Past Present

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the recent protests over police brutality. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has set off protests over police brutality across the country and the world. Niki referen...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the history of nursing homes in the moment of coronavirus. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Nursing home residents are especially afflicted by the coronavirus . Natalia recommended this article in Washington Monthly about the politics o...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss President Trump's recent firings of four Inspectors General. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   President Trump has been on a spree of castigating, and dismissing, Inspectors General . Neil referred to this NPR article about the historica...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the life and legacy of Little Richard. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Musical legend Little Richard died this month of bone cancer. Niki referred to Margot Canaday's book The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Cent...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   25-year old Ahmaud Arbery was murdered while running in Satilla Shores, Georgia. Natalia cited this piece at The Conversation by sociologist Rashawn Ray, and tweeted this thr...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss meatpacking plants and the Defense Production Act. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   President Trump has used the Defense Production Act to order meatpacking plants to stay ope n, even as these factories have become hotspots for coronavi...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss protests against the current national lockdown. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Protestors against national lockdown orders have been demonstrating across the country. Niki referred to this Vox piece in distinguishing these protests fr...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the prospect of large-scale voting by mail come November and the fate of the U.S. Postal Service. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Earlier this month in Wisconsin, voters had to choose between civic participation and public health . Que...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss hydroxychloroquine, the drug President Trump is pushing as a potential cure for the coronavirus. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   As COVID-19 continues to claim American lives, President Trump has spoken of anti-malarial drug hydroxychl...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the new Netflix series, Tiger King . Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Tiger King is a runaway hit as social distancing has increased appetite for binge-watching. Niki referred to this Mother Jones article about the connection between co...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the history of school closings. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Schools all over the United States are closing for weeks , perhaps months, in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Natalia referenced this New York Times...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the history of "cabin fever." Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   As social distancing becomes the new norm for many Americans, so too does the stress and anxiety of being cooped up, also known as "cabin fever." Natalia mentioned Jonathan...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the history of the quarantine. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   As the coronavirus pandemic spreads , quarantining is becoming a fact of life. Natalia referred to Anne Helen Petersen's essay on selflessness and social isolation and reco...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the bans on single-use plastic bags. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   On March 1, a plastic bag ban went into effect in New York City. Neil referred to this Washington Post article about such bans around the world and Niki recommended t...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the history of fat activism and the body positivity movement. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   In recent years, "body positivity" has become a buzzword. Natalia cited The Fat Studies Reader and this Campus Reform article about more extr...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss COVID-19 and the history of protective face masks. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The threat of coronavirus has lately made protective face masks a fixture in many global cities. Natalia cited this Vox article about the hoarding of su...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss an architectural proposal to "Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again." Support Past Present: http://www.pastpresentpodcast.com/ Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Conservative architectural organization the National Civic Art Society has drafted an executive order that establishes the style for federal buildings...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the debacle of this year's Iowa caucuses. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The 2020 Iowa caucus was a logistical disaster . Natalia cited this POLITICO piece about longer standing concerns about Iowa. Neil wrote about Pete Buttigieg's h...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the shrinking number of moderate Republicans in the GOP. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Where have all the moderate Republicans gone? Neil wrote about Susan Collins and the end of moderate Republicans in his column for The Week . Niki...

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women . Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Greta Gerwig's Little Women has received enthusiastic critical praise . Natalia referred to this New York Times article about the near...

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the longevity of the game show Jeopardy! Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Jeopardy! is in the news thanks to its GOAT tournament. Natalia referred to this Smithsonian article about the show's origin story.   In our regular closing featu...

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the devastating bushfires in Australia. Support Past Present on Patreon:  Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Fire is ravaging Australia . Natalia referred to this Washington Post piece about the politicization of the fires . Niki discussed the long history of bushfires in Australia.   In our regular closing featu...

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the recent attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   Iraqi militants stormed the American embassy in Baghdad last week. Neil referenced the recently leaked cable communications between Iran and Iraq. Natali...

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss controversy over the "OK" sign, the Black Israelite sect, and the history of CIA disguises. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   When cadets flashed the "OK" sign, a gesture that has become a symbol of white power, an investigation by Army...

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss a cockfighting ban in Puerto Rico, Russia's Olympic ban for doping its athletes, and the dawn of a new era in fonts. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The U.S. has enacted a ban on cockfighting in Puerto Rico. Neil cited anthropologist C...