"The first order of business was a microdose, 0.25 milligrams, of psilocybin (the main psychedelic substance found in hallucinogenic mushrooms), which was child’s play compared with the dosages they would take the next day ... 'Who feels nervous about tomorrow?' Mr. Rodgers asked. Three hands shot into the air. 'Guess what’s on the other side of fear?' he said. 'Love. Always.'" Well, that and a potentially nasty hangover. Psychedelics have long been gaining popularity in the business world, and that includes chief executive officers. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise. CEOs need something to do when they're not at Burning Man. But the movement is about more than just tripping. In what is perhaps the most counter countercultural trend of all time, executives are using psychedelics to become more effective and efficient leaders. (If you think this sounds extreme, you should hear what news curators are hitting these days.) NYT (Gift Article): The C.E.O.s Are Tripping. Can Psychedelics Help the C-Suite? Turn on, tune in, drop me a line and let's do lunch. 2Raze AnatomyWhat happens when major public hospitals are turned into private practices owned by private equity? A lot of complications for the patient. You might want to put on a fresh set of scrubs for this piece from Dhruv Khullar in The New Yorker. The Gilded Age of Medicine Is Here. "A study published in JAMA found that, after hospitals were acquired by private-equity firms, Medicare patients were more likely to suffer falls and contract bloodstream infections; another study found that if private equity acquired a nursing home its residents became eleven per cent more likely to die. Although private-equity firms often argue that they infuse hospitals with capital, a recent analysis found that hospital assets tend to decrease after acquisition. Yet P.E. now oversees nearly a third of staffing in U.S. emergency departments and owns more than four hundred and fifty hospitals. In some of them, patients were 'forced to sleep in hallways, and doctors who spoke out were threatened with termination.'" 3Making Enemies"By all accounts, the Americans virtually ensured their own defeat: They repeatedly bombed their closest supporters here, showing just how little the United States understood about the war it was fighting. Civilian casualties are tragically common in war, in Afghanistan or anywhere else. But these attacks were different, residents here say. The Americans killed and maimed the very people who supported them most, swelling the Taliban’s ranks by turning allies into enemies." NYT (Gift Article): How America Created the Enemy It Feared Most. "For the Taliban, the battle of Want punctured the myth of American invincibility, proving that hardened resolve could overcome even the greatest superpower. But there is another lesson, too, whether or not the Americans ever fully learned it: the consequences of trampling blindly into a valley they badly misread." (We're still learning critical details about America's war in Afghanistan years after we pulled out. That's worth considering in situations when we think we're getting the whole story in real time.) 4Chapel BillEven though the move had been telegraphed for several days, the sports world was shocked to hear the confirmation that Bill Belichick had taken the head coaching gig at North Carolina. Between the Back to School memes and hot takes about how weird it is to imagine Belichick recruiting teen-aged players, it's worth noting that, these days, college football is as much a business as the NFL. Bill Belichick's move to North Carolina could be a game-changer in evolution of college sports. (Either that or the game changing evolution of college sports made way for the hire of Bill Belichick.) 5Extra, ExtraPresence Tense: Can the shifts in Lebanon and Syria lead to a peace deal in Gaza? We've been hopeful before, but there does seem to be positive momentum. Hamas has agreed to temporary IDF presence in Gaza in potential hostage deal. 6Bottom of the News"A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why." What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey? (My guess is that they're here to pick up Aaron Rodgers from the Meadowlands and return him to his home planet.)
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