The Interesting Times podcast

It is my great pleasure to share my conversation with Dr. Angela Simms of Barnard College-Columbia University. Our discussion centers around her recent book entitled: Fighting for a Foothold: How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia . Dr. Simms brings a host of experience both as a former official at the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) and a sociologist looking into the...

Sorry, as a middle aged pops, I am drawn to puns like bugs to light…here is my analysis of some of the causes as well as near & long-term consequences of the MOU heard round the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

My thoughts and analysis on the current state of play in US politics and thinking of Left ways moving forward. Note: You can find the essay I reference in the essay, here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Some thoughts, analysis, and projections about the growing catastrophe in Iran. Thanks as always for your support. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Some analysis that questions the ‘TACO scenario’ everyone seems to be anticipating. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Thoughts and analysis of the US and Israel’s illegal aggression in Iran. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

It was my great pleasure to welcome Prof. Sean Parson from Northern Arizona University to discuss his new book Punk Anarchism: An Anti-Theory of Resistance . We had a wide-ranging discussion that considered these fraught times through the multiple lenes employed in the book. I really enjoyed this conversation and I am confident you will too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss t...

My analysis of the speech heard round the world. There were many admirable parts, but I was also left with big questions while also finding some aspects worthy of critique and deeper consideration. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

My reflections on the everyday heroic actions by the courageous citizens of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Here is a link to the video I mention in the show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

I always learn a great deal from guests, but I must say this conversation particularly floored me as it revealed a central aspect of Russia—Ukraine relations, both at present and historically, that I knew basically zero about. Prof. Greta Uehling is a highly accomplished scholar and practitioner focusing on Ukraine and Crimea in particular. We discuss her recent important contribution to our under...

A follow up to my very early takes yesterday. I feel that though it may seem pat, or ‘too easy’, the oil angle I have been pushing was unambiguously verified by Trump’s absolutely wild press conference. Here I try to make some sense or simply meditate on the senselessness of this whole wretched, ongoing escapade. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

There is still quite a bit to learn here, but I wanted to offer my initial reaction and analysis to the US invasion of Venezuela. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

I am joined by Ira Allen , professor of rhetoric and politics at Northern Arizona University and Chris Tharp , a South Korea-based travel writer and novelist to take a look back at the first quarter of this here 21st century. No doubt there is quite a bit to bemoan, but we also find quite a few things to take joy in. Who was the ‘worst’ person of the quarter century? The best? What movies and musi...

In this episode I talk about how life transformed nearly overnight as bear sightings, and more gravely, bear attacks skyrocketed in the urban areas of Akita prefecture. To be clear, though bears are a well established part of life here, this is taking place at a scale even lifelong residents are at a loss to understand. That, and some discussion of the latest market drawdown and some implications....

Very excited for the opportunity to discuss the new edited volume Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change with its co-editor, Prof. Ann Ishimaru , the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington. In collaboration with co-editor, Dr. Decoteau Irby of the University of Illinois Chicago, Prof. Ishim...

The price of gold is way, way up at historic levels and save for those who bought into it some time back (but maybe even for them ultimately), it is a very troubling signal of a looming global financial calamity. Below is the chart (Gold prices USD/oz. since 1973) I discuss in the episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

Hopped on the mic to record some thoughts and analysis of the strange meeting Defense (War) Secretary Pete Hegseth called. As always, I try to take a step back in think about some of the wider context. TLDL: probably not good. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Travel writer extraordinaire, Chris Tharp , joins us to discuss his first major work of fiction, The Cuttlefish . A novel that meets the utmost requirement of any novel, i.e., it tells a great story that you don’t want to stop reading. As Chris is a good friend you may want some additional independent endorsement before digging in. Well, as mentioned at the end of the episode, the glowing review f...

In this episode we direct a critical gaze at the widely held narrative wherein the erosion of the American industrial base took with it the ‘good life’ and well-being provided by industrial work throughout the 1950s-60s. In this view, these socio-economic shifts led to a sense of abandonment and elite resentment that, in part, fueled the rise of Donald Trump. I think there is definitely some truth...

In this episode I try to think about what the simultaneous thriving of MAG7 companies and the burgeoning authoritarian Trump regime tell us about the purported symbiosis between “advanced” capitalism and democracy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

In this episode I try to drop AI into a bit of a wider historical and political-economic perspective. More a series of propositions than any firm conclusions, but I hope it spurns some consideration on your part. Please share your thoughts in a comment or direct message. Thanks as always for listening and supporting the show. Here are a few of the books I mentioned in the show, I highly recommend...

A second attempt at a video post, this time from the serene confines of the Akita countryside. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Thoughts, analysis, and some (dark) projections. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

Initial reactions and analysis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com

In this episode I try to zero in on some of the wider implications of the G7 endorsing a patent violation of international law. Hint: They are not very good! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theinterestingtimes.substack.com