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Eyes Wide Open

Eyes Wide Open

Written by: Conor Ryan
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On this Podcast we explore ideas and questions about the Human Mind, Culture, Behaviour and Society through conversations with Academics, Writers, Creatives, Scientists and Experts in their Chosen Field. Conversations in pursuit of Insights, Wisdom, Truth and New Perspectives......"Strategies for living life well".



"Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the center of the Universe. All this is suggested by the system of procession of events and the harmony of the whole Universe, if only we face the facts, as they say, with EYES WIDE OPEN." - Nicolaus Copernicus



I’m a Screenwriting M.A with with an unquenchable curiosity and a background in the Performing Arts, Digital Marketing and U.S Tech.


FOLLOW CONOR ON YOTUBE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@Conor-Ryan


ON TWITTER HERE: https://twitter.com/EyesWopen


Channel Values:

Free inquiry

Intellectual curiosity with humility

Scepticism without cynicism

The pursuit of knowledge

Progress

Reason

Compassion

Integrity

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Conor Ryan
Hygiene & Healthy Living Politics & Government Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • How Elon Musk, Donald Trump and DOGE shredded USAID - Whistleblower Nicholas Enrich
    Jun 7 2026

    In this episode, Conor Ryan sits down with former global health Policy, Planning Director and Whistleblower Nicholas Enrich to discuss his explosive new book, "Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID."


    Nicholas reveals the chaotic internal collapse of America's premier foreign aid institution under the crosshairs of Elon Musk's newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). From the removal of the agency’s name to viral whistleblowing memos that triggered Supreme Court citations, Enrich pulls back the curtain on what happens when a federal agency is systematically dismantled.


    Nicholas Enrich was The Office of Policy, Programs and Planning for Global Health Director at USAID when Elon Musk and DOGE systematically dismantled the organisation in the weeks following Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan 20, 2025. Thousands died in the aftermath as a direct result of the cancellation of vital overseas programs for the vaccination and treatment of Ebola, TB and HIV. It's estimated that 14 million people around the world will die by 2030 as a reult of the cuts.


    The Lancet "USAID was the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid. In 2023, funding from the US accounted for 43% of government donations to the global humanitarian

    system"


    00:00 Nicholas Enrich intro

    01:26 Elon Musk declares WAR in the Whitehouse

    02:29 What was USAID

    04:10 Nicholas Enrich dream Job

    05:50 The Trump transition

    08:15 Mike Benz and Joe Rogan

    11:18 USAID, Ebola, HIV and fraud

    14:18 Elon declares WAR

    15:30 JFK, USAID and DOGE

    20:44 United States Government

    22:50 Tuberculosis

    25:40: Tech Bros, Twitter and Silicon Valley

    26:30 Betrayal, Gestapo and Termination

    29:30 Global Health and the human cost of complacency

    32:00 Promotion and Dismissal

    33:00 Life Saving programs, lies and falsehoods

    34:00 Whistleblower memos and Marco Rubio

    39:20 Death and Destruction in numbers

    41:31 The State Department, Global Health and Foreign

    44:00 Defense and Foreign Aid

    45:00 USAID and National Security

    48:00 The price of blowing the whistle

    51:15 courageous is a contagion

    52:24 Marco Rubio in the Senate


    Buy "Buy Into the Woodchipper" online: https://www.amazon.com/Into-Wood-Chipper-Whistleblowers-Administration/dp/1668226952


    President Barack Obama "Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it's a tragedy. Because it's some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world...Sooner or later, leaders on both sides of the aisle will realize how much you are needed.Your work has mattered and will matter for generations to come."


    #elonmusk #usaid #doge

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    52 mins
  • Why you need to get Drunk! - according to Science .....
    May 31 2026

    Edward Slingerland is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Asian Studies. From January to June each academic year he also serves as Visiting Professor in the Department of Religion at Dartmouth. Educated at Princeton, Stanford and UC Berkeley, he has taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the University of Southern California and the University of British Columbia.


    In "Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization", Professor Slingerland outlines the case for drinking alcohol, how it has impacted society, shaped friendships, established romantic relationships and contributed to the development and success of the human race. Professor Slingerland argues that alcohol, the king of social lubricants, can indeed be a force for good in the world if used mindfully, carefully and in moderation. We would not have civilization without intoxication.


    00:00 Intro and origin story

    07:45 How alcohol created civilization

    10:01 Alcohol before agriculture?

    12:00 The invention of alcohol

    13:21 The creativity paradox and the prefrontal cortex

    16:37 Alcohol and creativity

    17:12 Alcohol, the biphasal curve and the brain

    21:07 Alcohol content and the dangers

    25:08 Anxiety

    28:00 Alcohol, the arts and ideas

    30:10 David Nutt's cancellation and alcohol alternatives

    36:00 The price of drinking and the costs

    37:00 Is alcoholism actually cultural (Northern v Southern)

    43:00 Ireland's drinking culture

    49:13 Drinking, Society, Politics

    54:37 Alcohol, technology and Ai

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    56 mins
  • Lawrence Krauss: Science versus Ideology - A Battle for the Ages
    Aug 12 2025

    Are Scientists losing public trust? and is the very concept of truth itself under attack?


    World renowned public intellectual, academic, writer and scientist, Lawrence Krauss on his new book "The War on Science" - released in Ireland and the UK September 2025.


    In this conversation we discuss:

    >The conflict between ideology and scientific truth

    >Who the protagonists actually are

    >The destruction of academia and the assault on universities

    >Where the war is being waged

    >What the future may hold

    >and most importantly...what's actually at stake!


    Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3F6U8jx7Wg


    #science #cosmology #waronscience #physics #lawrencekrauss

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    59 mins
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