Ayana Explains It All

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sang "everybody's had to fight to be free, you see. You don't have to live like a refugee," that is, unless, you landed at the Southern US border and you had to use an smartphone/computer app to apply for asylum, and unless you schedule an appointment provided you found some free WiFi, then you don't even get to be a refugee. Sources used in...

It's that time of year, the kids are back from college and looking at the world through an adult lens, but their cerebral prefrontal cortex is still forming so maybe they're kids after all. Join me as I query my own son about being a college freshman, the challenges and rewards, and what it means to be a student athlete going from the "big man on campus" in high school, to a &quo...

Happy Hollandaise! It's Minority Health Month, that special time of year again when families gather round the fireplace, embrace, sing songs, and compare A1C numbers. Sugar, we are not well. Health inequities in the United States work hard to keep racial minorities from achieving wellness, harder than we do at losing those stubborn 100 pounds. Can we fix the problem before this country runs out of...

East Cleveland, Ohio is a city of a bygone era. The stretch of city along Euclid Avenue reveals dilapidated 19th Century mansions, hallmarks of a town with a storied past, but now desperate and dreary future from decades of fiscal mismanagement and feckless law enforcement. Teeming with civic corruption and a police force that can't make roll call, what once was will never be. The following so...

Ramadan Mubarak! Sit back, stand up, run, walk to this re-examined, re-explained, reuploaded episode from Season 1 all about Ramadan. It is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, and when the new moon drops on the 9th month, every bodily desire and distraction decreases but the spiritual duties increase. Don't mind the audio, this episode pre-dated my fine tuned era.

This one is for the social justice warriors and their foes, for the abelists/racists/sexist/bigots and their antagonists--the marginalized groups. We, the lesser people, rub the chinless Fox News hosts, the Archie Bunkers and Al Bundys of the world the wrong way and they don't like it, but for our good health and preservation we must persist. Sources used in the making of this podcast: "Here's Whe...

It never left.  We have never been without an exploitative child labor class, those cute round eyes and rosy cheeks are hard to resist.  Well, turns out, that rosy hue is from chemical burns. Sources used in the making of this episode: "Arkansas Governor Sanders signs measure rolling back child labor protections." NBCNews.com. Rose Horowitch. 03/8/2023. Hannah Dreier, Twitter.   "Al...

TRAINGER-DANGER! Trains are longer, heavier, slower, and dumber.  Like your dad on his 60th birthday.   The following sources were used in the making of this episode: 1. “How often do train wrecks spill hazardous chemicals into neighborhoods? Here's what data shows.” By Jayme Fraser and Tami Abdollah. USA Today. 02/09/2023. Available at: usatoday.com 2. “The Largest and Most Profitable Railroads i...

Gather round for this here read of US public education, from the States to the governors to the Speaker of the House. The governmental bodies are gutting public education with no condom and leaving narrow views for children to peer out of--I'm looking at you Sarah Huckabee DeSantis.  Works Cited: "Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the dividing line in America is between normal and crazy. Full text...

We all lie, but, we don't all lie as well as a character in a Matt Damon movie.   Works Cited:  "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Wikipedia entry available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Talented_Mr._Ripley "George Santos Reportedly Claimed to Be a Broadway Musical Producer: Here's Everything The Embattled Congressman Has Lied About." Sara Dorn. Forbes Magazine.com. 02/03/2023. Available at: https...

It's time we clear the air about the racial bias in crime reporting and the media's hyper focus on police violence in the Black American Community.

Shed a thug tear for ya girl, things just got real...bad.

Kids are not tiny adults, they're cute little tax deductions with so much to learn.

This episode is for quitters and quitters only and I expect that to be everyone.  Who among us hasn't had more stops and starts than an old Buick?

Freedom of speech is a fine concept, in a democratic republic, it is guaranteed.  However, some speech is loud and wrong and dangerous. and the consequences of allowing it to flourish, history shows, are not favorable.   Warning: This episode describes first-hand accounts of views from inside WWII-era concentration camps. Works used in this podcast: Atlanta Daily World "WWII Veteran Reme...

All this holiday talk reminds me of food.  So, put up your fences and put down your dukes, it's time to eat and live in peace.  

This Thanksgiving, some turkeys will be left behind...cause there's a shortage and they cost too damn much. Works used in this episode: “The Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage they Imbue.” Claire Bugos. Smithsonian Magazine, 11/26/2019.  Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/ US Bureau of Labor...

A judgement-free, gluten free, carb free and honest conversation about weight loss and weight gain.   Works used in the making of this podcast:  "Obesity Facts in America."  By Kimberly Holland.  Healthline.com.  January 18, 2022.  Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity-facts#15.-Individuals-with-obesity-miss-more-work. "'Fat Shaming' Won't Solve Obes...

An informed voter is my favorite kind of voter! Works used in the making of this podcast: Ballotpedia; 2022 Ballot Measures.  Available at: https://ballotpedia.org/2022_ballot_measures "Slavery is still allowed in U.S. prisons. Now it’s on the ballot in 5 states. " Kelly Kasulis Cho .  October 21, 2022.  Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security...

It's spooky season and something wicked this way comes! On November 8, 2022, you'll have to vote to keep the scaries out of government and your wallet. Your vote is your voice, use it, or else... Works used in the making of this episode: “What are the midterm elections? Here’s what to know about them and why they’re important.” Wyatte Grantham-Philips. www.usatoday.com. 10/14/2022. https://www.the...

If you're into water and accountability, you freak, this one's for you. From Jackson, Mississippi to Flint, Michigan and every dam in between. Works used in the making of this podcast: "Flint Water Crisis" at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis. "The Biden Plan: The Most Awaited Infrastructure Plan for US."  https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2022/04/projects-global-...

This episode is heavy on religion, like your new girlfriend's family.  It contains language that some listeners may find offensive, you're welcome.

Don't cry for her Argentina, the truth is, she never loved you...or the Indians, Kenyans, Irish, Indigenous People, Nigerians... Sources used in the making of this episode: Wikipedia entry on Queen Elizabeth, II; Bloody Sunday; Partition (India). "Uncovering the brutal truth about the British empire: The Harvard historian Caroline Elkins stirred controversy with her work on the crushing of the Mau...

"In a world where people are forgiven of their debts...It's worse than the Zombie Apocalypse! DON'T SAY IT IN THE MIRROR THREE TIMES IF YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE!"  Works used in the making of this episode:  1) "College Tuition is Too High, but Competition Can Fix It." Preston Cooper, March 8, 2021. Forbes.com;  2) Educationdata.org; 3) My life.

RING THE BELL! School's back in, Suckas!