Mad Mad World

Los and Bertram recap the trial of officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. They break down the verdict and where we are supposed to go from here.

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Thank you for listening!

Resources from this episode:

Ex-police officer Chauvin to be sentenced on June 16 in Floyd case | Reuters

‘He was guilty.’ Extra juror in favor of Chauvin conviction

Former wrestler who tried to intervene in Floyd's death testifies | CBSnews

Required Reading: For cops who kill, special Supreme Court protection | Reuters

Can Chauvin get his convictions tossed on appeal? | AP News

'I wish it didn't have to happen': Alternate juror reflects on Derek Chauvin trial

The Cereal Party of Los and Bertram is back with a new problem they are trying to solve.

The first step in solving any problem is admitting that there is one. The United States of America has a tremendous problem with gun violence, whether we want to admit it or not.

Los and Bertram try to dissect the causes of this violence and look at all sides of the issue. This episode is less about statistics and more about solutions, as well as the root causes behind the problem.

Resources from this episode:

US gun control: Biden calls for a ban on assault weapons | BBC News

The Violence Project: A Mass Shooter Database

Chicago ends 2020 with 769 homicides as gun violence surges

Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted? | ProCon.org

Gun Control Around the World: A Primer | The Atlantic

Operation Ceasefire: Boston's solution to gun-crime

Oakland's solution to gun-crime | The Guardian

Gun Deaths by Country 2021

The Secret History of Guns | The Atlantic

A Case Against Gun Control | The Atlantic

Fact-Check: Did the NRA support gun control when the Black Panthers advocated that minorities arm themselves?

Did the NRA Support a 1967 ‘Open Carry’ Ban in California? | Snopes

The American Indian foundation of American gun culture

The Case for More Guns | The Atlantic

A Constitutional Case for Gun Control | The Atlantic

The Gun Control Act of 1968

We live in a society of exceptional people and even more exceptional students. However, we judge this diverse group of outstanding youngsters by their ability to pass a standardized test. Teachers are paid not to educate youth by designing curriculum that caters to the student's personal needs. Instead, they are paid based on the data of these tests.

What are the problems of this enormous, often criticized testing style? In what ways can it be a good thing? How can Los and Bertram research and present this topic in a fair, unbiased way?

That will be the true challenge of this episode as Los and Bertram attempt to shed light on the benefits and flaws of this massive, national education system.

Resources from this episode:

Do Standardized Tests Improve Education in America | ProCon.org

Required Reading - Your Child Left Behind | The Atlantic

Redesigned SAT may hurt neediest students | Reuters

Michigan denied standardized testing waiver for this year | AP News

Texas high-stakes standardized tests canceled due to glitch | AP News

Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers: Key Benefits & Challenges

Did Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million disappear in Newark Schools?

It looks like the beginning of the end of America’s obsession with student standardized tests | Washington Post

This is a great one! We promise!

It's funny how people always love to look at the trees and flowers from the ground up. Don't they look good? What about the long roots under the soil? Can't they be beautiful too? Just because you can't see them, that does not mean they aren't there. "A tree with strong roots laughs at storms."

In life, we always love to admire someone else's success, the fruit, if you will. But we never spend the time looking at the foundations, and the hard work that is going on underneath. The roots that are underground.

This is an episode where Los and Bertram take a strong look at the growing infrastructure problem in the United States of America, as well as the comparison worldwide. They discuss President Biden's infrastructure plan.

Resources from this episode:

Important Issues in the 2020 Election | Pew Research Center

Wedge Issue definition | Oxford

Wedge Issues on the ballot | Pew Research Center

The Irresistible Effectiveness of Wedge Politics - The Atlantic

Infrastructure definition | Investopedia

Infrastructure definition | Market Business News

Crumbling Bridges: US Infrastructure 10 Years After Minneapolis - YouTube | Retro Report

Why U.S. Roads and Highways Are So Bad - YouTube | CNBC

Required Reading this week: America's Infrastructure Report Card 2021 | GPA: C- 

US Ranks 13th in Infrastructure Quality | Peter G. Peterson Foundation

70 Year Trend in Federal Infrastructure Spending - The Eno Center for Transportation

When America Invested in Infrastructure, These Beautiful Landmarks Were the Result | Smithsonian Magazine

U.S. Senate: Congress Approves the Federal-Aid Highway Act

Interstate Highway Act of 1956 - YouTube | The Daily Dose

Priorities for US Infrastructure - YouTube | The B1M

Los and Bertram argue over the merits of a $15 minimum wage increase. President Los battles the pros and cons of a federal mandate while Vice President Bertram tries to problem-solve and find sensible solutions.

Thank you for listening...we love you. Be sure to send us an email at [email protected] you could give us a like or subscribe...or you can walk into a lake, I guess. Whatever floats your boat. These are the things written in the description when Los lets Bertram write these dumb things. Honestly? You can't possibly be reading this, right? You like us this much, really? Come on, dude; get it together.

Resources from this episode:

Should the Federal Minimum Wage Be Increased? | ProCon.Org

$15 Minimum Wage Would Reduce Poverty But Cost Jobs, CBO Says

AP News - Push for Indiana minimum wage increase likely stalled again

IRS: Sorry, but It’s Just Easier and Cheaper to Audit the Poor

Oklahoma bans local minimum wage hikes

The Budgetary Effects of the Raise The Wage Act of 2021 | Congressional Budgetary Office

What Will Happen If We Raise The Minimum Wage? | Above The Noise (YouTube)

History of Changes to the Minimum Wage Law | U.S. Department of Labor

Minimum Wage Tracker | Economic Policy Institute

What the US Gets Wrong About Minimum Wage | Vox

Biden’s $15 wage proposal: Job killer or a boon for workers?

REQUIRED READING - Economic Policy Institute - Raising the Federal Minimum Wage

"The narrative that white people should see the well-being of people of color as a threat to their own is one of the most powerful subterranean stories in America."

Los and Bertram do something very differently this week. They talk about white nationalism without calling anyone stupid. They don't hurl insults at anyone. They take a reasonable, educated look at the history of white nationalism in the United States of America.

Did they do a good job? Were they fair? Send them an email at [email protected]

Be sure to give us a like, a follow, and send us an email at [email protected].

Resources from this episode:

Tucker Carlson: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) | YouTube

AP News: Fox's Carlson calls white supremacy a hoax

Nationalism | Britannica

"Drained-pool Politics"

Explainer: White Nationalism | Facing History and Ourselves

A history of American anti-immigrant bias, starting with Benjamin Franklin’s hatred of the Germans

Immigration Study: 'Second Generation' Has Edge

NPR - Racial History of American Swimming Pools

Reuters - White nationalism upsurge in U.S. echoes historical pattern

Racially-insensitive cereal box - Corn Pops

"Racist" pool safety poster

There are many conspiracy theories out there, but how can you tell when something falls into that territory? What exactly is a conspiracy theory? How can we help people who fall for conspiracy theories?

Los and Bertram examine the world of conspiracy theories, but also why humans are susceptible to these things.

Be sure to give us a like, subscribe/follow, and send us an email at [email protected].

Resources from this episode:

The Psychology Behind Conspiracy Theories | Healthline

An Excellent FAQ: What are conspiracy theories and why do they flourish?

Account for Proportionality Bias: Big Events Must Have Big Causes

Conspiracy theories, explained | Vox

Conspiracy theories: Here's what drives people to them, no matter how wacky

The most common Covid-19 conspiracies

AP News - "Nurses fight conspiracy theories along with coronavirus"

The Conspiracy Chart | Abbie Richards

There's a lot of talk going on this week about the Covid-19 Vaccines. Los and Bertram debate the effectiveness of these vaccines, where you can get them, and what sort of information is out there regarding the proper protocols of rolling these out.

Also, why is Willy Wonka's chocolate factor so dangerous? Bruh, you make chocolate...

Be sure to give us a like, a subscribe, or send us an email at [email protected].

Resources from this episode:

Dalai Lama gets vaccinated

Vaccines FAQ - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

How to Get a Covid-19 VaccineL a State-by-State Guide - WSJ

Overweight DC residents prioritized for vaccine - Washington Post

Myths and Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines

Covid-19 vaccines: what information can you trust? | The Economist

What’s Actually in the Pfizer and Moderna Coronavirus Vaccines?

How does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine compare to other coronavirus vaccines? | PBS

Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder - cancer

Johnson & Johnson lawsuit information

Questions about J&J Vaccine - NPR

Pfizer Vaccine's Funding Came From Berlin, Not Washington | Bloomberg

Fueled by a History of Mistreatment, Black Americans Distrust the New COVID-19 Vaccines

The Tuskegee Timeline - CDC

The Terrible Toll of the Tuskegee Study - The Atlantic

Los and Bertram argue about whether loyalty is something real or completely made up? Is it one-sides or can we all partake? Is it just a corporate thing or mostly relationship-driven?

They look at the history of the word, the history of loyalty programs, and the common misconceptions of what loyalty is and can be.

Thank you for listening! We love you. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, spread the word about this podcast.

Resources from this episode:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

The Value Cards

The Origin of "Loyalty"

The Long History of Loyalty Programs

Forbes - Loyalty is the Enemy of Workplace Ethics

Simon Sinek - Start with Why

Loyalty: Fact or Fiction

The average lifespan of a friendship? 10 years. Here’s why.

Lin-Manuel Miranda on Hamilton Criticism

The first episode of Mad, Mad World was about what makes you angry. This episode, Los and Bertram talk about what keeps them up at night.

Thank you for listening! We love you. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, spread the word about this podcast.

Be sure to send us a message at [email protected] and tell us what you'd like to hear more about!

Resources from this episode:

The Four Temperaments Test

NASA's Perseverance to Mars mission

"I've been homeless for 20 years."