The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Independent investigative journalist Alexander Zaitchik chats with Trey Elling about OWNING THE SUN: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF MONOPOLY MEDICINE FROM ASPRIN TO COVID-19 VACCINES.

Parenting and childhood education expert Julie Bogart chats with Trey Elling about RAISING CRITICAL THINKERS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING WISE KIDS IN THE DIGITAL AGE.

US intelligence expert Amy B. Zegart chats with Trey Elling about SPIES, LIES, AND ALGORITHMS: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE. Topics include: The US intel perspective on Russia's war on Ukraine (1:37) The use of cyber warfare in this conflict (3:29) An element of cyber warfare that US intel was slow to understand (4:42) DC and Silicon Valley improving their relationships for the good of cyber warfare (5:43) George Washington actually proving to be an adept liar, especially on the battlefield (7:33) Improvements to intel gathering by the American Civil War (9:02) How the attack on Pearl Harbor shaped intelligence (10:28) The CIA's original intent upon its founding in 1947 and how quickly it became something else (11:34) How George Church and his 1970s Church Commission further shaped US intel agencies (12:41) What it looks like when an Congressional oversight committee does well with the intelligence agencies (14:28) Why the long-running disfunction between agencies got worse between the end of the Cold War and 9/11 (16:22) How 'unknown unknowns' shape decision-making (17:33) Whether intelligence is inherently secretive (19:17) The most common characteristic among intelligence officers (20:42) Finding Bin Laden as an example of forgetting everything you known to learn the truth (22:56) Asymmetrical information as a tool in making accurate predictions (24:35) The point where the amount of information goes from helpful to overwhelming when making predictions (26:12) Groupthink (one of Amy's 'seven deadly biases') negatively affecting the US intel community's read on Iraq and WMDs earlier this century (27:30) How to frame a problem in a manner that helps to avoid those biases (28:44) The secret of 'superforecasters' (30:06) Whether artificial intelligence is better at analyzing data than humans (31:18) The definition of 'counterintelligence' (32:46) The benefits of counterintelligence done well (33:04) Why intelligence agencies still use polygraphs when the technology has been proven as unreliable (33:47) How technology caused a counterintelligence crisis for the US in China a decade ago (36:43) Why 'covert action' is such a hotly debated topic within the intel community (38:02) How it's both good and bad that intelligence and war fighting are much more connected (41:34) What the public gets wrong about US intel agencies and officers dues to the liberties Hollywood takes with their depictions in movies and tv shows (43:22) ZERO DARK THIRTY as an example of Hollywood taking major liberties with 'truth' (46:04) How it's decided which information gets classified and who makes those decisions (47:25) Why chapter nine, titled "Intelligence Isn't Just For Governments Anymore", focused on nuclear threats (48:40) What Amy thinks will happen with our response to Russia in the coming days, weeks, and months (51:06) Whether China will take this opportunity to gain more of a stranglehold on Taiwan (52:31)

Military vet, writer, naturalist, and filmmaker Doug Peacock chats with Trey Elling about WAS IT WORTH IT? A WILDERNESS WARRIOR'S LONG TRAIL HOME.

Wildlife & science filmmaker Jackie Higgins chats with Trey Elling about SENTIENT: HOW ANIMALS ILLUMINATE THE WONDER OF OUR HUMAN SENSES.

Doctor of internal medicine and pediatrics Jonathan Reisman, M.D., chats with Trey Elling about THE UNSEEN BODY: A DOCTOR'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE HIDDEN WONDERS OF HUMAN ANATOMY. Questions include: How did an early love of exploring the outdoors benefit his eventual medical career? (1:21) How did an elderly patient help him better appreciate the throat? (3:31) Why is the cardiovascular system analogous to the Earth's waterways? (7:14) What exactly is the Indian-style way of wiping one's butt? (13:11) How are fecal transplants administered, and how do they work? (15:28) Why do bodily rhythms come up in the chapter dedicated to genitals? (18:25) What exactly is the pineal gland? (23:19) Why do our brains swell the further we get from sea level? (26:49) Where does the brain end and the mind begin? (30:29) Why is the skin 'intelligent'? (33:52) What does he love about urine more than any other bodily fluid? (36:29) How much of obesity is a medical disease versus a person making continually poor lifestyle choices? (43:44) Do medical schools provide adequate training on nutrition? (47:39) Why are the lungs a forbidden food in the US? (50:16) Why is eye contact an important component of his patient care? (54:04) Why is it important to assess the temperature of a finger or toe when treating an injury to the digit? (56:26) Why do plastic surgeons use leaches? (58:22) Why is empathy crucial for patient care? (1:01:15)

The Wall Street Journal's Hollywood reporter Erich Schwartzel chats with Trey Elling about RED CARPET: HOLLYWOOD, CHINA, AND THE GLOBAL BATTLE FOR CULTURAL SUPREMACY. The book breaks down the complex history of the CCP and American film studios, which has evolved since the 1990s to put China in control over a US industry whose financial successes have become hugely dependent on Chinese money.

Substacker Ian Miller chats with Trey Elling about UNMASKED: THE GLOBAL FAILURE OF COVID MASK MANDATES. Questions include: What was the consensus among organizations regarding face masks mitigating the spread of respiratory viruses, and why did that change so drastically shortly after the start of the COVID 19 pandemic? (1:06) With asymptomatic transmission touted early in the pandemic as a reason to mask, was there any research conducted in 2020 on the actual threat of asymptomatic spread of this virus? (3:01) Why does it matter that this respiratory virus spread through airborne means and not droplets, as it relates to masking? (4:19) How were medical professionals justifying the September 2020 claim that masks were more effective against this virus than a potential vaccine? (6:57) What was Ian's starting point for the ridiculous claims on masks' effectiveness? (10:10) Where does he get his info and how time consuming is it to put together his comparative charts that prove the ineffectiveness of masking and mask mandates? (12:38) Considering the drastic differences between the mitigation efforts in California and Florida, how have these to compared since the Sunshine State completely opened back in in September 2020? (14:55) How have hospital numbers been manipulated to help the case for masking? (17:04) Is the disappearance of the seasonal flu the past two winters a good argument that masking works in some capacity? (21:48) Do N95 and KN95 masks protect the wearer more than cloth and surgical masks? (23:44) How concerned is he with the longterm effects of the forced masking of kids in schools across the country? (25:06) How is the most recent CDC study proving the effectiveness of indoor masking flawed to the point of irrelevance? (29:55)

Journalist, author, and podcaster Florence Williams chats with Trey Elling about HEARTBREAK: A PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY. The book weaves Florence's personal struggle to understand the abrupt ending of her 25-year marriage with a search for the health science of relationships that flourish and, more importantly, dissolve.

Emmy-winning actor Brian Cox chats with Trey Elling about PUTTING THE RABBIT IN THE HAT. Questions include: What inspired the book's title? (1:18) Brian was eight when his dad died. How did his life change after that? (3:50) Why did a schoolyard fight in grade school provide him with his first lesson on acting? (5:22) When and why did Shakespeare begin to click for him? (8:24) Considering Brian played the first Hannibal Lecktor in the 1986 film MANHUNTER, why has he never discussed the role with his friend Anthony Hopkins? (13:03) What were his impressions of working with a young Wes Anderson and Bill Murray on RUSHMORE? (15:01) Why does he feel like he only truly became a Scot after leaving the country? (19:17) Why is Brian's work in 2006's THE ESCAPIST his favorite screen performance? (21:20) How did learning that Logan Kent loved his kids convince Brian to accept the role in SUCCESSION? (25:19) As someone who has always pursued 'the reason why', what is that 'why' in 2022? (27:41)