Not Stupid

The news can be a lot. And sometimes it feels hard to keep up and difficult to keep paying attention. So how do we cope when the world is full of triggering news? 

It's been three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and the US President Donald Trump says its time to make a deal. But he is also rewriting history with the American president saying Ukraine has been the aggressor all this time. Jules and Jez have been doing some fact checking. And how do you itemise the amount of work you do in a week? Elon Musk wants people to write lists of their weekly achievements, so will it work?SHOW NOTESAnne Applebaum on Ukraine: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/02/putins-three-years-of-humiliation/681810/Jules' Pick: https://apnews.com/article/valentines-day-animal-shelters-fundraisers-rats-elephants-40537881d8f5ad65dd971fef11a856f5Jeremy's Pick: https://x.com/SusanDavid_PhD/status/1894066591551086683

There's plenty of hype around Netflix's new series about serial liar Belle Gibson, but what does the story mean to cancer survivors? Plus, we've got an interest rate cut, but when everything is costing more, so will voters blame the Government at the election? And Jez has been thinking about birthday cakes and making quite a few of them. SHOW NOTESFinancial Review "Cost of Living" article: https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/how-australia-became-the-world-s-biggest-cost-of-living-loser-20241118-p5krgkJulia's Pick: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-12/belle-gibson-apple-cider-vinegar-where-is-she-now/104918624Jeremy's Pick: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2025/02/14/birthday-jail-visit-centenarian/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-09/childrens-birthday-cake-book-changed-shape-kids-birthdays/10208246

Jules has been looking at some Australian and US studies about church attendance and they show an increase in young men identifying as Christian. At the same time, the number of women in the Anglican priesthood in Australia is dwindling, so is the Anglican Church becoming more masculine?SHOW NOTESThe Anglican Church's disappearing womenhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-09/the-church-s-disappearing-women/104910172In a first among Christians, young men now more religious than young womenhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/us/young-men-religion-gen-z.html

Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially harassing a police officer and Jules and Jez are wondering how we decide if "white" is a racial slur. And Donald Trump has pulled funding from USAID, so what does that mean for global aid and for the US' position in the world.SHOW NOTESI was a London judge. Sam Kerr’s case should never have gone to trialhttps://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/i-was-a-london-judge-sam-kerr-s-case-should-never-have-gone-to-trial-20250210-p5lb1e.htmlUS Soft Power took decades to build. Trump is dismantling it in weekshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/03/donald-trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-soft-power/Jez Pickhttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-11/hiv-campaigner-david-polson-qtopia-dies/104922742Jules Pickhttps://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/g63725350/best-dressed-men-celebrities-super-bowl-2025/

A UK poll has found that more than 50% of Gen Z think a dictator is a good idea. Jules and Jez are flabbergasted but when you think about all the  things younger generations are up against, maybe it is not a surprise. They discuss the findings, the Grammys and seven hundred Marilyn Monroes.Show Notes:Gen Z: Trends, Truth and Trust: https://www.channel4.com/corporate/about-4/gen-z-trends-truth-and-trust#:~:text=Meet%20Gen%20Z%3A%20a%20diverse,why%20urgent%20action%20is%20needed.Jez' pick: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-02/2025-brighton-jetty-marilyn-swim-fundraiser-cancer-council-sa/104886846

Jez attended an Australia Day event recently where last year's Australian of the Year recipients, Richard Scolyer and Georgina Long, were speaking about their work. They shared their concerns that young people aren't paying attention to sun-safe messages. They say we've seen worrying trends on social media in the last few years which glamorise tanning and sunburn. So why are #sunburn and #tanlines trending?SHOW NOTESA TikTok tanning trend is making the rounds on social media. Here's why it's dangerous: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-04/dangerous-tiktok-tanning-uv-levels-trend/104776700

At the Australian Open, a protester yelled out in the quiet stadium at the end of the men's tennis final. Jules and Jez unpack what it was all about and how sports deal with allegations against players.And after hosting a few days of Australia Day events, Jez has been thinking about how we mark important dates.BUY ADELAIDE SHOW TICKETS HEREhttps://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/2025-writers-week/not-stupid/JULES PICKThe Remarkable Normalcy of Being Disabled and in Love: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/well/family/interabled-relationships-burcaw.htmlJEZ PICKAriana Grande reveals the truth about "Holding Space"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOo-e-tR3PI

Have you come back to work after a summer holiday? Are you thinking that this year, you'll get your work/life balance sorted? Are you wondering if it really is possible? Jules and Jez chat about whether we should have a "right to disconnect" from the office and it turns out they are just very different humans. The Right to Disconnect https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-01/we-now-have-the-right-to-disconnect-but-has-it-changed-anything/104711380

Donald Trump has taken office, so what will the next four years look like in the White House? Jez and Jules look at what Donald Trump has done in his first days in the job and who is pushing back. And after a series of Anti-Semitic attacks across the country, the Government is promising to act, but Jules thinks we also need to think more about our history.SHOW NOTES COME TO OUR ADELAIDE SHOW!TICKETS HERE: https://my.adelaidefestival.com.au/4188/4189JEZ' PICK: De-extinction https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/16/science/colossal-de-extinction-funding-resurrection-science/index.htmlWATERMELON VIDEO: https://www.msn.com/en-in/food-and-drink/recipes/woman-smashes-most-number-of-watermelons-with-thighs-in-a-minute-to-create-guinness-world-record-watch/ar-AA1xnAGK?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1