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