The Far Middle

Nick dedicates Episode 26 to three-time Super Bowl champ, and Philadelphia native, Herb Adderley. Continuing Nick’s “connections” theme, serendipitously, by reversing 26 to 62, we arrive at the subject of this installment: America’s paltry 62 percent labor participation rate. Nick peels back the onion on the collective causes, from COVID shutdowns to school shutdowns, that have resulted in America...

Nick kicks-off episode 25 of the Far Middle with a salute to Raiders’ Wide Receiver Fred Biletnikoff—Super Bowl MVP, Pro and College Football Hall of Famer, and recipient of many other awards and a career marked by numerous accomplishments. This Far Middle installment is a sequel to episode 24 and continues Nick’s observations following a recent trip to Los Angeles. This episode's “connections" in...

Say hey! It’s episode 24 of the Far Middle and Nick leads off by tipping his cap to the epic Willie Mays. In this edition, Nick reflects on a recent trip to Los Angeles and several subsequent observations. “On one hand you’ve got the potential that remains exponential when it comes to California…and you also see the risks, the problems and the wall of worry that is accumulating steadily,” explains...

In episode 23, Nick pays homage to the athlete he considers the greatest of all time, “if you want to see heart in action, watch those playoffs with Michael Jordan.” Nick then outlines six simple, commonsense recommendations that if adopted would significantly improve America and chart a course for a more prosperous future. Recommendations include eliminating all “regulations, laws, treaties, and...

Nick marks episode 22 of The Far Middle with a salute to the iconic #22—Emmitt Smith—the NFL’s all-time rushing leader. This episode centers around true, legitimate threats to humanity, versus created threats and convenient distractions. Nick discusses five topics, including the true facts and data on climate change, which Nick questions the medical profession’s leadership misplaced concern over....

In episode 21, Nick pays tribute to the great Roberto Clemente , followed by a discussion of Bob Dylan’s views on the media. He then examines three connected stories, beginning with a profile of Peter Boghossian, a now former Portland State University Philosophy Professor. Nick next highlights China’s leverage on elite institutions, using the World Bank as an example. He concludes with an analysis...

In episode 20 of The Far Middle, Nick again connects a series of subjects (“dots”) that on the surface appear to be separate. Nick addresses the current vibe in Washington D.C.; where at least the bureaucrats used to have to actually show up for work. He next discusses the accumulating dishonesty and incompetency from President Biden and his administration. “Whenever you have incompetence coupled...

In episode 19 of The Far Middle, Nick begins by discussing today’s college graduates, who leave school implanted with leftist ideology and a dysfunctional demeanor. These soft, entitled young people are allowing big corporations to hide behind social justice issues and the veneer of their wokeness. Meanwhile, CEOs jet set to Davos to lecture on the climate change crisis, yet the hypocrisy of Jeff...

Episode 18 of The Far Middle and the first day of fall 2021 arrive today. In this week’s episode, Nick connects the dots of Bernie Sanders, academia’s unethical business model and the need for a new freedom of viewpoint civil liberty. “Our Leftist higher education system has built a very, very profitable model,” explains Nick. “And it did so amazingly by doing a couple of things, which really make...

In episode 17 of The Far Middle, Nick discusses America’s exit from Afghanistan, American credibility, and lack of leadership from President Biden and his administration. “You took a situation, regarding exiting Afghanistan, from a ready-aim-fire, as you normally would execute a plan, into one of ready-fire-aim,” says Nick, and he lays out the costs of that jumbled execution. Nick goes on to “conn...

In The Far Middle episode 16, Nick begins by reflecting on the BBC’s television series “Connections,” hosted by James Burke. Nick goes on to discuss the culture, importance and dignity of work; the role of work in America’s national fabric; and, he contemplates whether the American work ethic is still alive and well. “It is incredibly difficult today to get people to show up for work…there is a si...

Episode 15 of The Far Middle marks the next phase of the podcast series as Nick moves on from episodes tied to his book, The Leech. However, this and future episodes will continue to expand upon ideas and concepts discussed in The Leech as Nick addresses a range of topics and current events. In this installment, Nick tackles his issues with preseason football, discusses the state of Major League B...

This installment of The Far Middle marks a close to episodes previewing and covering The Leech chapter releases. In this episode, Nick revisits and expands upon what motivated him to write The Leech and summarizes many of the book’s key takeaways.

In this week’s The Far Middle episode, Nick dedicates this installment to The Leech’s epilogue. Nick discusses what he says might be the greatest “coaching tree in the history of mankind”—that tree being Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Nick then delves into the concept of the “noble lie,” which isn’t a true lie but has truth within it, and how the noble lie relates to themes and issues discussed in...

Dr. Jeffrey Sachs is the focus of this week’s The Far Middle. While Nick notes his “begrudging admiration” for Sachs’ academic and professional achievements, he explains Dr. Sachs has become “almost the gold standard” when looking how to work the system to procure resources, dollars, interest and exposure.

Nick, a decades-long fan of U2, discusses the group’s front man, Bono, in this week’s episode of The Far Middle. “Although Bono is a great example of a successful server…doing everything right…there is one arena where he’s doing something quite wrong…what Bono is saying and preaching is very different at times from he’s actually doing, there’s an element of inconsistency, and hypocrisy perhaps, at...

Pope Francis is the focus of the 10th episode of The Far Middle. Nick asserts that the Catholic Church has fundamentally evolved under Pope Francis’ leadership. Nick explains that his excitement and pride of being a Catholic when Pope Francis was elected in 2013 has since done a complete 180. “Today, I’ve got a much darker view of Pope Francis because we’ve had over seven years of a record…the act...

Nick tackles the issues facing most American cities today in this installment of The Far Middle. “Today, in most major urban areas across the U.S. we’ve got this dichotomy,” says Nick. “On one hand, you’ve got the glitzy image, vision that you see out there…you’ve got typically a multibillion-dollar, shiny airport facility…high rises, skyscrapers, and great skyline from afar…sports venues and ente...

Public pension plans are the focus of this week’s The Far Middle podcast. Nick explains why public pension plans are a big deal. The annual benefit payments from these plans represents roughly 1.5% of U.S. GDP. Unfortunately public pension plans are in escalating financial trouble as liabilities increase and funding decreases. Nick argues that managers and leaders of these funds have lost their fi...

In this episode of The Far Middle, Nick examines the critical role of the Federal Reserve and the epic power its amassed. “Most people hear the Fed and they think it’s a very complicated, obtuse entity in the background,” says Nick. “So why the focus on it? Why the importance of it from my perspective? Well the answer to that stems from the importance of money in our society, in our culture and in...

STEM education is the subject of this week’s The Far Middle episode. Right now, China has more universities ranked in the top ten for engineering than the U.S., and worse yet, China is graduating roughly eight times as many STEM graduates as the U.S. Whatever metrics you use, it’s evident the Chinese are doubling or tripling down on their STEM aptitude while the U.S. is doing the exact opposite. L...

“Academia is both a big issue as well as a personal one for me,” Nick explains in episode five of The Far Middle. Nick explores a number of issues facing academia today; the cost of college tuition, the culture of academia, how the college campus is no longer a marketplace of ideas, the impact of administrative bureaucracy on students/families/taxpayers, Title IX, and much more.

In this fourth episode of The Far Middle, Nick examines professions that have a proud history and play a vital role in society, but today have become targeted by the Leech. Such Leech-targeted callings beyond the government bureaucrat include the legal profession, teachers’ unions, and the media.

In The Far Middle episode three, Nick discusses how the reach of government’s tentacles (a.k.a. the Deep State) are everywhere today. Nick looks at the Deep State’s origins and evolution, the growth of government bureaucracy, and more.

In this episode of “The Far Middle” podcast, Nick introduces the four different jobs and professions in society. On one side are Creators, Enablers and Servers, and on the other side is the Leech. While the first three improve society and our quality of life, the Leech on the other hand grows by controlling and feeding off the Creators, Enablers, and Servers.