The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"Having worked in most facets of the entertainment industry since 1974, from a bottom-rung production assistant to the top of NBCUniversal’s headquarters at 30 Rock, I agree that the problems in today’s workplace are real. But I also think many management experts have

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/follow-your-dreams-and-other-terrible-career-advice-3f23590b

Zac & Don discuss whether following your dreams is bad career advice for new workers.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"SarahRachul grew up in the 1990s, during the so-called “Disney Renaissance”, when Disney debuted a string of critically successful films and re-released its earlier classics on VHS. Merchandising reached new heights: 7,000 products were released to promote 1997’s Hercules alone. It was, Rachul says, “almost like you couldn’t avoid having [Disney] as part of your childhood”. She wept

Over the past 100 years, the Walt Disney Company has entwined itself with our families, memories and personal histories. In many ways, Disney is a religion that one is born into, the same way a 15th-century English baby was predestined to be baptised Catholic. Choice doesn’t necessarily come into it – we see Mickey Mouse around us like our ancestors saw the cross; a symbol that both

This paragraph comes from The New Statesman. The essay is titled: "The Disney Adult Industrial Complex." The author is Amelia Tait. You can read the full essay here:

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2024/02/disney-adult-superfan-industrial-complex

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

This paragraph comes from BuzzFeed. The article is titled: "Imagine The Lawsuit If That Happened Today" Older Adults Revealed 29 Things That Used To Be "Normal" in Schools. The author is Michaela Bramwell. You can read the full article here:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelabramwell/previously-normal-things-in-schools

Zac & Don share their favorite things that used to be normal in schools. They share their own stories of being in school which connect to the items on the list. They also wonder what it says about American expectation of school twenty, thirty, and forty years ago. Finally they discuss the latest findings from study on middle school cell phone bans.

Zac & Don also reference the following findings of a cell phone ban in middle schools. You can read the findings here:

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2024/04/the-norwegian-ban-on-smart-phones-in-middle-schools.html

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

As Beth Linker explains in her book “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America” (Princeton), a long history of anxiety about the proximity between human and bestial nature has played out in this area of social science. Linker, a historian of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that at the onset of the twentieth century the United States became gripped by what she characterizes as a poor-posture epidemic: a widespread social contagion of slumping that could, it was feared, have deleterious effects not just upon individual health but also upon the body politic. Sitting up straight would help remedy all kinds of failings, physical and moral.

This paragraph comes from The New Yorker. The article is titled: "The Truth Behind the Slouching Epidemic." The article is written by Rebecca Mead. You can read the full article here:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/04/15/slouch-posture-panic-in-modern-america-beth-linker-book-review

Zac & Don discuss whether it matters if you have good posture. They also reflect upon their own posture and discuss when posture mattered most in American history. In addition they talk about the marginal decade of one's life and whether there is anything we can do now to get ready for a better last ten years of living.

Zac & Don also reference the following article:

"How to Die in Good Health." Author: Dhruv Khullar

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"Dachshunds, the German dog breed known for their distinctive long bodies and short legs, face an uncertain future if proposed changes to an animal protection law are

However, the draft contains requirements that could end the breeding of certain dogs, such as the dachshund, according to a statement from the V.D.H., Germany’s

This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "Germany's Beloved Dachshund Could Be Threatened Under Breeding Bill." The author is Derrick Bryson Taylor. You can read the full article here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/28/world/europe/dachshund-dog-breeding-ban-germany.html

Zac & Don discuss whether banning the breeding of dachshunds is an example of too much regulation creep. Zac also reflects on his own dachshund and whether he seems to be in pain. Zac & Don then consider whether it is too much regulation to mandate that all table saws have finger saving technology. Finally, they wonder if the government should require that more python meat be sold.

The following articles are also discussed in the podcast:

"How Much Would You Pat to Make Sure You Never Sawed Off a Finger?" Author: Ben Blatt

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/30/upshot/table-saws-safety-cost.html

"Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security"

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54874-4

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"Across the street, another strip was torn down to make way for a Raising Cane’s and a Chipotle, both also equipped with drive-throughs.

This part of town was never exactly the height of urban design; it had long been sprawly, car-oriented, and not great for walking. But the redevelopment gave it another character entirely. Before, the businesses there were destinations you could walk to if you wanted. Now, an enormous concrete retaining wall was built outside the Chick-fil-A, closing it off from sidewalk access like a fortress to fast food capitalism. The place had become so hostile to anyone outside a car that no one was going to get in there on foot. It was not a destination, but a place meant to be driven through — which is to say, no place at all."

This paragraph comes from Vox.com. The article is titled: "Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities." The author is Marina Bolotnikova. You can read the full article here:

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/24089853/mega-drive-throughs-cities-chick-fil-a-chipotle

Zac and Don discuss the continued rise of drive-through culture in America. They discuss the impact it has left on cities and whether using the drive-through is actually an efficient use of time. Don also makes a good case for never ordering drive-through french fries.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

This paragraph comes from an interview with Rafi Kohan who is discussing his book on Trash Talk. The interview is conducted by Scientific American. The interviewer is Jessica Hullinger. You can read the full interview here:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/psychology-hacks-for-resisting-trash-talk/#:~:text=One%20theory%20about%20why%20trash,we're%20going%20to%20die.

Zac and Don discuss Trash Talk. They talk about whether trash talk works and what it's ultimate purpose is. They also wonder if trash talk has a bigger impact on nice or mean people. They also share their best piece of trash talk they've ever given.

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

Need some NCAA Tournament bracket advice? How about just picking by mascot?

Zac & Don use the Wall Street Journal's NCAA Tournament historical mascot data to pick their entire bracket. They found the mascot data from an article titled: "Cats vs. Birds: The Whimsical Way to Fill Out Your NCAA Tournament Bracket." The article is written by Rosie Ettenheim and Laine Higgins. You can read the full article here:

⁠https://www.wsj.com/articles/cats-vs-birds-ncaa-tournament-bracket-march-madness-b91b86ec

You can see Zac & Don's bracket along with Kevin's bracket online. You can also enter your own bracket in their bracket pool to see if you can beat either of them.

Just click on the link below to join The Best Paragraph I've Read's bracket pool!

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"So we're like lab rats?" asked Cassie. "Just a bunch of kids being experimented on? This is terrible! We're kids! We're precious. Our parents tell us at least ten times a day how special we are! We get hugs for flushing the toilet, and allowances if we remember to wash our hands! Your experiment doesn't make me feel special. It makes me feel like a Monopoly piece being moved around the board."

This paragraph comes from the book Crypto School. The author is Zac Abeel. You can learn more about the book or purchase it here:

https://www.amazon.com/Crypto-School-Zac-Abeel/dp/B0CVQT975H/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17SF8GKG18GSO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Wgpi-UDUjrU0nUQ6IAa5tUlO4Fv-wvoNepR9Lm71HB6uMg1IDA34hIfART_aMR94oSFfkWO8WTrB0TticMdEl6jP7tVopt5ZCxnlILeefbrV1knx1ZQkVtlEnB_lmJpRiqxz2RdIjXBDLAM0N2kfyeceqqa1iSGcUURoEKtOPjsrvXoMrgSDQQl1LjGlkGOiNNVf2MJNsMVqnmbO4PsCD7Hjy_HTPbyWAiWbcahSnms.7GNJpzLpR7YTIVq-Eqr_fBfOKJh-7VoivEtqwqkSZRw&dib_tag=se&keywords=crypto+school&qid=1710284903&sprefix=crypto+schoo%2Caps%2C455&sr=8-1

Zac & Don discuss some of the ideas, characters, and plot in the story Crypto School. They also reflect on whether some of the story's ideas can be found in real classrooms. Could using cryptocurrency work in schools? Is it a good idea to let people just purchase their final grades? How much experimentation happens in school?