Stay ConnectedExpertly-curated progressive politics, news, and culture produced by leftist humans, not algorithms or AI. This is an award-winning podcast that dives deeply into a wide range of national and international issues facing society and governments. We draw from hundreds of sources of progressive news and commentary. Est. 2006.
Save time by listening to a range of perspectives on a focused topic in each episode and be introduced to new sources you will not have come across on your own!
Air Date 8/20/2022
Today, we take a look at the history of NATO and its role in the world after the fall of the Soviet Union which has come back into focus due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, sparking previously neutral countries to request NATO membership, all while an eye to a future causes speculation on how NATO should respond to the growing geopolitical influence of China. You got all that?
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Nato and China: A new rivalry? Part 1 - The Real Story - Air Date 10-22-21
This week in an interview with a British newspaper the Secretary General of Nato repeated his desire to widen its mandate to include China. His comments coincide with reports that Beijing has tested a hypersonic missile.
Ch. 2: The History of NATO Expansion w/ Joshua Shifrinson - American Prestige - Air Date 3-18-22
Danny and Derek speak with Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson, associate professor of international relations at Boston University, about the history of NATO expansion from 1989 until 2008.
Finland's president and prime minister say they plan to end decades of neutrality and join NATO. Sweden is also expected to seek NATO membership. The Kremlin says Russia sees the expansion of NATO on its borders as a threat.
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine heading towards its fifth month, Europe correspondent Ido Vock speaks to the former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The United States announced at a NATO summit in Madrid plans to build a permanent military base in Poland, as it formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance after they applied for membership.
Ch. 6: NATO and China: A new rivalry? Part 2 - The Real Story - Air Date 10-22-21
This week in an interview with a British newspaper the Secretary General of Nato repeated his desire to widen its mandate to include China. His comments coincide with reports that Beijing has tested a hypersonic missile.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 7: Why is China supporting Russia on NATO? - The Real Story - Air Date 2-18-22
This month President Putin of Russia was the star guest at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. But his trip to China was not just about showing support for the host country.
Ch. 8: Finland and Sweden have entered the chat - Today, Explained - Air Date 5-23-22
Their admission to NATO would further isolate Russia, leaving it the only Arctic country outside the alliance.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on the systemic reasons that NATO still exists and how we should replace it
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
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Air Date 8/16/2022
Today, we take a look at the strategies underway to systematically dismantle democracy in the United States including installing Big-Lie™ believers in elected and poll-working positions, preventing state-level Supreme Courts from holding GOP-dominated state legislators to the state constitutions, and wiping out tens of thousands of career civil servants from the federal government to be replaced by right-wing extremists.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Republicans Caught Planning MASSIVE Voter Fraud - David Pakman Show - Air Date 6-2-22
A mindblowing new report from Politico
Now, reporting by POLITICO details GOP efforts on the local level to challenge and potentially overturn elections. Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine and the author of "Cheap Speech" joins William Brangham to discuss.
Trump's top allies are prepping a plan to purge the federal government. They want to remove thousands of key decision-makers and replace them with MAGA loyalists, all through an Executive Order called "Schedule F."
Many of the possible 2024 Republican contenders have told Axios that they support the plan being put together by Trump's allies to purge career government workers and replace them with their own loyalists.
Ch. 5: Fake Electors, Real Crimes and Much More - The Bradcast - Air Date 7-26-22
Explaining the plan to elect 2020 election deniers into positions of power to influence the 2024 election.
Across the country, dark money is pouring into Secretary of State races to promote election-denying candidates.
Carolyn Shapiro says a ruling in favor of North Carolina Republicans would be "extremely problematic from the perspective of democracy."
Ch. 8: The Supreme Court Case That Could Upend U.S. Elections - All In w/ Chris Hayes - Air Date 7-5-22
"I always counsel against assuming that any one court decision is going to dramatically change the landscape. But this case is different," says Marc Elias on the Supreme Court taking up a case on state legislatures' authority over elections.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Fake Electors, Real Crimes and Much More Part 2 - The Bradcast - Air Date 7-26-22
Previously undisclosed emails between top associates and aides of Donald Trump expose how they coordinated their plot to present 'fake' electors in seven states to steal the 2020 election.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 10: Power is the ability to act - Pat from Chicago
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 11: Final comments on building movement power
Become a Poll/Election Worker:
How to Be A Poll Worker Where you Live (US Election Assistance Commission)
WorkElections.org (Fair Elections Center)
Defeat MAGA Secretaries of State in Midterms:
Help People Get Voter IDs:
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A voter crouches by a folding table, his head is obscured by the white voter privacy box decorated with an American flag on each side. Other tables and privacy boxes can be seen in the large building foyer. Glass entrance doors can be seen in the distance.
Credit: "Election Day 2020" by Phil Roeder, Flickr | License: CC by 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Original Air Date 8/10/2021
Today we take a look at the mechanisms by which the legacy of White Supremacy is harmful to the health and wellbeing of individuals and society as a whole.
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SHOW NOTES
This week, author Heather McGhee breaks down the driving force of American economic exclusion via the swimming pool. Baratunde asks Heather about all she has learned traveling across the country to write her book, The Sum of Us.
Ch. 2: The Role 'Nice White Parents' Play in School Segregation - The Brian Lehrer Show - Air Date 9-9-20
Chana Joffe-Walt, producer for This American Life and host of the new podcast Nice White Parents, and Dr. Rachel Lissy, senior Program Officer at Ramapo for Children, talk about investigating the relationship between white parents and segregation
Ch. 3: The NFL's Race-Norming Problem Is All Over Medicine - What Next - Air Date 6-7-21
The NFL recently announced it would stop using "race norming" when assessing who would receive a share of their recent $1 billing settlement for former players. The practice assumes Black players started with lower cognitive function.
Researchers say facial recognition software is up to 100 times more likely to misidentify people of color than white people. This week, Boston voted to end its use in the city.
Ch. 5: People Like Us, Education - Hidden Brain - Air Date 6-3-19
Generations of Americans have struggled against segregation. Most of us believe in the ideal of a colorblind society. But what happens when that ideal come up against research that finds colorblindness sometimes leads to worse outcomes?
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 6: Can We Finally End School Segregation? - The New Yorker Radio Hour - Air Date 5-21-21
By many accounts, American schools are as segregated today as they were in the nineteen-sixties, in the years after Brown v. Board of Education. WNYC's podcast "The United States of Anxiety" chronicled the efforts of one small school district.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 7: Patriotism and the culture wars - Dave from Olympia, WA
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 8: Final comments on the nature of airing dirty laundry
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Color photograph of a corner of an old public pool that has been filled in. Where there was once water is now green grass. The railing of a metal ladder is still intact, but a weed grows around its base. Blue square tiles still edge the concrete corner.
Photo Credit: "The Memorial Pool in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, MD, by artist Joyce J. Scott" by Graham Coreil-Allen (Pool/Park History) | License | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 8/10/2022
Today, we take a look at the origins of the European colonial land-grab, the need for the #Landback movement, and the benefits to society and the environment in the context of the climate crisis to return stewardship of the land to native peoples.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Why It's Time To Give Native Americans Their Land Back - AJ+ - Air Date 10-9-20
For some reason, Oct. 12th is still Columbus Day in a lot of the United States. Fortunately, more and more cities and states are adopting that day as Indigenous Peoples Day
Ch. 2: Canada, it's time for Land Back - The Breach - Air Date 6-2-21
Since its inception, Canada has been stealing Indigenous lands — by the barrel of a gun, by starvation tactics & by tearing children from their families.
Ch. 3: Mark Charles: An Indigenous Liberation Theology - A People's Theology - Air Date 7-7-21
Mason chats with Mark Charles about his book, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery. We chat all about the Doctrine of Discovery, Mark's theology of land and water, and much more.
Ch. 4: Can Indigenous People Lead the Fight Against Climate Change? - Above the Noise - Air Date 4-20-22
Indigenous communities across the globe are experts at managing and protecting land. Is it time the U.S. finally returned STOLEN parklands back to them?
Ch. 5: LandBack: The Indigenous Liberation Movement - Andrewism - Air Date 1-6-21
LandBack isn't about deporting white people. It's a path to a better future.
Native American representation in film and TV used to be confined to Westerns and storylines of defeat. Today, a new wave of Native American comedies, written and created by Native peoples, are taking back their narratives.
Bonus: Landback cold open - Reservation Dogs S1 E3 Uncle Brownie - Air Date 8-16-21
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 7: Meet the native Hawaiians fighting U.S. occupation - AJ+ - Air Date 3-3-17
In 1893, armed U.S. naval forces helped American sugar plantation owners illegally overthrow Hawaii's constitutional monarchy. 100 years later, the U.S. apologized and admitted in a resolution that Native Hawaiians had never relinquished their sovereignty
From 1877 to 1934, under a range of laws and reneged-upon treaties, the U.S. government appropriated tens of millions of acres of Native American land. In recent years there has been a growing movement known as "land back" to reclaim their lands.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 9: Definition of power and organizing - Pat from Chicago
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on why the left doesn't fight hard enough for political power
TAKE ACTION / EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE
Yellowhead Institute (@Yellowhead_): "Land Back - A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper" (Includes tools and resources. Canadian-based, but broadly applicable.)
NDN Collective (@ndncollective): LandBack.org (U.S.-based)
Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: A red "Land Back" flag waves outside the front of a courthouse. An American flag flies above it against a blue sky at the top of the courthouse.
Credit: "A Land Back flag flies under the US Flag outside Aitkin County Courthouse in Aitkin, Minnesota" by Lorie Shaull | License CC by 2.0 | Changes: Cropped, increased contrast, decreased brightness
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Air Date 8/5/2022
Today, we take a look at the politics of energy and climate in a world addicted to fossil fuels but full of people striving to push us past the tipping point toward a clean energy future
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Biden Fist Bumps A Pariah - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 7-19-22
Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman discuss the hypocrisy of President Joe Biden's visit to Saudi Arabia, and how the Saudis are trying to buy their legitimacy through sports.
This episode features a live conversation co-hosted by Evergreen Action, featuring Senator Ed Markey, Representative Pramila Jayapal, and Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
We speak with Jean Su, energy justice director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, who co-wrote a report detailing how the president can use emergency powers to address the climate crisis.
Ch. 4: Did Joe Manchin just save the planet? - Today, Explained - Air Date 8-3-22
Probably not, but he did finally compromise on the Inflation Reduction Act (née Build Back Better), which could be the most significant climate spending bill in US history. Vox's Li Zhou and Rebecca Leber explain.
There's a way to tell the story that connects to policy and planning, but that centers human beings. We talked about that during last year's heat wave with Portland State University professor Vivek Shandas.
Ch. 7: What If The Fed Bought Out The Oil Industry - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 7-18-22
Progressive economist, Robert Pollin, gives us his take on the causes and remedies of the current inflationary spiral, and what both the Fed and the Biden Administration can do about it.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 8: Dirty World - Gaslit Nation with Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior - Air Date 7-19-22
This week we take on shady internal affairs (the enormous number of people in the Trump crime cult circle who died violent or mysterious deaths) and burning external affairs (the horrors of climate change and Joe Manchin's role in destroying the planet).
Progressives care about climate change and we care about the environment. So it is great to know that with Democratic leadership action is being taken to move us forward in the effort to protect ourselves from the consequences of global warming.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 10: Response to neurodivergence episode - Bill from St. Petersburg, FL
Ch. 11: Neurodiversity - Larry
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the range of normal
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Among a crowd of protestors, a man holds up a sign that reads "DECLARE CLIMATE EMERGENCY" in hand-painted black letters on a red background.
Credit: "United Climate Rally - Melbourne" by Matt Hrkac, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0) | Changes: Cropped, slight increase in brightness, contrast and saturation
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 8/2/2022
Today, we take a look at what neurodiversity is and why it should be seen as a strength and benefit to society when accommodated properly rather than a problem to be solved or, worse, ignored.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: What Exactly is Neurodiversity? - How to ADHD - Air Date 1-18-22
The neurodiversity movement has been around for some time, but what exactly is it? In this video, we talk about what the neurodiversity movement is and how it's linked to the autistic community.
In this talk, Adriana discusses the idea of neurodiversity. Many people are labeled incorrectly because their brains are wired differently. Adriana offers awareness and an alternative way to see people as unique and valuable.
Ch. 3: Giftedness is Not Achievement with Aurora Remember Holtzman - ADHD Essentials - Air Date 12-11-21
Today, we're talking to Aurora Remember Holtzman. Aurora is a school psychologist, neurodivergence coach, and host of the Embracing Intensity podcast. And her focus is giftedness and twice exceptionality.
Ch. 4: Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming World - Neurodiversity Podcast - Air Date 8-10-21
Emily Kircher-Morris and Joel Schwartz talk about what it would take to create a neurodiversity-affirming world where old stereotypes and perceptions are shed.
Ch. 5: Elaine Halligan: Neurodiversity is a superpower, not a problem - TEDx Talks - Air Date 11-25-19
We have to break the stigma around mental health and children. Most of the times the signals are quite subtle and can be often overlooked by parents, so many children may be suffering behind closed doors.
Ch. 6: The Utility (or Futility) of Labels - The Neurodiversity Podcast - Air Date 7-7-22
The reality of working within a system in flux. The meaning or usefulness of the term "gifted." The utility (or futility) of labels. The confusion of overlapping diagnoses.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Neurodivergence and Queerness with Leela Sinha - Embracing Intensity - Air Date 5-23-22
Today's episode is a recording of our talk with Leela Sinha on the intersection of neurodivergence and gender. This is definitely not an "inside-the-box" topic.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the hyper-focus ability of ADHD
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: The neurodiversity awareness symbol - an infinity symbol (a horizontal elongated number 8) in a rainbow of overlapping colors - is against a white background.
Image Credit: "Neurodiversity Symbol" by MissLunaRose12, Wikimedia Commons | License: CC by-SA 4.0 | Changes: White background added
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Original Air Date 6/9/2021
Today we take a look at the motivations behind legislation being introduced in statehouses around the country to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory, criminalize the right to protest and limit the right to vote. Now if only there were some theory we could look to to understand the complicated interconnectedness of these subtly racist ideas...
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SHOW NOTES
Most students in America are only taught about a handful of important Black Americans in history class. Here's a look at why schools should teach students about race and why certain parents are opposed to that shift.
Ch. 2: Critical Race Theory - Past Present - Air Date 5-25-21
In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the current controversy over critical race theory.
Ch. 3: Elly Page on Anti-Protest Bills - CounterSpin - Air Date 4-23-21
If the Chauvin verdict is testament to the power of protest, so too are the vigorous efforts to squelch that power. Plus: Right-wing legislators target trans kids at the state level.
Ch. 4: Not Ready For That Conversation - On The Media - Air Date 4-23-21
Tami Abdollah [@latams], national correspondent for USA Today, on how Republican-controlled legislatures across the country have been introducing bills to criminalize protests — or as they put it, to stop the rioting.
Ch. 5: GOP States Are Pushing for Stricter Penalties for Protesters - The Takeaway - Air Date 4-27-21
The Takeaway spoke with Nora Benavidez, the director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, and Elly Page, senior legal advisor at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, working with the U.S. Protest Law Tracker.
Extreme voting restrictions have advanced in several Republican-led states across the U.S., including in Florida. Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman says these efforts are an extension of former President Trump's "big lie" about voter fraud.
This "Trump grip" narrative is nonsense and it needs to stop —the Republican Party has made it crystal clear with their voter suppression efforts that they no longer believe in democracy. They are doing this because they want to.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Trey Martinez Fischer says the legislation would have "a tremendous impact" on ballot access in the state. "Just like every bad policy, Hispanics, Latinos and Asian Americans will be disproportionately impacted," "the time for a national response is now."
Ch. 9: How Corporate Media Protects Violent Cops - Carlos Maza - Air Date 6-4-20
Police departments across America have declared war on unarmed protesters. They get away with it thanks to a corporate media ecosystem that helps shield cops from criticism and discredit the people protesting police brutality.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 10: Lesson #3 The Value Proposition
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 11: Final comments
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Iconography of a person speaking into a bullhorn with an arm up and other people icons listening to represent "protesting" with a red circle with a line through it over the image.
Credit: "No protesting" by David Pursehouse | Flickr | License | Changes: Cropped, enhanced contrast, saturation and brightness
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 7/26/2022
Today, we take a look at recent Supreme Court rulings aside from overturning abortion rights and how all signals are that they are going full steam ahead on a conservative authoritarian deconstruction of the past 100 years of progress
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: A Supreme Court Term Like No Other - Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick - Air Date 7-9-22
Dahlia Lithwick hosts Amicus' annual term-ending breakfast table conversation, featuring Slate's own Mark Joseph Stern, Professor Katherine Franke and Professor Nikolas Bowie. They dig into the biggest decisions of the term
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday it will hear oral arguments in a case experts warn could be one of the greatest threats to U.S. democracy since the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In October, the court will hear Moore v. Harper.
Ch. 3: Just how bad is the Supreme Court's EPA decision - Strict Scrutiny - Air Date 6-30-22
Kate and Leah break down the "free-wheeling, free association analysis" of the Supreme Court's opinion in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. Basically, it's bad! And not just because of the impending climate apocalypse!
Ch. 4: The Supreme Court Needs an Upgrade - What Next - Air Date 7-6-22
The Supreme Court treated its most recent term like the opening salvo in a conservative revolution, approving prayer in schools, establishing a constitutional right to conceal and carry a firearm, and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
Ch. 5: The Outrage Continues - In The Thick - Air Date 7-19-22
Julio is joined by Errin Haines, editor at large for The 19th, and Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation. They discuss the Supreme Court and the impact of their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Writer Mark Joseph Stern joins the MR crew to talk about the recent SCOTUS opinions and rulings on Carson v Makin and Kennedy v Bremerton which continue to blur the lines between church and state.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 12: Final comments on the political philosophy that increases suffering
Bonus clip: Because of Texas abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare - NPR - Air Date 7-26-22
New, untested abortion bans have made doctors unsure about treating some pregnancy complications, which has led to life-threatening delays and trapped families in a limbo of grief and helplessness.
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Global Food Prices Are at A Record High - The Takeaway - Air Date 6-22-22
We speak with Ukrainian-American Anna Nagurney, Chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management at The University of Massachusetts - Amherst about the latest on Russia's blockade of Ukrainian food exports.
Ch. 2: Why War in Ukraine is Causing Apocalyptic Famine - RealLifeLore - Air Date 6-30-22
Explaining why the geopolitical destabilization of the war in Ukraine may be part of Russia's plan and what actions the world can take to reduce the famine
Joining us from Mogadishu, Somalia, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, says poorer countries in Africa aren't able to financially compete with richer countries to afford basic staples like wheat.
Ch. 4: For Bread: On capitalism's global food crisis - Prolekult - Air Date 7-2-22
An overview of the fundamental factors driving the global food crisis. The piece looks at the way fertilizer has shaped agriculture, the composition of agricultural capital, and the environmental crisis' impact on agriculture globally.
We speak with food systems experts Sofía Monsalve Suárez and Rachel Bezner Kerr about how to prevent a looming global food shortage.
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli lays out what it would take to build a more equitable, sustainable food system that nourishes all people and asks us to widen our perspectives before eating our next meal.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 7: Are Food Shortages Coming to the United States? - David Pakman Show - Air Date 4-20-22
Are food shortages really coming to the United States, as some are claiming?
Ch. 8: Why War in Ukraine is Causing Apocalyptic Famine Part 2 - RealLifeLore - Air Date 6-30-22
Explaining the slow-moving famine already underway before the start of the war in Ukraine
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 9: Requesting a Culture Wars episode - Phil from California
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on our coverage of the culture wars
Referenced:
#1479 Torturing Children and Families in the Name of Protecting Them (Trans Rights)
#1470 Distorting History and Banning Books is a Power Play of Exclusion
#1453 The Tea Party Too (School Board Backlash and the Dark Money Behind It)
#1501 Navigating Post-Roe America
#1374 Tell Stories, Not Myths - Columbus and the Centrality of Colonialism
#1431 Stealing Native Children and Their Future
#1492 The Great Replacements (Conspiracy vs Reality)
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
SHOW IMAGE:
Description: Photograph of a cluster of golden wheat grains on a white surface. A small, colorful figurine of a globe rests on top of the grains.
Credit: "Globe and wheat. Global wheat shortage." by Jernej Furman, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Original Air Date 4/16/2020
Today, Amanda and I discuss a few of the aspects of life during a pandemic that's causing mental fog and affecting our work.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: We all make mistakes but we're making a lot more of them right now
Ch. 2: The Burnout Generation
Ch. 3: Survival Mode
Ch. 4: Hidden Mental Health Toll of Coronavirus with Alisa Kriegel - WhoWhatWhy - Air Date 3-22-20
The COVID-19 pandemic is going to have a huge toll on mental health, what can we do to mitigate the damage?
Ch. 5: Soft Launch of my secret project
Ch. 6: Showing the ShowSharer™
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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