A Cup of Tea

American healthcare and human rights is at a crossroads. Roe V. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1973 regarding a woman's right to abortion and privacy, is at risk of being overturned. Co-hosts Antasia and Jared review what the likely consequences and impacts would be if Roe V. Wade was indeed overturned. They also shed light on the reality of abortion through verifiable statist...

Will humankind ever encounter intelligent life somewhere else in the universe? Is there a reason why we've not been contacted by extraterrestrials in recorded history despite listening for signals? The Fermi Paradox poses these questions and some researchers have proposed answers to them. In this episode, co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared dive into the hypothetical solutions to this paradox. They also...

How has the wavelike nature of COVID-19 defined the pandemic and the virus driving it? Host Jared explores this phenomenon in depth by looking over statistics of the virus in various countries from 2020 to today. Since the last wave, he highlights a shift in how the virus has been perceived psychologically by society. Finally, he wraps up the episode by explaining tools which could hypothetically...

Why are prices becoming inflated? How does the interaction between basic economic concepts like supply and demand influence the prices of goods and services? In this episode, Jared uncovers the root cause of the record inflation impacting the United States and much of the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has played a part, but there are various other human behaviors and world events which have led to...

What will sources of energy look like in the future? How will the energy landscape be forever changed by the emergence of new technologies including the prospect of nuclear fusion reactors? Listen as co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared breakdown an article that covered a recent nuclear fusion experiment in Europe. The results of this experiment is essentially another key milestone on the path to a brand...

Every day logical fallacies of different kinds are used in various communications. From the interpersonal conversations we have to the media we choose to consume, logical fallacies can be leveraged in potentially harmful ways if the purpose is to win an argument by misleading. Jared recites 18 distinct logical fallacies analyzing both illogical statements of relevance and insufficient evidence. Ho...

Everyone has opinions that are not shared with a majority of the population making them "unpopular". Co-hosts Antasia and Jared are no exception. Listen as they share their unpopular opinions within a variety of topics in a two-part episode which could potentially spawn a new miniseries of episodes. ACOT Twitter Handle: @ACOTPodcast ACOT Email: podcastacot@gmail.com

Everyone has opinions that are not shared with a majority of the population making them "unpopular". Co-hosts Antasia and Jared are no exception. Listen as they share their unpopular opinions within a variety of topics in a two-part episode which could potentially spawn a new miniseries of episodes. ACOT Twitter Handle: @ACOTPodcast ACOT Email: podcastacot@gmail.com

Arizona and the North American Southwest experienced one of the wettest monsoon seasons in years. What factored into this perfect storm of weather conditions? Additionally, what impact did the 2021 monsoon have on the environment? Listen as host Jared compares the "nonsoon" of 2020 to the monsoon of 2021 to answer these questions in the context of rapid climate change caused by humans. References...

As of August 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as more variants of the original strain arise. Do any of these new variants pose a risk for society or is the worst of these difficult times over? Jared tackles these questions while highlighting the current state of the pandemic. He also provides his insight into why we are in this position. However, there is hope with positive vaccine...

How does systemic bias in healthcare impact minority women throughout pregnancy and childbirth? Why do minority women, especially black women, experience disproportional death rates related to pregnancy when compared to their white counterparts? Co-hosts Antasia and Jared tackle this topic through facts and recommendations to improve healthcare for minority women in a variety of ways from prenatal...

Is time real? Or is it simply a man-made construct? Explore scientific insights from the "Deep Time" study with co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared as they undermine the intricate social fabric which has brought us all together since the dawn of humanity—time. References 15 People Lived 40 Days in a Sunless Cave Without Clocks to Study Time

The United States has a big problem with gun violence, but how can it be brought under control? Co-hosts Antasia and Jared investigate the psychology driving the United State's strong gun culture as well as the statistics of gun violence in the country. They also theorize ways that gun control could be implemented to potentially solve the problem and emphasize the importance of being an educated a...

What does it mean to be vaccinated against COVID-19? Jared continues his COVID-19 series on A Cup of Tea by sharing new updates on the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and worldwide as of May 2021. He does this while fact-checking popular COVID-19 vaccine myths. Jared provides his personal perspective as well by outlining the steps he took to become fully vaccinated and describing what motivated...

How does someone's culture and location affect their behaviors, dialect, and point of view? What happens when two or more people come together with differences in any of these adaptable attributes? Co-hosts Antasia and Jared dive into how their individual lives, marriage, and now family have all been shaped by the forces of geography and black and white culture respectively.

How are luck and probability related to one another? What defines luck? What distinguishes good luck from bad luck? Jared searches for the answers to these questions while unearthing some of the psychology and science behind luck along the way. References What Happy People Think About Luck Towards a Hybrid Account of Luck Does good luck make people overconfident? Evidence from a natural experiment...

What does it mean for a power grid to be resilient? What even is a smart grid? Listen as faithful co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared dive into these sustainable concepts framed around the 2021 Texas Blackout crisis. They theorize how a similar crisis could be prevented in the future with new technologies and strategies as well as the power of the individual to drive positive change economically, environ...

What is love and what is marriage? Antasia and Jared evaluate the relationship between love and marriage, how the two can coexist or be independent of one another, and how cultural diversity has altered views on love and marriage in the United States of America over generations. References: 8 facts about love and marriage in America

What does it mean to have trust in democracy? Co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared unfold the events which transpired in the United States of America from Election Day 2020 all the way to late January 2021. They depict how deliberate actions have undermined democracy in the country and review some of the psychological reasons supporting distrust in American democracy. References: FiveThirtyEight: How unpo...

What is immunity from COVID-19? Listen as Jared addresses the newly developed COVID-19 vaccines including how they work, how they will be distributed, and how they could potentially bring a close to the global pandemic society currently faces. Resources: Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States COVID-19 vaccines: Get the facts COVID-19 Vaccines: Myth Versus Fact

What is it like to be uprooted with a young family? Listen as co-hosts Antasia and Jared detail their process of moving with their 1-year-old daughter, the practical considerations they made with the move, and how they envision themselves planting their new roots for years to come. ACOT Twitter Handle: @ACOTPodcast ACOT Email: podcastacot@gmail.com

What is working from home? Listen as Jared examines work from home statistics, feasibility, and demographics in the year 2020 to discuss possible future implications for the workforce. Resources: Stanford research provides a snapshot of a new working-from-home economy How Many Jobs Can be Done at Home? Ability to work from home: evidence from two surveys and implications for the labor market in th...

What is a resource based economy? Listen as co-hosts Nathaniel and Jared explore the differences between modern-day capitalism and a hypothetical resource based economy in addition to the implications that each economic system has on our society and planet.

What is perfection? Listen as I describe what my personal definition of perfection is and how my own pursuit of perfection has changed over time.

What constitutes a social movement, a revolution, or a riot? Listen as Nathaniel and Jared discuss the purpose these artifacts serve in society and why they have occurred throughout history to the present day. References: Do you support or oppose the Black Lives Matter movement? Public sees a mix of factors underlying recent protests; views differ widely by party Questions, Answers, and Some Cauti...