Meet people in Saint Robert, MO around something worth discussing
Begin with a current story, public event, campus article, book, podcast, or thoughtful question. Then continue the conversation online or meet at a nearby Roundtable.
From Common Quandary Today
Current stories with more than one reasonable way to see them.
Scientists have created robots the size of a pencil tip intended to travel through the body to deliver medicine to infections inside a beating heart. The bots, designed to replace risky open-heart surgery and ineffective IV-drug therapy to treat life-threatening heart infections, could also be used to less invasively and more precisely treat other hard-to-reach diseases, including cancer. “With just a little…
Consumers who buy Affordable Care Act health insurance are going to see changes both big and small as open enrollment for 2027 coverage kicks off. These include premium increases, possible additional identity checks, potential delays in working with a broker, and new limits on which immigrants can get subsidies. Shoppers need to plan accordingly. Open enrollment starts Nov. 1 in most states. Idaho, Connecticut, and…
Halloween excitement, not sugar, may be behind your child’s “sugar rush,” experts say. Your child eats a handful of Halloween candy and suddenly seems to be bouncing off the walls. It may be tempting to blame the sugar, but there could be a simpler explanation: Halloween is exciting. Kids are dressing up, running around the neighborhood, seeing friends, and coming home with a haul of treats they don’t usually have.…
OTM producer, Molly Rosen, has been on a mission to find out what technology her two-year-old kid will confront when he’s old enough to go to school. In a recent interview she did with a New Yorker staff writer, Jessica Winter, about how AI chatbots are infiltrating schools, Moll
My guest today is Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft and chairman of the Gates Foundation. You may have noticed Bill in the news more lately — he’s been on something of a tour for the past few months talking about AI risk, and how crucial it is that we start takin
What does it truly cost a human being to lead a nation through an existential war while the world watches from afar? President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reveals the psychological toll of continuous survival, the grim realities of geopolitical negotiation, and what keeps him still stand
Next Tuesday, Amy Winehouse’s classic breakout album Back To Black will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and there’s already a lot of hullabaloo around it, as you’d expect. Today, Variety reports that veteran Broadway producer Catherine Schreiber is developing an Amy Winehouse mus
Staines’s finest nailed the zeitgeist of the late 90s and early 00s, and now he’s back – but how does he fit into 2026? He discusses the backlash against his return, his worst ever interviewee and how he’s going to prevent world war two
Your dinner guest arrives with their dog. Do you let both of them in?
A friend appears at your carefully planned dinner with a large dog they never mentioned. They say the dog becomes anxious when left alone and will sit quietly. Another guest is uneasy around animals, and your lease forbids pets.
Your coworker's religious holiday means you work the unpopular shift again. Is that fair?
A workplace accommodates religious observances by asking other employees to cover unpopular shifts. One coworker objects that nonreligious commitments can be equally meaningful but receive less formal protection.