Commentary on news, art, and ideas from a libertarian and rationalist perspective. Science, politics, education, sports, and culture from a teacher exiled from the classroom because of mask mandates. Plus quizzes!
Episodes
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Wallace Stevens would appreciate this episode! Daylight savings time, Russian defenestration, Elon Musk vs. Ron Wyden, wild hogs attacking Shakira, and Keats' Ode accused of sexual harassment. No better way to start your Monday!
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Who made bad decisions this week? Lots of people. Let's learn from them. Tony Fauci, Henry Ruggs III, Terry "Dream Journal" McAuliffe, and Dr. Youn on TikTok talking about penile length related to nose size. And if you know the Robert Herrick poem "The Vine," you know how well it fits in!
Thursday Nov 04, 2021
Thursday Nov 04, 2021
Today I take a lighter look at some absurd items in the news. Terry McAuliffe's bad day, Olivia Rodrigo's visit to the White House, Robert Durst, and the USS Connecticut running into a mountain.
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Let's look at two recent poems from Plough: Andrew Frisardi's "An Old Cassette-Letter" and Jean Kreiling's "After Helping My Father Rake the Leaves."
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
Tuesday Nov 02, 2021
The VA election, the Nigerian high-rise collapse, Pakistan banning hugs on TV, American Airlines, COP26 and US CO2 emissions. Lots to cover today!
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
The same arguments against libertarianism come up again and again. All Saints' Day is a good day to shoot them down one at a time.
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
What makes the cut this week? Squid Game vs. LeBron James, PETA, DaBaby, good ol' Riley Finn, and not so good ol' Andrew Cuomo. Plus the moms of Slate's Care and Feeding and more!
Thursday Oct 28, 2021
Thursday Oct 28, 2021
Not everyone who supports Anthony Fauci is a zombie, but many of his supporters believe blindly in anything that he or the public health security apparatus says. These are the Fauci zombies, and this is your field guide to identifying and understanding them.
Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
Rounding up all the news from the past week. In particular, I talk about the 'nightmare scenario' in physics and the new focus on interpretations of quantum mechanics that the scenario has spurred.
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
It's Poetry Tuesday! Time to go through half a dozen of my favorite lilies from issue 4 of Bad Lilies. Poems from Amit Majmudar, Penelope Shuttle, L Kiew, and Naush Sabah.