade,” which originally aired in 2018 on PBS, tells the story of the rise and fall of eugenics in American scientific, social and political spheres, and. James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss what stood out most in the film and how many themes in the story echo what we still see today. The Eugenics Crusade (PBS) The Eugenics Crusade (Amazon Prime) The Eugenics Crusade (Apple TV)...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana react to the Taliban’s recent move to ban college education for women in Afghanistan and consider whether the US bears any responsibility for this development (01:35). The guys also weigh in on the ongoing debate over whether time from a scientific standpoint is an illusion (22:07) and discuss the merits of a Dry January (34:00). 'The Taliban took our last hope': College education is banned for women in Afghanistan (NPR) Researchers say time is an illusion. So why a...
Dec 27, 2022•52 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana weigh in on the idea that the tech revolution has resulted in leaders in business or public life means no longer feeling the need to behave in a respectable manner (01:26). The guys also react to the recently announced fusion power breakthrough and consider whether the achievement is being over hyped (42:07). The Rise and Fall of Respectability (Wall Street Journal) (Apple Link) Anonymous criticism helped make America great (WaPo) Social Media and Histrionic Persona...
Dec 20, 2022•54 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look back at the 2022 midterm election now that things have pretty much shaken and consider why the results from a big picture standpoint were both divergent from historical norms and unexpected in light of many contemporaneous indicators. (01:34). The guys also discuss the mentality underlying Indonesia’s ban of sex outside of marriage and break down how this kind of approach managing societies is more common in historic and modern societies than it may seem...
Dec 13, 2022•55 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the issues surrounding, and the anger resulting from, the move by President Joe Biden, the self proclaimed “most pro union president,” to use a nearly 100 year old law to undercut railway unions in order to avert a national rail strike as the holidays approach. (01:42). The guys also react to some recent comments made by Michelle Obama about marriage, including what comes along with making one work, and consider why some seemed thrown off by some of h...
Dec 06, 2022•56 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the uncharacteristic protests going on in China, how China’s past illustrates the substantial risk of public demonstrations like this, these stakes, and how the Chinese government appears to have backed itself into a corner with its zero-covid policy (01:30). The guys also to consider how people can spontaneously remember things we would rather not remember and how this can temporarily bring back the bad feelings from those memories (34:22). Protests erupt a...
Nov 29, 2022•46 min
James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana react to the FTX collapse and consider how what led to this point may have been less about crypto and currency and more about humans and currency (01:29). The guys also to discuss this Live Nation/Ticketmaster anti-trust controversy that has apparently been brought to a head by people being upset at the failed roll out of Taylor Swift tour tickets (36:06). Exclusive: At least $1 billion of client funds missing at failed crypto firm FTX (Reuters) How Sam Bankman-Frie...
Nov 22, 2022•56 min
As more states move to remove the criminal punishment exception to the prohibition of slavery, James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss how economics and culture have led to this exception being exploited over the years (01:44). The guys also take a look at the growing trend in China to use of “height boosting shots” in healthy children and consider how societies should handle voluntary and/or cosmetic procedures in children (30:35). The ‘Exception’: Five US States to Vote on Vestige of Slavery (Bl...
Nov 15, 2022•56 min
