Tue, 28 May 2019
Air Date: 5/28/2019 Today we take a look at the ways that how we design and fund our towns, cities and housing impacts the quality of life for everyone in society Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors:Madison-Reed.com + Promo Code: Left Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Jeanne Gang: Buildings that blend nature and city - @TEDTalks - Air Date 1-24-17 To learn more about this speaker, find other TEDTalks, and subscribe to this Podcast series, visit www.TED.com Feedback: tedtalks@ted.com Municipal politicians tend to move methodically, gathering support, statistics and consensus before making changes to city streets or building a bike lane. Janette Sadik-Khan makes things happen at breakneck speed. Ch. 3: Was Suburbia a Terrible Idea? - @DavidPakmanShow - Air Date 11-17-17 James Howard Kunstler, author of "The Geography of Nowhere," "The Long Emergency," "Too Much Magic," and the four-book "World Made By Hand" novel series, joins David to discuss the concept of new urbanism If we could move to a system of affordable housing in the image of Vienna's system people would like it so much we would never go back. Ch. 5: Housing in the Green New Deal - Jacobin Behind the News - Air Date 2-22-19 Housing in the Green New Deal is vague right now, it needs to have much more attention. VOICEMAILS Ch. 6: Being "one of the good ones" in the North - V from Central New York Ch. 7: Racism is a pillar of Southern Culture - Mark from South Carolina Ch. 8: The racist Obama voter - Jeff from Charlotte, NC FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments on how anti-government ideologues have tricked America into thinking that government is incapable of doing anything well MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher!
Direct download: 1276_Urban_Development_Air_Date_5-28-19_-_5-28-19_18.51.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm EST |
Fri, 24 May 2019
Air Date: 5/24/2019 Today we take a look at the much-maligned, rarely-understood field of economic and social study known as Marxism Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: The Contributions of Karl Marx Part 1 - Economic Update - Air Date 5-25-18 Professor Wolff takes a deeper look at the life and work of Karl Marx in celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth. Ch. 2: Marxism Today - Analysis - Air Date 6-19-16 Robin who was a BBC reporter for 25 years thinks Marx was always in the background discourse of politics, an influence he partly feared and didn't fully understand. He takes a walk through central London in the footsteps of the great revolutionary. Ch. 3: David Harvey on Marx, Capital, and the Madness of Economic Reason - Left Out - Air Date 11-5-17 David Harvey is arguably the most influential living geographer, as well as one of the world’s leading Marxist scholars. He is among the most cited intellectuals of all time across the humanities and social sciences. J. Moufawad-Paul, a Marxist philosopher and author of "Continuity and Rupture", "The Communist Necessity", and "Austerity Apparatus", joins Breht to discuss his most recent essay "This Ruthless Criticism of All That Exists: Marxism as Science". Ch. 5: Erosion of Consumer Choices - David Harvey's Anti-Capitalist Chronicles - Air Date 4-24-19 Prof. Harvey discusses Marx's theory of Capital and its relevance today. Consumers have less and less autonomy. Their choices, even how they will spend their leisure time, are increasingly influenced by capitalists. Ch. 6: The Contributions of Karl Marx Part 2 - Economic Update - Air Date 5-25-18 Professor Wolff takes a deeper look at the life and work of Karl Marx in celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth. VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: Responding to "Getting in on the con" - Dave from Olympia, WA Ch. 8: Thoughts on racism from small-town Texas - Heather from Texas FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments on individualism and communitarianism in light of how to unleash the most amount of human progress MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1275_Marxism_Air_Date_5-24-19_-_5-24-19_20.42.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm EST |
Tue, 21 May 2019
Air Date: 5/21/2019 Today we take a look at the recent trend of White Nationalist and White Power-related violence, the history of where it's coming from and why the US government does next to nothing to combat it. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Radical White Terrorism with Nesrine Malik - Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill - Air Date 3-20-19 Global anti-muslim and anti-immigrant hate is growing. Mainstream politicians are fueling it. The media and government are failing the people. Ch. 2: Tim Wise on New Zealand, Violence of White Privilege - The Chauncey DeVega Show - Air Date 3-16-19 White supremacists see Trump's influence, and think he's on the right track but not doing good enough. The founding of our nation is in slavery and violence. The news doesn't get it right, and can't figure out why a white many would burn down black churches. Ch. 4: Radical White Terrorism with Kathleen Belew - Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill - Air Date 3-20-19 Explaining the tactics and strategy of the White Power movement to attempt to overthrow the government, then the world. White Nationalism flourishes in our military as a recruiting ground for future white power terrorists Ch. 6: Documenting Hate - New American Nazis - Frontline Film Audio Track - Air Date 11-26-18 White supremacist groups appeal to veterans, loners, conservatives, and they infiltrate military and police. VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: White supremacists know the value of electing people of color - Dave from Olympia, WA Ch. 8: Algorithms & soup cans - Alan from Connecticut Ch. 9: Encouraging John to call in more - Alan from Connecticut Ch. 10: To Corey from New Jersey on the destructive nature of systemic individualism - Abdul from DC FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 11: Final comments on why there’s no contradiction for some racists to have voted for Obama before switching to Trump MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
SHOW IMAGE: Anthony Crider, Flickr, License (Modifications: Enhanced saturation and contrast)
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1274_White_Power_Movement_Air_Date_5-21-19_-_5-21-19_21.34.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm EST |
Fri, 17 May 2019
Air Date: 5/17/2019 Today we take a look at the socially and politically existential threat of our time - the fight against encroaching authoritarianism in the US and around the world. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Madison-Reed.com(Promo Code: LEFT) Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Donald Trump Puts Our Democracy and Our Lives in Serious Danger - @Thom_Hartmann - Air Date 01-13-18 Not a single president has met more than one of the four qualities identified by political scientists as warning signs of an authoritarian or fascist leader. Trump meets them all. Is this how our Democracy dies? Jair Bolsonaro's election in Brazil marks the most radical political shift in the country since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. We speak with Fernando Haddad, a presidential candidate on the Workers’ Party ticket who lost in a runoff. Ch. 3: The War for Normal - Analysis - Air Date 1-28-19 Extremism is the new normal. Conspiracies are fact and Right wing is mainstream. The world is moving too fast for us to catch up, let alone understand and take action. In his new book “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them,” Yale professor Jason Stanley outlines the 10 pillars of fascism and warns about the dangers of normalizing fascist politics. Thom reads an excerpt from the book They Thought They Were Free about the slow, nearly undetectable rise of fascism in Nazi Germany Is the United States sliding toward tyranny? That is the question posed by Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder in his new book that draws on his decades of experience writing about war and genocide in European history. FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 7: Final comments to wrap the show and introduce Sam from Nashville, the misunderstood Trump voter MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1273_Global_Authoritarianism_Air_Date_5-17-19_-_5-17-19_20.37.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm EST |
Tue, 14 May 2019
Air Date: 5/14/2019 Today we take a look at the disastrous system of hackable, unverifiable and expensive electronic voting machines that were our solution to the hanging-chad fiasco of the Florida 2000 presidential election. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: New poll shows public concern for voting machine hackability - BradCast - Air Date 12-25-18 Public concerns about the integrity of voting systems. The first wave of computer voting. Bush v Gore, hanging chad issues. 2000, 2004, problems for at least 20 years now. Machines have been improved, but still too many problems. Tech companies jumping into making them. Simons has been working on voting security for a long time, there’s a little more light lately but also lots of pushback. Ch. 4: National Media Finally Talking About Voting Machines - BradCast - Air Date 3-4-19 National media finally questioning the voting machines. Computer ballot marking devices BMD systems. There is agreement that this is a problem finally, but too late? Elections expert Jennifer Cohn weighs in on our election security. Find out from legislators and congresspeople what they're doing to fix voting. VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: A conservative's thoughts on the upcoming election - John from Northeast Maryland Ch. 8: Ralph Nader on credit unions and technology - Erin from Philadelphia FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments on conservative callers and Ralph Nader’s relationship with technology MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1272_Voting_Security_Air_Date_5-14-19_-_5-14-19_19.05.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm EST |
Fri, 10 May 2019
Air Date: 5/10/2019 Today we take a look at the three moderate white guys sending a shiver up the collective legs of the members of the Democratic Party establishment and the mainstream media Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Sam Does a Deep Dive on Beto - The Majority Report - Air Date 3-20-19 Beto brags about his small donor contributions. His voting record is terrible for a Democrat. Former staffers came forward about working for the faux progressive. Ch. 2: Is Pete Buttigieg Progressive with Ana Kasparian - #NoFilter - The Young Turks - Air Date 4-8-19 Buttigieg's views seem great on paper, but he's not clean about them. He has problematic industries funding him, has worked for big pharma and doesn't understand working poor. Biden's legislative history include the 1990's crime bill disaster that fueled mass incarceration and his insistence that common people who are tricked into credit card debt be forced to pay for it forever. Ch. 4: Just Say No to Joe Biden with Zach Carter - The Michael Brooks Show - Air Date 4-7-19 Biden is a crusader against working people, and he doesn't understand the new progressive left. He's tied to banks, corporations and one of the most regressive crime bills in history. Ch. 5: Can Progressives Stop Biden, the Credit Card Candidate? - The Real News - Air Date 4-28-19 Norman Solomon and Jaqueline Luqman discuss Joe Biden and his problematic voting record. He is an agent of racism and corporate America, in the short term he might beat Trump, but it won't change anything. The past behavior of former Vice President Joe Biden toward women has sparked conversation around the boundaries governing physical contact and consent. Biden has said that norms have evolved since he entered the public sphere. Ch. 7: Biden, Autonomy and Consent with Vanessa A. Bee. - Humorless Queers - Air Date - 4-7-19 Biden loves giving women rubs and smelling their hair, without their consent. Many women are coming forward about his actions and he needs to be held to a better standard. Not being Trump isn't enough. VOICEMAILS Ch. 9: The accelerationist strategy of Bernie or Bust didn't work - Anthony from Utah Ch. 10: Continuing the strategy discussion for electing the most progressive candidate possible - Laura from Alameda, CA Ch. 11: Renewed hope for the future - Corey from New Jersey Ch. 12: Thoughts on the state of the election - Sarah from California FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 13: Final comments on the ebbs and flows of political energy and the effects of outrage fatigue READ & SHARE Joe Biden Isn’t the Answer(The Cut) What Happened When Pete Buttigieg Tore Down Houses In Black And Latino South Bend(Buzzfeed) Beto 2020 Has No Reason to Exist(Slate) Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1271_Beto_Buttigieg_Biden_Air_Date_5-10-19_-_5-10-19_21.53.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00pm EST |
Tue, 7 May 2019
Air Date: 5/7/2019 Today we take a look at the impacts, from personal to global, of the paradigm of companies profiting off of surveillance of their users, otherwise known as surveillance capitalism. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES We speak with Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of “Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.” He is a professor of media studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Ch. 2: How Facebook Helped Trump...Without Cambridge Analytica - On The Media - Air Date 3-23-18 García is a former Facebook product manager for ads and author of Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley. We speak with Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of “Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.” He is a professor of media studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. Ch. 4: Age of Surveillance Capitalism Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 1-26-19 The author of many books and papers on the subject of modern corporate capitalism, Professor Zuboff’s latest is entitled “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.” Ch. 5: Yael Grauer: The Billboards Are Watching You. Really. - Zero Hour with RJ Eskow - Air Date 12-11-18 When billboards can talk to cell phones we end up living in The Minority Report. Ch. 6: Age of Surveillance Capitalism Part 2 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 1-26-19 The author of many books and papers on the subject of modern corporate capitalism, Professor Zuboff’s latest is entitled “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.” VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: Benefits and problems of algorithmic decision-making - Nick from California Ch. 8: Immigration arguments shouldn't be economic arguments - Zach from Atlanta FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments on algorithmic decision-making and the moral vs economic arguments for humane immigration policy RESOURCES Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1270_Big_Tech_Democracy_Privacy_Air_Date_5-7-19_-_5-6-19_23.27.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00pm EST |
Fri, 3 May 2019
Air Date: 5/3/2019 Today we take a look at several topics that, at first glance, may seem to be unrelated but that I think are all tied together with a thread that runs through all of them and points the way toward The Great Transition we are currently in the middle of. Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Tavour.com(Promo Code: LEFT) Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Cultural critic Henry Giroux examines the slow, steady rise of cruelty in American culture - as the logic of neoliberalism strips our politics of anything besides self-regard, and the right capitalizes on the anger caused by its own policies An extended conversation with Johann Hari, author of a controversial new book, “Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions.” Ch. 3: Roots of Extremism with Deeyah Khan - The Ezra Klein Show - Air Date 3-11-19 Deeyah Khan is a British documentary filmmaker and human rights activist. She’s the creator of two extraordinary films airing on Netflix right now, White Right: Meeting the Enemy and Jihad: A Story of the Others. Ch. 4: The Cure To Loneliness - Sustainable Human - Air Date 2-3-18 Loneliness is almost baked into the cake as far as a modern society with the kind of social setup and infrastructure and economic system that we have today. Laura talks with author/activist Gar Alperovitz. From the gloom of today, he sees the principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth emerging. Ch. 6: Gar Alperovitz on the economic movement already underway - @RalphNader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-24-17 It’s time to build new economic institutions that are democratic but also–critically–give us a new power base as well in the communities around the country. Ch. 7: Utopias in history and the need to rekindle utopian thinking - History Extra - Air Date 3-16-17 Rutger Bregman discusses some of his ideas that recently caused a global sensation and the role of a historian in the modern world VOICEMAILS Ch. 8: Progressives have always had to drag liberals along - V from Central New York FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 9: Final comments on the need to spread the word about our failing institutions to bolster support for fundamental reform MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1269_Great_Transition_Air_Date_5-3-19_-_5-3-19_11.57.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00pm EST |
Tue, 30 April 2019
Air Date: 4/30/2019 Today we take a look at just the economic side of immigration including the effects from low-skilled immigrants and high-skilled immigrants and then look at an alternative vision for how we should debate the issue from the left Be part of the show! Leave a message at 202-999-3991
Episode Sponsors: Primary 2020 Ride Home Podcast | MadisonReed.com(Promo Code: LEFT) Amazon USA| Amazon CA| Amazon UK| Clean Choice Energy Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content: Support our show on Patreon! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Immigration Economics with Jennifer Hunt - Science Vs - Air Date 3-9-17 What happens when low skilled labor is removed from areas that need it? And Jennifer Hunt talks when immigrants and native-born actually do fight over the same jobs. Has anyone tried to measure how much immigrants have advanced the US. Immigrants bring innovation to people. Keeping students out will hurt our science advantage worldwide. Ch. 3: The economics of immigration - BEME News - Louis Foglia - Air Date 10-11-18 It's assumed that Americans are hurt by immigration, but that isn't the right conversation. Immigrants help create a bigger economic pie, more innovation and more skills. Immigrants percentage of the workforce has remained flat, and the U.S. is in the middle worldwide for immigrant increases. In most cases, immigrants take the jobs that need to be taken. Ch. 5: Trump's 4 Biggest Immigration Myths - Robert Reich - Air Date 10-19-15 Robert Reich debunks Donald Trump's dangerous lies about immigration. Ch. 6: The Immigration Issue and Capitalism - Economic Update with Richard Wolff - Air Date 10-15-18 Brexit, Trump, Italy and Sweden are all being conned by the myths of immigration hate. Capitalism is the truer villain. VOICEMAILS Ch. 7: Comparing liberalism and progressivism - Zach from Georgia FINAL COMMENTS Ch. 8: Final comments asking for your thoughts on the primary race so far and Biden’s entrance into the White Guy candidate category MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher| Spotify| Alexa Devices| +more Check out the BotL iOS/AndroidApp in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Direct download: 1268_Immigration_Air_Date_4-30-19_-_4-30-19_18.39.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm EST |