Talk turkey | Gerald Ashley

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley and Marc Ross discuss the weather in Europe, Turkish foreign policy, living in a linear world, Dominic Cummings, ludic fallacy, Amazon + Roomba, finding good tacos east of the Mississippi River, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Turkey’s growing foreign policy ambitions: Turkey’s geography and membership in NATO have long given the country an influential voice in foreign policy, but the assertive policies of President Erdogan have complicated its role. CFR

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall Amazon

The real Cuban missile crisis: Everything you think you know about those 13 days is wrong. Benjamin Schwarz

What is a linear worldview? A linear worldview is orderly, progressive, and certain, with a beginning and an end. The world can be understood by a cause- and-effect relationship between separate events.

The Leading Indicators: A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World - Zachary Karabell Amazon

+ "How did we come by the “leading indicators” we place such stock in? We allocate trillions of dollars and make public policy and personal decisions based upon them, but what do they really tell us?"

Some thoughts on education and political priorities Dominic Cummings

The ludic fallacy, proposed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book The Black Swan (2007), is "the misuse of games to model real-life situations". Taleb explains the fallacy as "basing studies of chance on the narrow world of games and dice."

Why Amazon paid $1.7 billion for a Roomba: How a robot born as a $10,000 prototype found its way into the middle of a $1.7 billion deal. WSJ

The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China - Julia Lovell Amazon

The Menu is an upcoming American black comedy horror film directed by Mark Mylod and written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy. A couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. Trailer

Commonwealth Games: 'An education in what esports actually is' BBC

French President Emmanuel Macron wants esports to be part of 2024 Olympics David Barshop

+ According to Esports Charts, the most viewed esports event of 2021 in terms of peak viewers is the Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore. The mobile title garnered a peak viewership of 5.41m and an average viewership of 2.08m across its short none hour airtime.

Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work for You - Capricia Penavic Marshall Amazon

Industry: Industry follows a group of hungry, young graduates competing for a limited number of permanent positions at Pierpoint & Co., a leading bank in London, while being thrown head-first into the exhilarating world of international finance. Industry is created and executive-produced by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay; executive-produced by Jane Tranter, Lachlan MacKinnon, Ryan Rasmussen, and David P. Davis, along with Ben Irving for BBC; co-executive-produced by Ed Lilly; produced by Lee Thomas. Produced for HBO / BBC by Bad Wolf. HBO

"Books to inspire action" | Miranda West

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Miranda West and Marc Ross discuss the future of publishing, working with a book agent, not paying attention to what others are doing, the balance between creativity + commerce, and the latest happenings at Do Book Co.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio::

Based in London, England, Miranda West is the founder and publisher of The Do Book Co. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Do Book Co.

Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney.

Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection: The Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection traces the founding and evolution of Washington, DC, as a city and a national capital. It includes nearly 2,000 prints, maps, manuscripts, books, newspapers, broadsides, and photographs. The collection was donated to the George Washington University in 2011 by real estate developer and philanthropist Albert H Small. Web

"I am making a product to sell."

The Do Lectures

Stay Curious - How we created a world class event in a cowshed Clare Hieatt Do Book Co

James Victore is an American art director, designer, and author.

"Books to inspire action"

“Focus on the doing.”

“Why should they (the reader) care?”

Mr B's Emporium Bookshop

McNally Jackson Books

Shakespeare and Company

See how you feel | Gareth Dauncey

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gareth Dauncey and Marc Ross discuss Gareth’s entrepreneurial journey and personal experiences in launching Mood, utilizing his skills as an architect to help with the app's design and simplicity, the ability to spot patterns over a long period, the benefits of checking-in with yourself daily, how more self-awareness provides more balance in life, and the need to promote your idea, even if you are reluctant to do so.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Based in Cardigan, Wales, Gareth Dauncey is an architect and founder of Mood. You can follow him on Twitter - @GarethDauncey - and LinkedIn.

Terrible Maps

"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook...you'd have invented Facebook." The Social Network

Mood: We track everything about ourselves, but never how we feel. Mood let's you track how you feel, with one tap a day, so that you can see the big picture and take charge of your mental well-being. More here.

Ruby Wax: What's so funny about mental illness? TedGlobal 2012

A new app lets users track changes in mood by visualizing patterns with color: The user-friendly app helps users understand the causes of changes in their mood. Spring Wise

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything - BJ Fogg Amazon

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work - Steven Pressfield Amazon

It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night - The Tragically Hip Vevo

Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely To Suffer Anxiety or Depression than Individual Sport Athletes - Journal of Sports Medicine

Should parents worry about new research linking kids’ mental health and individual sports? According to the study, children who played team sports had fewer mental health difficulties than those who didn’t play sports. Smithsonian Magazine

The Silly Season | Gerald Ashley

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley and Marc Ross discuss Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the internal politics of the People's Republic of China, the UK Conservative Party leadership election, the status of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Vogue Magazine photoshoot of Olena Zelenska, German energy use going forward, the snap election in Italy, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan despite warnings from China: WSJ reports the US House speaker plans meetings with Taipei officials, raising the prospect of increased tensions with Beijing.

Nancy Pelosi to meet Taiwan’s president on Wednesday: FT reports the controversial visit by US House Speaker triggers concern about possible Chinese retaliation.

White House warns China not to overreact to potential Pelosi visit to Taiwan: WP reports Biden administration officials briefed the speaker and her office on what officials saw as the possible consequences of a trip to Taiwan.

US warns China not to turn Pelosi’s expected trip to Taiwan into a ‘crisis’: NYT reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime China hawk, has not confirmed that she plans to visit Taiwan, but all indications suggest that she will make a stop on the self-governing island without prior announcement.

A Pelosi trip to Taiwan would test China’s appetite for confrontation: Xi Jinping has long vowed to answer any challenge to China’s claim to Taiwan. But current economic and political forces may make him unlikely to court a crisis. NYT

Biden and Xi are still hostage to a wild card: They’ve avoided any perceived display of weakness, but the two leaders have little scope to maneuver on Taiwan — or the potential fallout from a planned visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Matthew Brooker

China is more concerned about microchips than about Pelosi: Washington can avoid drift toward conflict by assuring Beijing about supplies. Dale Copeland

3 big problems vex China’s economy—and complicate Xi Jinping’s plans for a third term: ‘People in China are clearly unhappy with the state of the economy.’ Fortune

Rishi Sunak just five points behind Liz Truss in latest Tory leadership poll: The Times reports previous polling suggested the former chancellor’s rival had a 24-point lead.

Tom Tugendhat: ‘I will serve in whatever capacity I’m asked to serve’: He was eliminated from the Tory leadership race, but the former soldier still wants to help British politics make a clean break with the Boris Johnson era. FT

Liz Truss, a restless radical aims for Downing Street: The foreign secretary was brought up to despise Thatcher but is now wooing the Iron Lady’s diehard fans. FT

Liz Truss is the right choice for this Conservative party: The foreign secretary is the continuity candidate, promising more of Johnson’s ‘cakeism’ and avoiding economic trade-offs.
Robert Shrimsley

Portrait of bravery: Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska Vogue

The Zelenskys are in Vogue. That makes them smart, not silly. Sonny Bunch

Olena Zelenska's Vogue cover sparks backlash: Right-wing politicians in the US criticize the cover shoot featuring the Ukrainian first lady, while Ukrainians say they need the publicity to fight Russia. DW

@10DowningStreet: Prime Minister @BorisJohnson presented President @ZelenskyyUa with the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award for incredible courage, defiance, and dignity in the face of Putin’s barbaric invasion. The UK will always #StandWithUkraine #ChurchillAward

Kyiv counteroffensive 'gathering momentum' — UK intelligence: DW reports British military intelligence says Russian-occupied Kherson was "virtually cut off" as Ukrainian forces stage a counteroffensive helped by newly acquired long-range artillery capability.

+ More than 75,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured since the start of the invasion, according to US estimates

Inside McDonald’s months-long decision to sell all 853 stores in Russia—and lose a significant chunk of global revenue with them Fortune

Europe’s fight to stay united over war in Ukraine: The EU has shown solidarity, but facing inflation, a cost of living crisis, and possible energy rationing, leaders now face a daunting test. FT

While Europeans learn energy frugality, Americans stick to petrol-guzzling: Telling Americans to cut back has not been properly tested since Jimmy Carter’s failed re-election. Myles McCormick

+ Seven mayors in Germany have signed a joint letter calling for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be opened and more Russian gas imported

Italy is throwing away the chance for a proper debate on its future: The prospects for substantive reform after the fall of Mario Draghi’s government do not look bright.
Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

Bloomberg: Italy rightist bloc boosts Meloni with deal on premier candidate

+ League leader Salvini spoke after the coalition meeting Wednesday

+ Brothers of Italy is the biggest far-right party based on polls

What Italy's political chaos means for Europe Ian Bremmer

Hurdles ahead for Giorgia Meloni, the rightwinger who would rule Italy: The leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy could be brought low by the same people who did for Berlusconi: the hostile magistracy. That is if you believe one of her key aides. The Times

‘She’s very charismatic’: Could Giorgia Meloni become Italy’s first far-right leader since Mussolini? Guardian

+ Brothers of Italy leads far-right alliance in pole position for snap summer election

The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China - Jonathan Kaufman Amazon

McEnroe: An intimate portrait of one of the most explosive and compelling sporting icons of all time. John was an era-defining talent, Number One in the world in four consecutive years, but also a man prone to self-destruction. It’s this internal conflict that drove John to the very top, and very nearly broke him too. Trailer

America in the World: A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy - Robert B. Zoellick Amazon

I Love That For You Showtime

Legends + Leaders | Chad Munitz

On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Chad Munitz and Marc Ross discuss the rise of college super leagues, sports television, nobody wants to be in the office on Fridays, state + local governments competing for WFH workers, national localized office spaces, tourism, hospitality, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

WP: USC and UCLA will leave PAC-12 and join Big Ten in 2024

UCLA and USC poised to join Big Ten, rattling college sports anew: The move by two of the PAC-12 Conference’s marquee schools came as the Big Ten closed in on a new television deal. NYT

+ The Big Ten's media rights negotiations are reportedly nearing an agreement - The conference could be close to securing a record $1.1 billion annually

College football is about to change drastically — and not for the better Will Leitch

Attendance for college football games in 2021 reached a record low for an average of 39,848 fans per game, down 15% year-over-year, according to the NCAA. The average marks the fewest since 1981 at 34,621 fans per game.

The™ end of Ohio State as we know it: A college sports powerhouse trademarks a three-letter word. Is it hubris or THE apocalypse? Jason Gay

Virginia Tech's unique journey to the ACC: It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Virginia Tech is in the ACC today-at least in part-because of then Governor Warner’s adroit use of power. WRAL

FloSports is an over-the-top subscription sports broadcaster and streaming service. The company is based in Austin, Texas, United States, and was founded in 2006. FloSports streams live sporting events to audiences around the world.

Nobody wants to be in the office on Fridays: Employers are still divided on how to deal with this new reality, where just 30 percent of office workers swipe in on the last day of the workweek. WP

71 cities and towns are paying tech workers to abandon Silicon Valley. It’s working. Incentives are drawing high-paid tech workers, and challenging how we think about local economic development. Christopher Mims

Google’s campus is trying the hardest, but can perks compete with WFH? Google’s latest Bay View campus is a massive steel circus-tent-like structure; it’s young, fun, and whimsical but debuts at a time when many workers don’t want to go back. WP

Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X all basically agree on WFH: Support for hybrid working is high across demographics. But bosses should ask why — and address the reasons. Chris Hughes

Dark sky tourism is on the rise across the US: Where are the best places to stargaze in the US? A growing list of Dark Sky Preserves shows where to avoid light pollution and see the stars. Nat Geo

Tourist friendly North Coast 500 to go electric: Scottish tourism chief Lord Thurso wants to make the world-famous tourist route the preserve of electric vehicles. The Times

Only Murders in the Building IMDb

The Bear IMDb

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative - Florence Williams Amazon