Looking For A Ball In There Is A Slippery Slope

Summary

Podcast Summary: Armstrong & Getty On Demand – "Looking For A Ball In There Is A Slippery Slope"

Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction to the Episode

In the "Looking For A Ball In There Is A Slippery Slope" episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a variety of contemporary issues, blending humor with critical analysis. The episode navigates through their frustrations with award show traditions, shares personal anecdotes from volunteer experiences, and critiques political accountability within government sectors. Throughout the discussion, the hosts incorporate notable quotes and timestamped insights, offering listeners a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the topics at hand.

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1. Awards Show Speeches: A Slippery Slope

Timestamp: [02:21] – [05:00]

Jack Armstrong opens the discussion by expressing his disdain for the often prolonged and unengaging acceptance speeches at award shows. He shares his annoyance with how speakers are given a brief window to deliver their messages before the show hastily transitions to music cues.

Jack Armstrong ([02:21]): "You know on those awards shows how they give you like 20 seconds to say something, then they start playing music to tell you you gotta go."

Armstrong laments that despite the potential for meaningful commentary, many recipients end up delivering "five and a half minutes of droning on about nothing," which detracts from the significance of their achievements. The hosts agree that these extended speeches often fail to convey genuine appreciation or insight, leaving both the audience and the hosts feeling disengaged.

Jack Armstrong ([03:46]): "He also did a weird reason not."

The conversation underscores a broader concern about the authenticity and substance of public acknowledgments in high-profile events, questioning whether the brevity or length of these speeches ultimately serves the celebratory intent.

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2. Volunteering at a Golf Tournament: Appreciating the Effort

Timestamp: [05:00] – [07:10]

Transitioning from the realm of entertainment to personal experiences, Joe Getty shares his recent involvement in volunteering at a community-hosted college golf tournament. He reflects on the challenges and rewards of serving as a spotter and divot filler during an 11-hour workday.

Joe Getty ([05:00]): "I volunteer at the golf tournament that my community slash home course hosts. It's a college golf tournament, teams from around the country. It's wonderful. It's great fun."

Getty highlights the importance of gratitude towards the volunteers who maintain the course and support the players, advocating for simple acknowledgments from participants.

Joe Getty ([07:10]): "You can't give them a little thanks as you walk away? What does that cost?"

The discussion emphasizes the value of community service and the often-overlooked contributions of volunteers, advocating for a culture of appreciation and respect in all forms of public service.

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3. Dianne Feinstein and Public Accountability in Government

Timestamp: [07:10] – [12:32]

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to critiquing Senator Dianne Feinstein's approach to overseeing city employees. The hosts reference a past interview from 1971 where Feinstein advocated for the diligent performance of government workers, contrasting it with her current methods, which they perceive as invasive and undermining.

Joe Getty ([08:35]): "This was Dianne in 1971 as a moderate Democrat city councilwoman in San Francisco talking about government workers and how if you let them, they don't do anything."

Armstrong and Getty argue that Feinstein's modern-day tactics represent a "festival of self-importance," detracting from the substantive work of public employees and sowing distrust within governmental institutions.

Jack Armstrong ([04:10]): "It's just weird. The reverence for such a. Not that big a deal. Craft to me."

The hosts contend that such scrutiny compromises the efficiency and morale of city departments, suggesting that accountability should be balanced with trust and respect for the roles of public servants.

Joe Getty ([12:32]): "If you don't like constant accountability, maybe public service isn't for you."

This segment underscores the tension between oversight and autonomy in public service, advocating for a more respectful and constructive approach to governmental accountability.

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4. The Democratic Party's Shift and Public Service Challenges

Timestamp: [12:32] – [13:26]

Continuing their critique of political dynamics, Armstrong and Getty discuss the Democratic Party's ideological shift over the decades. They reflect on how the party has moved further to the left, diverging from its foundational principles of equality and public service.

Jack Armstrong ([11:42]): "San Francisco has always been a lefty town. Dianne Feinstein's always been a Democrat. How did the party move so far to the left of that?"

The hosts express concern that the party's transformation has led to a disconnect between its original goals and its current policies, particularly in areas of public accountability and service. They argue that this shift has made effective governance more challenging, as party members may prioritize ideological purity over pragmatic solutions.

Joe Getty ([12:32]): "Racism is racism. Discrimination is discrimination. One because for a while in one place on earth it tended to be one person and another sort of person. Doesn't change the meaning of the terms."

This discussion highlights the complexities of political evolution and its impact on public trust and service delivery, urging for a reconciliation between ideological goals and effective governance.

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Notable Quotes

• Jack Armstrong ([02:21]): "You know on those awards shows how they give you like 20 seconds to say something, then they start playing music to tell you you gotta go."

• Joe Getty ([05:00]): "I volunteer at the golf tournament that my community slash home course hosts. It's a college golf tournament, teams from around the country. It's wonderful. It's great fun."

• Joe Getty ([07:10]): "You can't give them a little thanks as you walk away? What does that cost?"

• Joe Getty ([08:35]): "This was Dianne in 1971 as a moderate Democrat city councilwoman in San Francisco talking about government workers and how if you let them, they don't do anything."

• Joe Getty ([12:32]): "If you don't like constant accountability, maybe public service isn't for you."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty adeptly navigate through critiques of superficial celebrity culture and delve into substantial political discourse, particularly focusing on government accountability and the evolving dynamics within the Democratic Party. Their blend of personal anecdotes, sharp analysis, and candid dialogue offers listeners a thought-provoking examination of contemporary societal and political issues.

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For more insightful discussions and content, visit armstrongandgetty.com.

Transcript

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Katie Green]

Broadcasting live from the.

[Joe Getty]

Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know on those awards shows how they give you like 20 seconds to say something, then they start playing music to tell you you gotta go. Oh yeah, I'd always hated that. Really. They'd start into something interesting and. Well, now I guess I know the producers know a lot of these people don't have much to say, so. Adrian Brody, actor. I loved him in the Pianist. Is that what he won the Oscar for years and years ago? The piano, Whatever it was, I really liked him. But God, he won an Oscar last night. He gets up there and he drones on forever. And they tried to play the music. So you're not playing me off. You're not playing me off. This isn't my first rodeo. And then he continues to drone on about nothing. It was so boring. Anyway, here Hanson has Edited it down. His five and a half minutes of droning on about nothing. I know. I kept saying to the tv, Henry and I are playing chess while we got it on tv. And I'm like, shut up, dude.

[Joe Getty]

Geez.

[Jack Armstrong]

Somebody pulled. Give a knock. Five and a half minutes of droning on nothing. This is edited down to just the ums and Oz.

[Joe Getty]

You know, winning and, and, and, and I. I'm oddly just brilliant. And I'm wrapping up. Please, please, please. I'm wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please turn the music off. Okay, I'll get out of here.

[Jack Armstrong]

And if you heard the entire five and a half minutes, it was not more meaningful than what you just heard.

[Joe Getty]

Yikes. Yikes.

[Jack Armstrong]

He also did a weird reason not.

[Joe Getty]

To watch the Oscars.

[Jack Armstrong]

He also did a weird thing. So he said, you know, they announced the Oscar and then everybody acts like they just won the Nobel Peace Prize or something. The. The reverence that everybody has in the crowd. I guess they all feel like they owe each other that or they want to receive that if they win someday or whatever.

[Joe Getty]

The way they.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's just. It's weird. The reverence for such a. Not that big a deal. Craft to me. Okay, you can act. Good for you. That guy's really good at building bird houses. Good for him. I mean, whatever.

[Joe Getty]

But the only thing they're better at than making movies is self importance.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, no kidding.

[Joe Getty]

You know, obviously their awards are. It's a festival of self importance.

[Jack Armstrong]

So hard to watch. Which you would wonder, why did I watch? But he gets announced when bad saskaries kissing her, hugging him.

[Joe Getty]

Ready?

[Jack Armstrong]

And he heads up and he realizes he's got gum in his mouth. He turns around and yells to his girlfriend, throws his gum at her, and she kind of on her high heels, tries to reach over and catches it. Boy, but that wasn't the classiest move I've ever seen.

[Joe Getty]

It's just wrong. Tuck it in your cheek, you savage. Swallow it. No, that's disgusting.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've swallowed about five pounds of gum in my life. Probably Katie.

[Joe Getty]

One more reason to judge Jack. If you're. She keeps the list for us. I. At this point, I have a scroll that's 19ft long. Yeah, yeah, that was a mistake going with a scroll instead of a notebook. I know. Anyway, so speaking of status and that sort of thing briefly, I had a very busy day yesterday. I volunteered at the golf tournament that my community slash home course hosts. It's a college golf tournament, teams from around the country. It's wonderful. It's great fun. But I had an 11 hour workday on my day off yesterday. I was a spotter slash marshal. And also because, you know, it's a charity tournament, we don't have money or anything, I was a divot filler. So I have binoculars on and these guys who hit the ball a mile, it's just ridiculous. I watch them hit, I try to follow it in the binoculars and, oh, it's over there in the trees and we go try to find it or whatever. And then sometimes it's in the middle of the fairway, whatever. But after they hit their shot, I've got my little sand container and I go in and I fill the divot for them. It's part of my job. And some of the teams, some of the guys will say thanks and thank you all for being here and helping as you fill the divot, which is nice. They've obviously been coached by their coaches. You know, you will do this. And they probably say it, you know, 37 times in the course of the tournament, but it's, it's really nice. Other guys, particularly if they've hit a bad shot or whatever, just walk off grumbling as you fill the divot. And I want to say to some of these guys, I get it, they're passionate young men and you hit a bad shot, you're kind of seeing your scholarship and your dreams maybe go a couple inches further away or whatever. I get it. I've competed myself. But I want to say to him, look, there's people out here with a net worth. They could buy a golf course. And they're not me, but. And they're filling your divots. You can't give them a little thanks as you walk away? What does that cost? You say, appreciate it, thanks. Something like that. But I've never said anything and I won't. But it's fun, though. If you love a game, probably a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good idea for you to pick up another skill, the way the radio things going.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I don't know what divot filling pays in general, but it's not the best work for an old fellow as long.

[Jack Armstrong]

As it has health insurance.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, no kidding. So anyway, that was big fun. But speaking of working and getting things done, one of the more hilarious and flailing aspects of the anti doge Resistance as Persona 5 by Chuck Schumer and Amy Klobuchar, bellowing at demonstrations.

[Jack Armstrong]

Did you know? So tomorrow night, Trump is addressing both houses of Congress. It's not all right. Yeah, it's not a state of the Union address when you, your first, first.

[Joe Getty]

One is not, yeah, whatever, it's a.

[Jack Armstrong]

State of the Union address. And, and he's going to go out there and see a bunch of things. But the Democrats are all bringing people that have been laid off by Doge as their guests. So they're going to go hack the house for government employees who've lost their jobs. And if they think most of America is going to say, oh my God, you lost your job, how awful for you, they just are misreading the country, I think.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I was going to say is those the aforementioned villains and others are bellowing and demonstrating in favor of government waste and bloat, which is an odd way to go, you know, an odd philosophy to advocate. I came across this. I believe it was one of our beloved listeners. Clip number 15. Michael, this is Dianne Feinstein back when she was coherent and significantly with us.

[Jack Armstrong]

She died.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have trouble remembering who's alive and.

[Joe Getty]

Who'S dead after being clearly dementia ridden for the last year more of her career. It's just sad puppet. Anyway, this was Diane in 1971 as a moderate Democrat city councilwoman in San Francisco talking about government workers and how if you let them, they don't do anything. They are serving an enormous public trust. And this public trust must be honored in the deepest sense of the word. And I believe that very deeply.

[Michael]

The number one topic of conversation right.

[Joe Getty]

Now is whether Dianne Feinstein is serious about looking in on city employees to.

[Michael]

Find out how hard they're working.

[Joe Getty]

I've received a number of comments from people who are concerned that many city employees don't keep regular hours or there are various infringements. How do you feel about Supervisor Feinstein.

[Michael]

Walking in on an ounce to see whether you're working?

[Joe Getty]

I don't appreciate people coming down here to look in on us, you know, And I think that city employees, of course, should realize that they are a public body and that they're subject to the scrutiny of the public at all times and that this is quite proper. Oh, it's all right with me. Doesn't matter.

[Jack Armstrong]

Do not worry about it because we are busy.

[Joe Getty]

We're going to have to look towards some management studies of individual departments. I think she can come here anytime she wishes. She'll be welcome. How busy are you in this department? Well, we never have too much rest, but we could use roller skates sometime. A part of the thing that's become difficult now is because of the press. It's very difficult for me to go in and out on an unobserved basis.

[Michael]

This much can be said without exaggeration. If there were a popularity contest to.

[Joe Getty]

Be held in city hall today, Dianne Feinstein would scarcely take first place. So my favorite aspect of that video, and it's partly a visual, but she asks three different, or the reporter asked three different people. Is that cool with you? And the first guy's like, no, no, I don't appreciate that at all. And he had the look, and the office he was in had the look of, we do stuff sometimes if we have to, but not much and nobody cares because nobody ever checks. And the. The two other gals, it's not a great data set, but the reason why they didn't mind was because they're busy as hell. They're like, hey, drop in anytime. We don't care.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

And clearly guy number one, the reason he objected was because she would drop in and say, what are you doing right now?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that's exactly what Elon has said. His experience has been at Tesla and Twitter and other places, the people that complain the loudest are the people that can be easily replaced.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is not surprising. I couldn't stop thinking. I mean, San Francisco has always been a lefty town. Dianne Feinstein's always been a Democrat. How did the party move so far to the left of that?

[Joe Getty]

Well, exactly. It's the classic, I didn't leave the party. The party left me to be liberal in 1971 meant, you know, we got to make sure black kids have as good a schools as white kids and there's no segregation and that sort of thing. Now it means if a dude dons a wig, he should be able to beat the hell out of girls on the sports field. Which is a bizarre notion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or if you played that for people and said it was now, they would assume it must be the mayor of some super right wing red county and, you know, red America, because it certainly couldn't be a Democrat.

[Joe Getty]

Right. When was the last time you heard a Democrat say, well, yeah, a public employee is being paid by the taxpayer and yeah, constant accountability is part of the deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you don't. You don't like constant accountability, maybe public service isn't for you.

[Joe Getty]

Right, Exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is wild. That's really good. Where'd you come across him?

[Joe Getty]

Well, the Internet in effect. But beloved listener sent the link along and said, I think you'll find this interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks for that. That's a good one.

[Joe Getty]

Charming.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wonder what this disease is. I have. I do not feel good. I'm on day nine.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The cold lasts 10 days though, so.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, you seem to be sicker than a cold.

[Jack Armstrong]

The underappreciated cold. Colds vary though, right? Every time you have one, it's a little different.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And different people suffer differently than others. Yeah. The soft, for instance, suffer differently than the strong and resilient.

[Jack Armstrong]

The kind of person that puts cream in his coffee tends to succumb to colds more than the more hearty of us. We've got more on the way. Stay here.

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[Michael]

All that [e-mail] on January 27th, it is international Holocaust Remembrance Day. We remember the great horrors, the evil of the Holocaust. Millions and millions of Jews were slaughtered during the Nazi reign of terror. Now today we are witnessing the rise of global anti, Semitism, the constant attacks on Israel, showing us that it is more important than ever to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and to ensure it never happens again. We have proudly partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Now they provide food, shelter, safety to so many Israelis in Israel as they fight against radical Islamic terrorism in our time, including those remaining Holocaust survivors. Your donation today will help provide food, water, medicine and other bare necessities to Jewish communities. Go to their [e-mail] that's supportifcj.org or call toll free 888-488ifcj 888-488ifcj. Today, two people at a movie theater.

[Jack Armstrong]

In Washington State watching Captain Brave New World were surprised when the theater ceiling collapsed on them. Surprised but grateful. What a steaming pile. Why are sequels so often bad? And they get so far away from like the original goodness? What is that?

[Joe Getty]

It's a different impulse. I have art I want to create and then I want to capitalize on the money my last art made. So I'm going to see if I can come up with a different story. And sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[Jack Armstrong]

But aside from that, the fact that a movie was just way too long and convoluted and Harrison Ford is too old. God is my mom's age. I like my mom. She probably shouldn't be an action movie star. But the other thing that happened at the theater, that was new to me, there were a couple of previews. The movie started 32 minutes after start time. Oh, movie was at 6. I got there at 6. Actually started at 6:32. You always expect some previews. Fine. Previews in general tend to be worth watching. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Fun.

[Jack Armstrong]

There were a couple of previews. There were about. I tried to count between 15 and 20. Just flat out commercials. I mean like TV commercials for a soda, for medicine, for a car, for just. Just like TV commercials you see anywhere. When did this become a thing? It's the first time I'd seen it in a movie theater. How freaking annoying is that? And I guarantee you what's going to happen. People are gonna start showing up at 6:30 for the 6:00 movie and you're gonna accomplish nothing.

[Joe Getty]

So whatever. Yeah, it'd be like skipping the opening band.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh wow. So and so loud. So for years and years and years Movie theaters, if you're old, they had kind of poor sound, and sometimes it's even kind of hard to hear. Now it's just definitely loud all the time. So damned loud. Both my kids were earning protection, like you're going to a concert.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I was starting to get tempted to go back and maybe see a movie in the theaters. The Dylan movie, for instance. Now you've convinced me. Never mind. I'll wait.

[Jack Armstrong]

Running through a couple of things from the weekend I came across. Some Tesla owners feel buyer's remorse and get egged as Elon Musk tears through the government. And they quote a bunch of people who loved their Tesla when they first bought it and wanted to stand up for this or that, and now they're embarrassed. All right, fine. Whatever.

[Joe Getty]

Fine. Whatever.

[Jack Armstrong]

This was floating around the Internet. How many countries tax their citizens and send money to the United States? I realize there's a difference between a poor country and the richest country that has ever existed, but. True, true that you taxing those people after a day's work and sending the money here like we do all over the world.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I guess I see some point to that, but it's like me yelling at my kids. I don't see you paying my tuition. It's just not the position.

[Jack Armstrong]

Problem to me is whether you get any credit for it. We don't get any credit for it. The world hates us. A lot of the world hates us. Half the country or all the young people hate us. Like we're terrible. Those countries aren't sending us money, we're sending them money.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And it does become. Well, it's the classic taking something for granted thing. It's like benefits programs in the U.S. whether the benefit is deserved or not, or necessary not, or good fiscal policy or not, you try to take it away, then you're the bad guy speaking.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, exactly. Speaking of aid, I didn't see this episode of Tucker Carlson show, but he had this guy on named Bob Amsterdam. How USAID is helping Zelinsky destroy Christianity with fake churches and violence. It had 3 billion views on Twitter and I'm sure many more million views on his own website. So a lot of people very interested in that point of view. I do not believe at all that Zelinsky is out to destroy Christianity, but it's very popular. And then this thing that I came.

[Joe Getty]

Across, and it's directly out of the Kremlin's messaging.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Wall Street Journal had an essay from a woman. Can white men finally stop complaining? For 50 years, we've been hearing from men who feel threatened by the gains of women and minorities. Now that the manosphere is in charge, the victim mentality has got to go. Surprised to see this in the Wall Street Journal. Seems like a WaPo New York Times sort of piece. Anyway, Matt Walsh, Remember Matt Walsh? He did a couple of different things that we like.

[Joe Getty]

What is a woman?

[Jack Armstrong]

What is a woman? He tweeted in response to that article. The woman who wrote this article is of course too stupid to understand that it's very existence is proof of exactly the kind of anti white male bias that she's denying. No mainstream publication would ever in a million years publish an article titled can women finally stop complaining or can black People finally stop Complaining? This is the kind of open contempt that can only be expressed toward one demographic group and no other white men.

[Joe Getty]

Correct? There was a headline out of the USA Today I was going to talk about and rant about last week that we never got to. The headline was, and I quote as I found it Supreme Court Appears Likely to Side with Straight Woman in Reverse Discrimination Case Reverse discrimination or reverse racism or whatever was is an invented term that doesn't make any sense.

[Jack Armstrong]

No it does not.

[Joe Getty]

Racism is racism. Discrimination is discrimination. One because for a while in one place on earth it tended to be one person and another sort of person. Doesn't change the meaning of the terms.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Michael]

On January 27, it is international Holocaust Remembrance Day. We remember the great horrors, the evil of the Holocaust. Millions and millions of Jews were slaughtered during the Nazi reign of terror. Now today we are witnessing the rise of global anti Semitism, the constant attacks on Israel, showing us that it is more important than ever to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust. And to ensure it never happens again, we have proudly partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Now they provide food, shelter, safety to so many Israelis in Israel as they fight against radical Islamic terrorism in our time, including those remaining Holocaust survivors. Your donation today will help provide food, water, medicine and other bare necessities to Jewish communities. Go to their [e-mail] that's supportifcj.org or call toll free 888-488-IFCJ 888-488 IFCJ.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

I thought that was pretty funny.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a convoluted premise.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, amusing. Speaking of amusing, I left out one part of my experience as a golf Tournament marshal. There's this. On the hole that I was patrolling. There's, like, a hazard that's a fairly steep incline covered with plants down to a little, like, lake. And a couple of times guys hit it in there, and I bravely ventured in to find their ball so they could decide whether they could hit it or whatever was part of my job. But I wanted to say to the guys, tell you what, looking for a ball in there is a slippery slope, but I just couldn't figure out exactly how to perfect. The neighbor just looked at me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anyway, I got a question for you. This is on a theme we talked about last week. I don't remember how it came up.

[Joe Getty]

And then how to protect yourself from hackers.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is about the journey versus the destination or the point of life or accomplishment and our effort or what it means to be human or something. But, wow.

[Joe Getty]

Let's do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

What if you could take a pill that would make you five strokes better at golf?

[Joe Getty]

Would you do it five strokes better.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or make it 10 strokes, if you want? Would you take a pill that would make it 10 strokes better golf? Would you take it?

[Joe Getty]

I would hope not. I would hope not. If I were a couple of drinks in, I might. Well, yeah, I would hope not because that devalues, you know, the whole point. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think that. I think that means something.

[Joe Getty]

Although I think all mediocre golfers like myself hate the kid who. He just picked up a golf club a month ago, and he shot four under par for the third time today. You know, I hate people like that. That's crazy. Well, sure, because he didn't work at all. He just happens to have the muscle memory and the talent and a good teacher or whatever, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

But the effort's the whole thing, right?

[Joe Getty]

It's a lot of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

I feel like if there was a pill that would make me play guitar like John Mayer today, I don't think I would take it. What would be the point?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yeah. If, on the other hand, you're on the back nine, you're down, like, 100 bucks, I'd take the pill.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or I'm like, 25. This would make me rich and get me a lot of girls. Okay, where's the pill now? I need a glass of water.

[Joe Getty]

Don't worry about the water. I'll choke it down. Yeah. Yeah. Probably not. I'd like to think I wouldn't. So, first of all, a quick couple of tech notes, including on AI Broadly. I've never heard of this guy before, but he's well known in Tech circles. Sheikh Tanun bin Zayed Al Nayan. How many were. How many names are enough? He's from the uae. He's sometimes called the Spy Sheikh. Interesting guy. He is Richard and God, as they say. And has enough money to indulge every one of his passions. So he, you know, he decides I want to be a martial arts expert and he becomes one. Then a chess master than a video gamer and whatever. And he's really interesting fella. But he's also decided that the UAE needs to get heavily, heavily into AI and he is the chairman. As the chairman of two Abu Dhabi wealth funds, he controls more than more money than almost anyone on the planet. The Abu Dhabi Sovereign wealth funds have an estimated $1.4 trillion in assets. And this guy has an enormous personal fortune. And he's decided AI is the future. And so he's set up a new AI fund, MGX, set to be infused with more than $50 billion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, okay.

[Joe Getty]

His wealth and other Abu Dhabi sources.

[Jack Armstrong]

First of all, wouldn't it be fun to live in a country that. Fun to say all the time. Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi.

[Joe Getty]

Abu Dhabi.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh please.

[Joe Getty]

And write a song every day. Including.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably more importantly on the AI front, any effort by Elon or Congress or whoever to set up some guidelines that make sure people play within, you know, the rules of A.I. no flipping way. I mean, China's doing it, Russia's doing it. This guy's doing.

[Joe Getty]

Seems almost silly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it really does.

[Joe Getty]

I get the intent. I'm 100% down with the intent.

[Jack Armstrong]

But.

[Joe Getty]

It'S like standing next to a superhighway and screaming slow down. At every car that goes by. I appreciate the spirit here, Jim. Not sure it's going to work. Yeah, yeah, it's kind of quaint. Anyway, enough of that. So there are people all over the world who think that AI is the future and they're pouring zillions of dollars in.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, I hope they're wr.

[Joe Getty]

How did you know?

[Jack Armstrong]

No more change in my lifetime. Can I. Can I sign up for that? There's been enough change. Let's stop the change for the rest of my life.

[Joe Getty]

Or maybe there could be some sort of trade off. I will unplug the Internet in exchange for a leap forward in cancer treatments or something like that. It's like, you know, every. Every bill needs to be balanced by a bill that's a limit or regulation that's a limited or a dollar spent is just. It's got to be a break even. Anything changes forward, we go back to something else.

[Jack Armstrong]

There you go.

[Joe Getty]

Okay. How to keep hackers from destroying your digital life. Jack, you're gonna hate this. You're going to vow probably the moment I get started. Nah, I'm not doing that. I'll save you the trouble. Cool. So. And the Wall Street Journal had a story about this former Disney employee whose life was just destroyed with a single download that he thought was innocent. But this thing not only hacked into his computer, but it managed through means that I don't qu to hack into his password file, his password protector app, and published that and all its contents on the Internet. And he got fired from his job and all sorts of other stuff, but.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got fired from his job because he made the mistake on company time.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, on the company computer. Wow. And it caused problems for his company.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know how sloppy it was, but, I mean, a lot of these would be pretty easy to fall for.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. And again, I read the story. I don't remember precisely how. Oh, that's right. He was trying an open source bit of software that he thought would be useful and appeared to be okay, but it wasn't okay. It was a Trojan horse and it went crazy once it got onto his computer. But anyway, they say you gotta have two factor authentication for your password password manager itself. You can't just go to your password manager and type in your PIN or your password or whatever. Then you have to have it text you and say, hey, somebody's trying to open your on the very phone you're using.

[Jack Armstrong]

We can't live like this, people. Something needs to be done.

[Joe Getty]

There he is, folks. Right on time. But you're right, you're right. That sounds like an enormous pain in the butt. They say not having two factor authentication. Authentication can make your life easier, but if you're paranoid, make sure it's turned on. Blah, blah, blah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I tried that for one day because they. They added that to my. My, My hospital, my medical care app thing that I use. And so I was checking that several times last week for me and my son while we were sick and doing the two factor. Every single time I finally said screw it, I turned it off.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, here's another one I don't like. Think twice when a website offers to remember you. Hackers have recently ramped up the theft of what they call session cookies. According to the FBI, these are files that are stored by your browser and save you the annoyance of logging in every time you need to read a Gmail, check up on Facebook, order another box of your favorite protein bars. In my case, because they have my stuff memorized. Or, you know, I have a Nespresso machine for coffee at home and I gotta order the pods and stuff. And yeah, they know me. I just click what I want to order, confirm it's me. Zappity doo dah. But they say don't do that. Don't do that.

[Jack Armstrong]

These people with these rules need to live in the real world.

[Joe Getty]

Well, you're going to get hacked. The premise of this is you don't want to get hacked. And then the third thing they say is, and this was interesting about dude, because dude who got hacked, the former Disney employee, really computer savvy. And he had what he thought was a super robust antiviral defender thingy, virus protection. That's what they call. And it didn't see it. Well, then he downloaded a different one and it saw it immediately.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, somebody like me is doomed if this guy can get caught.

[Joe Getty]

That is my point. Indeed. You're doomed. We're doomed. We're all doomed. And then finally, because we ran out of time in the segment, I remember this Thursday or Friday, we really glossed over meta and their shorts thing, the shorts videos on your reels tab, they had really wildly inappropriate videos. They need to be described to get the full effect of the story. The videos which were recommended on some users reels tab included people who appear to have been shot to death or run over by vehicles.

[Jack Armstrong]

Holy people.

[Joe Getty]

Dead people being killed. Videos of people being shot, mangled by machinery, ejected from theme park rides, often back to back to back. Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my God.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. I'm telling you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie, was it you? Somebody. Somebody said that they saw some of these on their Instagram feed. Was that you?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it was.

[Katie Green]

And it was out of nowhere.

[Joe Getty]

Anything horrifying or sexual. Porn like you said. One of them was a group of people on a malfunctioning ride that I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ended up looking up and they all died.

[Joe Getty]

So it was totally a death video.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Was it one of those spinning, swinging.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what they're called. And then what happened on it threw them off. Yeah, they come untethered.

[Joe Getty]

Well, she looked away. Thank God it ended in videos, Jack. The videos originated on pages that the reporter did not follow. This happened to with names such as black people being hurt. What do you get on that site? Recipes, shocking tragedies and People Dying Hub.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's a website called People Dying Hub?

[Joe Getty]

I suppose there is, yeah. Said an Instagram spokes hole quote. We have fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram reels feeds that should not have been recommended. We apologize for the mistake then. They declined to come in on the scale of the issue. But despite that assurance, videos of shootings and accidents dominated a journal reporter's reels feed into late Wednesday night, appearing next to advertisements for law firms, massage studios, and e commerce retailer tamu. I don't know what that is. Are we.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are we angry at someone over this? Or is this just pointing out that this happened and, oh, my gosh, that's too bad? Or.

[Joe Getty]

Well, their explanation of how it happened and why it happened is just uber lame.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, because I'm sure Zuckerberg wants it less than you do to happen, right?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I suspect so. But it reminds me of what was Apple's incredibly lame non explanation for something that went sideways the other day that we'd berated.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, when you look up Trump and it you say Trump and it says race, it prints out racist.

[Katie Green]

Did they call it frenetic overlap?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, just a classic case of phonetic overlap.

[Joe Getty]

Two completely unrelated words. Who would be so stupid they'd buy that? Tim. Tim Cook. So anyway, just own up to it. And Facebook, We've fixed an error that caused some users to see content in their Instagram reels fees feeds that should not have been recommended. Well, wait a minute. No, no. It's not like you're showing me opera videos or how to produce a beautiful, I don't know, roast beef. I mean, actually, I like beef, but no, you. You had people being maimed and killed and bloodied. What happened? Well, we fixed an error. What error? What kind of error shows me black people being dismembered?

[Jack Armstrong]

You were right.

[Joe Getty]

Describe that error for me.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a very good similar reaction of, like, pretending we're too stupid to know that your explanation was a nothing.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Here's this guy. He was shocked to see graphic videos of people getting shot run over and over on his reels tab. Wednesday. I watched 10 people die today. He said, it's hard to comprehend that this is what I'm being served.

[Jack Armstrong]

Again, Zuckerberg wants it less than you do, right?

[Joe Getty]

Clean up your act, Zucky.

[Jack Armstrong]

And kind of getting to your point about the hacking is, you know, Zuckerberg's throwing the very best tech and money he can at making sure nobody can disrupt his reels. And somebody was able to.

[Joe Getty]

I wonder if it was a disgruntled current or former employee was messing about.

[Jack Armstrong]

Could be. Doesn't like his new Zuckerberg's new hair.

[Joe Getty]

Probably doesn't like him going maga.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, right. That's exactly it. You name it, you solved the problem. We will finish strong.

[Joe Getty]

Next, Armstrong and Getty. Every day our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hey, I was just in an accident.

[Joe Getty]

Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Amica empathy is our best policy.

[Katie Green]

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[Michael]

All that available@meaningful beauty.com on January 27th, it is international Holocaust Remembrance Day. We remember the great horrors, the evil of the Holocaust. Millions and millions of Jews were slaughtered during the Nazi reign of terror. Now today we are witnessing the rise of global anti Semitism, the constant attacks on Israel, showing us that it is more important than ever to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust. And to ensure it never happens again, we have proudly partnered with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Now they provide food, shelter, safety to so many Israelis in Israel as they fight against radical Islamic terrorism in our time. Including those remaining Holocaust survivors. Your donation today will help provide food, water, medicine and other bare necessities to Jewish communities. Go to their [e-mail] that's supportifcj.org or call toll free 888-488-IFCJ 888488 ifcj today.

[Joe Getty]

Hey, it's Bobby Bones with some exciting news. Open booking is here for the top Shelf country Cruise Setting sail February 2026 aboard the luxurious Celebrity reflection spots are filling up fast, so book your stateroom today or sign up to become a lineup insider to receive the final lineup 48 hours prior to the public. Don't miss your chance to make February 2026 unforgettable. Visit topshelfcountrycruise.com that's topshelf countrycruise.com President Trump.

[Jack Armstrong]

Met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday. Let's see how it went. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War three. You're gambling with World War three pretty good. And now, thanks to that meeting, now you actually can gamble on World War 3 on FanDuel. So Elon tweeted out that the United States should leave NATO and the U.N. now, I just think that's interesting. From highly influential advisor to the Trump administration and just influential person in general. Making a statement that strong about something so important. Where we are in terms of like navigating the world or what other countries think our actual policy is or what we think our policy is is not like anything that's ever been in my life.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And even if certain people are correct that we need to totally readjust our worldview and the structure of global security and the rest of it, the transition could be, well, birthing the new reality could be a lot like birthing a baby. Messy and painful. Just a question of how painful.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And this one not quite as important. Democratic strategist James Carville gets an awful lot of attention as a very, very old man who I think is getting a little nutty, has revitalized the theory that President Trump has syphilis, which he claims has driven Trump mad. James Carville over the weekend said.

[Joe Getty]

And this was Friday, Saturday actually checking my bingo card. Nope, didn't have Trump has syphilis, James.

[Jack Armstrong]

Carville said on a video cast on Saturday. That boy ain't right. James Carville thinks Trump could be suffering from syphilis, which apparently was a story that was going around last year when there was a photo that showed some red spots on Trump's hand, which some say is a sign of syphilis. I don't know that.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, they have a cure for syphilis now. You get some sort of antibiotic, right. It's not like, it's not like 1750 where it's something you die of.

[Joe Getty]

I think there's some resistant strain of syphilis, but I doubt he has it. James thanks for weighing in though. Admit me, chorus to this history who prologue, like your humble patience, pray gently to hear, kindly to judge the final thoughts of Armstrong and Getty. That's the tone Zelensky needed to strike right there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's your host for final thoughts, Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Let's get a final thought from everybody on the crew to wrap up the day. There he is, Michelangelo pressing the buttons. Michael, what's your final thought? I think it's going to happen soon.

[Jack Armstrong]

We are actually going to see a physical fight between two world leaders on live tv. Oh wow, that'd be cool.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Who? Trump and Zelinsky. Somebody I know somebody, but oh wow. All right, I'd so I'd pay a dollar to see that. Katie Green, our esteemed newswoman has a final thought. Katie? So I watched a couple of clips from this inside North Korea after five years of isolation. You have to see this.

[Katie Green]

I, I put it on our hot.

[Joe Getty]

Links [e-mail] it's really incredible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's pretty interesting.

[Joe Getty]

Can't wait to see that. Jack, a final thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why is watching a bad movie so painful? I guess because if you're in the theater, you're probably not going to get up and leave. You're so invested. Whereas at home you just say are you digging this to somebody? And you might turn it off. But it just seemed like such a life suck to watch Captain America. Like two hours I'll never get back in my life.

[Joe Getty]

Well, exactly. You've donated some of your life hoping to gain pleasure and relaxation from it instead of get boredom and annoyance. That's no good. My final thought, I guess is the spicy times get spicier.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kidding.

[Joe Getty]

If the next 50 years are geopolitical tumult and war, it would not shock me. I hope not. But it's starting to feel that way.

[Jack Armstrong]

I think that's the most likely. Armstrong and Getty wrapping up another grueling four hour workday.

[Joe Getty]

The war I can take, but the tumult. Too much. So many people. Thanks. So little time. Go to armstrong yeti.com the hot links including that fabulous North Korea video or documentary. Drop us a note. Mailbagarmstrongandgetti.com pick up some swag. I am sporting as we speak. The ang hoodie.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll see you tomorrow. God bless America. Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

I will not sugarcoat this.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is a disappointing day for us.

[Joe Getty]

I expected more the the ketchup of journalism with the mustard of undercover work, but there's no freaking burger. This is insane. So I'm gonna get some cheeks after this. Oh really?

[Jack Armstrong]

But you have to pay attention to the cries that people have. It's true. A what now? I haven't said a word, so stop yelling at me. Okay.

[Joe Getty]

Thank you all very much. Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

O.Com the battlefield is set.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

So check out lenovo.com legion Lenovo Lenovo.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Lavender.

[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

And feels like hmm. Alright, that could go on for a while.

[Katie Green]

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[Joe Getty]

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