LIV Golf has acquired the PGA. So why is a sports merger about to change American politics? And what is Saudi ‘sports washing’?

16 of the last 19 presidents were golfers. 90% of the CEOs from Fortune 500 play golf. And 80% of all executives on the field say golf was essential for establishing their business relationships. Golf is a profoundly influential game, whether you follow it or not. Political deals made on the back nine by judges and politicians will determine the prices of gas, the taxes on cigarettes, and how many missiles the US sells to the middle east. Which is why it’s concerning that golf as a sport has been purchased by a foreign country - one with a history of paying off politicians and meddling in American campaign finances.

In Part 1 of our LIV Golf series, we discuss the inception of a “World Golf Tour” by pro golfer Greg Norman nearly 30 years ago, and why the PGA worked so hard to squash any tour competition, including Norman’s proposed series. Then we’ll talk about the origins of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and why Saudi set its sights on golf in the first place. We’ll also cover (briefly) the payments and gifts the Saudis have given our presidents and politicians, and we’ll learn that pretty much every president who’s held office has been touched by Saudi money or jewels in some way.

Links:

https://wwos.nine.com.au/golf/pga-tour-greg-norman-liv-golf-1994-world-tour-tim-finchem-fallout/1aee6f8c-b4bf-4ea4-8c14-976534143de8

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristidosh/2016/05/16/golfers-make-better-business-executives/?sh=2f2ce305b4a5

https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Saudi%20Guardianship%20Report%20103020_0.pdf

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-hotel-received-270-000-from-lobbying-campaign-tied-to-saudis-1496700739

https://www.wsj.com/articles/jared-kushner-reveals-rare-details-about-ties-with-saudi-crown-prince-11659003014

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-165/issue-116/house-section/article/H5594-7

https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/12/02/the-king-of-saudi-arabia-gave-over-13m-in-gifts-to-the-obamas-last-year

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-security/obama-administration-arms-sales-offers-to-saudi-top-115-billion-report-idUSKCN11D2JQ

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2091572-the-no-tiger-effect-how-woods-absence-is-taking-the-glow-off-golfs-majors

Does it pay, financially, to be the bad guy? Do miserable people live longer? Because in today's political and business world, it sure seems like it.

Anyone who’s a fan of obscure history will have heard of Joseph Hatch, the man who boiled millions of penguins to sell their oil. And if you haven’t heard of this penguin-boiling supervillain, then you’re in for a treat! Because on today’s episode we’re exploring villainy, and whether it pays to be the bad guy (like Joseph Hatch) We’ll look at the health benefits of being quick to anger and cynical. We’ll explore the upsides of being greedy and miserable. And we’ll answer the age-old question; are wealthy people all assholes? But more importantly; why does wealth callus us? And what’s it take to reconnect rich assholes, like Scrooge?

History Links:

https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/harvest-of-souls/

https://allthingscomedy.com/podcasts/207---the-animal-horror-of-macquarie-island

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hatch

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21501-boiled-to-death-penguins-are-back-from-the-brink/

Science Links:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160809-why-it-pays-to-be-grumpy-and-bad-tempered

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167206298566

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-04866-001

https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-rich-people-so-mean/

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/nordic-welfare-news/the-fast-and-the-furious-research-shows-that-owners-of-high-status-cars-are-on-a-collision-course-with-traffic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/why-the-rich-dont-give/309254/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_wealth_reduce_compassion

https://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/12/08_survival_of_kindest.shtml

Disgust. It determines what food you eat, how tolerant you are of other people, and which political party you join. So…who’s using it against you?

Before the Punic Wars, Cato the Elder convinced his fellow Romans that the foreign Carthaginians were untrustworthy barbarians who committed child sacrifices on the regular. In 1895, after Japan defeated China in the first Sino-Japanese war, Japan referred to China as the “Sick Man of Asia”...which they stole from the Tsar Nicholas who used the term “Sick Man of Europe” to bash on the Ottoman Empire. In every era of politics, encouraging a nation to feel disgust for another group is the playbook for driving a population to war. Disgust is the secret weakness we all share. It’s the ‘easy button’ leaders use to push us into hating. And at the time of this writing, MSNBC has posted a Youtube video referring to Republican tactics as “barbaric” and Fox has a video referring to liberal education as “a sick lie.”

On today's episode we attempt to identify and disconnect the ‘easy button’ in our psyche. We look at where disgust originated as an emotion. How it helped early man survive plagues and parasites by staying away from foreigners. Why it continues to help us avoid poisoning ourselves with bad food or spoiled meats. And, most importantly, we try to identify when the emotion of disgust is healthy, and when it’s being used against us to profit other people.

Science Links:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/magazine/disgust-science.html https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ft12177-000

History Links: https://thewire.in/caste/caste-honour-killings-cases-laws https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/12/430075644/dining-like-darwin-when-scientists-swallow-their-subjects

Loyalty should be simple; I show an interest in your well-being, and you reciprocate. So why is it so hard to inspire loyalty at work? And why are companies clamoring for our “customer loyalty?”

If you had a dollar for every “customer loyalty” program, loyalty rewards card, and loyalty app you were offered at stores...well, you wouldn’t need their loyalty program in the first place. On this episode of The Re-Engineered You, Todd and Joe talk about Loyalty as a human concept, whether or not pets actually feel loyalty toward us, and why Josiah Royce called Loyalty “the heart of all the virtues.” They also talk about cult-like loyalty (and how to inspire it!) as well as loyalty in business, loyalty in the workplace, and loyalty in politics. They also talk about the most loyal dog in the world; Hachiko. A Japanese Akita that waited at the train for his master to return...for ten years.

History Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

https://www.cesarsway.com/the-true-story-of-hachiko-a-loyal-dog-that-waited-over-9-years-at-the-train-station-for-his-deceased-owner/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/hachiko-dog

Science Links:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-main-ingredient/201901/who-deserves-your-loyalty#:~:text=Loyalty%20is%20a%20survival%20mechanism,difference%20between%20life%20and%20death.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27601.Cults_in_Our_Midst https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2015/11/17/7-ways-unforgettable-leaders-inspire-loyalty/#783333a9508d

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect

The internet was hit by a bombshell last month, with data on whether college degrees earn back their return on investment. The answer is…complicated.

An article from the New York Times entitled Americans Are Losing Faith In College. Whose Fault Is That? caused a massive stir in both the education community and with students. New data shows that the promise of college - that you’ll make back more money than the degree costs - has tipped in the wrong direction. For many Americans, the benefit from certain degrees has become “indistinguishable from zero” on the job market, according to the report.

Todd and Joe discuss the most significant findings from this study, especially where faith in the college system is concerned. If less than half of American parents believe sending their kids to college is a good thing, then where does that leave us as a nation? What happens economically when Canada and England have double our enrollment rates? How do we educate a nation if the only colleges left are hyper-expensive elite ivy league? And if jobs are getting more complicated, not less, how will train the next batch of American workers?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/magazine/college-worth-price.html

Geniuses have it made, right? With enough smarts, you can just sit back, relax, and get paid to ponder life’s big problems. Well, as our research shows, that’s not exactly the case.

If TV shows about geniuses like Sherlock Holmes, Big Bang Theory, and House are telling the truth, then having hyper-intelligence is like having a hack for life. All you have to do is make clever references, solve other people’s problems, and cash your check at the end of the day. So that’s what today’s podcast is all about; hyper intelligence, and the myths surrounding it. How much of a life-hack is genius intelligence, really? Do people with genius-level IQ make more money throughout their lifetime? Do they worry as much as the rest of us? And is it easier for geniuses to score a date compared to us dummies? We’ll also look at a hyper-intelligent man named William Sidis, who might have been the smartest, and most miserable person of his generation.

History Links:

https://www.npr.org/2011/01/23/132737060/meet-william-james-sidis-the-smartest-guy-ever#:~:text=Born%20in%20Boston%20in%201898,Times%20before%20he%20was%202.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James_Sidis

https://www.sidis.net/TransfersContents.htm

Science Links:

https://www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-news-for-the-highly-intelligent/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lawrencelight/2017/06/13/why-the-secret-to-getting-rich-isnt-being-smart/#1cd329e9589a

https://hbr.org/2015/08/research-technology-is-only-making-social-skills-more-important

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2018/02/23/social/#65a5be9e108c

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meet-catch-and-keep/201809/the-romantic-disadvantages-being-smart

In light of recent politics, what even is a ‘responsible gun owner’? Who should be allowed to carry? And what are the steps to packing heat, legally?

Joe has carried a concealed weapon for nearly two decades over the course of his career in private security and private investigations. Todd learned to shoot in the Army, and hasn’t touched a gun since. Today, they discuss what it means to be a responsible gun owner. Especially in an era of rising violence, political tensions, and mass shootings. They talk about the actual stats behind burglaries and violent crimes (as opposed to what the news reports) as well as the #1 unspoken statistic about gun ownership. Who is a gun owner more likely to shoot? A criminal, or themselves?

Todd also shares his experiences getting licensed, and what it feels like for a political ‘moderate’ to sit through several hours of scare tactics to get his paper signed. Then we talk about the potency of “fear marketing” and why a responsible gun owner should hypothetically never need to draw their weapon, especially if they’ve taken de-escalation classes to complement their firearms training.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode briefly touches on the subjects of suicide and self-harm, as it relates to the questions and statistics any responsible gun owner should ask themselves before getting licensed. If you’re sensitive to these subjects, please skip this episode.

Links:

https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/ascii/vdhb.txt

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/handgun-ownership-associated-with-much-higher-suicide-risk.html

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/guns-and-suicide/

https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/father-of-4-killed-at-missouri-sports-bar-after-fight-over-dogs-weight

Did you know that Louisville had a prank “Purge” that lasted 10 hours? Or that the Truman Show became a real psychological delusion? Today we ask; how much does Hollywood shape our expectations, really?

Back in 2014, someone on Twitter advertised a “Purge” in Louisville Kentucky. It should have been a joke that died as quickly as it started. But people took it seriously. Seriously enough that it cost Louisville revenue, spawned dozens of articles across the country, and ended with thousands of people staying indoors, monitoring police scanners and the “Louisville Purge Megathread.”

Of course, there was no purge. But we allow Hollywood to shape our day-to-day expectations...even ridiculous expectations, like a city-wide free-for-all crime wave. We take cues about love from romantic comedies. We judge our houses and apartments against the apartments we see on Friends or Sex in the City. We even base our family structure on television families. Today, we ask the question; how realistic are our Hollywood expectations?

History Links:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-louisville-purge-hoax

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/08/16/aftermath-louisville-purge/14169789/

https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/90135/how-its-wonderful-life-went-box-office-dud-accidental-christmas-tradition

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/09/we-expect-way-too-much-from-our-romantic-partners/541353/

https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2013/12/28/the-ancient-greeks-6-words-for-love-and-why-knowing-them-can-change-your-life/

Science Links:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201608/the-truman-show-delusion

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-nagging-repetition-effective-communication-marton-jojarth#:~:text=Advertising%2C%20Marketing%2C%20and%20the%20Rule%20of%207&text=The%20most%20famous%20is%20probably,Advertising%2C%20written%20by%20Thomas%20Smith.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/21/friends-debut-anniversary-how-much-is-monicas-apartment-worth-now.html#:~:text=An%20apartment%20of%20the%20same,works%20in%20the%20West%20Village.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/blogs/spaces/infographic-much-simpsons-house-worth-212450921.html?ref=gs#:~:text=Being%20diehard%20fans%20of%20the,home%20would%20be%20worth%20%24289%2C060

We live our whole life with our biggest flaws on display. Why does no one point them out? Why are people predisposed to “stay mum” about our failings?

Marie Antionette may have never actually uttered the phrase “Let them eat cake” but she sure as hell didn’t hide the fact that she was spending French money to build an expensive play-village on palace grounds, all so she could LARP as silk-wearing peasants with her friends . Meanwhile, the real peasants of France were dying, crushed under an unfair tax system her husband had supported. So why didn’t anyone tell Marie that building an opulent “village” was basically courting the worst kind of optics?

Today, Todd and Joe discuss the ‘MUM Effect’ - a little-known study in the field of Self Awareness that basically explains why nobody bothers to correct our character flaws. A few minutes of advice from a qualified social mirror could save us years of heartache and bad optics, yet nobody speaks up. We also harken back to old episodes about mentors, and why Lyndon B Johnson took criticism on public speaking from his wife. Lastly, we talk about finding our own “mirrors” and discuss the qualifications a mirror should have, especially before we allow them to point out our biggest flaws.

History Links:

https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/taxation/#Tax_farmers

https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/marie-antoinette-facts-life-death-cake-buried/

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/31/priority-queens-hamlet-peek-inside-marie-antoinettes-fairy-tale-rustic-village-versailles-loved-act-like-simple-peasant/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBn7iWzrKoI&ab_channel=TED-Ed

Science Links:

https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/sociology/the-mum-effect

https://www.jstor.org/stable/2786156

https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-cognition/mum-effect/

Exercising, making wise financial decisions, and public speaking, will each improve your overall quality of life. But only public speaking is listed as a Top Fear across demographics. Why is that?

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking, and it affects up to 75% of the population. Which is odd when you think about it, because it’s one of the few skills you’re guaranteed to need at some point. On this episode we talk about how much speaking skills play into your success and financial wellbeing (think: job and college interviews) and we share our painful public speaking pitfalls and experiences. Then we talk about real, actionable techniques to help improve your skills, and where to go to put in those crucial public speaking hours. Lastly, we explore the workplace phenomenon where nobody wants to speak up to improve things, even though there’s a suggestion box...and an email...and an official go-between.

History Links:

https://visme.co/blog/amazing-leaders-who-once-had-crippling-stage-fright-and-how-they-overcame-

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/famous-celebrities-who-overcame-fear-speaking-dave-crane/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/01/03/to-communicate-well-listen-first/#4c2e532232a9

https://www.toastmasters.org/

Science Links:

https://www.psycom.net/glossophobia-fear-of-public-speaking

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smashing-the-brainblocks/201711/why-are-we-scared-public-speaking

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/enlightened-living/201412/why-we-care-about-what-other-people-think-us

https://hbr.org/2007/05/why-employees-are-afraid-to-speak https://www.powerofpositivity.com/sociologists-explain-8-ways-help-shy-person-come-shell/