EPISODE NUMBER: 9131 (July 30, 2013)
GUESTS: Atul Gawande
SEGMENTS: Smokin’ Pole - The Quest for Arctic Riches: North Pole Lake | Senator Gridlock | The Word - Secrets & Laws | Ted Cruz’s Humble Portrait | Sign Off - Sleigh Bells
SUIT REPORT: Navy Suit | White Shirt | Mustard, navy, & white striped tie
VIDEOS: Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Stephen “celebrates” the melting of the North Pole, mulls over legislative inaction, and honors Ted Cruz’s humility. Comment strong, lots more to come. [Updated]
Intro
- Tonight! Troubling news from the Arctic. That iceberg that sunk the Titanic has never been brought to justice!
- Then, how much should voters know about the candidates? I’d say more than Mitt Romney, less than Anthony Weiner.
- And my guest, Dr. Atul Gawande has written about how ideas catch on. I always heard that you got them from a toilet seat.
- CNN is offering do’s and don’ts for summertime sex. First Don’t: Watch CNN.
Smokin’ Pole - The Quest for Arctic Riches: North Pole Lake
Let’s sing altogether, now!:
“Rudolph the Red Brontontherium,
Had a prominent nasal ridge,
And if you ever saw it,
You would say ‘dear God I’m being chased by the Brontontherium’s natural predator, Andrewsarcus!!’, a thirteen foot carnivorous dog….”
- So folks, I say, let’s enjoy and maybe we can turn a buck on it. After all, that melted North Pole Lake sure looks refreshing. Let’s send some tanker trucks up there, suck it up and bottle it. We can call it “Pole and Springs.” And thanks to all that truck exhaust, we’ll never run out.
Senator Gridlock
The Word – Secrets & Laws
“Of course, to ensure the ultimate in legislative privacy, we should probably change all voting booths to have redacted ballots. And instead of pulling a lever, you just throw a dart. I don’t think American would notice a difference at this point, because if our lawmakers get to make policy suggestions in secret, we don’t know who we are voting for, anyway.”
Ted Cruz’s Humble Portrait
- I am proud to say that I am as humble or more humble than anyone else out there. You think you’re humbler than me? F*ck you. I am the King of Humility.
“I don’t know what part of this painting comes off as more humble: is it the hint of halo surrounding his head, or is it his look toward heaven, or is it all the people in this painting of him painting paintings of him? No wonder he looks so Christ-like in that painting. We all remember the story of Jesus promising to multiply loaves and fishes for the poor, then backing out of it on legal grounds. I mean, all that raw fish sitting out in the desert sun? Sashimi and Israel, I mean that’s just a lawsuit waiting to happen. “
“I, too, like to keep my ego in check by having portraits done of myself. For instance, this wall-sized mural of me winning just one of the Emmys I was nominated for in 2010. It could be 2008, I’ve won a couple of times.”
Nice job, graphics team: “The Passion of the Stephen”
Interview - Atul Gawande
Atul: That is the story of many slow ideas — that you have to not only delay gratification, it’s painful up front for a great consequence later on.
Stephen: Like sex.
Stephen: Why write about innovation… in a magazine?
Atul: ‘Cause I still believe in being able to talk to people, and be able to change minds.
Stephen: Well, language is the ultimate slow idea.
Galapagos-American, Mitch McConnell, really loves those filibusters, doesn’t he? He is so aggravating, but he sure does have some of the best nicknames!
Tip of the Hat!
+4
Loved the “Passion of the Stephen” graphic!! But I gotta say I really did not like tonight’s tie, reminds me of our old school uniform.
Tip of the Hat!
+1