Centered From Reality

The Enhanced Games: the Olympics on Steroids & the Nightmarish Mix of Anarcho-Capitalism and Unethical Science

In this episode, Alex starts with a dark rant about the origins of Valentine’s Day. Then he hesitantly celebrates the results of a special election held in New York following the expulsion of George Santos. In the special election, Tom Suozzi (the Democrat) beat Mazi Pilip (the Republican) in a crucial seat that could help Democrats take back the house in the 2024 election. For the rest of the episode, Alex talks about the Enhanced Games. The games have been funded by venture capitalists like Peter Thiel and are arguing that the Olympics is flawed and that performance enhancing drugs should be embraced, not banned. The games also are solely funded through private organizations with questionable motives. Alex finds that the games showcase a nightmarish intersection between ethical issues, anarcho-capitalism, flawed science, reactionary politics, and skepticism of international non-profits. 

Nikki Haley Loses to 'None of the Above' in Nevada & GOP's No Good, Very Bad Week!

In this episode, Alex covers Tucker Carlson’s journey to interview Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Nikki Haley’s loss to “None of the Above” in Nevada’s Primary, and the GOP’s bad week in the House and Senate!

El Salvador's Dilemma: the Allure of Security Over Liberty

In this episode, Alex focuses on the allure that many countries are facing — tradeoffs between security and liberty. The issue has been even more pronounced in a lot of Latin America where failed goverments and rising gang violence have driven the populace to demand security and economic stability. Alex looks at President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and how he has locked up thousands of potential gang members without due process. The country is safer and the economy is doing better, but Alex worries that these tradeoffs may be appealing in the short term but could help entrench a wannabe-autocrat like Bukele in the longer term. 

Nevada's Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Primary, Tucker Twists Reality & the EU Silences Viktor Orban

In this episode, Alex starts by going through some clips from a recent Tucker Carlson event where he twists himself into a myriad of logical pretzels that he would have been ashamed of several years ago. Next, Alex briefly talks about how the European Union has agreed on giving Ukraine 50 billion euros in aid over the next four years. The EU was even able to get Viktor Orban to fold on his opposition. Finally, Alex dives into the primary/caucus chaos that is unfolding in Nevada less than a week out from its primary and caucus. Basically, there is a Republican primary on February 6th and a Republican caucus on February 8th; the problem is that Nikki Haley is only on the primary ballot and Donald Trump is only in the caucus a few days later. Alex argues this may cause more confusion ahead of the 2024 election and also shows the internal division in the current GOP. 

Fascism Needs a Corporatist Collab & Tensions Spiral Between the US, Iran & its Proxies

In this episode, Alex starts by wishing he never heard a new anti-woke rap song that features Ben Shapiro. Then he gets into the recent deaths of three American soldiers in an isolated part of Jordan that the US military has been using for years. Alex argues that this can be seen as an important moment — the United States should look at its policies towards Iran and its proxies and realize that both deterrence and diplomacy are not working. Finally, Alex argues that Fascism always needs support from the capitalists and monopolists, and visa versa. Last week at Davos, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, started to warm up to a Trump 2.0 Administration. He argued similar talking points that were used by elites to justify Mussolini in the 1930s — the economy was good, immigration was quelled, the world was stable, and the trains ran on time. Alex wishes we could learn more from history. 

A Lost Artistic Masterpiece Resurfaces After 100 Years: the Washington Principles to Return Nazi-Looted Art

In this episode, Alex takes a break from politics to get into one of his passions — ART! It was reported over the last few days that a painting by Gustav Klimt, that had been lost since 1925 and assumed destroyed, had been found in Vienna. The painting is called “Portrait of Fräulein Lieser” and belonged to a wealthy Jewish family in Vienna. Alex talks about how the painting will be auctioned off based on agreements made from the Washington Principles. This agreement was designed to return Nazi-looted art to the descendants of those it was taken from. Alex rants about why looting and destruction of great works of art breaks his heart and discusses why movements like fascism and communism are devoid of emotion and warmth. 

Biden's Defending Democracy Dilemma, A Plane Disaster in Russia & Alex Questions His Political Views

In this episode, Alex takes the first part of the episode to explain his political positions and the moral conundrums he faces when trying to tell others his political identity. Later, Alex gives an update on the breakdown in law and order in Ecuador, and then dives right into the Ukraine-Russia War. He laments the fact that congress is still holding up more aid to Ukraine but questions the Biden Administration’s focus on “defending democracy” abroad. Alex argues that after the War in Iraq, many Americans are skeptical of defending American values abroad and it seems like Biden is walking into a political quagmire. Finally, the Russians claim that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian plane that was carrying over 60 Ukrainian prisonners of war (POWs) that were meant to be swapped with Russian POWs. The Russians claim that they warned the Ukrainian military but Ukraine argues that there wasn’t a warning and this looks like a misinformation campaign to gain sympathy for Russia. 

ZYNsurrection, a Liquor Store in Saudi Arabia & Post-New Hampshire Realities

In this episode, Alex starts by deeply questioning the dynamics of highway traffic. Then he reacts to a troubling and racist clip of Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk. Kirk says that he would be a bit concerned if his airplane pilot was black. Next, Alex looks into a new culture war brewing out of Washington DC. In this iteration, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to investigate the nicotine pouch company ZYN. There are concerns that its health effects are unknown and that it is appealing to high school age kids. Of course, the right is now posing with ZYN pouches and his overreacting. Alex argues that it is the role of government to regulate products like ZYN, but he also doesn’t think it should be banned for adults. Later, Alex discusses how the Saudi Arabian government is now allowing non-muslim diplomats (visiting Riyadh) to buy alcohol in a single liquor store in the capitol. It seems like this is less about liberalizing the country and more about trying to bring in more tourists. Finally, Alex looks at the Democratic numbers out of New Hampshire where Joe Biden won over 66% against Dean Phillip’s 19.7%. 

Gray Swan Events: A Climate Policy Nightmare, Trump Wins in New Hampshire & Ben Shapiro Shows His True Colors!

In this episode, Alex starts by talking about an interesting debate between Ben Shapiro and Destiny on the Lex Fridman podcast. He reacts to Shapiro arguing that public education is hard to address without first addressing issues with the modern American family. Next, Alex reacts to Donald Trump beating Nikki Haley in New Hampshire and discusses why he thinks Haley's road to 2024 is close to ending. Finally, Alex focuses on the idea of "gray swan events" involving climate change. Zoe Schlanger discussed this idea in the Atlantic and it inspired Alex to cover how public policy may be impacted by the rise of more extreme weather events. Gray swan events will be a public policy nightmare because they are technically possible but have not yet occurred in history. This makes predictions and modeling impossible and puts governments in a reactive mode towards rising climate crises. 

The DeSantis Autopsy, a Malaria Vaccine Emerges in Africa & New Hampshire Looks Dire!

In this episode, Alex starts by reflecting on the recent Packers loss to the Niners and how it brought him towards an existential moment on time, the ephemeral moments of life, and why experiences cannot always be transitory. Next, Alex talks about how Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the 2024 primary and has endorsed Donald Trump. Alex provides an autopsy into why DeSantis had one of the worst campaigns in recent memory and also wonders if the Florida governor will ever succeed in politics again. Later, Alex argues that Nikki Haley will not do as well as she hopes in New Hampshire and the window has almost closed on any opposition to Donald Trump’s GOP nomination. Finally, Alex highlights some good news — a Malaria vaccine is going to be administered in Cameroon and this should help halt the spread of a disease that kills almost 500,000 children (under the age of five) in the continent every year.