You're Yelling At Science!

Summary

Summary of "You're Yelling At Science!" Episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode Title: You're Yelling At Science!
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Hosts: Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

In this engaging episode of "Armstrong & Getty On Demand," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty navigate through a tapestry of contemporary issues, blending insightful analysis with their signature comedic flair. The episode delves into topics ranging from the escalating prevalence of autism, the complexities of Medicaid funding, the pitfalls of child stardom, to intriguing historical CIA operations. Additionally, the hosts explore scientific insights into crafting the perfect day, providing listeners with a blend of information and entertainment.

Rising Autism Rates: Epidemic or Enhanced Detection?

[01:37] Joe Getty initiates the conversation by addressing the contentious topic of increasing autism diagnoses. He challenges the commonly held belief that the rise is merely due to better detection or changing diagnostic criteria. Referencing studies spanning decades, Getty underscores findings that affirm the genuine escalation of autism cases. He cites a 2013 study by the Mind Institute of UC Davis, which categorically states, “This is a real epidemic. This is something we've never seen before.”

[02:13] Joe Getty emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating, “This is a humanitarian crisis. It ought to be an enormously high priority, in my opinion.” Jack Armstrong concurs, questioning the extent of the increase and pointing out the broader implications on public health and resource allocation.

Medicaid Funding: A Deep Dive into Government Spending

Transitioning from autism, [04:26] Joe Getty shifts the focus to a significant political and economic issue: Medicaid funding. He critiques the program as a "bloated entitlement," highlighting its escalating costs and inefficiencies.

He discusses a revealing headline: "$600 billion Medicaid maneuver on the Chopping Block," which underscores Republican efforts to curb federal spending on Medicaid. Getty critically analyzes the intricate funding mechanisms, explaining how state-imposed provider taxes on hospitals and healthcare facilities create a "perpetual motion taxation and grant machine," ultimately inflating Medicaid spending without tangible benefits to taxpayers.

[06:16] Joe Getty expresses frustration with the system, stating, “I would like to run an experiment where I live my life over and starting at like the age of 18 out of high school, I just dedicated my life to trying to figure out how to game the system to get taxpayer money.” This sentiment underscores his skepticism towards the sustainability and fairness of current Medicaid funding practices.

[08:35] Joe Getty further critiques Medicaid by referencing studies that indicate worse health outcomes for recipients compared to non-recipients, challenging the program's efficacy. Jack Armstrong highlights the moral imperative for reform, suggesting that Medicaid has transformed from its original intent into a contentious entitlement program.

[09:25] Joe Getty points out the unintended expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, noting it has become a "permanent entitlement for childless men in prime working age"—a deviation from its initial purpose as a safety net for low-income pregnant women and disabled individuals.

The Dark Side of Child Stardom: Haley Joel Osment's Arrest

Shifting gears, [13:30] the hosts delve into the troubling case of child star Haley Joel Osment's arrest. Joe Getty elaborates on the incident where Osment, now 37, was arrested for public intoxication and was recorded using anti-Semitic slurs towards law enforcement.

[15:36] Jack Armstrong summarizes the event: “He called an officer an anti-Semitic slur and a Nazi while he was being arrested for public intoxication.” The hosts express dismay over Osment's behavior, linking it to the broader issue of how child stardom can negatively impact personal development and mental health.

[17:40] Joe Getty vehemently criticizes Osment's actions, stating, “You're pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself.” Despite the harsh criticism, the hosts acknowledge Osment's public apology and his steps towards rehabilitation, reflecting on the challenges faced by former child stars.

Crafting the Perfect Day: Insights from Science

In a refreshing pivot, [23:06] Joe Getty and [23:11] Jack Armstrong explore scientific research on optimizing daily happiness. They reference a study by the University of British Columbia, which analyzed the American Time Use Survey to identify patterns associated with exceptionally good days.

[24:05] Jack Armstrong outlines the proposed formula for the perfect day:

• Six hours with family
• Two hours with friends
• One and a half hours of extra socializing
• Two hours of physical activity
• One hour of eating and drinking
• Less than six hours of work
• At most a 15-minute commute

[25:08] Joe Getty reflects on the practicality of such a schedule, noting, “This is a lot of time with other people.” The hosts discuss the feasibility for the average person, acknowledging that while idealistic, the framework encourages a balanced and fulfilling daily routine.

Unveiling CIA's Bizarre Historical Operations

The episode culminates with a fascinating exploration of some of the CIA's most unconventional and audacious historical operations, drawing from declassified documents.

Extra Large Condoms: A Morale-Lowering Strategy

[30:07] Jack Armstrong recounts a 1950s CIA proposal aimed at undermining the morale of communist male citizens by distributing extra-large condoms mislabeled as small or medium. The strategy intended to suggest physical inadequacy among Eastern Bloc men, fostering resentment towards Western standards. Though the plan was developed, it was never implemented.

Osama bin Laden Action Figures: Psychological Warfare?

[30:18] Joe Getty and [31:16] Jack Armstrong discuss another CIA proposal to distribute action figures of Osama bin Laden in the Middle East. These figures were engineered to degrade under sunlight, transforming into demon-like characters reminiscent of Darth Maul from Star Wars. The intent was to instill fear and negative perceptions of bin Laden among children. The project produced several prototypes but was ultimately rejected.

MK Ultra: The Dark Pursuit of Mind Control

[34:50] Jack Armstrong delves into the notorious MK Ultra program, highlighting its unethical experiments aimed at developing mind control techniques. Launched in the 1950s, MK Ultra encompassed 149 separate experiments, many conducted on unwitting American citizens. Notably, a Kentucky mental patient was subjected to LSD for 179 consecutive days.

[35:30] Joe Getty condemns these practices: “You're using human guinea pigs against their will.” The hosts discuss the program's objectives, including the creation of programmable assassins, and the subsequent destruction of many related documents in 1973 to obscure the program's extent and atrocities.

Conclusion

In "You're Yelling At Science!," Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty provide a compelling mix of critical analysis and historical anecdotes. From scrutinizing the complexities of Medicaid funding and the troubling realities of child stardom to uncovering the CIA's most bizarre operations and exploring scientific insights into daily happiness, the episode offers listeners a multifaceted exploration of societal issues. The hosts' ability to balance serious discourse with humor ensures an engaging and thought-provoking listening experience.

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Transcript

[Jenny Garth]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now he here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

The media has bought into this industry canard this mythology that we're just seeing more autism because we're noticing it more, we're better at recognizing it or there's been changing diagnostic criteria. There is study after study in the scientific literature going back decades that says that that's not true. In fact, California legislature in 2013 asked the Mind Institute of UC Davis to look exactly at that topic. They said, is it real or we just noticing it more? And the Mind Institute came back and said, absolutely. This is a real epidemic. This is something we've never seen before.

Yeah. It occurs to me, something I was saying the other day about this, two researchers I know who work at the Mind Institute that he was quoting right there where people, somebody brought it up. We were at dinner. The idea, well, they just, they just, it's always been around. They're just noticing more and they got like angry at that suggestion. And you know, I, I, I just feel like intuitively, I mean, I've known lots of families my whole life as you have, and they didn't all have one kid who was clearly had a certain thing, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, it's undeniable. The diagnosis and awareness have increased. But as I said the other day, is that 5% of the rise 50% of it. How much? I agree completely. And if there were a shadow of a doubt as to whether it's on the increase. Autism and related problems. Yeah, it's, it's, it's. It's a humanitarian crisis. It ought to be an enormously high priority, in my opinion. Anyway, a couple of things on the way this hour. I will try to squeeze them in this hour. If not, we'll, you know, do one in hour four. Partly because it's Friday and I just don't feel like substance all day long. Just. Let's have a little fun. Number one, science has come up with the formula for having the perfect day.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, Perfect. I'm gonna write this down.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah, yeah. You don't need to think about it. You don't need to meditate. Pray. Science will tell you how to have the perfect day before you go to.

[Joe Getty]

Work or before you go to bed somewhere.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, well, they. It's funny, they don't touch on that. And also a list of some of them fairly recently declassified. Unbelievable operations the CIA has carried out through the years. Just for fun. You've heard of Castro's exploding cigar? Please. That's just the beginning. All sorts of good stuff. But first, before your dessert, perhaps a delicious marshmallow peep. So we were discussing last hour.

[Joe Getty]

You.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a delicious treat. And it's Easter, Jack. Anyway, I like that tone of voice.

[Joe Getty]

Like I'm not being reverent toward the Lord and Savior if I don't like peeps. That makes sense.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that what you took from my tone? I'm so sorry. Anyway, I wanted to get through this just because I found it so enlightening and interesting. And I think you will, too. Talking about Medicaid, just. Just briefly, and I came across this headline, the $600 billion Medicaid maneuver on the Chopping Block. Republican budget cutters are looking at cutting this. And this is interesting in itself, but it also points out how so many of these gigantic government expenditures are built to be exploited in ways we in the public never hear about. Or the super smart people figure out how to exploit them in ways that were never intended. Here you go. An obscure set of state taxes on hospitals and other health providers is in the crosshairs of congressional budget cutters because it can lead to higher federal spending on Medicaid. They're known as provider taxes. States impose them on hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that provide health care. The taxes boost the state's budget for funding Medicaid, and then they spend it on Medicaid, which in turn attracts more matching federal dollars to fund the program. Money that is ultimately directed back to the hospitals and clinics. So it's like this perpetual motion taxation and grant machine so that they can artificially inflate spending so they can spend more and the hospitals and clinics get it back anyway. But it's the taxpayers who, who end up paying for this bloated, you know, steroid fed spending.

[Joe Getty]

As I've said many times, I would like to run an experiment where I live my life over and starting at like the age of 18 out of high school, I just dedicated my life to trying to figure out how to game the system to get taxpayer money because there's a lot of people that do that. There's so much money sloshing around, there's so many opportunities to figure out a way to get chunks of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. And putting aside, except for this brief mention, the fact that our entire healthcare system is built on lies and fraud in that the compensation rates for doctors and hospitals and all for Medicaid patients and Medicare patients are artificially crazy low because politically they don't want to raise taxes enough to actually pay for this. So people with private insurance or paying cash pay exorbitant rates for health care to support the government scam. Anyway, that's enough of that. The state governors and legislators despise this idea because hospitals often tend to get back more in payments than they shelled out for the original tax, which shores up their ability to care for Medicaid patients who normally they'd say we're not seeing these people and getting paid 11 cents on the dollar to, to treat their broken leg or whatever. And the sli, then the governor say well wait, wait, wait, wait. How about this back channel of funds? We'll tax you and then give you back a $30 for every dollar in tax you pay. So anyway, not to, you know, to bore your, make your head spin, but all of this stuff is just so, so corrupt. Where there is money sloshing around, there is corruption. But that's kind of just the lead up to this story. The moral case for reforming Medicare. This is from the editorial board of the WAL Republicans in Congress are. They passed the budget outline last week. That's an ongoing fight, will be for a long time. We haven't talked much about it but I wanted to mention this. It's a once in a generation chance to reform the government, but it will be squandered if the GOP shrinks from difficult policy fights. Exhibit A is Medicaid the fast growing entitlement that now spends more than $850 billion a year while delivering subpar health care for the poor. And the left and the press are trying to intimidate the GOP from addressing the program's failures, saying that they're trying to cut it and get rid of it and people will die in the streets.

[Joe Getty]

Now Medicaid. Medicaid is the one that studies have shown you have worse outcomes than if you didn't get involved at all.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, some studies have showed that. Yeah. But Republicans can win the Medicaid argument if they understand how the program has gone wrong and make the case make their case in the moral terms it deserves. Here's the here's the important part. New research and pulling on Medicaid work requirements help to clarify the stakes more than six in 10 able bodied adults on Medicaid reported no earned income, according to a report from the foundation for Government Accountability of think tank. More than 6 in 10 able bodied adults on Medicaid get no income. Voters tend to think of Medicaid as a safety net for low income pregnant women and disabled Americans, which is how it started.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's not been that for so long. As our friend Craig has pointed out over and over again, it's amazing. Its reputation lives on for its original intended purpose, but Barack Obama's Affordable Care.

[Jack Armstrong]

Act expanded the program into a permanent entitlement for childless men in prime working age.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Also worth mentioning.

[Joe Getty]

Here's a freaking loser. I want to I want this message to reach those of you who are able bodied and don't work and live off the government.

[Jack Armstrong]

You. I despise you.

[Joe Getty]

You're pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself. All your friends should be ashamed of you. Nobody should be friends with you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. That's very judgmental.

[Joe Getty]

Damn right it is. We need more shame. You should be ashamed of the fact that you live off people that go to work.

[Jack Armstrong]

Can I get an amen? Shame or a shame? Yes. Thank you. Thank you Shame Bell lady. Also worth mentioning that Gavi Newsome of Cal Unicornia is desperately trying to borrow billions of dollars to pay for the state' Calicade or whatever it's called because he has extended so many billions of dollars of care to illegal immigrants. Remember Joe Wilson when Barack Obama said this will not go to pay for illegal immigrants? Wilson said you lie. Which may have been inappropriate and rude at the time, but was true. But he was absolutely right. Anyway, Democrats claim those on Medicaid are working. You'll hear statistics like this one from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 92% of able bodied Medicaid educated adults under age 65 worked full or part time or were indisposed for a good reason, such as caring for a relative or attending school. But that figure is derived from government survey data which are self reported and rely on sample sizes as small as a few dozen people. Fga, the think tank I studied earlier, by contrast, obtained administrative records from state Medicaid agencies in 23 states. A far more complete picture of earnings for nearly 21 million doll million able bodied adults on Medicaid. It found that millions are declining to work at all. Which of course is terrible for the country economically, culturally, in all sorts of ways. Democrats invariably paint this Ordering Americans back to work is indentured servitude. Unfair. But the GOP's proposed Medicaid work requirements back in 2023 were extremely modest. 20 hours a week, which could include training for a job or volunteering at your local library. Just do something or. And Democrats portray that as some sort of. You were sending them into the salt mines to be whipped.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And you probably only need to claim that you're volunteering at the library. You don't need to actually show up and doing your volunteering.

[Jack Armstrong]

So. And Republicans, by the way, in their cruel plan, offered exemptions for nearly anyone with a plausible reason. Pregnant, have children, caring for an incapacitated relative. You're exempt. Got a doctor's note saying you're unfit for work. Exempt. You're enrolled in school, getting help for drug or alcohol abuse. Okay, you're exempt. That was the cruel draconian.

[Joe Getty]

We're so much more socialist than people realize. It reminds me of when I was couldn't, couldn't get any child care. None of these people that I would, you know, contact on these various websites to try to connect you with people who want to be sitters. They would never, never call me back or show up or whatever. And somebody explained to me how. No, no, no, no. That those sites are for. You can show that you're making the effort to look for a job so you can stay on your government benefits.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

Because they actually are going to take the job. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. So coming up, science tells you how to have the perfect day and wacky CIA schemes through history. I guarantee you will be amused and amazed.

[Joe Getty]

And one of my favorite headlines I've seen recently, do you know child star Haley Jo Osment? He was the kid from Sixth Sense who said I see dead people. He had a rough week. Good headline for the New York Post. Stay tuned.

[Jenny Garth]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks to massive new proposed budget cuts at Health and Human Services, the FDA may have to stop routine inspections at food facilities. So look out for exciting new products like Tyson's tangy Buffalo.

[Joe Getty]

Beaks and thumbs. Yeah, enough sauce, you'll never know.

Beaks and thumbs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thumbs. Chicken thumbs.

[Joe Getty]

Do you know who Haley Joel Osment is? I'd heard the name. I knew it was somebody when I saw the picture. Oh, yeah. So he was the kid in the Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis. He's a little kid, says, I see dead people. So he was a child star. Child stars have a history of their lives not going that well. It's shocking to Joe and I, and always has been, that people continue to try to get their kids to become stars Even though like 95% of the time they end up in jail or dead, like, at a young age.

[Jack Armstrong]

No matter. No matter what is offered, no matter how it gratifies your ego or the child. Don't. Don't, Don't.

[Joe Getty]

Which I used to think was primarily the whole being rich and famous thing is such a, you know, a swirl of ugliness to get caught into. That was before Harvey Weinstein and, you know, we realized the underbelly of Hollywood. I mean, it's worse than that. I mean, you don't need to just throw money and fame at a kid to have their lives be ruined. They're surrounded by awful, awful people. Their whole lives going to abuse them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Add some attention and flattery to that and becoming addicted to the attention with. Even without the molesters and all. It's just. It's a terrible idea.

[Joe Getty]

Haley Joel Osmond, I see Dead people, is now 37 years old, and he had a rough go of it at the ski slopes. Mammoth Lakes, where I've been in California the other day, spewed on this. This is not a good headline. Haley Joel Osment Hurls Jewish Slurs at Cops, Almost Loses Pants in Arrest Video. You hate to almost lose your pants.

[Jack Armstrong]

While hurling, you know, anti Semitic slurs at law enforcement officers.

[Joe Getty]

Almost lose his pants.

[Jack Armstrong]

How does that happen?

[Joe Getty]

He called an officer an anti Semitic slur and a Nazi while he was being arrested for public intoxication.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which I kind of assumed that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, Anti Semitic slur and Nazi.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

You got to pick one.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Confusing. Really confusing.

[Joe Getty]

Right?

You got.

You gotta have a theme and you got to stick with. You got to build a narrative. You're not building a narrative here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Although Jews across America have kind of gotten used to this. You're the Nazis.

[Joe Getty]

Israel See, so you had assumed the intoxication.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, I'd assume that was a factor, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

He was taken into police custody, Mammoth Lakes, California, after law enforcement received a call shortly before 2pm for an alleged intoxicated person at Mammoth Mountain Resort. Now, I'm guessing you have to be pretty darn intoxicated for somebody to call the cops on you at a ski resort because there are quite a few people there that are drunk, you know, late, late morning, early afternoon at a.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ski indoor, stoned or whatever. Yes, that was the plan. That's why we're here.

[Joe Getty]

That's why I went. Yeah. In body camage, body cam footage, which the New York Post has looked at, Osment called a police officer an antivisclor and a Nazi. As we mentioned, at one point he shouted, I've been kidnapped by an effing Nazi. He also claimed he was.

[Jack Armstrong]

What a nightmare scenario. I mean, not only have you been abducted against your will, but it turns out to be a member of the National Socialist Party who's perpetrated the crime.

[Joe Getty]

What a nightmare scenario. On a beautiful afternoon.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right?

[Joe Getty]

He also claimed he was being attacked and accused officers of torturing me. In the video, Osment was heard telling police, you're effing with my life. Is also caught on camera saying to officers, you'll wish you treated me nicer, which is a version of, do you know who I am? I see dead people, which we're big fans of.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're gonna see a lawyer soon, son.

[Joe Getty]

You'll wish you treated me nicer. I'm a former child star. Don't you know that? Is what he's sort of saying. I was decent to you and you're effing. You're an effing kike, it looks like is what he said.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, yes. Terrible.

[Joe Getty]

Kind of an old timey Jewish Slurpee.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Hard to imagine thinking that was appropriate.

[Joe Getty]

In this scenario and calling him a Nazi again.

[Jack Armstrong]

But again, if you're being abducted by National Socialists, you're. You're gonna be rattled. You're gonna say things you don't mean.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, he's apologized and is embarrassed by his behavior and is looking at going to rehab and all the things that these sorts of people always do to try to get out of trouble with very expensive lawyers, probably.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I wish him well. I hope he gets clean and has a long, happy life again.

[Joe Getty]

Almost lost his pants. Didn't lose his pants. Almost lost his pants.

[Jack Armstrong]

How to have the perfect Day According to science and the CIA's wild history. Next half Hour. Don't miss it.

[Jenny Garth]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

What's the proper thing to say? I want to say the proper thing. Do you say Happy Good Friday?

[Jack Armstrong]

I do not. I never have.

[Joe Getty]

I think. I think even, like very solid Christians say happy Good Friday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. I don't. I'm just saying I don't. And take, you know, quite in contrast to the completely phony, if I'm offended, I'm right culture of universities, I've always believed in, hey, if somebody means it as a. A kind and friendly greeting, take it that way.

[Joe Getty]

Sure, of course.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It was the day that Jesus was tortured to death on the cross and. And killed. But, yeah, if somebody says happy Good Friday, take it in the spirit it's intended. I just tend not to. But anyway, best wishes and a most respectful Good Friday and Easter weekend to all of our friends. So how to have a perfect day according to science. I just. I wanted to mention this real quickly. Had a conversation yesterday, actually had a couple in a row, last couple of days with a young man, brief bit of background. My sweet wife and I are expanding our back patio so we have some screened in place to hang out when the bugs are bad. And it's. We're on a gentle slope, and so it's. It's kind of high off the ground and it's supported by bricks. It's a brick house anyway. And so there's got to be a pretty substantial foundation poured to support all the bricks and cinder blocks and stuff to build up to the level of the patio. Anyway, so the foundation people have been in our backyard now for several days doing what they do, which includes digging rather a deep ditch and then this incredibly complex web of rebar bent to. To custom shapes and then cinder blocks in a particular pattern. And I've been asking the guys, the foreman, because oddly enough, Jack, a number of the fellows involved don't speak English. But the foreman. Yeah, I know it's crazy, but the foreman do. And French. Exactly. They're all Frenchmen. They're all working like crazy in their berets, smoking their smelly cigarettes. It's wonderful to watch in their tight.

[Joe Getty]

Striped shirts like Pablo Picasso.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. Anyway, but no, in talking to these guys, it is absolutely striking A, how much they like what they do and B, because I'm fascinated by it and I think they like that. They're proud of what they do.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're very bright, very conscientious and. And actually kind of charming, too, because they're so, you know, enthusiastic about what they do and Want to do a good job and pick your own path in life. And everybody needs to. And I don't judge anybody who does. You know, what they think is right, as long as you know you don't hurt anybody. But the idea that those guys are somehow lesser then somebody with some dopey degree who's in a cubicle doing something that makes them miserable is practically obscene to me. To look down on those guys.

[Joe Getty]

Well, it's obscene and it's just flat wrong. Even if that's not your thing. Different people like different things. It's funny you bring this up. I got angry listening to a podcast here. Dad's listening to Jonah Goldberg of the Dispatch. Maybe you see him on CNN now and then, but he grew up in New York, so he doesn't have this point of view. But he was, he was talking about manufacturing jobs coming back and everything like that. And it became very clear to me as a guy who's lived the way he's lived, he doesn't know there are lots of people who would hang themselves if they had to live in New York City. I know tons of people who would rather be dead than live the rest of their lives in a place like New York City. And. And he just didn't seem to grasp that. No, there are a lot of people that want to live in a rural, cold place and work outside. They prefer that. Like everybody I grew up with prefers that. And then, you know, a lot of your elite can't imagine that that's true. And so they think it's just horrible that somebody is doing certain kind of jobs in certain kind of places. To me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, tip of the cap to all you fellows and gals who do that sort of thing. And you're certainly respected around here, so this is really an interesting story.

[Joe Getty]

So much better for the country if we could break out of that. So much better for the country.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

The whole university mill of loans and it gets more expensive and then the kids come out and they don't have anything to do anyway. And just the whole thing, it's like.

[Jack Armstrong]

A scam designed to make zillions of dollars. Huh. Anyway, and again, the judgment of good hard working people is what makes me angry. Anyway, so how to have the perfect day? How? What if you could engineer the perfect day not by luck or with crystals, but actual science? That's exactly right. The University of British Columbia analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey which recorded how thousands of people spent their time across more than 100 activ. By comparing these patterns with whether participants rated their day as better than typical, they were able to pinpoint the building blocks of an exceptionally good day. Okay, now we're, we're searching the.

[Joe Getty]

I'm guessing most people are like me. They're thinking right now, what would be my perfect day?

[Jack Armstrong]

This is not some sort of mountaintop. I'm with a guru in Nepal sipping margaritas and I have sex with a supermodel. It's not that sort of thing. It's a formula for having a great day or the bde the best day ever. And I'm gonna get to the end of this and you're gonna yell at me, saying, I can't. Don't have time for that. You're yelling at science. I represent science. For the next two minutes, are you.

[Joe Getty]

Gonna yell at science?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Exactly. That would make you a maniac. Here it is, the best day ever. And we will repost this under hot [e-mail] today so you can find it. Six hours with family, plus two hours with friends. One and a half hours of extra socializing. Wow. Would you like to start yelling now?

[Joe Getty]

This is a lot of time with other people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Keeping in mind these things can overlap. Two hours of exercise, call it physical, physical activity. One hour of eating and drinking and less than six hours of work, indulging in only one hour of screen time and at most a 15 minute commute. That is happiness right there.

[Joe Getty]

The commute I buy, man. First of all, there aren't very many people who live a day like that, obviously.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, right, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

And just the exercise alone aren't very many people who exercise two hours a day. Sure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Again, you know, I think they would include taking a walk with one of the aforementioned friends or family members, that sort of thing. Backyard.

[Joe Getty]

I'm more of a loner than the average person, so that's too much time with other people for me. But that doesn't mean that.

[Jack Armstrong]

And the gal wrote the follow up article to this is a single gal without family in her city. And so, yeah, obviously spending six hours with family is going to be difficult. But you know, if you boiled it down again, we'll post this so you can look at it again. It's about people in person.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, that's a good point. I, I easily spend six hours with family every day. Sure. The way my life is structured. So I'm thinking it would be cool if like a Fitbit or an Apple watch or something like that could give you at the end of the day how you spent your day as opposed to Just, you know, steps and average heart rate or whatever. I'll bet it'd be pretty depressing if you got to the end of like a month. Do a whole month and like, you spent an average of 2 hours a day staring at your phone. He spent an hour watching TV that you weren't really that interested in. A sporting event you don't care about or a TV show you don't even really like. You spent this many hours in your car, in traffic. You spent this many hours, you know, whatever. I'll bet it'd be pretty damn depressing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. You know, the readout on me would be you spent X number of hours trying to motivate yourself to do the things you really care about.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is sad. I remember one of the best things you've ever brought us. I think it was you brought us. This is the idea that your priorities are what you do, not what you say they are.

[Joe Getty]

That's a good one.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Ooh, sobering. And it's Friday. I don't want to be sober. So, coming up, unbelievable operations the CIA actually carried out since its birth.

[Joe Getty]

You spent four hours last month trying to get the password to work, that sort of thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, very depressing. Yes. And angering. But honestly, it might make you reorder your life.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. That's good stuff. Okay, how about you? What's your perfect day? Text line 415295 KFTC.

[Jenny Garth]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Taking some of your texts on what would be the perfect day. Joe just ran down scientifically what the perfect day is, and maybe we'll talk about that now. Hour four. So our text line 415295 KFTC. If you don't get our four, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand. I had maybe my least favorite thing that can happen in any given day last night is when you can't stop coughing and you're trying to go to sleep and you just got that never ending, like, tickle in the back of your throat. You just like, you just feel like one more cough and you'll be done. But you just. And it lasted till like 2am miserable. Oh, I hate that.

[Jack Armstrong]

You gotta have that. That medicine I, I recommended to you that has a cough suppressant in it. It's the only way I'd survive those things anyway. I can't. I can never remember the name of it anyway. So this is absolutely crazy. Some of this stuff is fairly recently declassified. Some of it's been known for a while, but it's examples of some of the CIA's most audacious missions since it was formed in the the 20th century, in the 50s in particular. And you may have heard some of these, some of them are new. This, you know, you don't start the show with a showstopper, but this, this is probably better off as the punchline. In the 1950s, the CIA dropped millions of anti communist pamphlets from weather balloons flying over the Soviet controlled part of Europe. But there was an idea that they worked to develop. They drew up a plan to also have packets of extra large condoms dropped on communist nations. But the extra large condoms would be labeled small or medium. The strategy was to lower the morale of male citizens by suggesting that they were physically inferior to their well endowed western counterparts.

[Joe Getty]

This is not true. This wasn't somebody's idea and we actually did it.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, it never came to fruition. But it was game planned out. There are records. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that seems dumb.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wish I had somehow found my way into that line of work dreaming up ridiculous, you know, plots for the CIA to consider. How about this one, much more recent? The CIA once hatched a plan to make an Osama bin Laden action figure to distribute to children in the Middle East. But here's the deal. When the action figure was exposed to the sun, the face would peel off to reveal a demon like character with red skin, green eyes, and black markings who accidentally bears an uncanny resemblance to Star wars character Darth Maul, which is neither here nor there. And they actually made several prototypes before it was rejected, you know, to be implemented.

[Joe Getty]

So you're playing with your Osama bin Laden Ken doll out in the sun and all of a sudden he looks like Red Skull from the Avengers movies.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly, yeah. And it freaks you out. And you think he's the dev, you do something and then you're up with.

[Joe Getty]

Invading Iraq or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or something. That's probably where the plan, the plan went to sideways. But what then, Jim? What, what are the kids gonna do there?

[Joe Getty]

I'm trying to stay with you here.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's almost like us.

[Joe Getty]

Play it out for me here.

[Jack Armstrong]

And what happens next? Well, you know, they, they like think Osama's the devil. Okay. All right. So they actually created three, they think three individual action figures. Prototypes.

[Joe Getty]

That'd be a good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, would I love to have one of those. Yeah, yeah. And honestly, it. When his face melts off, I'm looking at the picture right now. It, it pretty much just. He looks like he's in some sort of death metal band or something like that. I don't know how the average, you know, I don't know, Iraqi kid would take that. Here's another good one. We're back in between the sheets. From 1945 till approximately, well, sometime in the 70s, the CIA ran covert operations targeting foreign leaders who were either openly with the communists or leaning that way. There have been various viruses, exploding cigars, other spry thriller type antics. President Ahmed Sukarno of Indonesia accused the US of trying to destroy him for a sympathy toward communism with a CIA produced porno film that was referred to as Happy Days, which purported to show Sukarno in. This is a, quote, ecstatic sexual congress with a woman, although the person involved was actually an American performer in a mask. And as I read this, I thought what I bet everybody's thinking right now. How easy would that be to do Right now? It's effortless.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The CIA's plan was to circulate the film, pretending it had been secretly made by the KGB in the course of a visit by Sukarno to the Soviet Union. Like the other stuff, I don't think it was implemented. Oh, the plan backfired. Sukarno was actually impressed with how he was depicted in the film because it showed him leaving his Russian girl partner aglow with fulfillment, is the quote. And he reportedly ordered this distribution throughout.

[Joe Getty]

Indonesia because it made him look good. Gotcha.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, we have time for a couple more. I like this one, if only because it's a great name for a band. Remote controlled dogs. The CIA created remote controlled dogs by operating on their brains during a bizarre 1963 mind control experiment. According to recently declassified documents, researchers implanted a device inside six dogs skulls and used a remote control to guide them through an open field.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

The pooches could be made to run, turn and stop for real. As the scientists. Yeah. Zapped the reward centers of their brains with electrical currents. According to CIA papers published in 1965. I'm actually mildly surprised that we had that sort of capability to that extent in 1965. I'm sure it did not do the dogs any good, but, quote, the specific aim of the research program was to examine the feasibility of controlling the behavior of a dog in an open field by means of remotely stimulated electrical stimulation, etc. They eventually abandoned those experiments.

[Joe Getty]

I don't want to torture dogs, but some of these, it'd be pretty fun to have that be your job. Coming up with wacky ideas and putting together prototypes and whatnot.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. Now, you've probably heard about the CIA's brainwashing experiments during the 50s and 60s. Experimenting with techniques designed to make a person kill someone, then have no recollection afterward. Codenamed MK Ultra, the program involved some 149 separate experiments, many on unwitting Americans who had consented to being guinea pigs. Including a Kentucky mental patient who was dosed with LSD for 179 days straight.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that's horrible.

[Jack Armstrong]

Utterly, utterly unforgivable. It was officially launched this program to develop better interrogation techniques, as well as to explore the possibility of creating a programmable assassin. Let's see. Many of the documents pertaining to this, this mission, MK Ultra were destroyed in 1973 on the CIA's orders. Some survived and were revealed later that decade.

[Joe Getty]

That was leading up to the church commission. That's what they're trying to avoid there. If you know anything about that, Google it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yikes. Yeah, and they go into a bunch of detail on that one. And experimentations with psychics.

[Joe Getty]

That's flat out human guinea pigs. You're using human guinea pigs against their will.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh yes, that's exactly what it was.

[Joe Getty]

Wow, that is something I'd like to read.

[Jack Armstrong]

Probably should ended with the condoms and not. Not this thing. The super giant condoms to make them.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I have a small Compared to the American.

[Joe Getty]

I'm so depressed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Therefore I'm gonna.

[Joe Getty]

What?

[Jenny Garth]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.