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Jack Armstrong
This is an iHeart podcast.
Joe Getty
Guaranteed Human.
Katie
Shh.
Jack Armstrong
You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meiko Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini PL plus.
Joe Getty
Only at Costco Running a business is hard enough. Don't make it harder with a dozen apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. That's software overload. Odoo is the all in one platform that replaces them all. CRM, accounting, inventory, E Commerce, hr. Fully integrated, easy to use, and built to grow. With your business, thousands have already made the switch. Why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's Odoo.
Andrew Wallenstein
Skip the Hollywood gossip. Keep your showbiz conversations strictly business. Join me, Andrew Wallenstein, Chief Media Analyst at Luminate and Variety's co Editor in chief, Cynthia Littleton, for insider access to the business side of entertainment. Hear thoughtful interviews with the dynamic leaders of today's media landscape. Get unfiltered insights into the future of film, television, gaming, digital marketing, music and more. Open your free iHeartradio app. Search strictly Business podcasts and listen Now.
Michael
Get ready for the wildest sight your lawn has ever seen. Sunday Sunday Sunday this spring Unleash soil science like never before. Witness your custom lawn plan and the transformation to a soft, green paradise.
Sunday Lawn Care Announcer
Sorry, just trying to get your attention. Sunday is a boringly simple way to get a green, healthy yard. No harsh stuff, no big trucks, no chaos this holiday. Sunday plans are 20% off. Buy today and lock in your spring subscription. Sunday Smarter Lawn care for less getsunday.com.
Michael
Want to know how to become the richest person in the world? Start with the latest episode of our podcast, Good Bad Billionaire. We're telling the story of how Elon Musk amassed half a trillion dollars from.
Katie
His troubled childhood in South Africa to.
Michael
Buying Twitter and launching rockets into space.
Katie
With all the boardroom dramas along the.
Michael
Way, find out how he did it on Good Bad billionaire.
Katie
Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Michael
Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.
Jack Armstrong
Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, Armstrong and Getty.
Michael
And now, here's Armstrong and Getty.
Katie
A tech company is taking cockroaches, AKA Nature's restaurant review system and an outfitting the cockroaches with cameras and tiny microphones. The company also says that the bugs can be used for search and rescue missions. All right, everybody. We've been trapped in this cave for days. But I've got some good news. A bunch of roaches just crawled in.
Michael
Cockroaches are having a moment. As we mentioned 60 Minutes last Sunday night, the idea of German military has got cockroaches. Little backpacks on them. And you can steer them around with a joystick. It's pretty cool.
Katie
Carrying cameras, bombs, Whatever you need them to carry. Microphones.
Michael
So I am amazed by every aspect of scouting that I've come across since my son became a boy scout. And just seeing really mature young men who.
Joe Getty
Who.
Michael
Who got these mature skills through scouting and leadership and patriotism and morals sort of thing that we're going to talk about again. We were talking about last hour. Can a country survive if it doesn't have certain kinds of morals? Well, they teach those in scouting still. And I absolutely love that. And we want as many kids to be able to join. If you want your kid to join, don't be held back by the couple hundred dollars it costs to sign up. We're trying to raise money so that that can be covered. And we're trying to raise $100,000. And we'll hit you with the gold total in just a little bit. People regularly, you can. You can use your name. You can be anonymous, or you can come up with a funny name when you want to donate money. For instance, we got $25 from Jack's 12.9 second 60 yard dash. It's a story from way back in the day.
Katie
Yeah, Illegitimate.
Michael
I mentioned it. Got $100 from stomping the joy out of life. The Armstrong and getty show. We're gonna.
Katie
Let's.
Michael
Let's just try to do less of that in the year 26. That'd be a good resolution. Let's try to do less. Stomping the joy out of life.
Katie
You know, for me, it's an instinct, Jack. I see joy. I want to stomp it. I'll try. I'll try. But I make no promises.
Michael
Other people's happiness, it just makes me so angry.
Katie
Right.
Michael
Armstrong and Getty. The most depressing radio show ever. Yeah, there's something to that. 25 bucks from where scouting armor got it kind of take off on the Joe Biden thing. I should have had you get this clip, Michael. $200 from. I'm gonna call my lawyer. Gonna means going to. We love that clip.
Katie
Wouldn't you consider $200 like a dolphin. It's not a whale, but maybe a dolphin.
Michael
It's a sea beast of some sort.
Katie
A dolphin is actually a whale. It's a small whale. So I think that dolphin sound is utterly appropriate. Michael. Well, well done.
Michael
You're like talking to my son with these things. It's just very, very pedantic.
Katie
My oldest daughter was crazy into whales there for in her childhood. And we made it a common enthusiasm. It brought us together. It was wonderful. 50 bucks pedantic. I call useful whale knowledge.
Michael
There you go. 50 bucks from United States of America. Got it. 100 bucks from Jack's neglected toothbrush.
Joe Getty
Hey.
Michael
25 bucks from Fight it. And then here we got a. Certainly a dolphin weighed in with $250 from gay. I mean gay. He's blind.
Katie
We're going to interview Eric Wyhen Mayer who climbed the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. But he's gay.
Michael
I mean, he's gay.
Katie
Excuse me, he's blind. So we'll hear about that coming up. Okay, as we head to the break.
Michael
A look at the. One of the funniest things.
Katie
Does he crave men or is he sightless? Let's, let's nail this down.
Michael
Can he drive or is he just need some vitamin D, if you know what I'm saying? What?
Katie
Oh my. I don't know what you're saying.
Michael
We got 25 bucks from. Should be a clip of the year. You drive in, you drive out. Your moron.
Katie
What do you do?
Michael
You drive in and you drive out. That's what people do their driveways, you moron. So we do have the clip clips of the year show on Friday. Tomorrow's our last real show. And then clips of the year show on Friday where we go through the best clips of every month. And then we pick our clip of the year at the end of the show. So that's my brother's favorite clip that you drive in, you drive out. You drive in and you drive out. That's what people do in their driveways. You. It's the exasperation that makes it so funny.
Katie
That whole exchange is just.
Michael
Oh, yeah, priceless. Yeah, it is definitely one of the best things ever. So then let's get a total. We're trying to raise a hundred thousand dollars to as many people kids can get involved in scouts as they want. And we are currently at. Thank you, Gladys. $69,116. Just short of 70 grand.
Katie
If I might do some fundamental mathematics here, my friends, we could be changing the Lives of hundreds and hundreds of kids. With this, you could be. Thank you. Armstrongegetty.com, look for the Donate now button. It's super easy to find.
Michael
So to end last hour, we got into the conversation through Glenn Beck and interviewing AI George Washington about whether or not this country can succeed or not without some sort of cultural moral basis to keep us all in line. Because you can write a constitution, you can have all the laws you want, but if people aren't moral, it ain't gonna work. That's my belief. Right. I think that's clearly true A lot of my. You see, that's where my libertarianism breaks down, is I just, I think culturally you need to conserve that Judeo Christian basis of living to make this all work. We got this text. Why are you afraid to say Christian? Religious beliefs. You just said religious beliefs. Our country's morals were not from Buddhism, not Hindu, not Islam. It was Judeo, Christian, Judeo, because it is the same God, the same story, the Old Testament, which declares Jesus throughout, blah, blah, blah. That kind of gets to what we were talking about a week or so ago. We kept referencing the book Dominion by Tom Holland. He's not religious, but he is a big believer that Western civilization is successful and continues to be successful, and it continues to be very Christian in terms of its culture, even without as many people calling themselves Christians or going to church. But that is going to wear off little by little. And.
Katie
Well, just if I might interject, just for instance, a principle as foundational as all men are created equal is straight out of Christianity.
Michael
The thing that always pops into my head when we have this topic, because I didn't know this, I was reading one of the many Lyndon Johnson books I've read from Robert Carroll. Is that his name? Greatest political biography in US History. Fantastic books. Pick any volume you want. They're all great. But this was the version from the late 50s, early 60s, I think. And he was trying to get some sort of bill through Congress when he was either the master of the Senate or the President, I don't remember which. And the holdup was Republicans and Democrats who ran the various important finance committees that dealt with money. It was just a given. You are not going to indebt the United States. In other words, if there's no way to, like, pay for this through taxes or offsets or cut this program to have this program. You don't just take on debt. That's just. And it was all out of a Christian belief that it is immoral to go into debt. You don't buy something unless you can afford to pay for it.
Katie
Particularly given the nature of government debt, which tends to make other people pay people down the line, which is utterly horrific. But this was stealing from children.
Michael
But this was their personal beliefs also. I mean, yeah, I think you got to admit that the fact that just in per our personal lives were much more willing to go into debt on everything and spend beyond our means has transferred into the government doing the same thing. It seems pretty clear to me.
Katie
I mean, pleasure over responsibility.
Michael
Sure, yeah. And how do you, how do you bring that back?
Katie
I don't. I don't know that you can.
Michael
I mean, that was 70 years ago. 65. 70 years ago that they felt that way. I don't know little by little how it drifted away when those people were replaced by people who didn't give a crap about going into debt. I don't know.
Katie
Yeah, yeah. Boy, there are a lot of things at work here. Lack of common moral belief systems. Also, how easy credit has become, both personally and governmentally. It just flows much more easily than it used to. Every single aspect of credit is much, much, much more easy than it used to be. And so there's more of it and aggressive advertising of it.
Michael
And just like back in the day when people save. Maybe I should ask my parents. When people saved money to buy a refrigerator or washing machine or a car as opposed to bought it on payments, was that because nobody had invented the idea of payments yet or because there just wasn't a demand for it? There wasn't a populace that was willing to do payments. That's just not what people wanted to do. I know, I know. My parents were like super, just anti credit cards. Was just like an evil idea. They finally had to get a credit card because we've made the world so you can't get a hotel room, you can't get a rent a car, you can't do anything without a credit card. But just the idea of having a credit card was just bad. Right. The kind of people who used credit cards were living, you know, irresponsible lives who. Nobody feels that way about credit anymore.
Katie
Right, right. Well, to answer your question, I think it's probably a combination of moral and the moral and the practical. It is omnipresent and easy and we've lost that sense. That is much smarter and it is. It's unquestionably smarter to save up for something than buy it. Than to buy it for the same price and then pay interest on it.
Michael
Well, you'll also buy a cheaper Version. This is just true. I've done it in my own life. You will buy a cheaper one if you pay cash for something.
Katie
Yeah.
Michael
As opposed to breaking it down into payments.
Katie
Yeah. Anyway, here's something. There's plenty of demand for a fantasy sports that doesn't involve a big giant draft. And then your team immediately sucks and your season is over and you have to wait till next year's draft. No, with Prize picks. They let you play fantasy football every week, pick your favorite favorite players and win when they hit their projections. Every week, no draft required.
Michael
Yeah, that's pretty cool. So throughout the entire season, whatever sport it is you're following, you can stay active no matter how your players, teams, injuries, whatever happened. And how about this new feature? Prize Picks now has early payouts. If your lineup gets off to a hot start, you might have the option to cash out those winnings before the game even finishes. How cool is that?
Katie
Download the Prize Picks app today. Use the Code Armstrong to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Again, that's the code ARMSTRONG to get 50 bucks in lineups after you play your 1st 5 DOL lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right and it's easy and it's fun.
Michael
I would like to know that if anybody has any knowledge of the history of that. Had banks just never come up with the idea? Or car companies prior to however many decades ago? Or was there just not a demand for making payments? Was there not a mechanism for it or something?
Katie
Like I said, I think it's both. There was a widespread belief that that was unwise or immoral and the mechanics of it were just more difficult. As I said before, every aspect, checking someone's credit, getting them the cash, you know, finding them if they don't pay, you know, just the repayment options. You don't have to mail checks. Just everything about it is easier and faster.
Michael
Huh. That's interesting. Okay, we got other stuff to talk about. Stay here.
Katie
Armstrong and Gettysburg.
Jack Armstrong
Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Where did that story come from? Book Dream? Nope. It came from a conversation. Meet Mikomini, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape and what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Meco Mini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.
Joe Getty
Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business. This is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins, just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's o d o o.com skip the Hollywood gossip.
Andrew Wallenstein
Keep your showbiz conversations strictly business. Join me, Andrew Wallenstein, Chief Media Analyst at Luminate and Variety's Co Editor in Chief, Cynthia Littleton, for insider access to the business side of entertainment. Hear thoughtful interview with the dynamic leaders of today's media landscape. Get unfiltered insights into the future of film, television, gaming, digital marketing, music and more. Open your free iHeartradio app. Search strictly Business Podcasts and Listen now.
Michael
People, don't listen to radio ads while.
Katie
You'Re driving or making a sandwich. Your subconscious pays full attention, so relax. Let it take over.
Sunday Lawn Care Announcer
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Michael
Know how to become the richest person in the world? Start with the latest episode of our podcast, Good Bad Billionaire. We're telling the story of how Elon Musk amassed half a trillion dollars from.
Katie
His troubled childhood in South Africa to.
Michael
Buying Twitter and launching rockets into space.
Katie
With all the boardroom dramas along the way.
Michael
Find out how he did it on Good Bad billionaire listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. One of my favorite actors, Oscar nominee Gary Busey, posted this on his Twitter feed. Hey, it's Gary Busey, and I have got a great Christmas present for you. Listen to this. That's what a goose sounds like when they're flying. They're letting you know they're up there. You get a bunch of geese together, they're Honking in the air.
Katie
You know, it was magical. Is when he did the multiple geese. That was amazing.
Michael
That's known as bat s. Crazy.
Katie
Goose ass crazy. Wow. Randy Quaid is like, dude, take a look at yourself. Wow. Wow. Speaking of animals, let me see how. How. How close I can come for this. Spanish speakers. I hope you enjoy this. No entree sin el permiso del proprietario los gatos necessitan circunidos. We have a number of folks working on a house who speak Spanish, apparently, and Judy's not comfortable translating stuff quickly on her MacBook, so I just sent this to her. That is Spanish for do not enter without permission. Cats need to be contained. My daughter's cats are in her upstairs room. So. No entree sin el permiso del proprietario los gatos necessitan, sir. Contenidos.
Michael
There you go.
Katie
You can't have your cats uncontained.
Michael
Hey, that's one of those things. Those new array band glasses with the. The screen in the. The lens. People said that feature is really good, the translation feature. So somebody talking to you in another language, it gets translated, and it's right there in your eyes, for instance. It shows up right in front of your eye. They can't tell you're using that. You don't have to look at your phone. Be a lot better for the whole translation thing.
Katie
Yeah, yeah, Katie, that would be. That would be so helpful getting my nails done.
Michael
Yeah. Or obviously, traveling around foreign countries.
Katie
Plus, famously, from Seinfeld, which went off the air, what, 30 years ago? Right. You can tell when the nail techs are talking about you.
Michael
Wow. I'm saying wow. Wow. Or the cab driver or, you know, if anybody still takes a gap or lots of different situations, that's what those glasses would be good for. Now, all of a sudden, I know what everybody's saying about me. El baldo. Yeah.
Katie
I thought.
Michael
Michael.
Katie
I thought you gestured. Michael. What was that?
Michael
Oh, no, it's just a green.
Andrew Wallenstein
That would be awesome.
Katie
That a Nazi salute. Oh, you're agreeing. Okay, that's right. Calling everything a Nazi salute is so 2024. What was I going to say? We were talking about Spanish speake. Damn it. Flit it out of my head. What are you gonna do? Campus chaos update coming up. Stay with us. On a much, much more serious note, according to eyewitnesses from Sunday's massacre at Bondi beach in Sydney, Australia, which was absolutely a Muslim slaughter of Jewish people in a free country. Eyewitnesses are saying that the cops Froze. They hesitated for long minutes.
Michael
What?
Katie
Didn't return fire.
Michael
It went on for 10 minutes.
Katie
Yeah. And it appears that they. The murderers, the Islamist murderers began firing no later than 642. And police did not begin returning fire until 6:48. Six minutes. Ish. It's possible the Aussie police just don't have enough training for mass shooter events because they don't have many. I don't know. But it was. It was absolutely the opposite of what American police have learned and now do, which is you return fire immediate as quickly as you humanly can, because that engages the shooter. They're no longer about slaughtering, they're about not getting shot by you. Anyway, that's troubling. I can't. Accounts are saying, yeah, just terrible, terrible. And then this. A really interesting angle. The Aussie authorities are trekking to the Philippines, the southern Philippines, because the two shooters spent time in the southern Philippines a few weeks, I think, before they slaughtered those poor people. And they think they probably made contact with radical Islamists because the southern Philippines, very rural, remote islands and are known as a hotbed of Islamist activity.
Michael
I know, I heard this, but that, that, that. That almost portrays it like, you know, if I would run into an ISIS member at the cafeteria, they'd convince me to join isis. What?
Katie
No, they went there to get training and such.
Michael
So you don't think they were radicalized there? They just got their training there?
Katie
Oh, no, they went there.
Michael
I heard it portrayed as. That's where they got radicalized, which didn't make any sense to me.
Katie
Well, they might have gotten their marching orders. By the way, quick reminder. In 2017, militants loyal to the Islamic State laid siege to the city of Marawi in the Philippines. Months long battle. Over 1,000 dead and 350,000 displaced.
Michael
Well, and ISIS killed some of our troops last week, which Trump is vowing.
Jack Armstrong
Revenge for Armstrong and Getty. Then the space hamster flew his hot air balloon all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Where did that story come from? Book Dream? Nope. It came from a conversation. Meet Miko Mini plus, the AI companion that co creates personalized story adventures with your child in real time. What color was the hamster's cape? And what did he pack for lunch? Unlock your child's imagination. Discover Miko Mini plus and the magic of AI Exclusively at Costco.
Joe Getty
Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins, just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's o d o o.com skip the Hollywood gossip.
Andrew Wallenstein
Keep your showbiz conversations strictly business. Join me, Andrew Wallenstein, Chief Media Analyst at Luminate and Variety's Creative co Editor in Chief Cynthia Littleton for insider access to the business side of entertainment. Hear thoughtful interviews with the dynamic leaders of today's media landscape. Get unfiltered insights into the future of film, television, gaming, digital marketing, music and more. Open your free iHeartradio app, search strictly Business podcasts and listen Now.
Michael
Get ready for the wildest sight your lawn has ever seen. Sunday Sunday Sunday this spring Unleash soil science like never before. Witness your custom lawn plan and the transformation to a soft, green paradise.
Sunday Lawn Care Announcer
Sorry, just trying to get your attention. Sunday is a boringly simple way to get a green, healthy yard. No harsh stuff, no big trucks, no chaos. This holiday. Sunday plans are 20% off. Buy today and lock in your spring subscription. Sunday Smarter Lawn care for less getsunday.com.
Michael
I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1969.
Katie
And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of US President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history, the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, how close the world came to nuclear war, and what they had.
Michael
To do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb, Kennedy and KHRUSHCHEV. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Did I remember to mention how to donate? If you want to donate to help us, send as many kids into scouting as want to sign up so they're not held back by the couple hundred dollars cost. To join, go to Armstrong and getty.com Armstrongandgetty.com we'll do an update a little bit later. We're trying to raise $100,000 this week.
Katie
Yeah, there's a donate now button that you cannot miss. Indeed.
Michael
Coming up.
Katie
How do we feel about somebody who does something, says something morally abhorrent and then the Internet comes down on them? How do. Does it have to do with proportion or how much effect there is? Well, we'll give you a case study and we can talk about that.
Michael
My initial thought would be if you post it on the Internet, you're wanting a reaction.
Katie
What if somebody else does?
Michael
What do you mean?
Katie
You. You are being morally abhorrent. Somebody records it and puts it on the Internet.
Michael
Oh, I don't like that.
Katie
You don't? So you're okay with amoral behavior? Interesting.
Michael
Wow.
Katie
I'll just go ahead and conclude that to save time. Anyway, we'll talk about that going forward, but right now it's a campus chaos update. Oh, Lord, the chaos update. Poor woman.
Michael
What happened to her?
Katie
No, I like the old one with the pomp and circumstance. Yeah. Anyway, so story number one. Listen to this, would you? If there's some sort of award for this, I think it may win it. Princeton University, far from reforming itself, is launching a new anthropology class on gender reproduction and genocide in Gaza. A class whose description puts the Israeli Hamas war on par with Holocaust. The four credit graded course being taught by a noted Palestinian feminist who has made provably false claims that Hamas did not kill any babies or rape women on October 7th.
Michael
Oh, my God.
Katie
And also calls for an end to the Jewish state.
Michael
Wow.
Katie
Again, this course being taught at Princeton, which has learned nothing and has no shame, is gender reproduction and genocide in Gaza isn't. Here is a description.
Michael
I think Princeton is one of the colleges that really gets a lot of money from Qatar.
Katie
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Michael
Yeah.
Katie
Drawing on Decolonia. See if. Listen, we ought to have a game here, A drinking game or so.
Michael
I don't know.
Katie
Something count how many bull s critical theory terms are in this course description? Drawing on decolonial, indigenous and feminist thought, we examine how genocidal projects target reproductive life, sexual and familial structures, and community survival. Students will engage reproductive justice frameworks, survivor testimony, and Palestinian feminist critiques of colonial violence while situating Gaza within comparative histories of the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and genocide against black and indigenous populations. Wow.
Michael
Somebody's paying a lot of money to have their kid take that class.
Katie
Undergrads who take the class can get credit toward an anthropology major or toward a minor in gender and sexuality studies.
Michael
An anthropology major that's what my son's really interested in, that sort of stuff. And I was wondering, is there a university you can go to where it just isn't all that kind of crap?
Katie
Right. Here's another fun game you might play. I'm going to quote the woman who teaches this, who claimed that there were no rapes or killing of children on October 7th. Interject or substitute any word in place of Zionism. You want Islam, black people, anything. And see if anybody in America could get away with saying this, what she said. It's time to abolish Zionism. It can't continue. It's criminal. Only by abolishing Zionism can we continue. They will use any lie. They started with babies, they continued with rape, and they will continue with a million other lies. We stop believing them. I hope the world stops believing them. And it's unbelievable. So moving along. And again, as you said, Jack, Dewey eyed fools will take this course and believe it.
Michael
And they might just be having that.
Katie
Pay a lot for it.
Michael
They might only have that class to keep the millions flowing in from Qatar and other places like that.
Katie
Yeah, okay, I gotta, I gotta go a little more, then we'll move on. But among the required readings is an essay titled Retroside in Gaza. That's a new one. Reprocide in Gaza. The Gendered Strategy of Genocide through Reproductive Violence by Hala Shoman, a former Gazan dentist and self described social activist. Reprocide, she writes, quote, is the systematic targeting of a group's reproductive capacities as a deliberate strategy of erasure. Israel has weaponized reproductive health through direct military targeting, siege conditions, force displacement, environmental toxicity and gendered violence, thereby creating conditions in Gaza that make pregnancy dangerously high risk. Therefore the title of the class, Gender Reproduction and Genocide in Gaza. Moving along, this is a really good essay. I wish we had time for the whole thing. From that Jeff yass, who donated $100 million to the university of Austin and he explains why, if you're not familiar with the University of Austin and it's a wonderful back to what a university ought to be project with a lot of our favor favorite people involved. Anyway, he says, I'm giving $100 million to the university of Austin because the feedback feedback mechanisms of higher education are broken. Almost every system that works works because of feedback. Evolution works because helpful mutations, survival harmful ones die off. Democracy works because voters support effective leaders and remove ineffective ones. Then he talks about markets and science works, how it works. Most systems are institutions that don't work at broken feedback mechanisms. Corrupt politicians, crony capitalists ideological echo chambers. Unfortunately, higher education belongs in this category. The purpose of higher education should be to instill in students knowledge, skills, judgment and character so they can flourish and contribute to society. By that standard, success should be measured by how graduates are doing. And that's not happening anymore. He wants the success of education to be measured in terms of success.
Michael
Imagine that.
Katie
Success in the person's chosen field, in their knowledge. Did they get anything out of this is the question he wants asked. When you say it out loud, it almost sounds like you're trying to explain it to a not very bright child or something like that because it's so freaking obvious. But we've lost it completely. You go University of Austin And Jeff, thank you for doing the right things. Absolutely fantastic. Speaking of Texas, Texas Tech is off the woke crowd. I found this interesting. On December 1, the new Chancellor of Texas Tech sent professors a diagram laying out a chain of approval for course material. It accompanied a memo with rules for teaching about race and gender, including a ban on quote, advocacy or promotion of race or sex based prejudice. The chart asked professors to first ask if the course material quote is relevant and necessary for classroom instruction. It then details a review process that starts with the department chair and can go all the way up to the Board of Regents, the system's governing board. The chart is part of a wider national campaign by conservatives to reverse years of what they see. What they see? What anybody could see as left leaning faculty indoctrination across higher education.
Michael
Do they see that?
Katie
Yeah, that's what they see. In the same way that people going to the circus said they see an elephant. Yeah, that's cause there's an effing elephant there. Sorry. Anyway, like Gary Busey's geese, the the Free Press was writing about how a systematic analysis of various classes that purported to have both sides of arguments would have the big book representing the Marcus point of view. And then like everybody in the field knows what the counter book is the respected or there might be several of them and they just don't teach it. You don't read it. You don't have to. It's just UT and Texas Tech to their credit is going to finally do something about it. Final note. Jack, you mentioned the Qataris. I would like to mention the commie Chinese. Here's a headline for you. University of Michigan's partnership with the CCP linked Shanghai school brought Chinese spies to campus. And dozens of US universities have similar arrangements. Elite schools like Columbia and Yale maintain joint institutes, dual degrees and exchange programs with Shanghai Xiaotong University. Since October 24, Department of Justice has charged at least 12 University of Michigan students, researchers and recent grads. That's just the University of Michigan folks. At least 12, all Chinese nationals with national security related offenses, a scale far outpacing any other US School. Five of them were accused of taking photographs of military drills at a military camp. They all belong to an engineering partnership between Michigan and Shanghai Xiaotong, which House Select Committee on China Rep. Jason Moliner of Michigan said, quote, was helping the CCP modernize its military and allegedly sits on the People's Liberation army base in what town did I say? It's in Shanghai. Michigan, under pressure from Molinar went on to end its 20 year partnership. But other top universities maintain ties to the Chinese schools. Between the Qataris pumping money in so schools teach up with the Muslim Brotherhood and down with the Jew and the communist Chinese sending their spies to America masquerading as scholars, it is some serious rot. It's campus chaos.
Michael
Thank you for that. Okay, we got to tell you about Omaha Steaks. But as soon as we're done, I got a question. Katie, you can weigh on this about my neighbors bringing me cookies and whether or not I got to bring them something. Now I, maybe I bring them Omaha Steaks. I got quite a few. Here's a, here's a frozen steak.
Katie
Slap a ribeye down on the counter.
Michael
I'll hand them a frozen steak in the plastic from Omaha Steaks and I'll just say you can either put this back in the freezer or let it thaw. Your choice almost takes. I have a lot because I order regularly to make sure that we never run out. Whether it's steaks or burgers or apple tartlets, which I love, or whatever else it is. Right now is a good time to buy because you know us. Go to armahasteaks.com our listeners get an extra 35 off with the code Armstrong at checkout.
Katie
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Michael
I'm 60 years old. I should probably give up the idea that I'm ever going to send out Christmas cards, because I never have. And every year when I start getting them from other people, I feel guilty and think, next year I will. But at some point I should just decide, clearly, I'm never going to send Christmas cards to anybody. And so I don't, you know, take on the guilt. But this one is slightly different. Is my neighbors. I live in a cul de sac, and two of the main houses that, like, face me are next to me. One family brought over some nice. What are your Christmassy flowers? The red ones. Are those poinsettias?
Katie
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Yeah.
Michael
I don't throw in that extra syllable. Am I supposed to throw in the extra. I just. I can't do that. It's too much for me. But they brought over poinsettias and a card. And then our other neighbors, their cute little kids, the perfect family that I talk about on a regular basis. They're like the perfect family. And. And I feel like they're being perfect just to make me feel bad about myself, which is normal. They brought over cookies. They're cute little kids. And mom, they brought over cookies. So where am I on the obligation list to bring them some food, something.
Joe Getty
I would.
Katie
I think I'm going to be nice.
Michael
I think I'm going to. They're going to go with cookies. But then were they.
Katie
Did they bake the cookies for you?
Michael
Yeah, well, they baked cookies. I don't know that they baked them for me. They baked cookies? Yeah. Homemade cookies. Okay. So here's my other problem. I actually said, you know, we're going to bring cookies over to you. We end up eating them all, which is true. And he said, we'll make some more. My son made them from scratch. Absolutely from scratch. The sugar cookies and the buttercream frosting. Looked up the recipe. We bought the ingredients. He did every single thing. I didn't do one thing. They're not very good. So I gotta figure out, do I intervene? And I haven't said that to him. These are delicious. They're good enough to eat. I mean, my. My bar for how good a cookie sugar cookies gotta be before I eat it. It is, you know, right here. I mean, I've had them where the bar's way up. You know, the deliciousness is up here. I'm still gonna eat it down here, though. I mean, they were still north of.
Katie
Labrador Retriever, your bar.
Michael
But it's like the old sex joke. It's like sugar cookies. And sex, you know, even when it's bad, it's pretty good. So do I have my son make another batch of really not that very good cookies? If I do, I'm gonna make it clear that he made them.
Katie
I would tell you this as the husband of an avid, avid baker. Knowing that didn't go quite right. First time figuring out why is part of baking.
Michael
I'm Sue. I'm. Yeah, I'm sure nobody there that turns out great the first time. Most people are giving you their great sugar cookies. It's like the 50th time they've made them.
Katie
Right, exactly. I mean, it's not like you're gonna go, great Santini, and throw them at the boy and scream that you're no good. It just.
Michael
No, no, no. I ate him and I was fine. But now that we're gonna give them to neighbors, I'm going to give him these cookies, and they're going to take a bite of them and say, what the hell is this? I just pictured him holding out a.
Katie
Plate and Jack just smacking it into the air.
Michael
These are crap. No, I just. I don't know. Yeah, he'll get better next time, and maybe.
Katie
Maybe they'll be good the second time around.
Michael
I don't know if he noticed that they weren't that great, though. He hasn't said anything about it. He hasn't said these are a little dry or anything like that. Could it be your taste?
Katie
Do you still have your weird. Yeah. Do you still have your weird Covid thing?
Michael
Well, yeah, but the. They were clearly too dry. I mean, you know, that's got to do. Nothing to do with the ability to taste sweet.
Katie
Maybe make them a meatloaf or something. Something completely different. There you go.
Michael
Go get some free donuts from the store. Hand them a meatloaf.
Katie
Okay. Yeah, well, you could plate it. I'm sure they'd return the plate.
Michael
All right, if anybody's got an idea text line, we need to do an update on the raising money for the Scouts. See where we are. Got some funny donations and other stuff to get to, so stay here.
Katie
Armstrong and Getty. Shh.
Jack Armstrong
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Joe Getty
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Andrew Wallenstein
Keep your showbiz conversations strictly business. Join me, Andrew Wallenstein, Chief Media Analyst at Luminate and Variety's co ed Editor in Chief Cynthia Littleton for insider access to the business side of entertainment. Hear thoughtful interviews with the dynamic leaders of today's media landscape. Get unfiltered insights into the future of film, television, gaming, digital marketing, music and more. Open your free iHeartradio app, search strictly Business podcasts and listen Now.
Michael
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Michael
The Infinite Monkey Cage returns imminently. I am Robert Ince and I'm sat next to Brian Cox, who has so much to tell you you about what's on the new series. Primarily eels and what else? It was fascinating. The eels. But we're not just doing eels, are we? We're doing a bit with brain computer interfaces, timekeeping, fusion, monkey business, cloud science of the North Pole and eels. Did I mention the eels? Is this ever since you bought that timeshare underneath the Sargasso sea? Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. A recent survey found 42% of Americans.
Jack Armstrong
Plan to Spend less this holiday season compared to last year.
Michael
Of those, 49% are buying few gifts.
Jack Armstrong
38% are choosing less expensive gifts, and.
Michael
20% say they aren't buying any gifts at all. 20% of people aren't buying any gifts at all. Of course, I don't know what the number normally is. If your kids are all grown up and you're living alone and everything like that, maybe you're, maybe you're not buying any gifts. I don't know.
Katie
Not a very useful statistic.
Michael
But 42% of people spending less this year is a useful statistic. And not surprising to me given a lot of other numbers we've heard heard with maxed out credit cards and record numbers of people being behind on their car payments. I realize that's the environment we're in when it comes for us asking you to donate a little money to scouting. My son got involved in the Boy Scouts. I've seen what it's done for him and a lot of other kids in terms of leadership qualities and how they emphasize, you know, the morals and the Pledge of Allegiance and, and American history and all kinds of different stuff that I just think is amazing. Amazing. But it costs some money to join up. And sometimes the difference between become having your kid become a scout and not is whether or not you have the money. So we're trying to raise money so we can cover the cost for as many people as possible. We'd love it if we could raise a hundred thousand dollars. So that's what we're trying to do this week. And we'll hit a total here in just a little bit. When you go To Armstrong and getty.com, it is super easy to donate. And, and then you can use your name or be anonymous or come up with a name like $25 from they're eating the Dogs and eating the cats. We got 25 bucks from Gavin's rehab hookup. Did he hook up with somebody in rehab? Is that a thing? I don't even know if he went to rehab. That might be completely made up.
Katie
What the hell is going on? This is not. It sounds right. I don't remember the details though.
Michael
Not a whale, but a dolphin. 250 bucks from I Don't Watch the News. 25 bucks from Loud Gas Leaf Bl. 50 bucks from Unburdened from what has been.
Katie
Oh, that's a good callback. Nice.
Michael
50 bucks from Jack's McRib sandwich. 50 bucks from Jack's Morning Urine Drink. I don't know what that means. Does anybody Know what that means?
Katie
What? I can't recall the reference and I wish he hadn't brought it up.
Michael
Me too. 30 bucks from wool. They made me give back the money, which is pretty good. Thank you for that. And we also had a whale. Jim Merryman, $1,000 donation. Thank you very much, Jim.
Katie
Actually, that's going to change a lot of a lot of kids lives, the influence of scouting on them. Fantastic.
Michael
So if you're running around and you are spending money this year, make yourself feel better by throwing a couple of bucks toward doing some good. I mean, 25 bucks. If everybody did that, we'd hit our goal easily. Let's get a total Gladys before we take a break. Thank you, Gladys, for the drum roll. We're currently at $74,157. There you go. We're going to wrap this up at the end of the show tomorrow. Can we make that last 25 grand between now and the end of the show tomorrow?
Katie
Oh, yeah, yeah. I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Next hour, I'd love to read a note from one of our beloved listeners who achieved Eagle Scout status. A lot of stuff coming next hour. If you don't get next hour, you got to go somewhere. Grab it by a podcast. Follow Us. Subscribe to Armstrong and Getty on demand. Armstrong and Gettysburg. Shh.
Jack Armstrong
You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meco Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini Plus. Only at Costco.
Andrew Wallenstein
Skip the Hollywood gossip. Keep your showbiz conversations strictly business. Join me, Andrew Wallenstein, chief media analyst at Luminate, and Variety's co editor in chief, Cynthia Littleton. For insider access to the business side of entertainment. Hear thoughtful interviews with the dynamic leaders of today's media landscape. Get unfiltered insights into the future of film, television, gaming, digital marketing, music, and more. Open your free iHeartradio app, search strictly business podcasts and listen now.
Michael
People, don't listen to radio ads while.
Katie
You'Re driving or making a sandwich. Your subconscious pays full attention. So relax, let it take over.
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Michael
The infinite monkey cage returns imminently I am Robert Ince and I'm sat next to Brian Cox, who has so much to tell you about what's on the new series, primarily Eels and what else? It was fascinating. The Eels. But we're not just doing eels, are we? We're doing a bit with brain computer interfaces, timekeeping, fusion, monkey business, cloud signs of the North Pole and eels. Did I mention the eels? Is this ever since you bought that timeshare underneath the Sargasso sea? Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
Jack Armstrong
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Michael
Right home for you.
Jack Armstrong
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Joe Getty
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Episode: Cockroaches Are Having A Moment
Date: December 17, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
In this lively episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty bounce from the bizarre new uses for cockroaches in technology, to the enduring value of scouting for kids, to a spirited critique of the American credit culture and the crumbling moral foundation of society. They cover campus controversies, the influence of foreign actors in U.S. education, and sprinkle in the usual Armstrong & Getty banter—including neighborly guilt trips about Christmas cookies. The tone is quick-witted, skeptical, and sometimes irreverent, maintaining the show’s trademark blend of humor and social commentary.
[02:59-03:40]
[03:40-08:16]
[08:16-15:09]
Armstrong and Getty revisit the classic question: can the U.S. function without a shared moral foundation? They reference the book Dominion by Tom Holland and America’s Christian cultural roots. “Our country’s morals were not from Buddhism, not Hindu, not Islam. It was Judeo-Christian...” — Jack Armstrong, paraphrasing a listener text [08:46] “A principle as foundational as ‘all men are created equal’ is straight out of Christianity.” — Katie [09:48]
Armstrong tells a story from the Lyndon Johnson era, where it was once considered immoral—on Christian grounds—for the U.S. government to take on debt, contrasting it with today’s ubiquitous credit culture.
The group discusses the shift from saving for purchases to the ease of debt and credit cards.
They ponder whether it’s possible to recover a culture of fiscal restraint and individual moral self-control.
[19:00-20:44]
[27:18-37:23]
[38:08-42:21]
[45:40-48:18]
This summary captures all main segments and flavor of “Cockroaches Are Having A Moment,” providing a thorough, timestamped guide for anyone who missed the show.