7 chapters across the catalog
"Austin the Pool Guy" contributes to the show, leading to a discussion about family histories of heart bypass surgery. Dvorak reflects on his own recovery and the differences between private insurance and Medicare. Austin also celebrates his daughter Marley's high school graduation and requests "baby making karma" for the community.
Christina Thomas is knighted as Dame Christina Judoka of Penn Woods. She discusses navigating the "liberal paranoia" of the university system while pursuing her graduate degree. She requests coffee and ramen for the No Agenda roundtable in honor of her interests in judo and exploring Pennsylvania's forests.
Cliff Stoll discusses his experience giving a TED Talk, explaining his "moving target" strategy of jumping around the stage to keep the audience engaged. He recounts being told to compress an hour-long presentation into 18 minutes, which he achieved by simply talking faster. Stoll jokes that he learned in graduate school to speak quickly so people wouldn't realize he wasn't saying anything of substance.
Graduate Stipends, Trump Derangement Syndrome and Upcoming Meetups
A graduate student donor describes the "cesspool of Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS) in academia and thanks the show for providing a sane alternative. Details are provided for upcoming meetups in Seattle, Washington, and Arlington, Virginia, with the latter already seeing high registration numbers.
Helen Trejo contributed a donation in honor of David Arulanis's birthday. She shared observations from her five years in the Ivy League system, including graduate school, noting the global perspective and specific research methodologies taught within elite educational institutions.
Betsy DeVos, Bethune-Cookman University and Booing
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was loudly booed during a commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college in Florida. Students turned their backs as she spoke, following her previous controversial comments regarding "school choice" and the origins of HBCUs. The university president threatened to mail degrees to students if the disruption continued.
Plano Senior High School Graduation Gown Controversy
Plano Senior High School in Texas reportedly banned National Honor Society members from wearing special stoles at graduation to avoid making other students feel excluded. This event is compared to the Kurt Vonnegut short story "Harrison Bergeron," which depicts a dystopian future where the government enforces total equality by handicapping the talented and beautiful.
