Bald, Blind, and Buddies

John answers last week’s trivia and offers a new question for sports fans. Tim juxtaposes the White House entering the news business with its trying to pull funding for NPR and PBS. We discuss whether the DOJ should get involved with medical journals and responses to its concerns. We discuss the give and take that academic freedom requires, the problem of ideological capture and consider what can...

We welcome you to Season 2 of the podcast and share some ideas including possible guess. John answers last week’s trivia and offers another. We each share topics from the headlines including arrested judges, deported children, and charter schools. We touch on selecting a pope, a quarterback, and lawyers in California. Tim’s whack-job from Wisconsin is chasing a conspiracy when there’s work to be d...

We begin by recapping our weekends and John shares about visiting Washington D.C. We reflect on Pope Francis’s life. John offers papal trivia and last week’s trivia answer which Tim actually knew. We discuss the case of Mr. Abrego Garcia. John sees it as a political move to test limits. Both of us acknowledge the President’s scope in international affairs and also want due process and the rule of...

Ken W Good, an attorney who represents professional bondsmen, joins us to discuss the bail process and reforms. Ken shares examples from Texas and introduces us to ‘good and bad’ bail reforms around the country, noting that private surety bonds produce the highest appearance rates. Ken describes concerns with charge-based release mechanisms, and what practices during the pandemic taught us about e...

We are proud to have Ken W. Good, a bail bondsman (bondsperson?) and attorney, on next week’s podcast and begin with that news. We revisit the topic of “student athletes” to talk about their medical care. We return to trivia. John recounts the consequences, thus far, from the new tariffs, and we postulate why Trump may be doing this. John draws from a Post article to explain just what global trade...

We begin with thoughts on visiting our young nation’s capital. John recaps history leading to the present NCAA rules around transfers and profiting from one’s name, image, and likeness. Tim wonders what a modern university is ‘supposed to’ be and if the roles it tries to take on are in conflict. Both support letting athletes share in the rewards of their labor. John and Tim offer improvements to t...

We begin with thoughts on the nation’s capital and reflect on the DMV. We share trivia including a listener-submitted question. We opine on how Columbia University quickly capitulated to the Trump administration and what this says about the modern university. John shares thoughts from Matt Taibbi on how universities fail to deliver results and are isolated from the consequences of their actions. T...

John and Tim, friends for 30 years, bring their divergent takes to the news, society, culture, and important questions of the day. What can a blind psychiatrist and a bald grad from the London School of Economics have in common—not much, except for an ability to laugh at themselves, to listen, to learn, and to dialogue. We guarantee you’ll learn, think, or laugh by the end of every podcast. This i...

We welcome people from the Czech Republic to our proud pool of podcast patrons. We do trivia and a listener offers a question inspired by our last podcast. John outlines the process by which cases come to the Supreme Court. We examine the Colorado law banning “conversion therapy” in the case of Chiles v. Colorado. Tim discusses the law considering concept creep, its vagueness, and where guidelines...

First world problems We open with movies you keep thinking about. John answers last week’s trivia about the smallest country and offers an architectural question. We delve into admittedly first-world complaints this week. Tim’s are linked to recent travel experiences with his dog guide. John’s concerns include items like healthcare and “world-champion” Americans. John has a double dose of whack-jo...

Ask not what your country’s employees do for you. We welcome listeners from Finland and Israel. We share movies that surprised us and old films that stand the test of time. John answers last week’s trivia and gives a geography question this week. Tim tries to compare corporate downsizing with DOGE’s efforts while John asserts that government is fundamentally different. To John, DOGE’s efforts look...

We begin with a listener email and discuss bad movies we enjoy and movies with large cultural footprints. A listener answers John’s last trivia question and John offers another. We dive into “victimless crimes,” revisiting gambling from last week. We wonder if winning and exploitation are synonymous. Tim builds a case for concern over cannabis and the mixed incentives for governments who profit fr...

· We begin with a shout out to our new listeners from Puerto Rico and Vietnam. · We share the best Super Bowl commercials. · Then, we acknowledge the phenomenal expansion in sports betting. · John considers gambling to be a victimless crime while Tim conceives of mobile gambling as fundamentally different from putting a few bucks on the Big Game. We consider what changes could help. · Our sponsor...

We discuss when one of us was canceled and give a sneak preview of the talk. With the Oscars approaching, we share thoughts on our favorite films from various genres. We recognize some less well-known films and how movies can intersect with memories. We try out a new segment: “This, that, or the other,” focusing this week on authenticity in casting of movies. John’s whack-job knows better than to...

We begin with a thought experiment to demonstrate the power of an algorithm like TikTok’s to shape one’s understanding. We lay out the role for executive orders and their relationship to the rest of government. What do they say about the scope of government and the power assumed by presidents. John describes Biden-era orders which may have led to the Democrats’ loss in 2024. Tim shares President T...

We begin by acknowledging recent pardons and the President’s constitutional authority to do so. Our special guest, Ben Siders, explains Congress’s role to legislate in areas of national security and the typical deference that the courts pay to that role. Then, he explains what the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act actually says. We share our thoughts on the me...

We continue the discussion on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) from last week. We put microaggressions under the microscope. John questions whether microaggressions are an actual or necessary component of DEI. Tim shares his experience taking diversity, equity, and inclusion training at a flagship, state university which is north of Illinois. Our sponsor features a contemporary alternative to...

John and Tim give their book recommendations to each other, and we share books recommended by our listeners. John offers his trivia answers and we both share new questions. To provide context, we review the trend of rollbacks of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at universities and companies. Then, we dissect the goals of DEI and some of the tactics which are commonly employed. We addre...

We begin by touching on Notre Dame football’s convincing win. Then, we segue into net neutrality and congestion taxes. We review predictions and worries about the Trump presidency including its impact on international affairs, immigration, the weaponization of government agencies, and the Department of Governmental Efficiency. Along the way, we visit questions like whether government can do things...

We fondly remember President Jimmy Carter, and we share events from our own holidays. We address the critical question of whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie and we find more common ground than expected. We debate our favorite holiday movies and songs. Tim calls out a college football coach who cannot seem to win or play fair. John praises heroes who open their hearts to rescue dogs. We end by t...

We touch on school violence and discuss where the focus should be in seeking solutions. We listen to feedback from a friend-of-the-show on his ideas for healthcare and the role of profit. We compare the U.S. to other countries and use those differences to suggest changes including what Tim would do in his fictional healthcare company. We highlight some of our favorite charities. For his whack-job,...

We review how the Affordable Care Act changed the healthcare landscape in the United States. We wonder if health insurance is fundamentally different from other types of insurance. John asserts that healthcare should not be “for profit,” and Tim contends that external interference with the doctor-patient relationship is part of the problem. Thus, we approach the classic question, what can the gove...

We start with Notre Dame football and then discuss the assassination of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Health Care. We welcome, Graham, from Gen Z into the Western branch of BBAB studios for a discussion of the challenges facing America. We hit on social media, lock down drills, and what democrats need to do in future elections. John’s Dispatch from America highlights the power and surprises th...

We begin with podcast highlights, an update on Australia’s social media ban for youth, and our thoughts on gratitude. We tackle our favorite holidays and Thanksgiving dishes. We answer the question, “How good is Kamala Harris’s stuffing recipe anyway?” John offers a new trivia question. We revisit coaching blunders with John’s whack-job of the week. Tim shares the story of a pilot who aims to help...

After reflecting on Daniel Jone’s departure from the New York Football Giants and Tim proposing a theory on quarterback development, we launch into Trump’s picks. Are they all serious or are they political Three Card Monty? Can you even be qualified to wrangle the federal bureaucracy? We share our thoughts on Dr. Oz, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Junior. John offers his trivia question. In this week’s Di...