The Not So Scientific Method

Welcome to the new year and the new format everyone. This week we expand our discussion on student loan debt by talking to the hosts of Drive with Us Podcast. We'll get the scoop on repaying federal student loans and deciding whether or not the big price tag was worth it.


Website: https://nssmpod.wixsite.com/notsoscimethod

Drive With Us Podcast Website: https://drivewithuspodcast.com/

Welcome back for season 2! We know you missed hearing about all the hard hitting topics, so we’re coming in hot with a big one with a large amount of principle and even more interest: student loans. Whether you have a ton or none, we venture to guess you’ve heard a lot about how much college costs have risen in recent years (along with basically everything). So sit back and try not to cry as we get to the bottom of student loans.


BeFun BeKind Live Event:
https://befunbekind.com/listing/how-to-thrive-as-a-woman-in-a-technical-field-maintain-creative-balance/

Website:
https://nssmpod.wixsite.com/notsoscimethod

Articles Referenced:
Student Aid.gov - “Student Loan Forgiveness”

Forbes.com - “Why Joe Biden Won’t Cancel Your Student Loans”

Business Insider - “Why is College So Expensive

Fred.stlouisfed.org - "State Minimum Wage Rate for New Jersey"

Marketplace.org - “A Little Known Reason Why Students Have So Much Debt”

YouTube.com - "Responsible Borrowing"

Credible.com - “Student Loan Limits: How Much in Student Loans Can You Get”

American Progress.org - “Addressing the $1.5 Trillion in Federal Student Loan Debt”

Happy New Year, everyone! Not only is 2020 officially over, but we here at the Not So Scientific Method have a little bit of a gift for all of you to start 2021 off right: an entirely new format. That's right -- to start off season two next week, we'll be changing things up around here to make sure you're getting the facts straight about each subject we cover in a digestible, even more fun format. We're even having a virtual live event, hosted by our friends at BeFun BeKind. Before then, enjoy some bonus outtakes and bloopers from the recording so far, and thank you so much for listening to our first season (and making this podcast possible)!

Our New Website! https://nssmpod.wixsite.com/notsoscimethod 
BeFun BeKind Live Event: https://befunbekind.com/listing/how-to-thrive-as-a-woman-in-a-technical-field-maintain-creative-balance/

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and not because 2020 is (finally) almost over. It's Christmas time, baby, the season of giving and getting gifts that we usually break bank on. In this episode, Jamie and Noreen give you the sweet, sugarplum facts on where Christmas came from, how it got to where it is today, all sprinkled in with a few little fun factoids and stats. But most importantly, happy holidays, and Happy incoming (and hopefully better) New Year!

Articles Referenced:
LearnReligions.com - "Enjoy the Complete Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus"

History.com - "History of Christmas"

Statista.com - "Christmas Spending Estimates Fall"

PNC.mediaroom.com - "It's A Silent Night For '12 Days of Christmas' Prices, According to PNC"

Blog.likibu.com - "Christmas Infographic: The evolution of Santa Claus!"

Visualistan.com - "12 Christmas Traditions Around the World"

DisneyParks.disney.go.com - "Infographic: What Does It Take to Decorate Walt Disney World for the Holidays?"

BREAKING BREAKING -- read all about it! Noreen and Jamie are covering -- you guessed it -- news. Specifically, how frustrating and biased news can be, and just what people are doing to get the truth. They also have their friend Claudia on as the guest "expert" (she's a reporter and may or may not write these descriptions), so get ready for some wine-fueled commentary and cold hard facts. 

Articles Referenced:
PBS.org - "Milestones in the History of Media and Politics"

HowStuffWorks.com - “How have 24-hour news stations affected society?”

Fas.org - "Fairness Doctrine: History and Constitutional Issues"

ReutersInstitute - "Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019"

ReutersInstitute - "Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020"

BBC.com - “Clickbait: The changing face of online journalism”

Journalism.org - "The Facebook News Experience"

WhatsNewInPublishing.com - “Publishing it right”: The future of slow journalism

Ground News

TechStuff podcast - "The Facebook Algorithm Problem"

We would like to invite you all to join our team of BOSS BABES on our mission to change the world! Make the most amazing change in your life and you too can stop being a cog in the corporate machine. Does this sound familiar?? Maybe we’re trying to recruit you for our MLM… Take a listen this week to learn all about the scamminess of MLM’s (you know like Young Living Essential Oils, Herbalife, Arbonne, or as we like to say more generally -- pyramid schemes) and find out just how much money people make from selling their products. Keep living that #blessed life folks

Articles Referenced:
FTC.gov - "Multi-Level Marketing Businesses and Pyramid Schemes"

jstor.org - "Is Multi-Level Marketing Really Just a Pyramid Scheme?"

prnewswire.com - "New Survey Reveals 73 Percent of People who Participate in Network Marketing Opportunities Lose Money or Make No Money"

TheBalancesMB.com - "The Likelihood of MLM Success"

MLMStatistics.org - "'Average' Income"

BestLeap.com - "5 Great Advantages of Multi Level Marketing (MLM)"

There was a lot going on during the election. Like, a lot. For example -- did any of you notice how many states either legalized or decriminalized drugs (like that biddy Oregon, that made every drug decriminalized?)? Well, if you didn't, now you do! And also now you get to listen to us talk about the effects of this Portugal (which already decriminalized all drugs years ago), the effects of Colorado legalizing marijuana earlier this decade, and what the potential effects will be for the states that just approved them this year. Get high, get low, kids.

Articles Referenced:
CBCNews.com - "Oregon becomes the first state to decriminalize hard drugs like cocaine and heroin"

adf.org.au - "Decriminalisation vs legalisation"

PewResearch.org - "As fatal overdoses rise, many Americans see drug addiction as a major problem in their community"

Worldometers.info - "World Population Portugal"

Statista.com - "Key developments since Portugal Decriminalized Drugs"

Mic.com - "14 Years After Decriminalizing All Drugs, Here's What Portugal Looks Like"

rmhidta.org - "Marijuana Report 2020"

Footprintstorecovery.com - "Effects of Legalized Marijuana"

Britannica.procon.org - "Should Recreational Marijuana Be Legal?"

FoundationsRecoveryNetwork.com - "Pros and Cons of Decriminalizing Drug Addiction"

Throw on your bonnets and harken back to first grade -- it's time to revisit the history of Thanksgiving. Jamie and Noreen go over the history of the worst day for turkeys in America, and sprinkle those mashed potatoes of knowledge with some spicy fun facts (know which side dish is number one in each state? Well, listen and find out, ya dingus). So press play, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all you butterballs out there.

Articles Referenced:
NY Times - Thanksgiving Myths Fact Check

Newsweek - Difference Between Pilgrim and Puritan

History.com - Difference Between Pilgrim and Puritan

History.com - Pilgrims

IndianCountryToday.com - What Really Happened at the First Thanksgiving

Statista - Popular Thanksgiving Meal Times

MagaMaps - Thanksgiving Infographic

Parade - Thanksgiving Side Dish by State

Jamie's spirit animal is actually a racoon because she loves trash -- TV, that is. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars isn't really her thing, but start talking about "90 Day Fiancé" with all its spin-offs and, oh, baby, she's on it! Now, she and Noreen are trash TV-talking, mulling over how TLC (literally called "The Learning Channel") went from pure learning to absolute garbage. Is this bad for America's entertainment diets? Or is it the evasion from reality that keeps us sane? Take a listen, and see what you think.

Articles Referenced:
"How Reality TV Works" - HowStuffWorks.com

"What is reality TV's influence on culture?" - HowStuffWorks.com

"10 YEARS OF PRIMETIME THE RISE OF REALITY AND SPORTS PROGRAMMING" - Nielsen

"Netflix is Now Bigger than Cable TV" - Forbes

"My Reality TV Habit Isn’t Trashy — It’s Complicated" - Refinery29

"Is Honesty Important In Marketing Today?" - SocialMediaWeek.org and YouGov

"Viewer Beware: Watching Reality TV Can Impact Real-Life Behavior" - NPR

"Cable Nets See 8% Viewing Declines In 2019 As Young Viewers Depart, Older Viewers Remain" - MediaPost.com

TLC Programming - Wikipedia

VH1 Programming - Wikipedia

MTV Programming - Wikipedia

It's no secret that the Kardashians have plenty of haters. A lot of people think, okay, maybe it's a little bit much that they quote-on-quote "flaunt their privilege," like throwing huge birthday bashes during the coronavirus pandemic. However, people are still talking about them, which keeps the Kardashians relevant cultural presences. So--are they really just dumb socialites, or are they  secret marketing and business geniuses? We cover that on the latest episode of "Keeping up with the Not-So-Scientific-Method."

Articles Referenced:
“How Did the Kardashians Make Their Millions” - BBC

“The Kardashian-Jenner Clan are Marketing Genius’” - TheMedium.com

"How Kylie Jenner Turned Her Lip Obsession into a Near-Billion Dollar Business" - Good Morning America

“Kris Jenner: The Marketing Mastermind You Never Expected” - TheMedium.com

“Why a professor says we should all keep up with the Kardashians” - Independent.Co.UK

“The Kardashians: Inspiring or Damaging to Women” - ThePerspective.com

“Why I Unfollowed the Kardashians” - The Sydney Morning Herald