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AIDS Big Pharma Billionaires Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE) Clara Mattei Economics Episode Jessica Wildfire The Sentinel Intelligence Tulsa WSUM

TMI 01/31/2025 – Clara Mattei Introduces Us to the Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE), The History of AIDS & How Big Pharma Kills for Profit, Obsolescence Was Invented to Make Billionaires, more

We are joined once again by Professor Clara Mattei, Director of the nascent Center for Heterodox Economics (CHE) at the University of Tulsa. CHE’s entire mission is formed around breaking the grip of the exploitative model of economics we are all too familiar with and finding a better path. Listen in to give the middle finger to Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand.

Then, we look at how the history of the AIDS epidemic is rife with examples of how Big Pharma places its unquenchable thirst for exorbitant profits far above any concern for the lives its wondrous medicines could save. Finally, Jessica Wildfire’s post at The Sentinel Intelligence tells how obsolescence was an idea purposefully put into place to ensure the profits kept rolling in – right to the top! All this and more on TMI for Friday, January 31, 2025 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Brian Thompson Episode George Carlin Immune System Jessica Wildfire Luigi Mangione Michael Moore Sicko The Sentinel Intelligence Vaccination WSUM

TMI 12/20/2024 – George Carlin’s Wisdom and Insight Was NOT Immune to One Critical Flaw: The Immune System, Michael Moore Responds to Being Name-Checked in Luigi Mangione’s Manifesto, more

In this episode, we show that even the most sacred of American cows, George Carlin, had his limitations when it came to the wisdom to be found in his humor. Jessica Wildfire’s piece at The Sentinel Intelligence takes on his famous comedy routine about germs and the immune system, where Carlin proposed that exposing yourself to germs helps your immune system “practice” and become stronger. This fundamental misunderstanding itself infected popular culture and became one of the most dangerous pillars of science-denial to be found in the anti-vaxxer arsenal.

Next, we look at Michael Moore’s response to being namechecked by alleged vigilante Luigi Mangione. Moore answered the question the media had been breathlessly asking him since his name appeared in Mangione’s manifesto: Does Michael Moore condemn murder? Going over his library of work, he cited how his entire career has been about exposing how people’s lives were repeatedly thrown away, destroyed and yes, murdered, by so many things that the American populace takes for granted, including the health care industry in his 2007 film, Sicko.

All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 20, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Act 10 Cognition Detroit Episode Gubernatorial Politics Jacob Frost Jessica Wildfire Media Mike Duggan Scott Walker WSUM

TMI 12/06/2024 – Bad Media Watchdog, No Biscuit!, Act 10 Struck Down in Mighty Win for Unions, Detroit Mayor Duggan Will Run for MI Gov as Independent, more

As the Cure for the Common Media, TMI aims to be an effective media watchdog, holding it to account for distortions and omissions… which means the piece from Jessica Wildfire on how human beings associate the ones giving bad news with badness itself was deeply troubling. We go over it all, showing how human cognition often serves us poorly when the news goes against what we WISH were true, even finding the narrow balancing act that can make truth-telling effective DESPITE the tendency to “shoot the messenger”.

Then, we take a moment to celebrate that Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ruled that a tremendous amount of the union-busting evil that was Scott Walker’s Act 10 went against the Wisconsin State Constitution. Finally, we turn our attention to the upcoming Michigan Gubernatorial race as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was declare he will be running, but not as the lifelong Democratic candidate one would expect – he’s running as an independent! We’ll keep our eyes on this to see if he meand to be a Bernie Sanders type (yaaay!) or more of a Joe Manchin (boooo!). All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 06, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Episode Food Apartheid Food Desert Jessica Wildfire LGBTQ+ OK Doomer ProPublica Region-Beta Paradox WSUM

TMI 08/30/2024 – Why Things Improve Most When They’re Terrible, ProPublica Examines the Failure to Reclaim Food Deserts, a Federal Judge Rules Trans Teen May Play Soccer in Female Team, more

Jessica Wildfire of OK Doomer wrote a piece this week that lost her more than a few subscribers, which is a shame given that it tells us a very important truth: that we often only improve things when faced with a horrible fate. The Region-Beta Paradox is important to understand, and we use Jessica’s plain-language distillation to get a grip on it.

Then, we head over to look at the national effort to combat food deserts (or as is catching on more lately, food apartheid). ProPublica reported on how the millions poured into founding local grocery stores in the middle of these under-served regions have met with frustrations and failure that can only be explained by understanding how these conditions began in the first place – we go over it all. Finally, we talk about a bright spot: a trans teen was allowed to play with her supportive cisgender teammates on a female soccer team, challenging the hateful ban in favor of community and joy. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 30, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Antitrust Big Oil Big Pharma Climate Climate Lawsuits Cognition Conspiracy theories Democratic Party disinformation Donald Trump Drug Prices Electoral Politics Episode Fracking Jessica Wildfire Joan Hunter Iovino Kamala Harris Mental Health misinformation OK Doomer Presidential Politics Stress WSUM

TMI 07/26/2024 – Untangling Biden Stopping Re-election, A Look at Who Kamala Harris Is, Politically, Joan Hunter Iovino and Jessica Wildfire Provide Separate Insights on the Mental Health Crisis, more

This week on TMI, we get a thorough look at how Joe Biden stepped down from being the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for President, as well as why. In an era where one incumbent president attempted a fascist coup to stay in office, it is a stark and welcome contrast to see another who will step aside willingly for the greater good.

Next, we take a dive into Kamala Harris’ political background and show what she’s fought for in the environment, monopoly and racial justice arenas. No small amount of what you’ve heard about her may be false. Finally, we have Joan Hunter Iovino and Jessica Wildfire contributing different-yet-compatible perspectives on how the “mental health crisis” we find ourselves in might be a sane reaction to insane times. All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 26, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Episode Global Politics Henry Kissinger Homelessness Housing Crisis Immune System Jacobin Jeff Bezos Jessica Wildfire Jonah Walters OK Doomer WSUM

TMI 12/08/2023 – “The Good Die Young – The Verdict on Henry Kissinger” with Jonah Walters, Jeff Bezos’ Jekyll-and-Hyde on Homelessness, Jessica Wildfire’s Guide to the Immune System and more

We welcome Jonah Walters of Jacobin Magazine to discuss the new book he co-edited, “The Good Die Young – The Verdict on Henry Kissinger”, and go over the broad influence Kissinger wove around the world in his over 100 years of life. You won’t want to miss this, or the new book, which is available via https://jacobin.com/.

Then we expose how Jeff Bezos’ donations to organizations fighting homelessness across the USA sets up a horrific contrast to his 400% larger investment in a company that will make the housing crisis here WORSE. Finally, we check in on Jessica Wildfire’s OK Doomer, to find that she’s compiled a truly useful list of what we need to keep our immune systems strong in the face of rampant disease. All this and more on TMI for Friday, December 08, 2023 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

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Amazon Capitalism Corporate Malfeasance disinformation Economics Episode Fascism Jessica Wildfire Media Minnesota misinformation Obstruction Sociology Wall Street WSUM

TMI 06/09/2023 – “I Wonder What the Poor Folks Are Eating” by Jessica Wildfire, How Monopolies Get Their Way By Throwing Tantrums

Insightful author Jessica Wildfire writes this week about how we Americans ave been systematically shamed out of admitting when we are poor and need help. With her permission, I share “I Wonder What the Poor Folks Are Eating” from her Substack, a piece that details exactly how we’ve been led to try and show gratitude for being ripped off, and never, ever ask for help.

Then we go over the recent increase in monopolistic corporations throwing temper tantrums to get their way when we throw regulations at them that they find inexcusably bad… for their engorged profit margins. All this and more on TMI for Friday, June 9, 2023 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!