Shaping Opinion

Seth Shostak joins Tim to talk about the serious scientific search for intelligent life beyond Earth.  Seth is the senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, which was created by NASA and is located in Silicon Valley. It is dedicated to the search for life beyond Earth. In this episode, Seth talks about what we’re learning about the potential for finding intelligent life, not only within our solar system, but well beyond it. This episode was first released on November 21, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Life_in_Outer_Space.mp3





The SETI Institute was created on November 20th, 1984 as part of NASA.

NASA located it close to its Ames Research Center in Northern California. Its mission has been as ominous as it has been ambitious, to look for intelligent life beyond our planet.

Before the SETI Institute, NASA had funded a small project in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, but it quickly realized the job was bigger than it had anticipated. NASA wanted to find ways to put more money into research without too much overhead.

That led to the idea of creating a nonprofit organization that would focus on research and education around the search for extra-terrestrial life beyond Earth.

This vision was born in 1984 with the founding of the SETI Institute.

Since then, the SETI Institute has spun out from NASA and has grown in many ways.

Seth Shostak is the Institute’s senior astronomer. In addition to his work on the Institute’s research programs, he’s also an author on books about astrobiology. He’s published hundreds of articles, and he’s a regular contributor to NBC News. He’s also the host of the SETI Institute’s weekly science radio show called, “Big Picture Science.”
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Links

The SETI Institute (website)
Seth Shostak (website)
Big Picture Science Radio Show and Podcast
Contact (motion picture), IMDb
The Drake Equation, SETI Institute
Allen Telescope Array, SETI Institute
James Webb Space Telescope, NASA

About this Episode’s Guest Seth Shostak
Seth Shostak directs the search for extraterrestrials at the SETI Institute in California – trying to find evidence of intelligent life in space. He is also committed to getting the public, especially young people, excited about astrobiology and science in general.

Seth is the host of “Big Picture Science,” the SETI Institute’s weekly radio show. The one-hour program uses interviews with leading researchers and lively and intelligent storytelling to tackle such big questions as: What came before the big bang? How does memory work? Will our descendants be human or machine? What’s the origin of humor? Big Picture Science can be found in iTunes and other podcast sites.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Author and neuroscientist Dr. James Fallon joins Tim to talk about the dark side of the human brain and how common psychopathy may really be throughout society. And his story has a twist. Dr. Fallon is a neuroscientist, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior, and an author of the book, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain.” This episode was originally released on October 25, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Psychopath_Next_Door.mp3





I’m going to say a word, and I want you to focus on the first thing that comes to mind. Are you ready? OK, here’s the word.

Psychopath.

What came to mind. Did you think about a killer? Perhaps a serial killer?

It makes sense. Many, if not most of the most notorious serial killers in history were psychopaths. Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam. Edmund Kemper, who we discussed on last week’s episode with Justin from the Generation Why Podcast.

These were all famous serial killers. And they were all psychopaths.

So, what exactly is a psychopathic personality?

That’s one of the first questions I had to ask Dr. James Fallon.  He’s a neuroscientist at the University of California at Irvine.

He’s done extensive research in this area, and he’s the author of a book called, “The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain.”
Please Thank Our Sponsors
Please remember to thank our sponsors, without whom the Shaping Opinion podcast would not exist.  If you have the need, please support these organizations that have the same taste in podcasts that you do:

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Links

The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain, by James Fallon (Barnes & Noble)
Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell, by Elaine Forman Crane (Barnes & Noble)
James Fallon, Ph.D., (University of California, Irvine)
The Neuroscientist Who Discovered He was a Psychopath, Smithsonian
Lizzie Borden, The Crime Museum
The 1673 Murder of Rebecca Cornell and the ‘Good Fire,’ New England Historical Society

About this Episode’s Guest Dr. James Fallon
James Fallon, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of California, Irving. He has several areas of expertise, including adult stem cells, psychiatry, and the relationships between brain imaging, genetics and a range of psychiatric conditions. These include schizophrenia, depression, addictions and psychopathy.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Justin from the popular true crime podcast called Generation Why joins Tim to talk about America’s obsession with true crime and his podcast’s role in shaping the growing genre. Justin and his best friend and co-host Aaron launched their podcast in 2012, helping to pioneer the true crime podcasting. This episode was first released on October 18, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Justing_from_Generation_Why.mp3





For a lot of people when they think of podcasts, they think of true crime. And for a lot of people, when they think of true crime, they think of podcasts.



Aaron (left) and Justin (right) from Generation Why


But it’s not just podcasts. True crime magazines were a thing for well over 50 years. TV programs like Dateline have made true crime their focus for decades. Streamers have produced a steady stream of documentaries like “Making a Murderer,” and then there are the motion pictures and the streaming dramas, like “Mindhunter.”

In the podcasting world, true crime continues to be one of the fastest-growing genres.

And as we’ve already mentioned, the Generation Why podcast has pioneered the form. Generation Why released its first episode in 2012. It’s co-hosted by best-friends Aaron Habel and Justin Evans.

Each week, they select a specific case, almost always involving a murder or a missing person, to study and analyze, and perhaps most importantly, help the listener come to their own conclusions.

About four years into their own podcasting journey, Justin and Aaron saw a boost in listener interest when a podcast called “Serial” hit the scene. Serial is largely credited for helping to blast off podcasting to a new level of popularity and awareness.

The Generation Why podcast remains one of the top true crime podcasts today.
Please Thank Our Sponsors
Please remember to thank our sponsors, without whom the Shaping Opinion podcast would not exist.  If you have the need, please support these organizations that have the same taste in podcasts that you do:

BlueHost Premium Web Hosting
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Philips Hue Smart Home Lighting

Links

Generation Why Podcast (website)
This American Life Podcast (website)
Joe Rogan Experience Podcast (website)
WTF  with Marc Maron (Marc Maron podcast)
Podcast Audiences: Why are Women Such Big Fans of True Crime Podcasts, BrandWatch (this is the article Tim mentioned in the episode

Music Credits for this Episode
The following tracks are featured in this episode under the terms of Creative Commons via the Free Music Archive:

Deep by Bio Unit
Death Note by Audiobinger
PointsOfView by Ketsa
Agency by Metre
Apogee by Metre
Sidewinder by Frequency Decree
Insomnia by VibesByDRVN

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

NASA’s Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Green joins Tim to talk about big plans for the red planet, Mars. Jim has had a long and distinguished career on some of the agency’s major research projects and missions that have explored the rest of our solar system, from Mars to Pluto. In this episode, Jim gets into detail on what we have learned, can learn and will learn from Earth’s next door neighbor. He uncovers some of the secrets of Mars. This episode was originally released on September 27, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Life_on_Mars.mp3





Next to the Moon and the Sun, the most captivating celestial bodies in our night sky for mankind over thousands and thousands of years has been Mars. The red planet. The fourth rock from the sun.

So, it made sense when we started to make plans for space travel, Mars would figure prominently into those plans.

As far back as the inception of both the Soviet and American space programs in the late 1950s and early 1960s, space scientist started making plans to explore Mars.

By July 4, 1997, NASA was able to land a spacecraft on Mars.  The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4th 1996. Six months later, it landed on Mars.

The unit featured the first-ever robotic rover that sent an unprecedented amount of data on the planet back to scientists at NASA.

After that, there were other missions, which included Mars orbiters, landers, and excavators.  And the United States hasn’t been the only country working to explore the planet.

The Soviet Union, then Russia, then China, then India, and even the United Arab Emirates have launched missions to Mars.

Each time, we learn something new and something significant about Mars. But in the end, there is one question that continues to drive mankind’s quest to visit Mars. Is there life on that planet, and if so, what does it look like?

Jim Green has worked to find the answers to this and many other questions throughout his career as a scientist at NASA.
Links

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program
James L. Green, NASA
Why We Explore Mars, National Geographic
Nicolaus Copernicus, History.com
Jezero Crater – Mars, NASA

About this Episode’s Guest Dr. Jim Green



Dr. Jim Green
Photo courtesy of NASA


NASA’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Jim Green received his Ph.D. in Space Physics from the University of Iowa in 1979 and began working in the Magnetospheric Physics Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1980. At Marshall, Dr. Green developed and managed the Space Physics Analysis Network, which provided many scientists, all over the world, with rapid access to data, other scientists, and specific NASA computer and information resources. In addition, Dr. Green was a safety diver in the Neutral Buoyancy tank making over 150 dives until he left MSFC in 1985.

From 1985 to 1992 he was the Head of the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The NSSDC is NASA’s largest space science data archive. In 1992 he became the Chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office until 2005 when he became the Chief of the Science Proposal Support Office. While at GSFC, Dr. Green was also co-investigator and the Deputy Project Scientist on the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) mission. From 1992 to 2000 he was also the Deputy Project Scientist for Mission Operations and Data Analysis for the Global Geospace Science Missions

WIND and POLAR. He has written over 110 scientific articles in referred journals involving various aspects of the Earth’s and Jupiter’s magnetospheres and over 50 technical articles on various aspects of data systems and computer networks.

From August 2006 to April 2018 Dr. Green was the Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. Under his leadership several missions have been successfully executed, including the New Horizons spacecraft flyby of Pluto,

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

TV and film director Rob Tate joins Tim to talk about his documentary called “The Magic Pill” that was released in 2017 and has built a strong audience on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Why? Because it takes a look at you and me, what we eat, and our health. And it puts it all together into some simple lessons that will make you think twice before that next trip to the grocery store or the restaurant.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Rob_Tate_-_Magic_Pill_auphonic.mp3





Before we get started, I need to tell you that this episode is not another lecture on your diet or health. It’s not an attempt to change anything about you. But after you listen, you may think twice before you make that next trip to your fridge.

The film we’re going to talk about today is called The Magic Pill, but as the title somewhat sarcastically infers, there isn’t one. There is no magic pill you can take to prevent or address the full range of health problems or disease you could face. Or is there?

The film poses some timeless questions. What if most of our modern diseases are just symptoms of the same underlying problem? And what if our diet, what we eat is both the cause and can be the cure?

Our guest today, Rob Tate allowed those questions to guide him around the world to seek answers, and the ones he received were not totally surprising, but they do go against much of what we are told by the health establishment today.

Yes, diet is critical to our health. But what kind of diet?  How can the diet we’ve been told to follow hurt us?
Links

Rob Tate Website
The Magic Pill, IMDB

Healthy Macadamia Nut Bread Recipe
Nutritional Values per Loaf: calories 3,183
INGREDIENTS

150g / 5.3oz Macadamia Nuts or Macadamia Butter
20g / 7.76oz Coconut Butter (also known as Manna)
6g / 0.2oz Baking Soda
3g / 0.1oz Pink Himalayan Salt 
60ml / 2fl oz Lemon Juice 
5 eggs (circa 50g each) TOOLS Batter Bowl
Silicone Spatula 
Loaf Tin
Coconut Oil Spray
Hand Mixer 
High Speed Blender (to make nut butter)

This is the bread recipe from "The Magic Pill" from Sara.
About this Episode’s Guest Rob Tate
Rob Tate (Executive Producer / Director / Editor) has won the Emmy, Cine Golden Eagle, James Beard, and the IDA (International Documentary Association) awards for his various projects, including the PBS international documentary series, GOURMET'S DIARY OF A FOODIE and the Sundance Channel documentary series, ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, which Time Magazine hailed as one of the Top Ten TV series of 2008.

Rob also co-produced, shot and edited the independent feature fashion industry documentary, ELEVEN MINUTES, released by Regent Pictures, which Variety called a “skillfully crafted, beautifully shot and edited pic.” He is currently an EP of the PBS series, MOVEABLE FEAST, and the Australian food series, THE PALEO WAY WITH PETE EVANS. THE MAGIC PILL is Rob’s second feature documentary.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Historian and author Brady Crytzer joins Tim to talk about his latest book on one of the lesser known stories of early America…the Whiskey Rebellion. Brady is the author of “The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis.” It comes along at a time when our newly formed republic was still in its infancy. Well not quite infancy. If the Civil War was America’s rebellious teen years, then the Whiskey Rebellion was our country’s Terrible Twos.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Brady_Crytzer_-_Whiskey_Rebellion_auphonic.mp3





It’s probably not an overstatement to say that a good number of Americans today never heard of Alexander Hamilton until the hit Broadway musical called Hamilton hit the stage in 2015. They may not even realize that he’s the face they see on the front of the ten-dollar bills they spend. And even they do know of Alexander Hamilton, some think he was one our first presidents.

Such is life in America in 2023. But the fact that we’re still talking about the man says something of the impact he had on the shaping of the nation.

We’re going to talk about a piece of his legacy, and that of George Washington and others, in the context of a true insurrection. In March of 1791, U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed a domestic tax that sent shockwaves through the Western Frontier and sparked an insurrection.

At that time, the Western frontier was western Pennsylvania, an area known in Philadelphia as the Ohio Territories. Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland.

What Hamilton proposed was an excise tax on whiskey. His goal was to balance America’s national debt in the wake of the Revolutionary War and the country’s battle for independence.

The law he sponsored was called the Whiskey Act, and it penalized famers in the backcountry, while playing favorites with large distillers.

It’s may be hard for Americans to understand today, but ultimately the controversy centered on imposing federal authority over frontier settlers.

American history author Brady Crytzer says to understand why this didn’t go over well, you need to understand more about the western frontier and the times in which they lived.
Links

The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis, by Brady Crytzer (Amazon)
Brady Crytzer Website
'The Whiskey Rebellion' Review: A Young Nation, Suddenly Tested, Wall Street Journal
Whiskey Rebellion, History Channel

About this Episode’s Guest Brady Crytzer
Brady J. Crytzer teaches history at Robert Morris University. His book The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis was listed as one of “Ten Books to Read” by the Wall Street Journal in 2023. A specialist in Frontier History Crytzer is the host of the weekly hit podcast "Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution." Crytzer has appeared on Sirius/XM and on the hit cable series Into the Wild Frontier on NBC Peacock as a narrator and consultant. He is the host of the Telly Award winning series Battlefield Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Crytzer is the winner of the Donna J. McKee and Donald S. Kelly Awards for Outstanding Scholarship and Service in History. His work has been featured in the Journal of the American Revolution, American History Magazine, American Frontiersman Magazine, The Journal of the Early Republic, Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, Game News, and Muzzleloader Magazine. His work has been reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, The Journal of Southern History, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, and The Journal of Military History.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

One of the most successful self-made women in America (according to Forbes) Cordia Harrington joins Tim to talk about her journey and how it exemplifies the American Dream. Cordia is the founder of The Bakery Companies. It’s a Nashville-based group of companies that have made baked goods for restaurants and food companies like McDonald’s, Five Guys, and Pepperidge Farm. Last year, Forbes Magazine ranked Cordia among America’s top 100 Self-Made Women. This episode was first released February 8, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Cordia_Harrington.mp3





If I were to ask you to define the term, the “American Dream,” your answer may be different than the next person, but there is something that both definitions will have in common. It’s the assumption that thanks to the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, thanks to the Constitution that protects our freedoms, we can achieve our dreams so long as we have the right ideas and are willing to do the work.

Most people see the American Dream as a set of principles or aspirational ideals that give us the platform to achieve our own individual goals. Democracy, rights, liberty. Through the exercise of these rights, we have the chance to change our place in society and in life.

We can be upwardly mobile. We can become more prosperous and successful. And with that, we can provide for our families, our communities and live the life we want.

People who study the American Dream say its origins can be traced to the Declaration of Independence, where it says that “all men are created equal,” and that each of us has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But to better understand the American Dream, it is sometimes good to hear the story of someone who has lived it in a way that few have done.

Cordia Harrington is one of those people.
Links

The Bakery Cos. (website)
McDonald’s (website)
Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO website)
Cordia Harrington: Forbes Self-made Woman Ranking, Forbes
Cordia Harrington: Tennessee Bun Company, Breakthrough Master
How She Became “The Bun Lady,” CBS News

About this Episode’s Guest Cordia Harrington
Cordia Harrington is CEO and founder of The Bakery Cos., a highly-automated, high-speed baking company that bakes over 10 million baked goods daily and employs more than 800 people, serving elite customers in the United States, South America and the Caribbean. As CEO, Ms. Harrington guides the executive team to successful planning, business development, sales and marketing, and brand management.

Ms. Harrington serves on the Ascent Global Logistics Board of Directors and the Belmont University Board of Trustees. She is President of the Chief Executives Organization Board of Directors and a member of the American Bakers Association Board of Directors (President-Elect). She serves as a judge for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Award judging panel.

Under Ms. Harrington’s leadership, The Bakery Cos. have received many awards, including the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned Businesses, Business with Purpose Award, and Nashville Business Journal’s Best in Business Award. They were recently awarded Conagra Brand’s Supplier of the Year award and O’Charley’s O’ver & Above Partner Award. Ms. Harrington was listed at #93 on Forbes magazine’s list of 100 wealthiest self-made women in 2020. She was named Nashville Post’s 2020 CEO of the Year and awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Arkansas. Harrington was inducted into the American Society of Baking Hall of Fame in February 2018, and Directors & Boards magazine named her a “Director to Watch.” She received the Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nashville Business Journal in 2017 and has been recognized by numerous other organizations for her commitment to excellence and entrepreneurial spirit.

Ms. Harrington attended Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka,

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Historian Liz Covart joins Tim to discuss the events and circumstances that led to the American Revolutionary War, and the stories behind the actual drafting of the most revolutionary document ever written, The Declaration of Independence. Liz, who is also the host of the popular Ben Franklin’s World podcast, talks about the Declaration of Independence as a living, breathing document that is as relevant today as ever. This episode was originally released on June 25, 2018.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Writing_the_Declaration_of_Independence.mp3





Declaration adopted by Continental Congress July 4, 1776, but work started on it early June of that year.

Many may think the declaration preceded the fighting of the Revolutionary War, but the fighting actually had already begun in Massachusetts (April 1775 with local militia skirmishes with the British army in Lexington and Concord over rights as British subjects.)

October 1775, King George II became very outspoken against the rebellious colonies and ordered expansion of the royal army and navy. The colonies got word of this and it only caused colonies to lose hope for reconciliation.

Late 1775, Benjamin Franklin communicated with the French that the colonies were leaning towards independence and could use some help.  France wouldn’t provide any support unless the colonies made it official.

Continental Congress met that winter and realized reconciliation with Britain was unlikely. It looked to them like independence was their only option.

December 22, 1775, British Parliament banned trade with the colonies. Tried to crush the resistance.  Continental Congress deliberated and planned. June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee made a motion for Independence. The group could not get full consensus at that time.

The colonies were not ready, but they did form a Committee of Five to draft the Declaration, which Thomas Jefferson (Virginia) Virginia to chair. Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), John Adams (Massachusetts.), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), and Robert Livingston (New York). They needed a southern colony representative, particularly a Virginian.

The drafting of the Declaration took roughly three weeks.  Thomas Jefferson wrote it with input from John Adams and the others.

We talk about resources that may have served as source material, along with David McCullough’s description of Thomas Jefferson’s approach to the writing of the Declaration.

John Dunlap, official printer, worked through the night to set the Declaration in type and print roughly 200 copies. These were known as the Dunlap Broadsides sent to committees, assemblies, commanders in the Continental Army. One copy made it to King George II months later.

The introduction said independence was necessary for the colonies, the body listed grievances with the British crown, the preamble includes the most famous passage:
“In Congress, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Competitive debate veteran and veteran debate coach James Fishback joins Tim to talk about free speech, and at times the lack of certain kinds of debate in high school debate. James founded an organization called Incubate Debate in 2019 after serving as a volunteer debate coach in Miami-Dade county for two-years. Prior to that, he competed in high school debate for four-years in Broward County.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Hijacking_High_School_Debate_auphonic.mp3





James Fishback started Incubate Debate, with the goal of making debate accessible to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds and political beliefs. Over the past four years, James says Incubate Debate has helped thousands of students from all over Florida through its tournaments, workshops, and camps, all at no cost.

But what caught our attention was some publicity James received when he spoke out on the issue of free speech and high school debate.

According to James, there are some points you’re just not allowed to make as a high school debater.  But before we get into that, I wanted to find out more about James’ own experience with high school debate and how it’s supposed to be.
Links

Incubate Debate
At High School Debates, Debate is No Longer Allowed, The Free Press
National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA)
NSDA Statement on Its Policies (Link to Google Docs)

About this Episode’s Guest James Fishback
James Fishback founded Incubate Debate in 2019 after serving as a volunteer debate coach in Miami-Dade county for two-years and competing in high school debate for four-years in Broward County.

Both were incredible and eye-opening experiences, but ones in which he recognized tremendous issues that prevented many students from participating in and reaping the benefits of debate.

In 2019, he started Incubate Debate, with the goal of making debate accessible to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds and political beliefs. Over the past four years, Incubate has welcomed thousands of students from all over Florida to its tournaments, workshops, and camps, all at no cost.

Incubate is built on the principle of making debate easy to learn, hard to master. Through our proprietary debate formats (TownHall, Roundtable, Tribunal), Incubate is easy to learn: students get a basic understanding of the rules and processes fast, but it is hard to master because it demands a high level of skill, knowledge, and practice to be successful.

Mastering Incubate’s challenging, yet accessible style of debate requires dedication and a willingness to continually strive for improvement.
NSDA Statement
The following is the Editor's Note from The Free Press Article mentioned in the episode and linked-to above:
"One day after this story published, the NSDA released a statement on Twitter, stating in part: 'Our judge training materials in partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations provide best practices for adjudicating speech and debate, such as "Judges should decide the round as it is debated, not based on their personal beliefs."...Tabroom.com is a project of the National Speech & Debate Association, and its purpose is to provide a tournament management system for debate and speech tournaments worldwide. The 47,000 judge paradigms housed therein represent the opinions and viewpoints of the individual paradigm authors. Schools or other organizations that use Tabroom.com to hire judges are free to evaluate those paradigms before engaging their services.'"

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shapingopinion.com

Gavin McIlvenna joins Tim on the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Gavin is president of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army, but one of the more unique experiences he’s had is the time he spent guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. In this episode, Gavin tells the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the symbolic and real significance of one of the most hallowed places on American soil. This episode was originally released on June 14th, 2021.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Encore_-_Story_Behind_the_Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier.mp3





There are places throughout the United States where those who’ve died for their country are remembered with honor and where they remain.

Churchyard cemeteries in places like Boston and Philadelphia to honor the Revolutionary War dead. Or battlefield cemeteries like the one in Gettysburg to honor the fallen during the American Civil War.

But in America’s history, there hadn’t been a single place. A dedicated place to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedoms and for the nation.

That changed after World War One.

After the Great War, France and Great Britain decided to select one of their fallen soldiers to represent all of the dead from World War One. They laid an unknown soldier to rest in an honored place on November 11, 1920, just over 100 years ago.

Other nations followed in similar fashion. Portugal, Italy, Belgium. All selected an unknown soldier to receive full military honors and burial at an honored place in those countries.

The commanding general of American forces in France at the time was Brigadier General William Connor. He first heard about the French plans to honor their Unknown Solider during the planning phases. He liked the idea and ran it up the chain, only to be rejected by the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, General Payton March. That was in 1919. General March felt the Americans would be able to identify all of their own dead, so there wouldn’t be any “unknown soldiers,” and he felt the U.S. had no comparable burial place for a fallen hero that was similar to Westminster Abbey in Great Britain.

But on December 20, 1921, U.S. Congressman Hamilton Fish of New York introduced a resolution that called for the return to the country of an unknown American who was killed during World War One. He wanted to bury a soldier who was killed in France, and then make plans for his burial with full military honors in a tomb that would be constructed at Arlington National Cemetery.

The tomb was built and is now located at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington Cemetery. On November 11, 1921, the body of an unidentified soldier who was killed in France, was laid to rest. He represents all of the unidentified and missing from World War One.

Since that time, an unidentified American service member has been laid to rest at that tomb, with the highest honors, representing World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. One crypt sits empty to represent all those who remain missing.

This year marks the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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Please remember to thank our sponsors, without whom the Shaping Opinion podcast would not exist.  If you have the need, please support these organizations that have the same taste in podcasts that you do:

BlueHost Premium Web Hosting
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Links

Arlington National Cemetery
Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
National Commemoration of the Centennial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard

About this Episode’s Guest Gavin McIlvenna
Sergeant Major (Retired) Gavin L. McIlvenna is the 11th President of the Society of the Honor Guard,

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