We did our first live show! It was a bold evening of truths revealed and improvised scenes conjured as if by magic from the rude materials of current news. We thank our friends Mark Gagliardi, Hal Lublin, Annie Savage, and Janet Varney, and all the folks at the Elysian Theater. JOURNOS plans to do it again soon. You cannot want to miss it.

And so — in this episode, Brandon and Stephen talk about the Olympics and its obsession with all the hot young new sports, including ... drugs? Then it's on to Iraq, where militias are waging war on the United States through ... KFC.

Finally, we look to the near future, where Japanese scientists promise we will soon be able to grow new teeth, perhaps with the help of robots with living human skin. The future is very ... bodily. But the present! The present is all about breakdancing, fried chicken, and other matters of geopolitical importance.

NOTES

Breakdancing rules // Pole-dancing? // Drugs Olympics!!! // KFC attacks // Fast food in the Middle East // Thomas Friedman's McDonald's theory... // ... And why it's a dumb theory // Whataburger to the rescue in Texas // Find a location near you // The Waffle House Index // Even FEMA trusts it // Robo-skin science // An army of Chinese robots ... to help us

Big news! JOURNOS is doing its first live show! If you're in the LA area, come out and see us Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Elysian Theater! We'll be taking the stage to make the dumb news smart and the smart news dumb.

And we won't be alone, because we'll be joined by some improviser friends — Mark Gagliardi, Hal Lublin, Annie Savage, and Janet Varney! to create scenes out of our Live Journalism. News leads to improv, which in turn inspires the next news story. It'll be a true stream-of-consciousness experience!

Check out all the details and buy tickets here! Do not delay! We'll see you in July!

In this episode, we dive into a story about panda bear diplomacy and how the US almost lost one of our cutest assets. Then we genuflect about the possibility of having our first Millennial saint, a young man who built a website for miracles practically in the Web 1.0 days and who, after his death, may well have inspired some miracles himself.

We dig deep into issues of faith and geopolitical animal husbandry. Prepare yourself by praying (or voting) for whatever lights your candle.

For years, rear view mirrors have urged us to be aware that "objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear." And if you think about it, that's a pretty heady statement for a piece of automotive equipment -- reminding drivers that nothing in reality is exactly what it seems.

That was certainly the case for a bunch of despondent youngsters and their families in Glasgow, Scotland, upon entering what was billed to be an interactive, mind-bending, immersive Willy Wonka experience. Instead, the tots and weary parents were faced with something much more reminiscent of a meth lab.

A wonka-style Fyre Fest? You better believe the comparison was drawn.

Around the same time, across the pond, a larger discussion of business liability was discussed in the Supreme Court. The subject? Section 230, a "sword and shield" sort of law that protects companies like Facebook and others from liability based on what people say on their platforms, and provides them with the right to boot folks off of their platforms at their discretion. But perhaps what's most interesting about this story is its inability to be neatly placed in either a red or blue box, politically speaking. Either way, experts are saying that the Internet as we know it hinges upon the sanctity of this law.

So hop on in this haunted gondola ride to the twisted chocolate factory that is this episode of JOURNOS, decide for yourself if this section 230 thing should go the way of a greedy child turned into a blueberry (rolled back) or protected, like a whimsical chocolatier in a funny hat.

NOTES

E! News Clip on Wonka Fest//Fyre Fest Clip//NYT on 230//NPR on 230//Solid Primer on 230//Biden and 230//HBR on 230//ScotusBlog on 230//NYT on 230...in '96!//FOSTA-SESTA