The 2016 nostalgia trend hit your feed this week. Instagram prompted you to post a photo from 10 years ago. You scrolled through old albums, found pictures of yourself at summer camp or working retail or figuring out college. Maybe you posted it. Maybe you just looked and remembered how different life felt then. The question nobody's asking: why 2016 specifically when nostalgia usually runs on a 20-year cycle?

The hosts note Happy Days in 1974 looked back to the 1950s. That 70s Show premiered in the late 90s. The pattern holds at roughly 20 years, yet here we are celebrating 10. One theory: social media needs content. People aren't posting like they used to. Everyone reposts Reels that disappear. AI generates half the feed. The platforms are running out of updates, so they prompt you to mine your archive. Pokemon Go gets mentioned as the last time the internet felt genuinely calm and unified.

Discover why this nostalgia cycle broke its own pattern. Learn what changed between 2016 and now that makes 10 years feel like a lifetime. Consider what you did regularly in 2016 that you wish you still did.

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

The Canada China EV deal brings electric vehicles into the country that was labeled a security threat nine months ago. Your government negotiated tariff quotas on cars and canola with the nation whose technology was banned from cell networks. Now that same technology will fill roads in $33,000 vehicles while auto workers question if their jobs got traded for cheaper imports.

Baron explains Canada is "heavily dependent on our commerce relationship with the US" and needed diversification. China represents "the largest market in the world outside of" America. The deal uses sliding tariff scales, but pricing strategy remains unclear. Will Chinese manufacturers sell EVs at their $33,000 price point or mark up to $50,000 and pocket the difference? Canadian manufacturing "is still not well-tailored" for EV production. The contradiction: technology banned from networks nine months ago now arrives in cars.

Learn why Canada risked US backlash to diversify trade partners. Understand how sliding tariff quotas could impact car pricing and job protection. Discover what changed politically to make China an acceptable trade partner for agriculture and technology-heavy electric vehicles.

GUEST: Opher Baron

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

The Ontario snowstorm response that captured national attention wasn't about accumulation totals or road conditions. You watched a CTV reporter approach a random guy on a Toronto street during 22 centimeters of snowfall. You expected complaints about transit or shoveling. Instead, he delivered the most Canadian answer possible, then walked away. That was all. Done talking. Peak Canadian in one sentence.

Ottawa got 33 centimeters. Toronto got 22. Schools closed, something Alberta kids "can only dream of" since closures don't happen there. One Calgary student remembers getting 35 centimeters overnight, checking email to find "there's no classes, but they should come to school." The comparison reveals regional winter culture gaps. Meanwhile, drivers going 45 in an 80 zone on plowed streets in broad daylight prompted the observation: "You should be home taking an online driver's ed course. You live in Canada, friend."

Discover why the viral snowstorm interview resonated across the country. Learn how 1944 Toronto handled nearly 60 centimeters without calling the army. Understand regional differences in school closure policies and winter driving expectations.

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

Part 1 Movies: What's Actually Worth Theater Money

Weekend movie releases force a choice: theaters or streaming. You've got three new options hitting screens, each pulling different directions. A zombie sequel that "shifted into an all new gear." A hostage thriller from the Good Will Hunting director that "never really gets to that kind of attention level." A vampire cop movie with CM Punk. Your wallet picks one.

Stebbing calls 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple the standout, claiming it exceeded expectations and positions the series as "the best modern trilogy going right now." Director Nia DaCosta took over from Danny Boyle. Jack O'Connell plays villain Sir Jimmy Crystal, "fashioned after Jimmy Saville" the disgraced British icon. The gore is disturbing, jumpscares minimal. Dead Man's Wire stars Bill Skarsgard in a 1977 hostage standoff directed by Gus Van Sant, but Stebbing wanted "dog day afternoon" tension and "it just never really gets to that kind of attention level." Al Pacino "phones it in."

Learn why Jack O'Connell might be "the greatest villain actor" of recent years. Discover which Justin Long horror rule actually works. Understand why one sequel exceeded the original while a Van Sant thriller disappointed.

Part 2 Streaming: The Series Nobody's Watching But Should

Streaming recommendations flood your queue weekly. You scroll past countless options. The critic points to "the best series that nobody's watching right now" on HBO while Netflix drops a Ben Affleck and Matt Damon cop thriller. Meanwhile, a 50 Cent produced series spanning four different shows with multiple seasons each waits for anyone willing to commit to the long haul.

Industry Season 4 gets called "the best series that nobody's watching" by Stebbing, who questions why HBO keeps renewing it if viewership is low. The show follows "young Brett bankers and stock traders in the UK after the 2008 collapse" and fits "fans of succession" with its ruthlessness. The Rip stars Affleck and Damon as Miami task force members in a "fast paced" thriller with "ambiguous" character work. The real story: their company Artist Equity used backend Netflix money to "give pay bumps to all of the crew members" including grips and electricians.

Discover why Power Book requires commitment to four series but delivers authenticity. Learn which show rivals Succession in ruthlessness but flies under the radar. Understand how Artist Equity changed crew compensation with backend deals.

GUEST: Steve Stebbing | stevestebbing.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

Part 1: Canada China Trade Deal: The Surveillance Tech We're Importing

The Canada China trade deal brings electric vehicles from the country whose technology was banned from cell networks nine months ago. You're watching your government remove tariffs on "the most high tech of the retail products you can probably buy right now in the form of a digital recording device with wheels." The same surveillance concerns that kept Chinese tech out of telecom infrastructure now arrive on four wheels with batteries.

Zivo notes China "is in the midst of committing a genocide against the Uyghur people" and operates as "an autocratic regime" where journalists doing "basic research" have "long conversations with their supervisors about safety." Caddell trusts "Canadians just say, well, we're not going to buy them" despite cheaper prices. Zivo counters: "The average Canadian is not going to consider the larger geopolitical and security implications when making a basic choice." The US imposed 100% tariffs first, Canada followed, now this reversal risks American retaliation while importing surveillance technology previously deemed too dangerous for networks.

Discover why consumer choice can't guide national security policy. Learn what changed politically to make China acceptable for technology imports after telecom bans. Understand Doug Ford's response defending Ontario auto industry interests.

When the U.S. President Flips Off a Blue Collar Worker

Your president just flipped the bird at a heckler calling him a "pedophile protector" asking about Epstein files. You watched him drop two F-bombs, walk across the bridgeway, then clearly flip the bird before disappearing behind barricades. You've seen mob movies. This is someone who believes they're untouchable acting accordingly in public on camera at a Ford plant tour.

Caddell argues "this is the beginning of the end for Trump" because "when a blue collar worker calls him out, insults him in public, and he responds in that way, it's a sign that he's losing what is really Trump's America, that base." Zivo notes it's "on brand" for an administration that "published a video last year, an AI generated video of Trump in an airplane dumping feces on his opponents." The lament: "I mourn the decorum we used to have, let's say just even 10, 15 years ago." WestJet also faced backlash this week for reducing seat space to "28 inches" like "ultra low cost European carriers."

Discover why flipping off blue collar workers might signal base erosion. Learn what presidential decorum looked like 15 years ago versus now. Understand how airlines misjudge consumer tolerance for discomfort.

GUEST: Adam Zivo, Andrew Caddell

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

Digital privacy means nothing when social media platforms own your archive. You posted freely in 2016 because the grip wasn't obvious yet. No AI curation. No constant tracking. Just you, your filtered photos, and the illusion that your digital life belonged to you. Now those companies are pulling you back into dormant content, calling it nostalgia, making you feed the algorithm with memories you thought were yours.

Rajhans explains why people are celebrating 2016 as retro: "People would have put filters on pictures in order to make them perfect. And right now when people are sharing their 2016 experiences on current social media, it's almost fun that that was quote unquote, a simpler time." Shane notes Millennials celebrate the simpler internet while Gen X celebrates no internet. The difference? One generation has an archive they don't control. The other never built one. "No longer is your group chat as private as you think," Rajhans warns.

Understand why your old photos are being weaponized for engagement. Learn how apps access your address book without permission. Discover what happens when an entire generation's history lives in someone else's database.

GUEST: Mohit Rajhans | http://thinkstart.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

Alzheimer's stigma kills independence before the disease does. You notice memory problems but wait years to mention them because you're afraid of what it means. Assisted living. Lost autonomy. Friends treating you differently. Meanwhile, the stigma stops you from getting help that could let you live alone, advocate for yourself, and maintain the life you built.

Jacobs trains with people living with Alzheimer's who own their diagnosis publicly. Mario, living with the disease since 2008, teaches accessibility and gives tips on maintaining independence while living alone. The catch: he got early diagnosis and sought help immediately. Jacobs' survey found half of Canadians worry about Alzheimer's and two-thirds fear losing independence. The irony: stigma creates the exact outcome people fear. Caregivers notice symptoms first but don't know how to start the conversation without implying something's wrong.

Learn how the Alzheimer's Society helps families start difficult conversations. Discover why speaking to the person with dementia directly, not their caregiver, matters. Understand what tools preserve independence when diagnosis comes early.

GUEST: Natasha Jacobs | http://www.alzheimer.ca

Originally aired on 2026-01-16

Friend advice in relationships gets complicated when their baggage clouds what they see in yours. Your closest friend gives you relationship advice. It sounds helpful. But their last breakup was brutal, and now you're wondering: are they seeing your situation clearly, or filtering everything through their own pain?

Shane talks with Jen Kirsch and Tony Tedesco about navigating friend influence, including Ashley Tisdale leaving a toxic celebrity mom circle. Jen shares how she prefaced advice with "I could be projecting here," modeling the self-awareness most skip. Tony explains why he looks for soundboards over advisors, especially avoiding friends stuck reliving their glory days. They explore when repeated venting signals your friend needs professional support.

Discover how to recognize projection masked as concern. Learn why asking "what do you see here?" shifts the dynamic. Understand the difference between friends who know your past and friends who understand your present.

GUEST: Jen Kirsch | @‌jen_kirsch and Tony Tedesco

Originally aired on 2026-01-16