Today we speak with Grant Chen in his office at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex. He is the head men’s tennis coach at SMU. Coach Chen found a passion for tennis as a child and became more and more exposed to the sport as he grew older. Becoming a coach had never been in the works for him, but the idea evolved after his time at UCLA. Coach Chen found an opportunity at SMU, and when he interviewed and visited, it just felt right. He talks about his values as a coach and goes into detail about his “KISS” concept. He tries to lead by example, especially because he never played pro, and he stresses the importance of associating yourself with the right people. He speaks about creating a goal and vision for each practice, and he talks about the exciting transition to a very strong conference, the ACC. In this episode, I talk to Coach Chen about his passion for tennis and his journey of becoming the head men's tennis coach at SMU.

Ask The Expert: Thankful for Tennis with Grant Chen

This episode goes beyond narrating an article entitled, 
⁠Harnessing Collective Efforts for Human Rights Promotion in Weak Governance Countries⁠
The First Person I followed on ⁠#Twitter⁠: I joined ⁠@X⁠ (⁠#Twitter⁠) in September 2010 to follow ⁠@BarackObama⁠ as I was amused by him, his balanced approaches, passion for justice & fairness and his ⁠#subaltern⁠ perspective of history & policy. Unlikely supporters, world leaders couldn't help their secret support of him despite their ire of the US. He didn't promote ⁠#americanexceptionalism⁠ without investing in American empowerment. He advocated for the ⁠#Palestinians⁠ while encouraging ⁠#diplomacy⁠, Israeli nationhood and partnerships but a workable solution in the ⁠#middleeast⁠ that caters to both sides.
https://twitter.com/renaldomckenzie.


I then shared the article which is available in The NeoLiberal Post at https://renaldocmckenzie.com. I began the article by saying: 


⁠LinkedIn⁠ asked: “What are the most effective ways to promote human rights in countries with weak governance?”
In the face of challenging circumstances, the promotion of human rights in countries with weak governance becomes a daunting yet imperative task. It is evident that meaningful change necessitates a collaborative effort, uniting various stakeholders, including international bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), influential figures, and nations committed to human rights. These entities must pool their resources and expertise to empower and organize local groups within these struggling communities. While such an endeavor is complex, it requires a multifaceted approach.
Education emerges as a cornerstone in the quest for human rights promotion. Empowering the masses in countries with weaker governance, such as Haiti, Russia, and China, calls for the dissemination of critical thinking education. To foster positive change, initiatives supporting education must be vigorously endorsed. In this endeavor, the utilization of cutting-edge AI technology and other digital tools can prove instrumental.


I went on to say in the article that: 

A striking example of the transformative power of technology in the advocacy for human rights is the Arab wave in Iran, where activists fighting for women’s rights harnessed social media to unite young people en masse. The impact of such movements extends beyond gender-based issues, addressing abuses against humanity, including discrimination, racism, and extremism. In essence, these are forms of violence against the human spirit and their fundamental rights. Throughout history, assertive advocacy, often materialized in the form of protests and rebellions, has played a pivotal role in challenging these violations and securing human rights.

Listen to the podcast as I read the article and make other comments or read the article ⁠here⁠.


The NeoLiberal Round is available on any major stream. Subscribe for free and find your favorite stream here: ⁠https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal⁠.
Donate to us at ⁠https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal/support⁠.


The NeoLiberal Round is a production of The NeoLiberal Corporation (The NeoLiberal), by Renaldo McKenzie, serving the world today to solve tomorrow's challenges by making popular what was the monopoly. Visit us at ⁠https://renaldocmckenzie.com⁠ or ⁠http://theneoliberal.com⁠. 


Follow on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/renaldomckenzie⁠ or ⁠https://twitter.com/theneoliberalco

Barack Obama, Israel-Palestinian Conflict and Promoting Human Rights

"You didn't pay? You're delinquent? No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them—Russia—to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay!" In February, former—and possibly future—US President Donald J. Trump launched a spine-chilling injunction to America’s allies in the sheer style of a New York City mob boss. If you'd like to enjoy the blessings of NATO membership, pay up or face the consequences. Trump’s comments constitute a significant break with settled policy precedent. America has provided a powerful “security umbrella” to most of Europe since at least 1948, but this could well be under threat from America First 2.0. This week, we cared to explore if Europe would be able to hold on its own two feet without American backing. How strong are the Europeans without the Americans, and has the old continent upped its military-industrial capacity since the Ukraine war? We are joined by Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist, and Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director at the Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique and recently the author of Pax Atomica (2024). As always, please rate and review Uncommon Decency on whatever platform you use and send us your comments or questions either on Twitter at @UnDecencyPod or by e-mail at . And please consider supporting the show through Patreon to get access to the full episode where we talk in further detail about nuclear policy:&nbsp;. And here's something special for you this week: do you love the intersection of strategy and diplomacy? Do you think you could have secured a better Brexit deal for the UK? Well, "How to Win Brexit" is the brilliant board game that allows you to relitigate the wars over Britain's departure from the EU and roleplay as the French President or the British Prime Minister. Whether you’re a political enthusiast, a board game fanatic, or both, this game should be up your alley. Great news for our patrons: we will be distributing two sets over the next two weeks, so if you’re on the fence, you might want to join us now!

103. America First, Europe Alone? with Shashank Joshi & Bruno Tertrais

“Day by day, however, the machines are gaining ground upon us; day by day we are becoming more subservient to them; more men are daily bound down as slaves to tend them, more men are daily devoting the energies of their whole lives to the development of mechanical life. The upshot is simply a question of time, but that the time will come when the machines will hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants”. Samuel Butler wrote those words in the mid-19th century in his essay Darwin Among the Machines (1863). The somewhat satirical essay calls for the total destruction of all machines to save humanity from inevitable subservience to them. Starting with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, science fiction writing often fixes upon the fear that machines will surpass us, replace us, and even enslave us. Terminator, Mass Effect, The Matrix, and Blade Runner all deal with this existential fear. Now that AI has arrived in a mass use format through ChatGPT and Gemini, lawmakers around the globe are rushing to regulate this technology to prevent abuse while still enabling innovation. The EU has jumped out ahead in trying to regulate artificial intelligence and is hoping that its regulatory power will help set global standards for AI use; but will it? To discuss this complex and serious topic, we invited Ian Bremmer, Founder and President of the Eurasia Group, and Anu Bradford Professor of Law at Columbia University and author of&nbsp;The Brussels Effect (2020), and Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology (2023). This episode was made available in full length for all listeners but if you’d like to get the full length version of other episodes, you can join our Patreon for as little as 5 EUR a month.&nbsp;As always, please rate and review Uncommon Decency on whatever platform you use, and send us your comments or questions either on Twitter at @UnDecencyPod or by e-mail at . Thank you and we hope you enjoy this episode. Bibliography:  The Brussels Effect (2020): . Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technologies (2023): . The Age of Spiritual Machines (1863): . Dune (1965): .

104. Regulating AI, with Ian Bremmer & Anu Bradford

“I think it is obvious that NATO's expansion does not have any relation with the modernisation of the alliance itself, or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust. And we have the right to ask: against whom is this expansion intended?” That was Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Munich Security Conference in 2007. This speech encapsulates Putin's long-simmering critique of the West and his framing of NATO's expansion as a form of provocation. It is often pointed to, today, as the beginning of Putin's foreign policy that led to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Some in the West, most notably Tucker Carlson, have swallowed this argument hook, line and sinker—and continue to repeat it today.&nbsp; In this week's episode, we spoke to Michael C. Kimmage, Chair of the History Department at Catholic University of America (CUA) and author of Collisions (2024), a new book with Oxford University Press that documents the build-up to all-out war between Russia and Ukraine. In his book, and in our discussion today, Kimmage takes us through the key moments that led to the invasion of February 2022. As always, please rate and review Uncommon Decency on whatever platform you use, and send us your comments or questions either on Twitter at @UnDecencyPod or by e-mail at . We’re also continuing our giveaway of the "How to Win Brexit" board game to our patreons, so sign up today for a chance to win one. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy this episode!

105. Collisions: Origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War, with Michael C. Kimmage

Renaldo McKenzie is Content and Digital Creator, Academic and A dynamic Entrepreneur. Renaldo is Author of "Neoliberalism Globalization Income Inequality Poverty and Resistance," Voice and Creator of The Neoliberal Round Podcast, President of The Neoliberal Corporation, which is the parent company for The Neoliberal Round and The Neoliberal Journals, The Neoliberal Post, The Neoliberal Blogs and Antz Business Solutions. The Neoliberal is a Think Tank, Publishing, Digital and Social News Media company and IT firm aimed at serving the world today to solve tomorrow's challenges by making popular what was the monopoly. Renaldo graduated from the Jamaica Theological Seminary and was a member/Conductor  of the Portmore Vision Gospel Choir in Jamaica a top musical group that has backed Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin for live performances in Jamaica. Renaldo was ordained to the Ministry of Sacrament and Word before migrating to the USA. Renaldo graduated with two masters from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a Doctoral Candidate at Georgetown University. Renaldo is also an Adjunct Professor at Jamaica Theological Seminary. Renaldo will release his second book, Neoliberal Globalization Reconsidered, Neo-Capitalism and the Death of Nations. Get in touch with Renaldo via Twitter https://twitter.com/renaldomckenzie or Facebook https://facebook.com/renaldo.mckenzie, I Instagram Renaldomckenzie or LinkedIn Revrenaldocmckenzie. Visit the website: theneoliberal.com or renaldocmckenzie.com. 

Your intellectual euro-trip in podcast form, with co-hosts Jorge González-Gallarza and François Valentin. Through interviews and analysis, Uncommon Decency will seek to engage with the freshest thinking on European issues. Get in touch at @UnDecencyPod or undecencypod@gmail.com.

New tracks tagged #news commentary