The Big Life Questions Show

Show Notes we wrap up our first 100 episodes by looking forward to life without Covid, and with some stats from our first 100 episodes. we send love to our loyal audience. 1.10 Doug's answer to the question 2.40 The Thing that Chris is Most Looking Forward To 5.40 Being relaxed in public 8.40 Doug Pats himself on the back 11.45 What Doug has been Right About, Part Two 14.30 What We've Learned from Covid, Per Chris 18.15 The First 100 Episodes - Stats 28.30 A Crazy Time in US History

Show Notes We take a detour from politics to answer all questions (well, some questions) about March Madness 1.00 The Attraction of March Madness 3.20 Why Are There 68 Teams Picked for the Tournament? 12.00 Chris links Seeding to Final Four Appearances 14.15 Gonzaga 17.25 Your Team Loses, But Then It's Spring 18.40 Big Life Questions Show Announcement

Chris, whose father was an astronaut (or so he told his friends), provides expert analysis of the meaning of the Mars landing Video Link to Mars Landing Mars Landing 0.30 A Brief History of Space Travel 2.50 The Mars Landing 6.30 Is there life on other planets? 10.20 Nation-States Competing in space 14.40 Human nature is to pursue discovery 19.00 Do we need to send humans into space? 22.00 The Planet B Fallacy

Here we survey the landscape of American politics for this year. 0.40 Predictions for the Biden Administration 2.15 The Republican Party is in a pickle 9.00 College student debt 11.30 Biden and the Trump drama 11.50 Texas and Ted Cruz 17.55 Andrew Cuomo 22.30 Mitch McConnell       

This episode's guest, Frank Cutitta, tells Chris and Doug his incredible story of spending more than three months in the hospital with COVID last year -- including 40 days in an induced coma -- and what he learned about our healthcare system. 1.15 Our Guest Intro 2.00 40 Days in a Coma 15.10 Caregiver Stress & Loneliness 20.15 The Anonymity of the Mask 21.45 Rehab 27.30 How Frank is doing now 29.15 Last Rites Twice 35.00 I'm Not My Healthcare Dashboard

Show Notes We discuss if and how Biden can get to the Unity that he and some Republicans keep talking about. 0.45 Chris answers the question 3.15 American popular opinion favors government intervention 4.55 Oppositional defiance disorder 6.45 The anti-democracy movement 11.45 What Biden has going for himself 13.45 Marjorie Taylor Greene 15.45 Republican money sources drying up

Show Notes 1.40 How much extremism there really is 4.30 Planned terrorists, Internet Stars and Insurrection Tourists 6.45 The Republican Party 9.40 Does the Republican Party need Trump? 10.20 When Chris Voted for a Republican 16.30 Will the Republicans ever abandon Trump? 18.20 The Right Wing Extremists Speak for Themselves

Show Notes Here we contemplate Trump's 2nd impeachment trial. He was going for 3, but he got kicked out of office.  1.10 Doug's dim view of the Republicans 3.45 What's different about this impeachment trial? 5.30 Will Trump stay relevant politically? 9.30 Trump's Greatest Accomplishment 10.45 The delay of the trial 12.15 Will the Republican Party split in two? 14.15 The Republicans and The Whigs

Show Notes We contemplate the state of the world, such as it is, potential violence around the Inauguration, the 2nd amendment and right wing extremists.  0.40 Wash DC becomes a police state 1.50 Arming the Extreme Right 3.40 Is Unity the Next Step, Really ? 6.30 Chris reads crazy-people posts from Parler 14.00 Accommodating the white supremacists seems like a very bad idea 18.10 The 2nd amendment & false equivalency   

Show Notes We discuss potential consequences for Trump and his enablers 0.30 A quick review of Trump's insurrection program 4.00 A second impeachment? 4.50 The Trump Family & Friends Pre-Rally Party 9.00 Whatever happened to individual responsibility? 13.20 Should Trump be prosecuted? 15.10 What about Trump's enablers? 18.10 What options does the Trump crowd have left? 27.10 Should we worry about riling up the Trump base?

Show Notes We use some key stats to do a brief re-cap of the mess that was 2020- but, overall, we definitely recommend turning the page to 2021. 0.30 Doug's Netflix recommendation 1.00 The Covid Pandemic, Again 8.50 Food Lines & Economic Disaster 12.00 Absentee and Mail In Ballots 15.40 Many Americans lack high speed internet 16.10 Biden's Low Hanging Fruit 18.00 Will Trump run in 2024? 19.30 The Demise of Local Newspapers  

Show Notes 0.30 Covid and the Vaccines 2.45 The Global Economy and Jobs 4.50 Truth and Reconciliation 7.20 Getting Our Democracy Back 9.00 The Georgia Elections 12.00 The International World Order 13.40 More Bi-Partisanship

Here, with substantial help from Amiel Handelsman, an experienced coach who works with individuals and organizations, we explore how to process expert advice. Links Contacting Amiel 3.15 Distinguishing expert advice from other forms 5.30 Financial advice and uncertainty 7.10 How do you determine if someone is an expert? 9.10 Expert advice from the pandemic experts 11.15 Executives giving and receiving advice 16.20 The roles and elements of trust 20.25 Hearing advice you don't want to hear 26.50 Getting tips from Amiel 28.20 How to process advice from someone who doesn't know you

Show Notes We finally break out of Trump Doom to brainstorm on what could really help fix the world over the next 10 years - all things being possible. 1.00 A Cure for Cancer 1.45 Health Report from Chris 3.10 The Browns Win the Super Bowl 3.30 Re-invigorating Democracy 9.00 Wealth Inequality  10.30 Solar Power and Climate Change 14.20 More Women Leaders 17.45 Population Health  

Show Notes Here we explore why, despite unrelenting pressure and threats from Trump, state election officials in the swing states - both Republicans and Democrats - have protected the integrity of the election 0.45 The election that wasn't really that close 4.00 State election officials take their jobs seriously 9.40 Chris says, "There are good people on both sides." where have we heard that before? 10.30 The Right Wing Echo Chamber 14.20 The Courts Hold the Line 16.50 Trump's Branding Problem

Chris and Doug meditate on the cycle of life, the conditions under which we'd like to extend it, and our future non-existence - or whatever happens after this wild ride we're on.  0.45 Study of Oxygen Therapy for Longevity 1.30 Chris's view of living forever 4.45 Doug's meditation on non-existence 10.15 Wealthy people trying to cheat death 14.45 Steve Jobs 16.45 People who are less afraid of death 21.00 Doug's Arrogance and the cycle of life   Links: Aging Journal - Oxygen Therapy Extends Longevity The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die

Doug and Chris (mostly) take a break from talking about politics to note the many things we have to be thankful for - despite the challenges of 2020. 1.50 Family. 6.10 Healthcare workers during Covid 7.00 Vaccines 10.15 Election Poll Workers 11.00 Dead People Voting 12.00 Joe Biden 16.00 Our Audience

Show Notes Here we discuss the significance of our second major Covid wave on our health, families, and emotional well-being 1.00 The emotional toll of the pandemic 6.15 Individual rights and social obligations 8.45 Are we headed for healthcare rationing? 13.20 The Virus Burnout Syndrome 16.00 How can we learn from our virus experience so far? 18.00 Wall Street Journal Mask Wearing Update Links PBS Interview of Biden Covid Task Force Co Chair

Show Notes Here's our expert analysis on the election results, recorded on Saturday morning shortly before the presidential race was called for Biden 0.45 Overall Reactions to Election Results 3.20 Why didn't Mitch McConnell want a stimulus bill? 4.20 Georgia - The Democrat's Silver Lining 6.45 Re-visiting our Pre-Election Predictions 9.15 Our strategies for watching the election results 10.50 The election turnout 13.20 How did the pollsters do? 16.10 The Planned Pennsylvania Crisis 19.00 Where Biden Won the Election 25.00 The Democrat's Messaging Problem 27.00 The Brilliance of Biden's Campaign Strategy

Show Notes We muse on the possible election results, to the extent that we can emotionally cope with that. And we make some analytical predictions about how things will go (in other words, we guess).  0.30 Possible election scenarios 6.00 Doug's swing state predictions 9.00 Texas 12.45 Post election day turmoil? 17.30 The future of Trump TV 19.30 The Contested Election Scenarios 29.00 Chris Calls the Election !!   FiveThirtyEight: Explore The Ways Trump Or Biden Could Win The Election

In this special Halloween edition, Doug and Chris are joined by John Gallant, a horror short-story writer, to discuss why many people enjoyed being frightened. 1.30 Introducing John 2.30 The Emotions of Horror and Fear 7.20 Sleeping With the Enemy 9.50 Coming up with Horror Story Ideas 13.15 Horror Story Plots 18.30 Chris recalls The Twilight Zone 20.30 The Magic of Stephen King 23.00 The Thing   Links On Writing by Stephen King

Show Notes We discuss the role of social media companies, how they impact our culture, how they play in our elections, and how much they should be regulated - or not. Plus conspiracy theories like Q-Anon 0.30 The moral obligation 2.30 Twitter and the Hunter Biden story 6.10 Facebook and its challenges 9.00 The cultural impact of social media 11.00 Q-Anon and conspiracy theories 14.30 The legal insulation of social media from fake news stories 19.00 Antitrust regulation and social media

Show Notes Here we explore how female political leaders are viewed and judged by the press and the American people, going back to 1984.  0.45 Female and Black presidents 1.30 Women and Men who come on strong 2.50 Gretchen Whitmer and the kidnapping plot 6.15 How women are unfairly judged 10.00 Mike Pence 15.00 Back to 1984 19.30 How is it going with men running the world? 21.30 The Lincoln Project

In this special episode, Doug and Chris explore the ramifications of President Trump reportedly testing positive for COVID-19.

Show Notes We cover the landscape of threats to our American democracy starting, of course, with Trump refusing to endorse a peaceful transition of power if he loses. 0.45 Peaceful transitions of Power 4.10 The Destruction of Truth 5.00 The Supreme Court Nominee 8.30 How the Media empowers Trump 12.30 Ohio 14.25 The Tuesday Debate 17.25 Florida 24.00 Income inequality in the US 26.10 A time for Hardball  

Show Notes We cover Bob Woodward's new book, Trump's decision to talk to him, and what real leadership looks like in a crisis. 0.45 Winston Churchill 2.30 The Woodward Book 4.00 Trump's "Concept of Leadership" 7.15 Lying when you know you're lying 12.00 Leading during a crisis 16.00 Why did Trump agree to talk to Woodward? 18.15 The Brutal Truth

Show Notes Here we continue our psychiatric analysis of the president who lacks a soul. More importantly, we assess how much ground - if any- Trump might lose by attacking dead soldiers 0.50 The Atlantic article boy Jeffrey Goldberg 5.40 Anonymous sources 8.00 Freebie movie recommendation 10.00 World War I 11.00 Trump's reaction to damaging stories  12.30 The "he just seems like an asshole" defense 14.20 The Vietnam Draft 18.15 Will Trump lose any votes over this?

Show Notes Trump seems to believe that social unrest and urban violence is helping his chances of getting re-elected. He seems to be running as an outsider, despite the fact that he is an incumbent President - and crime was at a 50-year low when he took office. Can he pull it off? 0.40 1968 and 2020 3.55 How can Biden get on offense? 7.20 Systemic racism in America 9.35 Armed white guys "helping out" on the streets 15.55 The Democrat's hand-wringing 20.45 Has Trump made racism more socially acceptable?    

Show Notes  Here we talk about the Republican National Convention and what we can expect - if we can actually call what Trump is about to do a convention. And we re-cap the DNC from last week. 1.00 What we can predict the Republicans will say 2.30 The Speaker Agenda for the RNC 3.45 The "New" Republican Party Platform 7.25 The "Cultural Icons" speaking at the RNC 10.15 Over to the Democratic National Convention 12.00 Biden's Life Story as a window into the American Story

Will our corrupt and immoral but incompetent president actually pull off stealing the 2020 presidential election and permanently destroying U.S. democracy? The answer may not shock you, but it should outrage anyone who believes in justice, fair elections and true democracy. 0.30 Coin flip 2.50 Helpfully announcing the crime in advance 4.50 The Blue Shift is real (as Trump well knows) 5.50 Can the press do anything useful? 10.45 Could Trump's voter suppression strategy backfire? 14.00 Florida  

Show Notes Here we tackle the stagnation of the American political parties and what might enable third parties to get more traction. 0.40 The stagnation of the two-party system 5.30 the role of the Republicans  6.30 The history of the two-party system in the US 9.45 Mechanisms that help entrench the two parties 10.45 Voting systems - Winner-Take-All versus Proportional Representation 17.00 The Media & Political Polarization 19.00 Potential catalysts for the emergence of third parties in the US 25.45 The Wisdom of the People, Or Not

Show Notes Given Joe Biden's age and position in the polls, this might be the most important vice presidential selection in recent memory. Here, Chris and Doug talk about who Biden should choose and why - and who our cohosts think he will pick.    0.40 Doug's decision criteria 2.00 The Washington Post VP quiz 13.30 The four women who pass the first-level screen 19.30 Who Doug and Chris each prefer as VP 22.50 Strong women gender bias 25.45 Will Trump dump Pence?   Link Who do you think Joe Biden should choose for VP?  

Show Notes Donald Trump is sending law and order forces into American cities to "combat violence", evidently as a political strategy to improve his chances of re-election. Where is this leading, what are the consequences for America, and will his political strategy work?   0.30 Chris' assessment of the situation 5.10 Trump's political strategy of emphasizing urban violence 9.55 Trump as a law and order President 12.10 "Solving" imaginary problems 15.00 Sidebar on AOC 16.15 Election Polls

Show Notes With more than 14 million people in the United States currently unemployed, Chris and Doug  discuss what the government could actually do to create more good jobs.   0.40 How to think about the Government's Role in the Economy 1.30 Income inequality 6.25 Mission based investments 12.30 The link between health insurance and employment 15.30 Government deficits and The Deficit Myth 18.00 The Problem with Trickle-Down Economics   Links The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton

Show Notes Here we contemplate whether or not the United States has a path through its COVID 19 response mess. and, if so, how. 0.40 Why are we in such a bad place? 10.50 The testing quagmire 13.45 Japan Inc 16.20 If Biden wins, what happens in our fight against COVID? 24.20 A Mary Trump diversion 28.50 The school opening debacle

Chris and Doug discuss an earth-shattering topic -- at least for American sports fans. Our cohosts debate the pros and cons of Major League Baseball and the National Football League playing their seasons. Also, Chris throws in a few Netflix recommendations. 0.40 Some Big Ifs 3.15 A flawed notion of a baseball season 10.45 Deep dive on the NFL 15.30 Should the NFL delay the start of the season? 18.05 A radical idea from Chris 

With America in crisis on multiple fronts, Doug and Chris discuss what makes each of us proud to be an American, and where the American experiment still has lots of work to do. 1.00 The idea of America 2.45 Do we have a lot to be proud about? 4.15 Is America exceptional? 5.00 Some good stuff about America 9.15 America-centricity 14.30 Is politics entertainment? 16.45 Chris says Put Your Mask On!

Chris and Doug explore how Trump plan to win reelection by bringing us all together and emphasizing social justice. Oh, wait...  0.30 Yes, this is a rhetorical question 2.50 Will running his campaign based on fear and resentment work? 4.00 The public opinion polls 7.45 What about Trump's law and order message? 12.00 Are the liberals going to take away everyone's guns? 13.55 The changing U.S. racial demographics  16.15 Trump and the Supreme Court

Show Notes 2020 is shaping up to be the most tumultuous year in many of our lives -- and we haven't even gotten to the November election yet. Between COVID-19, controversy surrounding Black Lives Matter protests, and global economic turmoil, can we expect anything positive from this year? What could possibly give us hope? 0.50 The protests and hope 2.50 What's driving the civil unrest? 5.00 Political leadership (in the U.S.) and the will of the people 10.30 The instability of the current situation 14.30 The Baby Boomers and generational transformation 17.10 "Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Show Notes Biden is starting to talk like he's open to being more progressive, given the conditions facing the country. How far left should he go? If he wins, should the Democrats push for a New New Deal and, if so, what should these programs include? 0.45 It's past time for a New New Deal 3.50 How much will Biden push for it? 7.50 The Core of a New New Deal 12.05 The 5-Prong New, New Deal 21.00 The elephant in the room

America is in turmoil. One week ago an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was murdered by a Minneapolis cop for the possible misdemeanor of passing a counterfeit $20 bill to a Chinese restaurant. Protests are happening throughout the country. And, as usual, Trump is throwing gasoline on the fire. What can America learn from this, and will we ever learn it? 2.00 America's little progress on institutional racism 4.00 What can white people do about this? 6.10 Getting shot and killed while out running in broad daylight 12.00 The systematic pattern of injustice 16.45 The crisis of presidential leadership    

Habits are very powerful, nearly all psychologists and behavior change experts would agree. In this episode, Doug and Chris discuss their best habits (pretty easy to report) and worst habits (with no filters). Note - even best habits taken to an extreme can become dysfunctional.  4.30 Chris's Best Habits, The Shorter List 6.30 Giving People Your Full Attention 9.15 Doug's Comprehensive List of Bad Habits 10.45 Weighing Yourself Obsessively 11.15 Bracketology 16.50 A Quick View of Chris' Worst Habits 22.15 Exercise, per Doug 23.30 Daily Coffee Ritual Links Our Immigration Episode

Inspired by listener feedback, Doug and Chris dive into the issue of government deficits, tell bad economics jokes (well, Doug does), and talk about whether the United States can afford to fight climate change as it rings up huge government deficits and unemployment stats. 2.50 Doug's joke from an economist 5.55 Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) 7.20 Balanced budgets and austerity programs 10.55 Federal jobs guarantees 12.45 Republicans, deficits, and hypocrisy 16.05 Climate change reversal and deficits 20.10 Creating a new economy

Chris and Doug discuss the biggest issue of the moment, if not the era: Is reopening the states to reinvorate the economy an essential move or fatal madness? And if reopening results in more deaths and economic hardship, who will Trump blame? 1.15 Our first listener message and next week's episode 3.45 The reopening and the virus 8.00 Testing in the U.S. 10.00 Leadership and credibility 11.30 The problems with COVID-19 data 18.25 What do the American people think about reopening? 19.10 The 2020 election

Chris and Doug take a break from COVID-19 to discuss the 2020 election cycle, Biden's pick for vice president, and the future of America. 1.05 Biden's key advantage 5.15 Big advice from Chris, for Biden 8.20 Doug's key polling stat 11.15 The pandemic and the campaign 15.30 America as a leader of the free  18.10 Biden's VP pick -- the leading candidates 25.50 Predictions on who Biden will choose as a running mate

In this episode Doug and Chris explore lessons that individuals, societies, and governments can learn from the global pandemic. Our cohosts discuss past pandemics and disasters and what good government and good leadership need to be all about. Trump's dismal performance in response to COVID-19 also somehow makes its way into the conversation.  2.00 Will we learn any lasting lessons from this pandemic? 4.40 A Paradise Built in Hell 9.40 Cooperation and the blame game 10.30 Is returning to "normal" a good way to think? 11.45 Being prepared for the next disaster 12.45 The World Kitchen 16.15 The American response 18.15 Life lessons we can learn 20.45 Who are the essential workers? 22.30 Can America emerge as a better place? Links A Paradise Built in Hell The World Kitchen

(NEW FEATURE: Now you can leave an audio message for Chris and Doug by going to this page! Tell us what's on your mind, or suggest an idea for a future episode.) Doug and Chris examine what other countries are doing to manage the global pandemic. Turns out the most successful ones are 1) following science-based recommendations to control a pandemic, and 2) not turning daily coronavirus briefings into narcissistic, anger-fueled, and willfully misleading spectacles. 0.40 Big picture stats from Chris 2.50 The one thing that six countries who are doing especially well have in common 4.25 Doug's data dump 6.15 The country in the most trouble 10.00 Masks 11.45 Germany 13.40 Leadership and messaging in a crisis 17.00 South Korea 26.00 The hopeful side Current death rates by countries - as of 4.19.2020 - Deaths Per Million People Italy 391 UK 237 Sweden 152 US 122 Germany 55 South Korea 5 Singapore 2 

Social distancing has resulted in radical behavioral change, even for Doug and Chris. Our cohosts dive into how the COVID-19 shutdown has affected them and others, as well as how the dramatic slowdown of social activity is forcing people around the world to rethink how they've been living.  4.40 How Chris is doing 7.40 The psychology research on isolation 10.25 The radical behavior change of social distancing 15.00 What we're actually doing with our newfound free time 16.30 Chris's one big piece of profound advice 17.30 Does Netflix count as a personal improvement plan?  

In a freewheeling conversation, Chris and Doug cover the role of the free market, U.S. government agencies, and public/private partnerships in dealing with both COVID-19 and disasters in general. This show is about exploring how we can do better.  0.45 The case for regulated capitalism 6.30 The coalition for epidemic preparedness  9:45 The lack of U.S. federal government leadership 14.10 Some positives in the private sector response 17.45 The $2 trillion stimulus bill 24.30 Drug development to solve for COVID-19 25.00 What should be the role of government in dealing with disasters?  29.45 The Onion weighs in  Links The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Doug and Chris talk with Ryan Hagen, founder and editor of the Crowdsourcing Sustainability newsletter, about the role governments, the private sector, and individuals can play in reversing global warming. Ryan is very knowledgeable on this crucial topic, and his organization has more than 40,000 members around the world. We hope you enjoy this episode - and subscribe to his newsletter (link below)!! 0.45 Ryan intro 4.00 Ryan's 4 big points for reversing global warming 9.20 The coronavirus pandemic and climate change 13.00 Annual deaths from air pollution 17.50 What can individuals do about climate change? 20.00 The 3.5% rule 22.30 The role of public/private partnerships in reversing global warming 27.50 Finding Ryan online Ryan Hagen links: Sign up for the Crowdsourcing Sustainability Newsletter (Best way for people to connect!) 16 Sustainability Leaders Weigh In: How YOU Can Help to Reverse Global Warming Crowdsourcing Sustainability LinkedIn articles   Paul Hawken, Well-known climate change activist:  “The single most important thing to do about reversing global warming is to recognize there is no one single thing, that addressing global warming is a way of seeing the world, a way of being in the world, a pathway to understanding that human systems created the problem and thus the cure is within the whole of the system. The most impactful act an individual can do will depend on that person's life, knowledge, community, influence, relationships, courage. It will be different for everyone. Together, we act and make a difference. It is not about what 'I' can do. It is about what we can do. Carbon is an atom (and molecule) that holds hands and collaborates. That is what global warming is telling us to do.”