yes 2501ceba-c11d-5f45-b71f-92d24a43e078 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/index.html en-us This work by Grace and Paul Potts is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Conversations with Grace and Paul Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul are a married couple living and raising children in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. From deep in the wilds of Pittsfield Township, Michigan, it's the Grace and Paul Pottscast! She's a left-wing conservative Catholic homeschooler who loves to garden. He's a bearded computer geek who reads and writes like he's running out of time. Together, they're raising an ever-growing army of adorkable children and planning the revolution. Paul R. Potts paul@thepottshouse.org true Paul R. Potts In this rerun from 2015, Grace gives me an audio tour and explains what is actually in our garden beds, and in the process elucidates her pragmatic, permaculture-inspired philosophy. A walking tour of our low hugelkultur beds and this year’s new raised beds; winter’s survivors; our weeds; wild and cultivated strawberries, groundcherries; lettuces; dill; never be tilling; always be mulching; eating living food; leeks; tomatillos; willow; garlic scapes; purslane (pigweed); vitamin C and calcium sources from the northeast; how nature mulches itself; two kinds of clover; our deciduous tree nursery; collaborating with nature; let’s see who shows up; smoothies without compromise; training your system to taste natural sweetness; water catchment; cosmos; plantain; annuals for nitrogen fixing; sunflowers; open-source zucchini; radishes; daikon; peas; cucumber; plants to climb and shade each other; nasturtium; considering a beehive; bee balm; mason v. honey; transplanted volunteer tomatoes; hazelnuts; almonds from California; doing things as our budget allows, with salvaged wood; sunflowers and potatoes don’t like each other, but maybe the peas can mediate; a big kale party; the potatoes that didn’t make it; onions; swiss chard; marigolds; thinning plants; carrots; a closed source zucchini; more lettuces; beets and beet greens; remembrance of growing seasons past; getting our neighbors involved; a typical city lot; a lot of food in a small area; feeding our kids the healthiest food we can find anywhere; Michigan’s right-to-farm laws, and their evisceration; Michigan, agricultural powerhouse; Michigan and Ohio wines and beers; hellish monocultural farm-scapes; many kinds of blueberries; a cross between rasberry and blueberry; our flower-shaped flower bed; thyme, lavender, oregano, mint, feverfew, and pink lemonade blueberries; a quick sprint through the flower beds; parenting success days; my favorite person in the whole world; don’t judge us by the height of our grass; kill your lawn; little apples; many thanks to Frank. A walking tour of our low hugelkultur beds and this year’s new raised beds; winter’s survivors; our weeds; wild and cultivated strawberries, groundcherries; lettuces; dill; never be tilling; always be mulching; eating living food; leeks; tomatillos; willow; garlic scapes; purslane (pigweed); vitamin C and calcium sources from the northeast; how nature mulches itself; two kinds of clover; our deciduous tree nursery; collaborating with nature; let’s see who shows up; smoothies without compromise; training your system to taste natural sweetness; water catchment; cosmos; plantain; annuals for nitrogen fixing; sunflowers; open-source zucchini; radishes; daikon; peas; cucumber; plants to climb and shade each other; nasturtium; considering a beehive; bee balm; mason v. honey; transplanted volunteer tomatoes; hazelnuts; almonds from California; doing things as our budget allows, with salvaged wood; sunflowers and potatoes don’t like each other, but maybe the peas can mediate; a big kale party; the potatoes that didn’t make it; onions; swiss chard; marigolds; thinning plants; carrots; a closed source zucchini; more lettuces; beets and beet greens; remembrance of growing seasons past; getting our neighbors involved; a typical city lot; a lot of food in a small area; feeding our kids the healthiest food we can find anywhere; Michigan’s right-to-farm laws, and their evisceration; Michigan, agricultural powerhouse; Michigan and Ohio wines and beers; hellish monocultural farm-scapes; many kinds of blueberries; a cross between rasberry and blueberry; our flower-shaped flower bed; thyme, lavender, oregano, mint, feverfew, and pink lemonade blueberries; a quick sprint through the flower beds; parenting success days; my favorite person in the whole world; don’t judge us by the height of our grass; kill your lawn; little apples; many thanks to Frank. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#itll-be-just-like-starting-over-june-15-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2310_%20In%20the%20Garden%20%28June%2015%2C%202014%29.mp3 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 20:00:00 -0400 1:16:02 Grace and Paul Potts _White Working Class_ by Joan C. Williams In this episode we discuss the book _White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America_ by Joan C. Williams. Along the way we talk about the persistence of class, class signifiers, economic class as a proxy for race, personal bigotry versus structural racism, work as identity, and how to (and whether to) try having conversations across class barriers. In this episode we discuss the book _White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America_ by Joan C. Williams. Along the way we talk about the persistence of class, class signifiers, economic class as a proxy for race, personal bigotry versus structural racism, work as identity, and how to (and whether to) try having conversations across class barriers. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-11-white-working-class-august-6-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2311_%20White%20Working%20Class%20%28August%206%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 06 Aug 2017 23:00:00 -0400 1:38:23 Grace and Paul Potts Our Hot Take on the Events in Charlottesville We are better suited to getting to the bottom of things, rather than staying on top of things, but we wanted to record a few quick comments on the breaking news story from the rally and counter-protests. We are better suited to getting to the bottom of things, rather than staying on top of things, but we wanted to record a few quick comments on the breaking news story from the rally and counter-protests. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#hot-take-the-events-in-charlottesville-august-13-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Hot%20Take_%20The%20Events%20in%20Charlottesville%20%28August%2013%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:54:55 -0400 0:28:42 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I discuss America's Confederate Monuments. Grace and I discuss America's Confederate Monuments. What is the context in which these monuments were put up? What is the conservative take on coping with the recent anti-monument insurgency? What was the state saying when it backed the erection of these monuments, and to whom? What would a contemporary Civil War monument look like? What should be done with these statues? And when it took years to get Confederate flags taken down from state houses, why does it seem like this is now happening all at once? Grace and I discuss America's Confederate Monuments. What is the context in which these monuments were put up? What is the conservative take on coping with the recent anti-monument insurgency? What was the state saying when it backed the erection of these monuments, and to whom? What would a contemporary Civil War monument look like? What should be done with these statues? And when it took years to get Confederate flags taken down from state houses, why does it seem like this is now happening all at once? https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-12-americas-confederate-monuments-august-20-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2312_%20America%27s%20Confederate%20Monuments%20%28August%2020%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 20 Aug 2017 18:30:37 -0400 00:38:50 Paul R. Potts In this rerun from 2013, Grace and I take a walk on a spring day and define some political terms; among other things, we talk about how modern conservatism is really just mean-spirited liberalism. Mr. Talky-talk; the eggs are piling up; at least the kids don't have lead poisoning, ha ha ha sob; WIC food; health coverage; 3 inches of rain; conservatives as mean-spirited liberals; Grace talks about the conservative and liberal traditions; freedom and responsibility; you don't actually want a conservative amount of sex or a liberal amount of arsenic; what a truly liberal food safety net would actually look like; neoliberalism; packaged and processed food; quantity over quality; the opposite of elitism; insistence on quality as a fundamentally conservative value; a clean diet for the rich and processed starches for the poor; CSAs; cow's milk; breastfeeding; there is no low-fat goat's milk to be found in Saginaw county; it's not about calories; eating whole foods; juices; the WIC rationale; what a truly conservative food safety net would actually look like; someone stole our rocks and our trash can; the modern year-round CSA; driving a market; the WIC training class at Wal-Mart; Grace's homework assignment; learning the basics; I'm not ungrateful; life skills; nobody should be grateful for toxic garbage; giving your first fruits; what we're really grateful for; it's not a gift; our social investments and what we get back from them; investing in skills; getting our teenager launched; education in Belgium; dignity written on our butts; investing in people; Barack Obama has a student loan to offer Paul. Mr. Talky-talk; the eggs are piling up; at least the kids don't have lead poisoning, ha ha ha sob; WIC food; health coverage; 3 inches of rain; conservatives as mean-spirited liberals; Grace talks about the conservative and liberal traditions; freedom and responsibility; you don't actually want a conservative amount of sex or a liberal amount of arsenic; what a truly liberal food safety net would actually look like; neoliberalism; packaged and processed food; quantity over quality; the opposite of elitism; insistence on quality as a fundamentally conservative value; a clean diet for the rich and processed starches for the poor; CSAs; cow's milk; breastfeeding; there is no low-fat goat's milk to be found in Saginaw county; it's not about calories; eating whole foods; juices; the WIC rationale; what a truly conservative food safety net would actually look like; someone stole our rocks and our trash can; the modern year-round CSA; driving a market; the WIC training class at Wal-Mart; Grace's homework assignment; learning the basics; I'm not ungrateful; life skills; nobody should be grateful for toxic garbage; giving your first fruits; what we're really grateful for; it's not a gift; our social investments and what we get back from them; investing in skills; getting our teenager launched; education in Belgium; dignity written on our butts; investing in people; Barack Obama has a student loan to offer Paul. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#summer-rerun-conversation-7-defining-our-terms-april-16-2013 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%237_%20Defining%20Our%20Terms%20%28April%2016%2C%202013%29.mp3 Sat, 26 Aug 2017 20:55:28 -0400 1:25:58 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I discuss the question of whether public protest is useful and meaningful today. Grace and I discuss protest, using as a jumping-off point Nathan Heller's book review article from the August 21st issue of _The New Yorker_. We start off a bit incoherently, cherry-picking some points made and quotes included from the books Heller is reviewing, before settling on a real critique of the author's actual take on the issue, which is surprisingly vacuous. Nevertheless, questions of whether and how to protest, and whether it is effective in the modern era, still interest us, so we try to come to grips with them. Along the way Grace and I recount a little bit about our own histories of activism and dissent, in marches, on picket lines, and in our work, and try to answser the question "you criticize a lot of other people about their politics -- but what are _you_ doing to make a difference?" Grace and I discuss protest, using as a jumping-off point Nathan Heller's book review article from the August 21st issue of _The New Yorker_. We start off a bit incoherently, cherry-picking some points made and quotes included from the books Heller is reviewing, before settling on a real critique of the author's actual take on the issue, which is surprisingly vacuous. Nevertheless, questions of whether and how to protest, and whether it is effective in the modern era, still interest us, so we try to come to grips with them. Along the way Grace and I recount a little bit about our own histories of activism and dissent, in marches, on picket lines, and in our work, and try to answser the question "you criticize a lot of other people about their politics -- but what are _you_ doing to make a difference?" https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-13-dude-do-you-even-protest-september-3-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2313_%20Dude%2C%20Do%20You%20Even%20Protest%3F%20%28September%203%2C%202017%29.mp3 Mon, 04 Sep 2017 01:27:05 -0400 01:17:49 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I discuss Verrit, ask just who is really guilty of living in epistemic closure and nursing grievances, and talk about how to live in protest. Hey guys, we even did some preparation this time! Grace has given last week's topic further thoughts and prayers, and came armed with notes. Paul sat down and let the million poop-throwing monkeys in his head bang out an essay. He spent a full ninety minutes on the piece and boy, does it show! In this conversation, Paul starts things off with remarks about Verrit, the new web site for Clinton supporters, and why it is both much less, and much more, than it seems. Grace chimes in now and then (how can you tell when Grace is being sarcastic? Her mouth is open). Then, Grace picks up with a followup to last week's topic, and we discuss how to "live in protest," and the spiritual side of political protest and dissent, while Paul does his best to deflate any emerging seriousness. In Verrit Veritas? Hell, no! But you become what you meditate on, so choose wisely, and memento mori! Hey guys, we even did some preparation this time! Grace has given last week's topic further thoughts and prayers, and came armed with notes. Paul sat down and let the million poop-throwing monkeys in his head bang out an essay. He spent a full ninety minutes on the piece and boy, does it show! In this conversation, Paul starts things off with remarks about Verrit, the new web site for Clinton supporters, and why it is both much less, and much more, than it seems. Grace chimes in now and then (how can you tell when Grace is being sarcastic? Her mouth is open). Then, Grace picks up with a followup to last week's topic, and we discuss how to "live in protest," and the spiritual side of political protest and dissent, while Paul does his best to deflate any emerging seriousness. In Verrit Veritas? Hell, no! But you become what you meditate on, so choose wisely, and memento mori! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-14-in-verrit-veritas-september-10-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2314_%20In%20Verrit%20Veritas%3F%20%28September%2010%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 10 Sep 2017 17:04:34 -0400 01:05:19 Grace and Paul Potts What do political terms like conservative, liberal, left-wing, right-wing, communist, socialist, and capitalist really mean? And how have the terms been misinterpreted and turned into insults? Grace has brought notes this time, to help her remember the list of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy -- the things that to her, embody "living in protest." Then Grace and I go back to the topic of our old conversation #7 from 2013, included in this feed a few weeks ago: we're once again defining terms. What do political terms like conservative, liberal, left-wing, right-wing, communist, socialist, and capitalist really mean? How have the meanings of these terms changed, how have their meanings been misinterpreted, and how have they been weaponized? Grace came armed with notes, but as usual Paul wants to follow every tangent. Grace has brought notes this time, to help her remember the list of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy -- the things that to her, embody "living in protest." Then Grace and I go back to the topic of our old conversation #7 from 2013, included in this feed a few weeks ago: we're once again defining terms. What do political terms like conservative, liberal, left-wing, right-wing, communist, socialist, and capitalist really mean? How have the meanings of these terms changed, how have their meanings been misinterpreted, and how have they been weaponized? Grace came armed with notes, but as usual Paul wants to follow every tangent. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-15-defining-our-terms-continued-september-17-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2315_%20Defining%20Our%20Terms%20%28Continued%29%20%28September%2017%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 17 Sep 2017 21:15:00 -0400 01:14:48 Grace and Paul Potts Paul skims through three recent articles, Grace talks about how the Democratic faithful in 2016 aligned with right-wing elites, and we circle back around to Antifa and non-violence. Paul has a nasty summer cold, but he's brought three articles to discuss: an editorial from The National Review about Civil War Monuments, a take from The Outline on Megan McArdle's breathtakingly tone-deaf take on the Grenfell Tower Fire, and a report from the Guardian about how Obama is now taking $400,000 speaking fees from the financial and health care sectors. Then Grace leads a conversation about how so-called liberals, including Obama, have aligned themselves with the elites, and why. We do in fact have hereditary dynasties in the United States, but because they aren't codified in law and the structure of our government, it's harder to talk about them. Why did the Democratic Party faithful, in the 2016 election, align with right-wing elites? Many liberals saw the ugliness of America for the first time in this election, and so were vulnerable to appeals to fears. The other ways of effecting change -- populism and popular revolution -- are scary by comparison. And so back to the subject of Antifa: a collective to respond to a threat of racial violence, which has been recently slandered as morally equivalent to armed white ethno-nationalist groups on the attack. Philosophically, if you understand the function of the police, you must understand the need for Antifa, which does for the marginalized what the police won't. Finally, we talk about how the marginalized often don't have the privilege of using non-violent resistance in their own defense. Paul has a nasty summer cold, but he's brought three articles to discuss: an editorial from The National Review about Civil War Monuments, a take from The Outline on Megan McArdle's breathtakingly tone-deaf take on the Grenfell Tower Fire, and a report from the Guardian about how Obama is now taking $400,000 speaking fees from the financial and health care sectors. Then Grace leads a conversation about how so-called liberals, including Obama, have aligned themselves with the elites, and why. We do in fact have hereditary dynasties in the United States, but because they aren't codified in law and the structure of our government, it's harder to talk about them. Why did the Democratic Party faithful, in the 2016 election, align with right-wing elites? Many liberals saw the ugliness of America for the first time in this election, and so were vulnerable to appeals to fears. The other ways of effecting change -- populism and popular revolution -- are scary by comparison. And so back to the subject of Antifa: a collective to respond to a threat of racial violence, which has been recently slandered as morally equivalent to armed white ethno-nationalist groups on the attack. Philosophically, if you understand the function of the police, you must understand the need for Antifa, which does for the marginalized what the police won't. Finally, we talk about how the marginalized often don't have the privilege of using non-violent resistance in their own defense. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-16-we-call-them-the-aristocrats-september-24-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2316_%20We%20Call%20Them%20%22The%20Aristocrats%22%20%28September%2024%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 24 Sep 2017 20:38:28 -0400 00:47:19 Grace and Paul Potts Grace gives her talk for an upcoming conference, about motherhood and community. Grace gives us a practice run of her talk planned for the 2017 Front Porch Republic Conference, to be held September 30th at Hope College, a private Christian Liberal Arts college in Holland, Michigan affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Grace speaks about motherhood, and how its practice as a profession was part of the structure of American communities. Grace gives us a practice run of her talk planned for the 2017 Front Porch Republic Conference, to be held September 30th at Hope College, a private Christian Liberal Arts college in Holland, Michigan affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Grace speaks about motherhood, and how its practice as a profession was part of the structure of American communities. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#localism-and-the-oldest-profession-graces-talk-for-front-porch-republic http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Localism%20and%20the%20Oldest%20Profession_%20Grace%27s%20Talk%20for%20Front%20Porch%20Republic.mp3 Wed, 27 Sep 2017 22:50:52 -0400 00:31:42 Grace and Paul Potts We talk about books, the Las Vegas shooting, and whether the divide between leftists and liberals can be bridged. This was almost the conversation that got away -- our first attempt to record it failed completely so we had to do the whole thing again with a portable recorder. Despite that, it worked out pretty well -- this is a long one! We begin by talking about what books we're reading. We then dive right in to the topic of the recent bloody shooting in Las Vegas, and whether there is any hope for meaningful gun law reform in America. And is it crazy to entertain a conspiracy theory about the motive? Then we discuss an article from Current Affairs magazine entitled "How to Heal the Left-Liberal Divide" by Pete Davis. Davis has some good insight into the problem, but is his conclusion accurate? From where we're sitting, the Democratic Party faithful are doubling down and ramping up there angry, entitled rhetoric, which is not going to serve them well in future elections. This was almost the conversation that got away -- our first attempt to record it failed completely so we had to do the whole thing again with a portable recorder. Despite that, it worked out pretty well -- this is a long one! We begin by talking about what books we're reading. We then dive right in to the topic of the recent bloody shooting in Las Vegas, and whether there is any hope for meaningful gun law reform in America. And is it crazy to entertain a conspiracy theory about the motive? Then we discuss an article from Current Affairs magazine entitled "How to Heal the Left-Liberal Divide" by Pete Davis. Davis has some good insight into the problem, but is his conclusion accurate? From where we're sitting, the Democratic Party faithful are doubling down and ramping up there angry, entitled rhetoric, which is not going to serve them well in future elections. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-17-the-great-divide-october-8-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2317_%20The%20Great%20Divide%20%28October%208%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 08 Oct 2017 23:40:24 -0400 01:33:41 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul talk about books, movies, hikes, and the latest controversy over the development of Water Street in Ypsilanti. In this week's conversation, Grace and Paul give an update on what we've been reading and watching, including a quick review of the 2016 Marvel movie Doctor Strange, talk about a family outing to nearby Rolling Hills Park, and despite the fact that they are carpet-baggers, dive right in to the recent controversy here, in which a group of four Ypsilanti city officials traveled to China. Why is that controversial? The funding came from a developer who is bidding to build a housing development on city property. MYGA! Finally, we respond to listener feedback. In this week's conversation, Grace and Paul give an update on what we've been reading and watching, including a quick review of the 2016 Marvel movie Doctor Strange, talk about a family outing to nearby Rolling Hills Park, and despite the fact that they are carpet-baggers, dive right in to the recent controversy here, in which a group of four Ypsilanti city officials traveled to China. Why is that controversial? The funding came from a developer who is bidding to build a housing development on city property. MYGA! Finally, we respond to listener feedback. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-18-and-to-think-that-i-saw-it-on-water-street-october-15-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2318_%20And%20to%20Think%20That%20I%20Saw%20It%20on%20Water%20Street%20%28October%2015%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:09:50 -0400 01:04:31 Grace and Paul Potts We resist and oppose the political rehabilitation of George W. Bush, and we take on the trending "me toos" and "I'm guilties" on social media. In this week's conversation, Grace and Paul give an update on what we've been reading and watching, including a quick review of the new film _Blade Runner 2049_, and thoughts on the first half of Elizabeth Warren's book _A Fighting Chance_. We talk about today's hike at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, then tackle three topics: our opposition to the political rehabilitation of George W. Bush, the purges of leftists by the DNC, and the trending "me toos" and "I'm guilties" on social media. In this week's conversation, Grace and Paul give an update on what we've been reading and watching, including a quick review of the new film _Blade Runner 2049_, and thoughts on the first half of Elizabeth Warren's book _A Fighting Chance_. We talk about today's hike at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, then tackle three topics: our opposition to the political rehabilitation of George W. Bush, the purges of leftists by the DNC, and the trending "me toos" and "I'm guilties" on social media. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-19-me-too-meets-im-guilty-october-22-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2319_%20%22Me%20Too%22%20Meets%20%22I%27m%20Guilty%22%20%28October%2022%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 22 Oct 2017 23:11:51 -0400 01:38:51 Grace and Paul Potts We finish up Elizabeth Warren's book, discuss Father Solanus Casey, who will soon be beatified, and give conservatism equal time. In this week's conversation, Paul finishes up Elizabeth Warren's book _A Fighting Chance_ and talks about the People's Pledge and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Grace talks about Father Solanus Casey, his sold-out Beatification Mass, and the special panel discussion she attended instead. Then, in the interest of fairness we turn our critical attention away from liberals, and talk about an article from Mere Orthodoxy about how American conservatism continues to fail in actually conserving anything. We finish up with some brief thoughts on George H. W. Bush in the news, and how the Washington Post is now already beginning to lay the groundwork for Hillary Clinton in 2020. In this week's conversation, Paul finishes up Elizabeth Warren's book _A Fighting Chance_ and talks about the People's Pledge and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Grace talks about Father Solanus Casey, his sold-out Beatification Mass, and the special panel discussion she attended instead. Then, in the interest of fairness we turn our critical attention away from liberals, and talk about an article from Mere Orthodoxy about how American conservatism continues to fail in actually conserving anything. We finish up with some brief thoughts on George H. W. Bush in the news, and how the Washington Post is now already beginning to lay the groundwork for Hillary Clinton in 2020. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-20-equal-time-october-29-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2320_%20Equal%20Time%20%28October%2029%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 29 Oct 2017 00:44:02 -0400 01:22:00 Grace and Paul Potts Paul is reading _Our Revolution_ and has a quick review of _Thor: Ragnarok_. Then Grace walks us through a beautiful essay about Thanksiving and the resilience of black families. In this week's conversation: Paul has started reading _Our Revolution_ by Bernie Sanders, and recently went to see _Thor:Ragnarok_. It was too wet, and we were too lazy, to get out for a walk this weekend, but we have an audio clip from last week. And then Grace walks us through a beautiful essay from Bon Appetit magazine about Thanksgiving and the resilience of black families over decades, and how this essay really gets at the heart of all she's ever tried to say about politics. In this week's conversation: Paul has started reading _Our Revolution_ by Bernie Sanders, and recently went to see _Thor:Ragnarok_. It was too wet, and we were too lazy, to get out for a walk this weekend, but we have an audio clip from last week. And then Grace walks us through a beautiful essay from Bon Appetit magazine about Thanksgiving and the resilience of black families over decades, and how this essay really gets at the heart of all she's ever tried to say about politics. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-21-hashtag-thanksgiving-november-5-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2321_%20Hashtag%20Thanksgiving%20%28November%205%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 05 Nov 2017 23:50:03 -0500 01:07:36 Grace and Paul Potts Grace had a conversation with her friend Alice about intuition and how propaganda convinces us not to trust it. We have something a little different this time! Grace's friend Alice was visiting, so Paul sat this one out and the two of them had a conversation about intuition and how we fail to trust it, especially when propaganda tells us that we shouldn't. Topics include alcohol and nicotine as medicine, renting versus selling a house, parenting, and surgery. We have something a little different this time! Grace's friend Alice was visiting, so Paul sat this one out and the two of them had a conversation about intuition and how we fail to trust it, especially when propaganda tells us that we shouldn't. Topics include alcohol and nicotine as medicine, renting versus selling a house, parenting, and surgery. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-22-trust-your-intuition-november-12-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2322_%20Trust%20Your%20Intuition%20%28November%2012%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 12 Nov 2017 22:47:04 -0500 01:10:39 Grace and Paul Potts Four quick(er) topics: Franken and Moore, the CFPB; Russiagate; the disturbing state of children's videos on YouTube. This week we were overwhelmed with topics, so we chose four and tried to get through them quickly by setting a time limit for each one. How did that go? You tell us. Topics this week: the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore and Franken; a leadership change at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Russiagate; something is wrong on the Internet (and for the love of all that is holy, don't let your children watch regular YouTube, or YouTube Kids, without close supervision!) This week we were overwhelmed with topics, so we chose four and tried to get through them quickly by setting a time limit for each one. How did that go? You tell us. Topics this week: the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore and Franken; a leadership change at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Russiagate; something is wrong on the Internet (and for the love of all that is holy, don't let your children watch regular YouTube, or YouTube Kids, without close supervision!) https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-23-lightning-round-november-19-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2323_%20Lightning%20Round%20%28November%2019%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 19 Nov 2017 11:41:08 -0500 00:49:08 Grace and Paul Potts Paul has an epic rant ready in response to Donna Brazile's revelations about Clinton's control of the DNC almost a year before the primaries. We recorded this one on November 18 so that it would be ready to go on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Paul's been working on notes for an epic rant, and had a lot to get off his chest, so this one is mostly Paul, with Grace offering commentary. This rant has been building up for a while: it's Paul's response to Donna Brazile's revelations that Hillary Clinton was in control of the DNC almost a year before the primaries, and using it to allow big donors to vastly exceed the limits on individual donations, and donate up to $660,000.00 instead of $2,700.00. Why is this important and why does it spell the end of the Democratic Party? And what happens next? To unpack that Paul briefly reviews the history of political parties in America, starting with Washington's farewell address, and how the parties have changed over time due to realigning elections or insurgencies, either from inside the existing parties or led by third parties, and how the 30- to 40-year cycle of party systems may have come to an end with Citizen's United. Brazile is no hero, but without whistleblowers we have no chance of keeping organizations like the DNC from becoming entirely corrupt Potemkin Villages. Meanwhile, between this new revelation and several old ones, the fundamental hypocrisy of anyone supporting the DNC while criticizing the Republican establishment for corruption is starkly illuminated. The DNC even argued in court that it had no obligation to deliver a fair primary. The upshot is that no one can claim with a straight face that Sanders won the primary fair and square, when there was no impartiality whatsoever, and no one can claim that we should stop trying to re-litigate the election, when it was never litigated fairly to begin with. There will be no functioning Democratic Party until we have truth and reconciliation in America, and a long-overdue change in our parties, either in the form of a realigning election where the Democratic party dramatically changes, or by a third party supplanting the Democratic party until we eventually stabilize on two parties again. But none of this can happen until we face up to, and take steps to reduce, the distorting power of big money in our elections. We recorded this one on November 18 so that it would be ready to go on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Paul's been working on notes for an epic rant, and had a lot to get off his chest, so this one is mostly Paul, with Grace offering commentary. This rant has been building up for a while: it's Paul's response to Donna Brazile's revelations that Hillary Clinton was in control of the DNC almost a year before the primaries, and using it to allow big donors to vastly exceed the limits on individual donations, and donate up to $660,000.00 instead of $2,700.00. Why is this important and why does it spell the end of the Democratic Party? And what happens next? To unpack that Paul briefly reviews the history of political parties in America, starting with Washington's farewell address, and how the parties have changed over time due to realigning elections or insurgencies, either from inside the existing parties or led by third parties, and how the 30- to 40-year cycle of party systems may have come to an end with Citizen's United. Brazile is no hero, but without whistleblowers we have no chance of keeping organizations like the DNC from becoming entirely corrupt Potemkin Villages. Meanwhile, between this new revelation and several old ones, the fundamental hypocrisy of anyone supporting the DNC while criticizing the Republican establishment for corruption is starkly illuminated. The DNC even argued in court that it had no obligation to deliver a fair primary. The upshot is that no one can claim with a straight face that Sanders won the primary fair and square, when there was no impartiality whatsoever, and no one can claim that we should stop trying to re-litigate the election, when it was never litigated fairly to begin with. There will be no functioning Democratic Party until we have truth and reconciliation in America, and a long-overdue change in our parties, either in the form of a realigning election where the Democratic party dramatically changes, or by a third party supplanting the Democratic party until we eventually stabilize on two parties again. But none of this can happen until we face up to, and take steps to reduce, the distorting power of big money in our elections. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-24-the-democrat-diaries-november-26-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2324_%20The%20Democrat%20Diaries%20%28November%2026%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 26 Nov 2017 11:41:08 -0500 01:10:01 Grace and Paul Potts Ypsilanti's Washtenaw International Middle Academy, social capital and the fight against bullying, and T. H. White's book _The Sword in the Stone_. Today we have a podcast in two parts, recorded separately. In part one, Grace has some thoughts about the controversies over Ypsilanti's Washtenaw International Middle Academy, and also talks about an article from _Psychology Today_ which discusses the concept of social capital in the fight against bullying in schools. In the second part, Paul talks some more about one of the books that shaped his young mind, T. H. White's _The Sword in the Stone_. Today we have a podcast in two parts, recorded separately. In part one, Grace has some thoughts about the controversies over Ypsilanti's Washtenaw International Middle Academy, and also talks about an article from _Psychology Today_ which discusses the concept of social capital in the fight against bullying in schools. In the second part, Paul talks some more about one of the books that shaped his young mind, T. H. White's _The Sword in the Stone_. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-25-schools-out-december-3-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2325_%20School%27s%20Out%20%28December%203%2C%202017%29.mp3 Mon, 04 Dec 2017 00:45:12 -0500 01:18:27 Grace and Paul Potts Paul reviews _Our Revolution_ by Bernie Sanders and _Listen, Liberal_ by Thomas Frank, Grace talks about propaganda in the New York Times, and then we discuss some listener feedback on Paul's rant about the DNC. Are you well-rested, well-fed, well-hydrated, and sitting comfortably? Pace yourself, because this one is really long. Remember, you can always press pause, take a walk, take a potty break, and come back later! First up, Paul reviews _Our Revolution_ by Bernie Sanders. Then, starting at about the 50-minute (00:49:15) mark, he moves on to _Listen, Liberal_ by Thomas Frank, taking us to about 01:25:27. . After a brief break, Grace leads a discussion on the recent trend in the New York Times, administering tongue baths to Nazis and bigots, specifically the profile of Ben Shapiro and the dismantling of said profile by Nathan J. Robinson in _Current Affairs_. This takes us just past the 2-hour (02:00:33) mark, when we discuss at length some listener feedback we received about Paul's epic rant in Conversation 24. The whole show clocks in at just under 2 hours and 45 minutes. Are you well-rested, well-fed, well-hydrated, and sitting comfortably? Pace yourself, because this one is really long. Remember, you can always press pause, take a walk, take a potty break, and come back later! First up, Paul reviews _Our Revolution_ by Bernie Sanders. Then, starting at about the 50-minute (00:49:15) mark, he moves on to _Listen, Liberal_ by Thomas Frank, taking us to about 01:25:27. . After a brief break, Grace leads a discussion on the recent trend in the New York Times, administering tongue baths to Nazis and bigots, specifically the profile of Ben Shapiro and the dismantling of said profile by Nathan J. Robinson in _Current Affairs_. This takes us just past the 2-hour (02:00:33) mark, when we discuss at length some listener feedback we received about Paul's epic rant in Conversation 24. The whole show clocks in at just under 2 hours and 45 minutes. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-26-listen-liberally-december-10-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2326_%20Listen%20Liberally%20%28December%2010%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 10 Dec 2017 13:35:32 -0500 02:44:58 Grace and Paul Potts We talk seed catalogs, sewing books, Social Security, Sartre, and Self-care. This week: Grace has been reading the Seed Savers Exchange catalog and three books of sewing projects: _Rip It!: How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams_ by Elissa Meyrich, _The Sweater Chop Shop: Sewing One-of-a-Kind Creations from Recycled Sweaters_ by Crispina ffrench, and _Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters_ by Stefanie Girard. We watched part of the dumb reboot of Battlestar Galactica, _Galactica 1980_. Our walk of the week was in downtown Ypsilanti, ending in a fine meal at Maiz Mexican Cantina. We have three discussion topics: Social Security, Sartre, and Self-care for the Holidays. Social Security is under attack, but when liberals defend it they often talk about how they deserve to get "their" money back. Their use of these words show a lack of understanding of how it actually works and make it sound like an ordinary pension scheme. If it is an ordinary pension scheme, then there aren't a lot of arguments to make about why it shouldn't be privatized -- and the defenders have just helped advance the Republican agenda. In fact, Social Security is much more, a truly socialist program, and its radical agenda is precisely _why_ it works, why it is popular, and why it deserves a fully-informed, full-throated defense. Then Paul leads a discussion about Jean-Paul Sartre's thought-provoking essay "Elections: a Trap for Fools," a radical critique of indirect democracy. Next, we talk about the necessity of self-care during the holidays, what that means for people with depression and anxiety, how we have tried to unplug from the commercialization of Christmas and teach our children about their Jewish heritage as well, and why Christians might as well concede that their participation in the commercialization of Christmas has ceded it to capitalism, and look for other festivals and holy days to express their faith. Finally, we respond to some listener feedback. And speaking of self-care, please note that we will be on hiatus, working on the podcast behind the scenes, for a few weeks, returning January 21st. This week: Grace has been reading the Seed Savers Exchange catalog and three books of sewing projects: _Rip It!: How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams_ by Elissa Meyrich, _The Sweater Chop Shop: Sewing One-of-a-Kind Creations from Recycled Sweaters_ by Crispina ffrench, and _Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters_ by Stefanie Girard. We watched part of the dumb reboot of Battlestar Galactica, _Galactica 1980_. Our walk of the week was in downtown Ypsilanti, ending in a fine meal at Maiz Mexican Cantina. We have three discussion topics: Social Security, Sartre, and Self-care for the Holidays. Social Security is under attack, but when liberals defend it they often talk about how they deserve to get "their" money back. Their use of these words show a lack of understanding of how it actually works and make it sound like an ordinary pension scheme. If it is an ordinary pension scheme, then there aren't a lot of arguments to make about why it shouldn't be privatized -- and the defenders have just helped advance the Republican agenda. In fact, Social Security is much more, a truly socialist program, and its radical agenda is precisely _why_ it works, why it is popular, and why it deserves a fully-informed, full-throated defense. Then Paul leads a discussion about Jean-Paul Sartre's thought-provoking essay "Elections: a Trap for Fools," a radical critique of indirect democracy. Next, we talk about the necessity of self-care during the holidays, what that means for people with depression and anxiety, how we have tried to unplug from the commercialization of Christmas and teach our children about their Jewish heritage as well, and why Christians might as well concede that their participation in the commercialization of Christmas has ceded it to capitalism, and look for other festivals and holy days to express their faith. Finally, we respond to some listener feedback. And speaking of self-care, please note that we will be on hiatus, working on the podcast behind the scenes, for a few weeks, returning January 21st. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2017_index.html#conversation-27-social-security-sartre-and-self-care-december-17-2017 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2327_%20Social%20Security%2C%20Sartre%2C%20and%20Self-care%20%28December%2017%2C%202017%29.mp3 Sun, 17 Dec 2017 12:54:48 -0500 02:17:18 Grace and Paul Potts We jump back into the fray after several weeks off by introducing a new topic we hope to develop in more detail during 2018: millennial economics. Welcome back! This week: Grace and I talk about our holidays, our family walk yesterday, and our recent get-togethers with local activist groups. Then we launch into a big topic that we hope to develop in more detail in 2018: millennial economics. We start with an essay by Umar Haque about how America has exploited instead of supported the millennial generation in ways that will have life-long impacts on their lives -- and those lives will in fact be shorter than they should be, because of it. Then, a brief piece by Hamilton Nolan about how the 401(k) system has not and will not solve our retirement problems (this is of course not just an issue for millennials), and how auto-enrolling can actually result in _worsening_ the long-term financial situation of participants. And finally, a long-form piece by Michael Hobbes that explains why millennials face financial conditions not seen since the Great Depression. If you are allergic to online animations, note that a printable version is available, but it's still a big article (45 printed pages), so consider printing it two pages to the printed page, or read it online. Welcome back! This week: Grace and I talk about our holidays, our family walk yesterday, and our recent get-togethers with local activist groups. Then we launch into a big topic that we hope to develop in more detail in 2018: millennial economics. We start with an essay by Umar Haque about how America has exploited instead of supported the millennial generation in ways that will have life-long impacts on their lives -- and those lives will in fact be shorter than they should be, because of it. Then, a brief piece by Hamilton Nolan about how the 401(k) system has not and will not solve our retirement problems (this is of course not just an issue for millennials), and how auto-enrolling can actually result in _worsening_ the long-term financial situation of participants. And finally, a long-form piece by Michael Hobbes that explains why millennials face financial conditions not seen since the Great Depression. If you are allergic to online animations, note that a printable version is available, but it's still a big article (45 printed pages), so consider printing it two pages to the printed page, or read it online. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-28-introducing-millennial-economics-january-21-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2328_%20Introducing%20Millennial%20Economics%20%28January%2021%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 21 Jan 2018 23:50:26 -0500 01:17:59 Grace and Paul Potts In this week's conversation: a movie about a gorilla named Sylvio, and articles about post-partum depression, achaeobotany, and the marriage of Josh and Lolly Weed. This week: we took a walk at Rolling Hills Park, and watched a movie about a gorilla named Sylvio. No, he's not that kind of gorilla. We discuss three articles. First, a piece from Slate by Darby Saxbe about a woman who tried to get help for postpartum depression, and what happened next. Then, a fascinating piece from Ars Technica about archaeobotanist Natalie Mueller at Cornell University and her work studying the plants that indigenous people cultivated in North America thousands of years ago. And finally, we take a look at a long blog post from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Josh and Lolly Weed. In 2012 Josh and Lolly explained to the world that they had chosen to stay married despite the revelation that Josh is gay. They just told the world that they are divorcing. We do our best to take on this tricky subject and some of the political and cultural context, and why despite the circumstances we feel saddened to hear about the end of a marriage. This week: we took a walk at Rolling Hills Park, and watched a movie about a gorilla named Sylvio. No, he's not that kind of gorilla. We discuss three articles. First, a piece from Slate by Darby Saxbe about a woman who tried to get help for postpartum depression, and what happened next. Then, a fascinating piece from Ars Technica about archaeobotanist Natalie Mueller at Cornell University and her work studying the plants that indigenous people cultivated in North America thousands of years ago. And finally, we take a look at a long blog post from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Josh and Lolly Weed. In 2012 Josh and Lolly explained to the world that they had chosen to stay married despite the revelation that Josh is gay. They just told the world that they are divorcing. We do our best to take on this tricky subject and some of the political and cultural context, and why despite the circumstances we feel saddened to hear about the end of a marriage. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-29-gorillas-unicorns-and-bats-january-28-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2329_%20Gorillas%2C%20Unicorns%2C%20and%20Bats%20%28January%2028%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 28 Jan 2018 11:59:59 -0500 01:40:57 Grace and Paul Potts A bit more about the marriage of Josh and Lolly Weed, and a look at the allegorical stories that we live by, and share, and the importance of sharing them carefully. This week: we didn't get a walk in, unfortunately. Paul is struggling to finish a fat science fiction novel by David Brin, and he hurt his leg in a dumb mail-retrieval accident. We revisit a topic from last week, the marriage of Josh and Lolly Weed, and talk a bit about the six kinds of love in classic Greek terminology. Then we talk about a classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok," that is all about the stories we tell each other and how we use these stories to communicate. We take this idea and use it to consider what the news media is doing when it shares, without critical context or push-back, the anti-immigrant language of Trump supporters. This week: we didn't get a walk in, unfortunately. Paul is struggling to finish a fat science fiction novel by David Brin, and he hurt his leg in a dumb mail-retrieval accident. We revisit a topic from last week, the marriage of Josh and Lolly Weed, and talk a bit about the six kinds of love in classic Greek terminology. Then we talk about a classic episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Darmok," that is all about the stories we tell each other and how we use these stories to communicate. We take this idea and use it to consider what the news media is doing when it shares, without critical context or push-back, the anti-immigrant language of Trump supporters. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-30-picard-and-dathon-at-el-adrel-february-4-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2330_%20Picard%20and%20Dathon%20at%20El-Adrel%20%28February%204%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 04 Feb 2018 15:14:48 -0500 01:15:49 Grace and Paul Potts Doctor Who, Indian food, American collapse in progress, and an account of actor John Mahoney. This week: we were buried in snow! Paul couldn't make it to work on Friday, so he drove back home. We made Indian food and watched some old-school Doctor Who serials including a surprisingly good one from 1966, which exists now as an animated reconstruction of the lost film. We talk about why the fan edits can really improve the viewing experience. Then we discuss two articles: an essay about how collapse is not coming to America, but it's already here, and a personal rememberance about actor John Mahoney that raises some questions about whether it is ever all right to lie, and leads us to discuss how being a committed Christian does not always mean everyone will like you. This week: we were buried in snow! Paul couldn't make it to work on Friday, so he drove back home. We made Indian food and watched some old-school Doctor Who serials including a surprisingly good one from 1966, which exists now as an animated reconstruction of the lost film. We talk about why the fan edits can really improve the viewing experience. Then we discuss two articles: an essay about how collapse is not coming to America, but it's already here, and a personal rememberance about actor John Mahoney that raises some questions about whether it is ever all right to lie, and leads us to discuss how being a committed Christian does not always mean everyone will like you. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-31-the-kandy-man-kant-february-11-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2331_%20The%20Kandy%20Man%20Kan%27t%20%28February%2011%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 11 Feb 2018 23:26:13 -0500 01:43:43 Grace and Paul Potts The anniversary of moving into our new home; taxes; listener feedback; Peter Pan, more Doctor Who, and two articles about programs that let ordinary citizens sponsor immigrants, one hypothetical, and one real. Grace and I are celebrating a special anniversary: one year ago, we moved into our new house in Ypsilanti, with no furniture, and ate dinner sitting on the dining room floor. We ate a meal sitting on the floor to commemmorate that day. Our taxes are done! But not paid for yet. Paul's not opposed to paying taxes, but he's not happy about a system that forces us to get professional assistance to file the paperwork, and results in unexpectedly high bills. As Grace puts it, every citizen has to take some of the bureaucracy home! We have listener feedback! We talk about comments from our friends Ken and Leela. Ken suggests some science fiction, which leads Paul into a long, rambling chat about military science fiction and genre fiction in general. Leela has some comments on Josh and Lolly Weed and that leads us to talk about how the process of having a family leads people to grow up, not the other way around, and how it's never too late to fill in some of the parts of your childhood that may have been missing. We also talk about how the romance of a true long-term relationship is not all about the drama. There was no walk this week. In this week's reading and watching, we read part of the original Peter Pan, which is far darker, stranger, and more adult than we expected. (Note: you should never, ever say that you don't believe in fairies). We watched two more fan edits of old Doctor Who serials: The Ice Warriors and The Mind Robber. Will the toy TARDIS survive its encounter with terrifying waves of soap suds? Will Jamie get his face back? Will there ever be a superhero movie about Karkus? We have two articles to discuss this week. The first is a piece from Politico, about a modest proposal to allow ordinary citizens to sponsor immigrants, and pay them less than minimum wage. Then we turn to an article from Slate, a rebuttal of sorts, that explains how there already is a program like this, the au pair program, and it doesn't really work as advertised. Grace and I are celebrating a special anniversary: one year ago, we moved into our new house in Ypsilanti, with no furniture, and ate dinner sitting on the dining room floor. We ate a meal sitting on the floor to commemmorate that day. Our taxes are done! But not paid for yet. Paul's not opposed to paying taxes, but he's not happy about a system that forces us to get professional assistance to file the paperwork, and results in unexpectedly high bills. As Grace puts it, every citizen has to take some of the bureaucracy home! We have listener feedback! We talk about comments from our friends Ken and Leela. Ken suggests some science fiction, which leads Paul into a long, rambling chat about military science fiction and genre fiction in general. Leela has some comments on Josh and Lolly Weed and that leads us to talk about how the process of having a family leads people to grow up, not the other way around, and how it's never too late to fill in some of the parts of your childhood that may have been missing. We also talk about how the romance of a true long-term relationship is not all about the drama. There was no walk this week. In this week's reading and watching, we read part of the original Peter Pan, which is far darker, stranger, and more adult than we expected. (Note: you should never, ever say that you don't believe in fairies). We watched two more fan edits of old Doctor Who serials: The Ice Warriors and The Mind Robber. Will the toy TARDIS survive its encounter with terrifying waves of soap suds? Will Jamie get his face back? Will there ever be a superhero movie about Karkus? We have two articles to discuss this week. The first is a piece from Politico, about a modest proposal to allow ordinary citizens to sponsor immigrants, and pay them less than minimum wage. Then we turn to an article from Slate, a rebuttal of sorts, that explains how there already is a program like this, the au pair program, and it doesn't really work as advertised. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-32-exploding-the-logic-of-the-market-february-18-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2332_%20Exploding%20the%20Logic%20of%20the%20Market%20%28February%2018%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 18 Feb 2018 14:37:22 -0500 02:14:31 Grace and Paul Potts The strange case and contentious case of Jahi McMath. We were pressed for time this week, so we were not able to spend much time preparing or recording. Therefore, we have a shorter-than-usual, but somewhat disorganized, conversation about the strange case of Jahi McMath, a young woman who suffered terrible complications after a routine tonsilectomy. Jahi has existed for years now in a liminal state somewhere between technologically-supported bodily life, and legal brain death. Her case is controversial, and hotly disputed by hospital administrators and medical ethicists, and casts doubt on the contemporary definition of death that enables organ transplantation. Her story, and her family's story, also seems to us to be illustrative of the ways that black patients and their families are mistreated and disrespected by the medical establishment. We were pressed for time this week, so we were not able to spend much time preparing or recording. Therefore, we have a shorter-than-usual, but somewhat disorganized, conversation about the strange case of Jahi McMath, a young woman who suffered terrible complications after a routine tonsilectomy. Jahi has existed for years now in a liminal state somewhere between technologically-supported bodily life, and legal brain death. Her case is controversial, and hotly disputed by hospital administrators and medical ethicists, and casts doubt on the contemporary definition of death that enables organ transplantation. Her story, and her family's story, also seems to us to be illustrative of the ways that black patients and their families are mistreated and disrespected by the medical establishment. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#hot-take-defining-death-february-25-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Hot%20Take_%20Defining%20Death%20%28February%2025%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 25 Feb 2018 22:40:49 -0500 01:01:05 Grace and Paul Potts A book report from Joshua (age 9); a conversation with our friend Julie about classic Doctor Who; Ivanka Trump's defense of her father; and the West Virginia teacher's strike. This week's episode is chock-full of goodies. We have a book report from Joshua Potts, age 9. We have a conversation with our friend Julie about classic Doctor Who. And we have two topics to consider. First, we discuss Ivanka Trump's comments in defense of her father, how they were strategically targeted at Trump's base, and how they don't actually demonstrate her incompetence as senior white house adviser, despite how they appear to her political opponents. And second, we discuss the ongoing teacher's strike in West Virginia: what's going on, the roots of the problem, and why we hope this strike actually spreads nationwide. This week's episode is chock-full of goodies. We have a book report from Joshua Potts, age 9. We have a conversation with our friend Julie about classic Doctor Who. And we have two topics to consider. First, we discuss Ivanka Trump's comments in defense of her father, how they were strategically targeted at Trump's base, and how they don't actually demonstrate her incompetence as senior white house adviser, despite how they appear to her political opponents. And second, we discuss the ongoing teacher's strike in West Virginia: what's going on, the roots of the problem, and why we hope this strike actually spreads nationwide. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-33-in-solidarity-with-west-virginia-teachers-march-4-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2333_%20In%20Solidarity%20with%20West%20Virginia%20Teachers%20%28March%204%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 04 Mar 2018 21:40:38 -0500 01:52:14 Grace and Paul Potts Socialism 101; a scam from DTE Energy; The Web of Fear; how social media enabled a vast left-wing awakening and now must destroy it; the new McCarthyism; the neoliberal ideology of A Wrinkle in Time. In this week's conversation, we talk about many things. Paul attended the Socialism 101 program organized by the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America. Paul's got a rant about how DTE Energy tried to issue us a payday loan because of our participation in the energy bill "budget plan," and a brief review of a classic Doctor Who serial from 1968, The Web of Fear. Then Grace takes on a big topic: how social media enabled a vast left-wing awakening, and how the centrist establishment is spreading panic and will try to shut this down, even by embracing the new McCarthyism. And lastly, Paul takes apart A Wrinkle in Time, and talks about what makes this movie an interesting failure, why it seems so disrespectful of the source material, and what the filmmakers' choices say about neoliberal ideology today. In this week's conversation, we talk about many things. Paul attended the Socialism 101 program organized by the Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America. Paul's got a rant about how DTE Energy tried to issue us a payday loan because of our participation in the energy bill "budget plan," and a brief review of a classic Doctor Who serial from 1968, The Web of Fear. Then Grace takes on a big topic: how social media enabled a vast left-wing awakening, and how the centrist establishment is spreading panic and will try to shut this down, even by embracing the new McCarthyism. And lastly, Paul takes apart A Wrinkle in Time, and talks about what makes this movie an interesting failure, why it seems so disrespectful of the source material, and what the filmmakers' choices say about neoliberal ideology today. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-34-a-wrinkle-in-daylight-saving-time-march-11-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2334_%20A%20Wrinkle%20in%20Daylight%20Saving%20Time%20%28March%2011%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:33:10 -0400 02:31:28 Grace and Paul Potts Paul has a possible explanation for his cough --- a mild form of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. And Grace talks in more depth about her formation as an activist and Roman Catholic. We're late this week---but spring is here! We had a wonderful walk on Saturday. Grace is reading The PK Cookbook by Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson. Paul has a possible explanation for the cough he's had for months. He wasn't satisfied with his doctor's lack of concern in helping him get rid of his chronic cough, so he took matters into his own hands and signed up for a study, and provided a blood sample for genetic testing. He's learned that he has the PiMZ variation of the SERPINA1 gene, a mild form of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. We talk about the implications of that. Then, Grace responds at length to a prompt from a friend, who asked to hear more about her process of formation in both politics and spiritual life. Grace talks in some detail about her early influences. One was her father, a civil-rights attorney, who turned family dinners into seminar classes in politics and criminal justice. She participated in protests at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and was a veteran volunteer for several political campaigns by the time she was 18. She also talks about her journey from pro-choice to pro-life, and to the Roman Catholic Church, and how she felt that she discovered a spiritual home with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. We're late this week---but spring is here! We had a wonderful walk on Saturday. Grace is reading The PK Cookbook by Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson. Paul has a possible explanation for the cough he's had for months. He wasn't satisfied with his doctor's lack of concern in helping him get rid of his chronic cough, so he took matters into his own hands and signed up for a study, and provided a blood sample for genetic testing. He's learned that he has the PiMZ variation of the SERPINA1 gene, a mild form of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. We talk about the implications of that. Then, Grace responds at length to a prompt from a friend, who asked to hear more about her process of formation in both politics and spiritual life. Grace talks in some detail about her early influences. One was her father, a civil-rights attorney, who turned family dinners into seminar classes in politics and criminal justice. She participated in protests at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and was a veteran volunteer for several political campaigns by the time she was 18. She also talks about her journey from pro-choice to pro-life, and to the Roman Catholic Church, and how she felt that she discovered a spiritual home with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-35-catholic-slacker-and-alpha-male-march-20-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2335_%20Catholic%20Slacker%20and%20Alpha%20Male%20%28March%2020%2C%202018%29.mp3 Tue, 20 Mar 2018 21:37:39 -0400 01:40:47 Grace and Paul Potts The Hobbit, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, 4 short topics (self-driving car, leaving social media, suburban housing costs, and workplace stress). Then, remembering the start of the war in Iraq. This week: we finished reading The Hobbit to the kids! And Paul started reading The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump. We cooked an Indian feast! We have 4 short topics: the Uber self-driving car crash; Caitlin Johnstone on leaving social media; Slate on the rising cost of suburban housing; and the Stanford Graduate School of Business on how the workplace is killing people. Then, Paul reads excerpts from his blog from 15 years ago, when he was writing in protest of the start of the war in Iraq. This week: we finished reading The Hobbit to the kids! And Paul started reading The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump. We cooked an Indian feast! We have 4 short topics: the Uber self-driving car crash; Caitlin Johnstone on leaving social media; Slate on the rising cost of suburban housing; and the Stanford Graduate School of Business on how the workplace is killing people. Then, Paul reads excerpts from his blog from 15 years ago, when he was writing in protest of the start of the war in Iraq. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-36-lightning-round-and-remembering-the-start-of-the-iraq-war-march-25-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2336_%20Lightning%20Round%20and%20Remembering%20the%20Start%20of%20the%20Iraq%20War%20%28March%2025%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:16:11 -0400 02:07:47 Grace and Paul Potts Everybody's sick! A lecture by Professor Elizabeth Anderson on private governments in the workplace; further thoughts on The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump and another collection of essays, False Choices. Worst. Easter. Ever! Everybody's sick, and Grace and Paul missed Easter Mass for the first time since before they were married! But earlier in the week, Grace and Paul attended a lecture by Professor Elizabeth Anderson, on private governments in the workplace, and they have thoughts. Then, Paul has further thoughts on The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump and compares it to another collection of essays, False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Worst. Easter. Ever! Everybody's sick, and Grace and Paul missed Easter Mass for the first time since before they were married! But earlier in the week, Grace and Paul attended a lecture by Professor Elizabeth Anderson, on private governments in the workplace, and they have thoughts. Then, Paul has further thoughts on The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump and compares it to another collection of essays, False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-37-easter-fools-day-april-1-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2337_%20Easter%20Fool%27s%20Day%20%28April%201%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 01 Apr 2018 20:53:42 -0400 00:47:03 Grace and Paul Potts Chris Travers joins us for a wide-ranging conversation centered around the gun debate including stochastic terrorism, community regulation, and mental health. Our friend Chris Travers joins us for this week's chat, from Germany. We talk about a few books including Tolkien's classic _The Fellowship of the Ring_. Paul's been reading Tolkien to the kids at bedtime, and tossing in his own leftist analysis, as well as literary analysis, along the way. We also watched the classic _Doctor Who_ serial _Earthshock_. Then we get down to the meat of the discussion: the debate on guns in the United States. Grace links the mass shooting epidemic to the concept of stochastic terrorism, as a deliberate attempt to push people towards greater acceptance of totalitarianism. Chris talks about what a reasonable system of community firearms regulation might look like. Paul talks about why blaming mental health is a false flag operation. Our friend Chris Travers joins us for this week's chat, from Germany. We talk about a few books including Tolkien's classic _The Fellowship of the Ring_. Paul's been reading Tolkien to the kids at bedtime, and tossing in his own leftist analysis, as well as literary analysis, along the way. We also watched the classic _Doctor Who_ serial _Earthshock_. Then we get down to the meat of the discussion: the debate on guns in the United States. Grace links the mass shooting epidemic to the concept of stochastic terrorism, as a deliberate attempt to push people towards greater acceptance of totalitarianism. Chris talks about what a reasonable system of community firearms regulation might look like. Paul talks about why blaming mental health is a false flag operation. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-38-the-gun-show-april-8-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2338_%20The%20Gun%20Show%20%28April%208%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 08 Apr 2018 18:21:31 -0400 01:32:54 Grace interviewed our friend Joy Pryor about her project, the First Stop Shop, a reuse shop that is also a statement of, and act of, resistance. This week, our friend Joy Pryor was in the house! So Paul handed over his microphone so that Grace could interview Joy about her project, the First Stop Shop, a reuse shop that is also a statement of, and act of, resistance. This week, our friend Joy Pryor was in the house! So Paul handed over his microphone so that Grace could interview Joy about her project, the First Stop Shop, a reuse shop that is also a statement of, and act of, resistance. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-39-joy-pryor-and-the-first-stop-shop-april-15-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2339_%20Joy%20Pryor%20and%20the%20First%20Stop%20Shop%20%28April%2015%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 15 Apr 2018 23:24:10 -0400 00:49:29 Grace and Paul Potts Paul is sick so here's an excerpt from Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick, chapters 28 through 31. Paul is sick today and we just couldn't manage a show. But here's a little thing from the archives. A few years ago Paul read portions of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick to the kids. Not every chapter -- just the ones he thought would be the most fun to read out loud. Here's his recording of chapters 28 through 31, which feature the characters of Ahab, Stubb, Flask, and the mysterious dream-merman. He made a few introductory comments -- if you find that part uninteresting and want to get straight to Melville, skip ahead to 7:30. The whole file is a bit over 31 minutes long. What's the point of this? Moby Dick has a certain reputation, partially deserved, as a heavy and discursive book, hard to read---but it is also very beautifully written, and very funny in parts. Paul wanted to present some evidence of this, and capture why his kids found it entertaining. Really, Moby Dick is several books in one, in several different styles, all of them subtle, satirical, and self-referential, often breaking the fourth wall, and often revelatory of the quick mind and long experience of the narrator, Ishmael. Stubb is every bit as funny and touching a comic sidekick as Shakespeare's famous sidekicks, like Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Ahab even seems to speak in blank verse, or something close to it. Paul is sick today and we just couldn't manage a show. But here's a little thing from the archives. A few years ago Paul read portions of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick to the kids. Not every chapter -- just the ones he thought would be the most fun to read out loud. Here's his recording of chapters 28 through 31, which feature the characters of Ahab, Stubb, Flask, and the mysterious dream-merman. He made a few introductory comments -- if you find that part uninteresting and want to get straight to Melville, skip ahead to 7:30. The whole file is a bit over 31 minutes long. What's the point of this? Moby Dick has a certain reputation, partially deserved, as a heavy and discursive book, hard to read---but it is also very beautifully written, and very funny in parts. Paul wanted to present some evidence of this, and capture why his kids found it entertaining. Really, Moby Dick is several books in one, in several different styles, all of them subtle, satirical, and self-referential, often breaking the fourth wall, and often revelatory of the quick mind and long experience of the narrator, Ishmael. Stubb is every bit as funny and touching a comic sidekick as Shakespeare's famous sidekicks, like Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing. Ahab even seems to speak in blank verse, or something close to it. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#the-one-that-got-away-april-22-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Moby%20Dick%20Excerpt%20Chapters%2028-31.mp3 Sun, 22 Apr 2018 21:26:31 -0400 00:31:18 Grace and Paul Potts A rambling status update, and comments about the three classic Tom Baker Doctor Who serials that make up the E-Space trilogy. It's been a crazy couple of weeks and the dog ate our homework, so this week we are just bringing you a rambling status update. Paul throws in some comments about the E-Space trilogy, three classic Doctor Who serials from late in the Tom Baker era. It's been a crazy couple of weeks and the dog ate our homework, so this week we are just bringing you a rambling status update. Paul throws in some comments about the E-Space trilogy, three classic Doctor Who serials from late in the Tom Baker era. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-40-status-report-april-29-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2340_%20Status%20Report%20%28April%2029%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 29 Apr 2018 21:26:31 -0400 02:04:36 Grace and Paul Potts This week we talk millennial economics with our guest, Angie. This week we talk millennial economics with our guest, Angie. Angie is a wife, mother of four, stay-at-home mom, homeowner, and millennial. We discuss the economics of college education, the enduring value of work in the trades, the elite disdain for manual labor, and the things we no longer seem to teach in school. Also, the dog ate our homework, and Colorado is full! This week we talk millennial economics with our guest, Angie. Angie is a wife, mother of four, stay-at-home mom, homeowner, and millennial. We discuss the economics of college education, the enduring value of work in the trades, the elite disdain for manual labor, and the things we no longer seem to teach in school. Also, the dog ate our homework, and Colorado is full! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-41-millennial-economics-with-angie-may-6-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2341_%20Millennial%20Economics%20with%20Angie%20%28May%206%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 06 May 2018 21:13:46 -0400 01:15:33 Grace and Paul Potts This week we catch up on some books and movies that we've taken in recently, and discuss a Gillian B. White's review of The Vanishing Middle Class by Peter Temin. This week we catch up on some books and movies that we've taken in recently: two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The First Duty" and "Cause and Effect," both from Season 5; The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump by Bandy X. Lee et al.; Unspeakable by Chris Hedges with David Talbot; and Ant-Man (the 2015 Marvel movie). Then we discuss the article "Escaping Poverty Requires Almost 20 Years with Nearly Nothing Going Wrong," from The Atlantic magazine, by Gillian B. White. The article is a review of The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy by Peter Temin. This week we catch up on some books and movies that we've taken in recently: two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The First Duty" and "Cause and Effect," both from Season 5; The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump by Bandy X. Lee et al.; Unspeakable by Chris Hedges with David Talbot; and Ant-Man (the 2015 Marvel movie). Then we discuss the article "Escaping Poverty Requires Almost 20 Years with Nearly Nothing Going Wrong," from The Atlantic magazine, by Gillian B. White. The article is a review of The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy by Peter Temin. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-42-reading-and-watching-may-13-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2342_%20Reading%20and%20Watching%20%28May%2013%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 13 May 2018 21:10:28 -0400 02:00:17 Grace and Paul Potts This week we have a raw and un-edited discussion on the recent horrifying events in Gaza. This week we have a raw and un-edited discussion on the recent horrifying events in Gaza. Grace is going to be away for a number of days, so we recorded this one early (the evening of Tuesday, May 15th). This means that we run a greater-than-usual risk of our comments being overtaken by events as they unfold, but so be it. This week we have a raw and un-edited discussion on the recent horrifying events in Gaza. Grace is going to be away for a number of days, so we recorded this one early (the evening of Tuesday, May 15th). This means that we run a greater-than-usual risk of our comments being overtaken by events as they unfold, but so be it. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#hot-take-the-events-in-gaza-may-20-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Hot%20Take_%20The%20Events%20in%20Gaza%20%28May%2020%2C%202018%29.mp3 Tue, 15 May 2018 23:24:28 -0400 01:13:23 Grace and Paul Potts Why we've been feeling a bit overwhelmed; three recent articles on the economic challenges of raising a family in modern America. We've been gone for a while! We explain what's been going on, and why we've been feeling a bit overwhelmed, and try to start working through a big backlog of articles and ideas. Then we take on related ideas raised in three recent articles on the economic challenges of raising a family in modern America, and some possible solutions. Finally, we look forward to a book by Melinda Cooper that looks like it might offer a red-hot take on the decline of support for the American family. We've been gone for a while! We explain what's been going on, and why we've been feeling a bit overwhelmed, and try to start working through a big backlog of articles and ideas. Then we take on related ideas raised in three recent articles on the economic challenges of raising a family in modern America, and some possible solutions. Finally, we look forward to a book by Melinda Cooper that looks like it might offer a red-hot take on the decline of support for the American family. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-43-nanny-states-and-loco-parents-june-3-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2343_%20Nanny%20States%20and%20Loco%20Parents%20%28June%203%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 04 Jun 2018 01:25:23 -0400 02:05:23 Grace and Paul Potts This week, Chris Travers joins us to dive a little deeper into Melinda Cooper's book. This week, Chris Travers joins us to dive a little deeper into Melinda Cooper's book, and America's history of support for families, including the decades-long, ginned-up controversies around Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This is a challenging book, written in academic jargon, but still chock-full of interesting ideas. And we've only gotten through the interview, and the first two chapters of the book! So we may be mining this one for interesting ideas in weeks to come. This week, Chris Travers joins us to dive a little deeper into Melinda Cooper's book, and America's history of support for families, including the decades-long, ginned-up controversies around Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This is a challenging book, written in academic jargon, but still chock-full of interesting ideas. And we've only gotten through the interview, and the first two chapters of the book! So we may be mining this one for interesting ideas in weeks to come. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-44-family-values-struggle-session-june-17-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2344_%20Family%20Values%20Struggle%20Session%20%28June%2017%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 17 Jun 2018 18:12:51 -0400 01:52:47 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I do a deep dive into our recent history in Saginaw. This week Grace and I do a deep dive into our own recent history: our move to Saginaw in 2010, our attempt to build an urban homestead there and create a sustainable, secure life there with our family and the wider community. That project failed, and we are still paying a steep price for that failure. This week Grace and I do a deep dive into our own recent history: our move to Saginaw in 2010, our attempt to build an urban homestead there and create a sustainable, secure life there with our family and the wider community. That project failed, and we are still paying a steep price for that failure. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-45-saginaw-america-june-24-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2345_%20Saginaw%2C%20America%20%28June%2024%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 25 Jun 2018 21:52:39 -0400 03:40:13 Grace and Paul Potts Elias Crim is our guest. Elias Crim joins us for a conversation. Elias is the founder and publisher of Solidarity Hall, and has written for the American Scholar, the American Conservative, the Washington Times, and the Chicago Observer. We spoke about South Shore SOUP (modeled after Detroit SOUP), Municipalism, "alternative citizenship," Murray Bookchin, the Favelas of Rio do Janeiro, Socialism 2018 in Chicago, and more. Elias Crim joins us for a conversation. Elias is the founder and publisher of Solidarity Hall, and has written for the American Scholar, the American Conservative, the Washington Times, and the Chicago Observer. We spoke about South Shore SOUP (modeled after Detroit SOUP), Municipalism, "alternative citizenship," Murray Bookchin, the Favelas of Rio do Janeiro, Socialism 2018 in Chicago, and more. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-46-catching-up-with-elias-crim-july-1-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2346_%20Catching%20Up%20with%20Elias%20Crim%20%28July%201%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 02 Jul 2018 00:10:29 -0400 01:21:58 Paul R. Potts Or, What I Listened to on my Summer Vacation, by Little Paul R. Potts, Age 40 Grace and I will not be able to get a show up tonight. We just wound up taking on one too many projects at the Potts house this weekend. We will try to let this be a lesson to us about taking on too many things. But the lesson probably won't stick all that well, as it never has before. Since I don't have anything new to share, it occurred to me that I could share something old. So here is an encore presentation of the very first episode of my old Potts House General Purpose Podcast, first unleashed upon the world almost ten years ago. This is a show consisting of of audio from my summer vacation in Michigan's upper peninsula, and thoughts about sound and recording. I recommend listening to it with a pair of quality headphones, if you have one available. I hope you find it soothing. I think most of us could use some soothing, these days. Grace and I will not be able to get a show up tonight. We just wound up taking on one too many projects at the Potts house this weekend. We will try to let this be a lesson to us about taking on too many things. But the lesson probably won't stick all that well, as it never has before. Since I don't have anything new to share, it occurred to me that I could share something old. So here is an encore presentation of the very first episode of my old Potts House General Purpose Podcast, first unleashed upon the world almost ten years ago. This is a show consisting of of audio from my summer vacation in Michigan's upper peninsula, and thoughts about sound and recording. I recommend listening to it with a pair of quality headphones, if you have one available. I hope you find it soothing. I think most of us could use some soothing, these days. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#an-encore-presentation-of-gpp-1-learning-to-listen-from-2008-july-8-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/GPP%201%20-%20Learning%20to%20Listen%20-%20from%202008.mp3 Sun, 08 Jul 2018 22:58:48 -0400 19:04 Grace and Paul Potts Our friend Meredith joins us to talk about her winding career path. Our friend Meredith, an older Millennial from early in that generation, joins us to talk about her winding and uncertain career path, which led her through dropping out of college, living with her parents, holding a variety of low-wage jobs, becoming a caregiver in a pinch, working at a number of side hustles, years of self-employment, minimalism, frugality, and now to something like the traditional definition of success. Along the way we talk about her projects as a podcaster, musician, and audio producer, the importance of being an auto-didact, the student loan fiasco, job prospects in the trades, and more. Our friend Meredith, an older Millennial from early in that generation, joins us to talk about her winding and uncertain career path, which led her through dropping out of college, living with her parents, holding a variety of low-wage jobs, becoming a caregiver in a pinch, working at a number of side hustles, years of self-employment, minimalism, frugality, and now to something like the traditional definition of success. Along the way we talk about her projects as a podcaster, musician, and audio producer, the importance of being an auto-didact, the student loan fiasco, job prospects in the trades, and more. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-47-millennial-economics-with-meredith-july-15-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2347_%20Millennial%20Economics%20with%20Meredith%20%28July%2015%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 15 Jul 2018 18:53:21 -0400 01:57:12 Grace and Paul Potts Matthew Haugen of the Huron Valley DSA is our guest. Then, we take a deep dive into the last chapter of Asad Haider's book, Mistaken Identity. This week we have an interview with Matthew Haugen, co-chair of the Huron Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (their slogan: "we fight for socialism over barbarism.") We talk with Matthew about the chapter's work, including their brake light clinics, but especially their new garden project. Gardens of any kind are near and dear to our hearts! Then, we discuss several of the books that have been crammed into our mailbox recently, including a seven-volume set of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, and a cool omnibus of Arthur Machen's weird fiction from Centipede Press. Finally, we take a deep dive into the last chapter of Asad Haider's book Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump. Even though it's a pretty short chapter, it's jam-packed with big ideas, so this takes us a while. And of course Paul can't keep from going off on tangents. And no, you didn't miss our discussion of previous chapters in previous shows. Just like the golden snitch in the Harry Potter universe, we open at the close! This week we have an interview with Matthew Haugen, co-chair of the Huron Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (their slogan: "we fight for socialism over barbarism.") We talk with Matthew about the chapter's work, including their brake light clinics, but especially their new garden project. Gardens of any kind are near and dear to our hearts! Then, we discuss several of the books that have been crammed into our mailbox recently, including a seven-volume set of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, and a cool omnibus of Arthur Machen's weird fiction from Centipede Press. Finally, we take a deep dive into the last chapter of Asad Haider's book Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump. Even though it's a pretty short chapter, it's jam-packed with big ideas, so this takes us a while. And of course Paul can't keep from going off on tangents. And no, you didn't miss our discussion of previous chapters in previous shows. Just like the golden snitch in the Harry Potter universe, we open at the close! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-48-matthew-haugen-of-hvdsa-identity-politics-and-more-july-22-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2348_%20Matthew%20Haugen%20of%20HVDSA%2C%20Identity%20Politics%2C%20and%20More%20%28July%2022%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 23 Jul 2018 01:23:54 -0400 02:36:02 Grace and Paul Potts This week our show features Paul's recording of today's rally for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for governor of Michigan. This week our show features Paul's recording of today's rally for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for governor of Michigan. Other speakers today included former Senator Nina Turner, currently President of Our Revolution, Linda Sarsour, former director of the Arab American Association of New York, and Senator Bernie Sanders. This week our show features Paul's recording of today's rally for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for governor of Michigan. Other speakers today included former Senator Nina Turner, currently President of Our Revolution, Linda Sarsour, former director of the Arab American Association of New York, and Senator Bernie Sanders. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-49-nina-abdul-and-bernie-oh-my-august-5-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2349_%20Nina%2C%20Abdul%2C%20and%20Bernie%2C%20Oh%20My%21%20%28August%205%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 00:02:19 -0400 02:33:30 Grace and Paul Potts This week we remember Heather Heyer, murdered by a fascist a year ago today. In her memory, we discuss what it means to take away fasists' platforms, how this relates to censorship and the first amendment, and Antifa. We've got a big show this week. Paul starts off talking about a book of Terry Pratchett's earliest stories, _Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales_. Then he has some notes on the opera by John Adams, _Nixon in China_. Then, we get into our big topics: one year ago, Heather Heyer was murdered in Charlottesville. And there was another outrage that didn't get nearly as much media attention: DeAndre Harris, beaten by six men and seriously injured, was actually charged with a felony for allegedly attacking the men who attacked him. Next up, we get into the no-platform strategy for dealing with fascists, and quote an interview with Mark Bray. Speaking of platforms, we then review the cases of Sarah Jeong and Alex Jones, and then talk about how the whole notion of free speech on Twitter and other corporate platforms is a mess, and why true solidarity requires a public commons. Next, we read and discuss two passages from Mark Bray's book _Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook_: first, a part of the introduction in which he introduces the concepts of fascism and anti-fascism, and then a part from chapter 5, in which Bray takes on the topic of free speech for fascists. Finally, we've got a quote from Karl Popper on the paradox of tolerance, and a clip from comedian Aamer Rahman. We've got a big show this week. Paul starts off talking about a book of Terry Pratchett's earliest stories, _Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales_. Then he has some notes on the opera by John Adams, _Nixon in China_. Then, we get into our big topics: one year ago, Heather Heyer was murdered in Charlottesville. And there was another outrage that didn't get nearly as much media attention: DeAndre Harris, beaten by six men and seriously injured, was actually charged with a felony for allegedly attacking the men who attacked him. Next up, we get into the no-platform strategy for dealing with fascists, and quote an interview with Mark Bray. Speaking of platforms, we then review the cases of Sarah Jeong and Alex Jones, and then talk about how the whole notion of free speech on Twitter and other corporate platforms is a mess, and why true solidarity requires a public commons. Next, we read and discuss two passages from Mark Bray's book _Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook_: first, a part of the introduction in which he introduces the concepts of fascism and anti-fascism, and then a part from chapter 5, in which Bray takes on the topic of free speech for fascists. Finally, we've got a quote from Karl Popper on the paradox of tolerance, and a clip from comedian Aamer Rahman. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-50-remembering-heather-heyer-august-12-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2350_%20Remembering%20Heather%20Heyer%20%28August%2012%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 12 Aug 2018 23:44:12 -0400 02:30:35 Grace and Paul Potts This week we got our hands on a copy of _The Chapo Guide to Revolution_, and we also read some more from Mark Bray's book _Antifa_, about practicing "everyday anti-fascism." Paul got his palsied, liver-spotted hands on an an advance copy of _The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason_, the new book by the Chapo Trap House gang. The book's official release date is Tuesday, August 21st. We have some excerpts from the introduction and two chapters, one on "libs" and the other on "cons." Along the way we talk about who this book is for, the problems of sarcasm and irony in discourse, and ask whether it preaches only to the choir, or could expose a wider audience to unfamiliar ideology. And we try to survey the contours of the chasm that has opened up between "leftist" and "liberal," words that once seemed nearly synonymous, but which now are at least as far apart in meaning as "conservative" and "Republican." Then, we've got another excerpt from Mark Bray's _Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook_. This time the subject is "everyday anti-fascism." We try to expand that conversation outwards, talking about the role of shame as ostracism in enforcing societal norms, and how one might serve anti-fascist aims by maintaining community with people with fascist tendences, but without promoting their ideas. We also discuss how non-violence in the defense of the vulnerable is a privileged position, not available to everyone. And we briefly mention what happened when the Washington Post tried to cover disaffected white workers in a majority-Hispanic chicken processing plant in Pennsylvania. Paul got his palsied, liver-spotted hands on an an advance copy of _The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason_, the new book by the Chapo Trap House gang. The book's official release date is Tuesday, August 21st. We have some excerpts from the introduction and two chapters, one on "libs" and the other on "cons." Along the way we talk about who this book is for, the problems of sarcasm and irony in discourse, and ask whether it preaches only to the choir, or could expose a wider audience to unfamiliar ideology. And we try to survey the contours of the chasm that has opened up between "leftist" and "liberal," words that once seemed nearly synonymous, but which now are at least as far apart in meaning as "conservative" and "Republican." Then, we've got another excerpt from Mark Bray's _Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook_. This time the subject is "everyday anti-fascism." We try to expand that conversation outwards, talking about the role of shame as ostracism in enforcing societal norms, and how one might serve anti-fascist aims by maintaining community with people with fascist tendences, but without promoting their ideas. We also discuss how non-violence in the defense of the vulnerable is a privileged position, not available to everyone. And we briefly mention what happened when the Washington Post tried to cover disaffected white workers in a majority-Hispanic chicken processing plant in Pennsylvania. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-51-cheapo-trope-house-august-19-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2351_%20Cheapo%20Trope%20House%20%28August%2019%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 19 Aug 2018 22:45:16 -0400 01:54:22 Grace and Paul Potts This week we talk about Briahna Gray's article "Beware the Race Reductionist," and remember a maverick politician, Lowell P. Weicker. This week we got a very late start on our show, so we tried to keep it short. First, we spoke about an article from _The Intercept_ by Briahna Gray entitled "Beware The Race Reductionist." In this article, Gray details the way in which supporters of liberal establishment politics are making bad faith arguments against universal programs, claiming that they will do nothing to solve racism, sexism, and other "isms," on the grounds that they don't privilege people based on their identities. These arguments embody the cynical weaponization of identity politics We've discussed this topic previously, for example in Conversation #48 when we dove into Asad Haider's book _Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump_. These strange arguments are multiplying, and embody a concerted attack by Democratic centrists on very popular leftist policy prescriptions. And like many wrong arguments, they contain a seed of truth: previous universal programs have in fact been administered with damaging biases built-in. But that truth is hardly a good argument for the _status quo_ in health care, education, and safety-net programs. Then, Grace remembers a maverick politician - Lowell P. Weicker - who, in his long career, served as a representative, senator, and governor. Weicker was an early advocate of rights for the disabled, and took Connecticut's budget from deficit to surplus by instituting a state income tax. This week we got a very late start on our show, so we tried to keep it short. First, we spoke about an article from _The Intercept_ by Briahna Gray entitled "Beware The Race Reductionist." In this article, Gray details the way in which supporters of liberal establishment politics are making bad faith arguments against universal programs, claiming that they will do nothing to solve racism, sexism, and other "isms," on the grounds that they don't privilege people based on their identities. These arguments embody the cynical weaponization of identity politics We've discussed this topic previously, for example in Conversation #48 when we dove into Asad Haider's book _Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump_. These strange arguments are multiplying, and embody a concerted attack by Democratic centrists on very popular leftist policy prescriptions. And like many wrong arguments, they contain a seed of truth: previous universal programs have in fact been administered with damaging biases built-in. But that truth is hardly a good argument for the _status quo_ in health care, education, and safety-net programs. Then, Grace remembers a maverick politician - Lowell P. Weicker - who, in his long career, served as a representative, senator, and governor. Weicker was an early advocate of rights for the disabled, and took Connecticut's budget from deficit to surplus by instituting a state income tax. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-52-the-other-maverick-august-26-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2352_%20The%20Other%20Maverick%20%28August%2026%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 27 Aug 2018 01:27:57 -0400 01:08:15 Grace and Paul Potts Elias Crim joins us to talk about his book project, Socialism 2018, and Solidarity Hall. Then we dig into the normalization of fascism on shameful public display this week. Elias Crim is our guest this week. Elias is the founder and publisher of Solidarity Hall, and has written for _The American Scholar_, _The American Conservative_, _The Washington Times_, and _The Chicago Observer_. Does anyone need a house in Saginaw? And since Grace and I started this podcast last summer, we've completed fifty shows! So now what, dear listener? Elias shares updates on his book project, the Socialism 2018 conference in Chicago, and Solidarity Hall. Then, we dig into the normalization of fascism that was on display this week, and why the liberal rehabilitation of war criminals and their imperial wars of aggression is so disturbing to watch. Elias Crim is our guest this week. Elias is the founder and publisher of Solidarity Hall, and has written for _The American Scholar_, _The American Conservative_, _The Washington Times_, and _The Chicago Observer_. Does anyone need a house in Saginaw? And since Grace and I started this podcast last summer, we've completed fifty shows! So now what, dear listener? Elias shares updates on his book project, the Socialism 2018 conference in Chicago, and Solidarity Hall. Then, we dig into the normalization of fascism that was on display this week, and why the liberal rehabilitation of war criminals and their imperial wars of aggression is so disturbing to watch. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-53-trump-distortion-syndrome-and-the-normalization-of-fascism-september-2-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2353_%20Trump%20Distortion%20Syndrome%20and%20the%20Normalization%20of%20Fascism%20%28September%202%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 03 Sep 2018 00:52:47 -0400 01:24:30 Grace and Paul Potts We talk current events including Hurricane Florence, that anonymous op-ed, and Steve Bannon. Then, Paul has finished most of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, and has recommendations on the best way to read them. This week, we didn't have a political topic prepared, so after grousing for a while about the week, we just spoke about some current events: Hurricane Florence and the news-making news coverage, the anonymous op-ed entitled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" that appeared in the _New York Times_, and Steve Bannon's scheduled appearance at the New Yorker Festival. We didn't really plan to talk about related topics, but all three of these things raise troubling questions about the media's role in generating news, rather than reporting news. And in some cases, they are clearly organized and deliberate psy-ops. Next, I've finished six volumes of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, and so I feel ready to recommend a reading order, which skips right over most of the material from the seventies and eighties, focusing instead on the exciting and inspired early novellas, and the much more recent novel _Daughter of Dreams_, from 2001. I also talk about different ways that good work can be written, and what it means when we say that an author has developed a "late style." This week, we didn't have a political topic prepared, so after grousing for a while about the week, we just spoke about some current events: Hurricane Florence and the news-making news coverage, the anonymous op-ed entitled "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration" that appeared in the _New York Times_, and Steve Bannon's scheduled appearance at the New Yorker Festival. We didn't really plan to talk about related topics, but all three of these things raise troubling questions about the media's role in generating news, rather than reporting news. And in some cases, they are clearly organized and deliberate psy-ops. Next, I've finished six volumes of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories, and so I feel ready to recommend a reading order, which skips right over most of the material from the seventies and eighties, focusing instead on the exciting and inspired early novellas, and the much more recent novel _Daughter of Dreams_, from 2001. I also talk about different ways that good work can be written, and what it means when we say that an author has developed a "late style." https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-54-the-elric-chronicles-september-16-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2354_%20The%20Elric%20Chronicles%20%28September%2016%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:13:18 -0400 01:05:11 Grace and Paul Potts Anna Markow is our guest; she's a millennial pastry chef from Maine working in New York City, and one of the hosts of the Bread Line podcast, about the intersection of food and politics from a leftist perspective. Anna Markow is a millennial from Maine who lives in Brooklyn and works as a pastry chef in Manhattan's theater district. She is one of the hosts of the Bread Line podcast, about the intersection of food and politics from a leftist perspective. We spoke to Anna about her podcast, her journey from hippie childhood to retail to pastry school to Michelin-starred restaurant kitchens, her politics, and her hopes for the future. Along the way we threw in a few quotations from Orwell's _Down and Out in Paris and London_ and talk about how the rent is still too damned high! Anna Markow is a millennial from Maine who lives in Brooklyn and works as a pastry chef in Manhattan's theater district. She is one of the hosts of the Bread Line podcast, about the intersection of food and politics from a leftist perspective. We spoke to Anna about her podcast, her journey from hippie childhood to retail to pastry school to Michelin-starred restaurant kitchens, her politics, and her hopes for the future. Along the way we threw in a few quotations from Orwell's _Down and Out in Paris and London_ and talk about how the rent is still too damned high! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-55-millennial-economics-with-anna-september-23-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2355_%20Millennial%20Economics%20with%20Anna%20%28September%2023%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 23 Sep 2018 15:32:26 -0400 00:58:39 Grace and Paul Potts This week we ramble about the new season of _Doctor Who_, and the Kavanaugh nomination. Then Grace shares the remarks she gave at this year's Front Porch Republic conference. We have a late and disorganized show for you this week. First we ramble on a bit about the new season of _Doctor Who_, and our hopes and fears about a female Doctor. Next, we wander onto the minefield of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, which has been sucking up all the media air in the room for some time. Finally Grace shares the remarks she gave at this year's Front Porch Republic conference, about what has and hasn't changed for black folks in America over the last fifty years. We have a late and disorganized show for you this week. First we ramble on a bit about the new season of _Doctor Who_, and our hopes and fears about a female Doctor. Next, we wander onto the minefield of Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, which has been sucking up all the media air in the room for some time. Finally Grace shares the remarks she gave at this year's Front Porch Republic conference, about what has and hasn't changed for black folks in America over the last fifty years. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-56-things-are-not-always-as-they-seem-october-7-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2356_%20Things%20Are%20Not%20Always%20As%20They%20Seem%20%28October%207%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 08 Oct 2018 00:53:23 -0400 01:27:07 Grace and Paul Potts Our topic is nationalism: what it is, what it isn't, and how it is inevitably perverted into the love of blood, or soil, both of which are distractions that hide the true fascist agenda, which is always empire. We've missed two weeks. Things have been very challenging: Grace is exhausted in the home stretch of this pregnancy; we've been slammed with huge expenses; the kids need rides all over the county; we're still looking for some kind of clarity on what to do with our old house in Saginaw; Paul is sick of cleaning the kitchen. Last week we celebrated seventeen wonderful years of marriage. This week the creeping crypto-fascism of the last forty years is no longer creeping, and it's no longer cryptic. And voting has been an inadequate response for decades --- of course you should vote, but it's literally the least you can do. Our topic, when we finally get around to it, is nationalism: what it is, what it isn't, and why the love of a nation is not a sensible thing, and inevitably is perverted into the love of blood, or soil, both of which are distractions that hide the true fascist agenda, which is always empire. We contrast this with patriotism, which is a thing that a sensible person can feel --- but true patriotism carries with it responsibility, and sometimes the love of the patria needs to be tough love. And finally --- how will you know how and when to fight for the country you love? We've missed two weeks. Things have been very challenging: Grace is exhausted in the home stretch of this pregnancy; we've been slammed with huge expenses; the kids need rides all over the county; we're still looking for some kind of clarity on what to do with our old house in Saginaw; Paul is sick of cleaning the kitchen. Last week we celebrated seventeen wonderful years of marriage. This week the creeping crypto-fascism of the last forty years is no longer creeping, and it's no longer cryptic. And voting has been an inadequate response for decades --- of course you should vote, but it's literally the least you can do. Our topic, when we finally get around to it, is nationalism: what it is, what it isn't, and why the love of a nation is not a sensible thing, and inevitably is perverted into the love of blood, or soil, both of which are distractions that hide the true fascist agenda, which is always empire. We contrast this with patriotism, which is a thing that a sensible person can feel --- but true patriotism carries with it responsibility, and sometimes the love of the patria needs to be tough love. And finally --- how will you know how and when to fight for the country you love? https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-57-on-nationalism-october-28-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2357_%20On%20Nationalism%20%28October%2028%2C%202018%29.mp3 Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:26:52 -0400 01:29:29 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul talk about flattening the curve, just how bad and how strange things are likely to get, and how when top-down planning and organizing fails in a crisis, the people must organize from the grass roots up, to save lives. We've missed, ummm, 73 weeks and 3 days? Wow. And we're not feeling very ready to do this -- our podcast studio is a mess, so Paul tore apart the old setup and moved some gear into another room, but it isn't as good a space for recording, and his 12-year-old computer and even older audio interfaces are showing their age. And after such a long hiatus, Paul is struggling to remember how, exactly, he used to do this. So the audio isn't great today, but we have a lot to say! We're on self-imposed lockdown at home during the global coronavirus pandemic. And as Hunter S. Thompson said, 'when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.' So we talk about social distancing, flattening the curve, just how bad and how strange things are likely to get, and how when top-down planning and organizing fails in a crisis, the people must organize from the grass roots up, to save lives. We've missed, ummm, 73 weeks and 3 days? Wow. And we're not feeling very ready to do this -- our podcast studio is a mess, so Paul tore apart the old setup and moved some gear into another room, but it isn't as good a space for recording, and his 12-year-old computer and even older audio interfaces are showing their age. And after such a long hiatus, Paul is struggling to remember how, exactly, he used to do this. So the audio isn't great today, but we have a lot to say! We're on self-imposed lockdown at home during the global coronavirus pandemic. And as Hunter S. Thompson said, 'when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.' So we talk about social distancing, flattening the curve, just how bad and how strange things are likely to get, and how when top-down planning and organizing fails in a crisis, the people must organize from the grass roots up, to save lives. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2018_index.html#conversation-58-pandemic-pandemonium-and-socialist-distancing-march-15-2018 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2358_%20Pandemic%20Pandemonium%20and%20Social%28ist%29%20Distancing%20%28March%2015%2C%202018%29.mp3 Sun, 15 Mar 2020 23:37:31 -0400 01:17:04 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul talk about public health officials, our lockdown story, and practical advice to get through lockdown. Grace and I took a walk and talked about Justin Bieber's new album (what else is there?) Nah... it's the COVID-19 pandemic, folks! Public health officials and the power they wield; trying to get our state and local officials, and my employer to respond appropriately and early enough to help; our lockdown story; RIP Paul's job; how to quarantine your mail; how to handle grocery-shopping; what we're planning, and what comes next. Grace and I took a walk and talked about Justin Bieber's new album (what else is there?) Nah... it's the COVID-19 pandemic, folks! Public health officials and the power they wield; trying to get our state and local officials, and my employer to respond appropriately and early enough to help; our lockdown story; RIP Paul's job; how to quarantine your mail; how to handle grocery-shopping; what we're planning, and what comes next. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-59-rules-for-ragnarok-march-29-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2359_%20Rules%20for%20Ragnarok%20%28March%2029%2C%202020%29.mp3 Sun, 29 Mar 2020 19:35:43 -0400 01:00:04 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul talk about about COVID-19 and fascism, and how the politicization of potential treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and safety measures such as mask-wearing has made it impossible to talk about these things on their own merits. It's been a while, but we have a new recording space with new gear set up in my basement office. In this conversation Grace and I talk about COVID-19 and fascism. We also discuss how the politicization of potential treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and safety measures such as mask-wearing has made it impossible to talk about these things on their merits, but instead they have become shibboleths indicating which team's jersey you are wearing. As usual, Grace tries to keep to the topic at hand, but I was a bit over-caffeinated, so one of the reasons this episode is late is that I felt the need to edit out most of my interruptions, digressions, and dick jokes. Podcast in haste, edit at leisure! It's been a while, but we have a new recording space with new gear set up in my basement office. In this conversation Grace and I talk about COVID-19 and fascism. We also discuss how the politicization of potential treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and safety measures such as mask-wearing has made it impossible to talk about these things on their merits, but instead they have become shibboleths indicating which team's jersey you are wearing. As usual, Grace tries to keep to the topic at hand, but I was a bit over-caffeinated, so one of the reasons this episode is late is that I felt the need to edit out most of my interruptions, digressions, and dick jokes. Podcast in haste, edit at leisure! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-60-their-goal-is-to-troll-july-25-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2360_%20Their%20Goal%20is%20to%20Troll%20%28July%2025%2C%202020%29.mp3 Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:03:52 -0400 02:16:07 Grace and Paul Potts I (Paul) go for a walk and ramble about life early in our lockdown while the COVID-19 death count grows. I found two forgotten recordings Grace and I made between episodes 59 and 60. This is the first, from April 3rd, 2020. In this one, I (Paul) go for a walk and ramble about life early in our lockdown while the COVID-19 death count grows, getting furloughed from my job, trying to get unemployment from the over-burdened Michigan system, and what I think the pandemic will mean for the future of a country that is already, for many of us, a deliberately broken, gutted, and looted failed state. I found two forgotten recordings Grace and I made between episodes 59 and 60. This is the first, from April 3rd, 2020. In this one, I (Paul) go for a walk and ramble about life early in our lockdown while the COVID-19 death count grows, getting furloughed from my job, trying to get unemployment from the over-burdened Michigan system, and what I think the pandemic will mean for the future of a country that is already, for many of us, a deliberately broken, gutted, and looted failed state. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-59-and-a-half-life-on-furlough-april-3-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2359%20and%20a%20Half_%20Life%20on%20Furlough%20%28April%203%2C%202020%29.mp3 Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:00:55 -0400 01:05:56 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I chat about our life in lockdown, anxiety about going back to work, strategies some businesses have put in place to stay open, practical concerns about virus safety. I found two forgotten recordings Grace and I made between episodes 59 and 60. This is the second, from June 14th, 2020, which is the day before I went back to work. In this one, Grace and I chat, interrupted occasionally by loudly complaining babies, about our life in lockdown, anxiety about going back to work, strategies some businesses have put in place to stay open, practical concerns about virus safety. I found two forgotten recordings Grace and I made between episodes 59 and 60. This is the second, from June 14th, 2020, which is the day before I went back to work. In this one, Grace and I chat, interrupted occasionally by loudly complaining babies, about our life in lockdown, anxiety about going back to work, strategies some businesses have put in place to stay open, practical concerns about virus safety. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-59-and-three-quarters-tanned-rested-but-not-ready-june-14-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2359%20and%20Three%20Quarters_%20Tanned%2C%20Rested%2C%20but%20Not%20Ready%20%28June%2014%2C%202020%29.mp3 Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:22:30 -0400 50:04 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I talk about current events heading into fall, starting locally within our own home and working our way out to the wider community and political world. All the pandemic demons come out to play as Grace and I get out of the house for a long walk up and down our road, which has an unusual amount of traffic for a Saturday. We talk about current events heading into fall, starting locally within our own home, with our most recent COVID-19 scare, and working our way out to stores, workplaces, communities, and our state, and eventually the things we're least able to influence: presidential debates and electoral politics. All the pandemic demons come out to play as Grace and I get out of the house for a long walk up and down our road, which has an unusual amount of traffic for a Saturday. We talk about current events heading into fall, starting locally within our own home, with our most recent COVID-19 scare, and working our way out to stores, workplaces, communities, and our state, and eventually the things we're least able to influence: presidential debates and electoral politics. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-61-the-pandemonicon-october-3-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2361_%20The%20Pandemonicon%20%28October%203%2C%202020%29.mp3 Sun, 04 Oct 2020 21:27:07 -0400 1:55:09 Grace and Paul Potts CNN finally called the election for Biden. It could happen after all. Are we relieved? Not so much. Because lots of other things can happen, too, in this interregnum, a new time of monsters. CNN finally called the election for Biden. It could happen after all. Are we relieved? Not so much. Because lots of other things can happen, too, in this interregnum, a new time of monsters. We read from an essay by Marco Rosaire Rossi. Paul is very slightly relieved because America won't be represented to the world by a malignant narcissist, but as for material improvements in our lives? That remains to be seen. Grace isn't relieved at all. But at the same time, it's a beautiful fall day, and the poor in spirit are blessed. Our souls glorify the Lord, whose mercy will bring down rulers from their thrones and lift up the humble. Even our neighbor with Trump signs and leaf blowers. CNN finally called the election for Biden. It could happen after all. Are we relieved? Not so much. Because lots of other things can happen, too, in this interregnum, a new time of monsters. We read from an essay by Marco Rosaire Rossi. Paul is very slightly relieved because America won't be represented to the world by a malignant narcissist, but as for material improvements in our lives? That remains to be seen. Grace isn't relieved at all. But at the same time, it's a beautiful fall day, and the poor in spirit are blessed. Our souls glorify the Lord, whose mercy will bring down rulers from their thrones and lift up the humble. Even our neighbor with Trump signs and leaf blowers. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-62-it-can-happen-november-7-2020 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2362_%20It%20Can%20Happen%20%28November%207%2C%202020%29.mp3 Sun, 08 Nov 2020 16:26:18 -0500 1:24:22 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the first part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the introductory part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This will be at least a five-part conversation. This episode contains the introductory part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This will be at least a five-part conversation. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-1-maps-and-territories-august-9-2021 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%201_%20Maps%20and%20Territories%20%28August%209%2C%202021%29.mp3 Tue, 10 Aug 2021 11:20:48 -0400 0:32:57 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the second part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the second part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we interrogate three articles about the current situation and talk about what they get right, what they get wrong, what they overlook, and the authors' biases. This episode contains the second part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we interrogate three articles about the current situation and talk about what they get right, what they get wrong, what they overlook, and the authors' biases. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-2-delta-farce-august-10-2021 http://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%202_%20Delta%20Farce%20%28August%2010%2C%202021%29.mp3 Tue, 10 Aug 2021 15:08:43 -0400 1:26:12 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the third part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the third part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we talk in some depth about the kinds of COVID tests, and take a deep dive into currently circulating disinformation that claims the CDC's COVID test procedures have been incorrectly reporting cases of influenza as cases of COVID, and other claims about tests. Paul describes his attempts to get into the scrum on Twitter. Finally, we talk about why smart people often believe in things that aren't true, and talk briefly about Baffler article about what facts are in our age of social media. This episode contains the third part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we talk in some depth about the kinds of COVID tests, and take a deep dive into currently circulating disinformation that claims the CDC's COVID test procedures have been incorrectly reporting cases of influenza as cases of COVID, and other claims about tests. Paul describes his attempts to get into the scrum on Twitter. Finally, we talk about why smart people often believe in things that aren't true, and talk briefly about Baffler article about what facts are in our age of social media. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-3-disinfowars-august-14-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%203_%20Disinfowars%20%28August%2014%2C%202021%29.mp3 Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:51:52 -0400 1:23:20 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the fourth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the fourth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we talk about how we handled the Polio epidemics of the twentieth century, which lasted decades, when the general consensus was that protecting children from a sometimes-fatal, sometimes-debilitating illness was worth the cost. We then talk about several examples of neoliberal consensus-building and goalpost-moving, in which public health experts promote noble lies and cheerfully claim that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia. The worst are full of passionate intensity. This episode contains the fourth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, we talk about how we handled the Polio epidemics of the twentieth century, which lasted decades, when the general consensus was that protecting children from a sometimes-fatal, sometimes-debilitating illness was worth the cost. We then talk about several examples of neoliberal consensus-building and goalpost-moving, in which public health experts promote noble lies and cheerfully claim that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia. The worst are full of passionate intensity. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-4-the-narratives-power-fails-august-18-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%204_%20The%20Narrative%27s%20Power%20Fails%20%28August%2018%2C%202021%29.mp3 Wed, 18 Aug 2021 16:51:10 -0400 1:56:59 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the fifth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the fifth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, Grace and I talk about how Delta is forcing a change in the narrative, and worse, a dishonest retelling of previous versions of the pandemic public health narrative. With broken air conditioning, we attempt a speed run through several articles. Delta is the predominant variant in Michigan now. An expert from Veterans Affairs writes about how Delta is different and why non-pharmaceutical interventions are more important than ever. A Slate writer argues that things won't be returning to normal. And a Vox writer slips us a delicious poisoned apple as she downplays the risks of Delta in the service of the reassuring lie. This episode contains the fifth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, Grace and I talk about how Delta is forcing a change in the narrative, and worse, a dishonest retelling of previous versions of the pandemic public health narrative. With broken air conditioning, we attempt a speed run through several articles. Delta is the predominant variant in Michigan now. An expert from Veterans Affairs writes about how Delta is different and why non-pharmaceutical interventions are more important than ever. A Slate writer argues that things won't be returning to normal. And a Vox writer slips us a delicious poisoned apple as she downplays the risks of Delta in the service of the reassuring lie. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-5-delta-means-change-august-24-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%205_%20Delta%20Means%20Change%20%28August%2024%2C%202021%29.mp3 Tue, 24 Aug 2021 18:23:48 -0400 1:03:04 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the sixth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the sixth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, Grace and I discuss the startling reality of how the CDC stopped tracking so-called "breakthrough" infections, even as many vaccinated people became dangerously sick. We talk about the pre-symptomatic, but highly infectious window, and the logic of how viruses undergo evolutionary pressure into more-lethal and less-lethal variants over short and long time periods. In the short term, COVID-19 has no "incentive" to become less lethal if it is very effectively transmitted before it kills its hosts. We talk about the importance of sampling lots of people, including those who aren't reporting symptoms or exposures, to track the virus, which we aren't doing, what it means to be "asymptomatic," "presymptomatic," or "subclinical," and why this distinction is important. If someone is completely asymptomatic, not presymptomatic or subclinical, can that person spread the virus? And does that person develop immunity against reinfection? We could only tell this if we did universal testing. Meanwhile, why did the CDC tell vaccinated people not to get tested if they are exposed? And why do some people who want to get tested have trouble accessing tests? Why hasn't the CDC done its job, even if the data it collected would make the Biden administration's COVID response look bad? Despite the CDC's many failings, we are starting to see data that reveals that vaccine immunity fades over time, especially in the elderly, resulting in more frantic backpedaling and narrative-shifting as the authorities acknowledge things that we predicted long ago. The United States has particular structural problems that guaranteed we would be hit particularly hard by this pandemic, and our lack of functional health system is the result of decades of bipartisan embrace of neoliberal policies. We then get into the weeds on "breakthrough" infection rates of the old variants compared to the new variants, and why we have to interrogate the reported numbers that rarely seem to add up. The CDC under the Biden administration continues to do a disastrously bad job tracking the reality of the pandemic. Next, we talk about the ongoing narrative-shifting, which tells us that we should embrace "meeting the virus" because it is, or will be, not a big deal. This is eugenics talk, similar to what we've heard from the far right, about how COVID-19 will soon be just like the flu, only softer, sugar-coated, and wrapped in the language of science and protection of children. We work our way through an article from The Atlantic, which contains a combination of some good information and commentary, contradictory numbers, under-the-rug sweeping, awful framing, and happy talk about what might happen when COVID becomes endemic; that part is a dispatch from some future fantasy world. Finally, we review a much saner article from New York magazine that is honest about the gap between the official numbers and reality - a gap big enough to drive many, many mortuary trailers through. This episode contains the sixth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. In this part, Grace and I discuss the startling reality of how the CDC stopped tracking so-called "breakthrough" infections, even as many vaccinated people became dangerously sick. We talk about the pre-symptomatic, but highly infectious window, and the logic of how viruses undergo evolutionary pressure into more-lethal and less-lethal variants over short and long time periods. In the short term, COVID-19 has no "incentive" to become less lethal if it is very effectively transmitted before it kills its hosts. We talk about the importance of sampling lots of people, including those who aren't reporting symptoms or exposures, to track the virus, which we aren't doing, what it means to be "asymptomatic," "presymptomatic," or "subclinical," and why this distinction is important. If someone is completely asymptomatic, not presymptomatic or subclinical, can that person spread the virus? And does that person develop immunity against reinfection? We could only tell this if we did universal testing. Meanwhile, why did the CDC tell vaccinated people not to get tested if they are exposed? And why do some people who want to get tested have trouble accessing tests? Why hasn't the CDC done its job, even if the data it collected would make the Biden administration's COVID response look bad? Despite the CDC's many failings, we are starting to see data that reveals that vaccine immunity fades over time, especially in the elderly, resulting in more frantic backpedaling and narrative-shifting as the authorities acknowledge things that we predicted long ago. The United States has particular structural problems that guaranteed we would be hit particularly hard by this pandemic, and our lack of functional health system is the result of decades of bipartisan embrace of neoliberal policies. We then get into the weeds on "breakthrough" infection rates of the old variants compared to the new variants, and why we have to interrogate the reported numbers that rarely seem to add up. The CDC under the Biden administration continues to do a disastrously bad job tracking the reality of the pandemic. Next, we talk about the ongoing narrative-shifting, which tells us that we should embrace "meeting the virus" because it is, or will be, not a big deal. This is eugenics talk, similar to what we've heard from the far right, about how COVID-19 will soon be just like the flu, only softer, sugar-coated, and wrapped in the language of science and protection of children. We work our way through an article from The Atlantic, which contains a combination of some good information and commentary, contradictory numbers, under-the-rug sweeping, awful framing, and happy talk about what might happen when COVID becomes endemic; that part is a dispatch from some future fantasy world. Finally, we review a much saner article from New York magazine that is honest about the gap between the official numbers and reality - a gap big enough to drive many, many mortuary trailers through. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-6-delta-changed-things-august-29-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%206_%20Delta%20Changed%20Things%20%28August%2029%2C%202021%29.mp3 Sun, 29 Aug 2021 15:45:41 -0400 1:47:46 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the seventh part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the seventh part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. It's a bit hard to believe, but this episode is under an hour long. That's because we don't talk about any articles in this one. Instead, we just bring listeners up to date on our recent COVID close calls and talk about the challenges of keeping our family safe in a world that is acting like the pandemic is over, even as the lines on the graphs get steeper and steeper. This episode contains the seventh part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. It's a bit hard to believe, but this episode is under an hour long. That's because we don't talk about any articles in this one. Instead, we just bring listeners up to date on our recent COVID close calls and talk about the challenges of keeping our family safe in a world that is acting like the pandemic is over, even as the lines on the graphs get steeper and steeper. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-8-soft-eugenicists-and-vaccine-realists-september-12-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%207_%20Our%20COVID%20Close%20Calls%20%28September%2012%2C%202021%29.mp3 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:24:25 -0400 00:50:55 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the eighth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the eighth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. Grace and I continue straight through from the last part, and discuss three articles: a hot mess of a hot take from Glenn Greenwald, a terrific summary of the current vaccine situation by Buzz Hollander, and an editorial reminding us that mocking and belittling those who haven't yet been vaccinated is not only counter-productive, but often based on mistaken understandings of the population, their motivations, their relationships to the medical establishment, and their risk factors. This episode contains the eighth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. Grace and I continue straight through from the last part, and discuss three articles: a hot mess of a hot take from Glenn Greenwald, a terrific summary of the current vaccine situation by Buzz Hollander, and an editorial reminding us that mocking and belittling those who haven't yet been vaccinated is not only counter-productive, but often based on mistaken understandings of the population, their motivations, their relationships to the medical establishment, and their risk factors. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-8-soft-eugenicists-and-vaccine-realists-september-12-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%208_%20Soft%20Eugenicists%20and%20Vaccine%20Realists%20%28September%2012%2C%202021%29.mp3 Sun, 12 Sep 2021 20:07:01 -0400 01:28:54 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains the ninth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. This episode contains the ninth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. Grace and I have been derailed in our pocast recording and production efforts for months, but we managed to get out for a walk during one of my lunch breaks and record this situation report. This is a recording made with a handheld portable recorder and contains a considerable amount of background noise. TL;DR version: the situation isn't great. And of course I (Paul) didn't get time to edit and upload it until the week of Thanksgiving when I had a few days off work, so we're well behind events again, but we're doing what we can. This episode contains the ninth part of our conversation about COVID-19, the Delta variant, and the territory we're all lost in. Grace and I have been derailed in our pocast recording and production efforts for months, but we managed to get out for a walk during one of my lunch breaks and record this situation report. This is a recording made with a handheld portable recorder and contains a considerable amount of background noise. TL;DR version: the situation isn't great. And of course I (Paul) didn't get time to edit and upload it until the week of Thanksgiving when I had a few days off work, so we're well behind events again, but we're doing what we can. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2021_index.html#conversation-63-part-9-sitrep-negative-november-8-2021 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%209_%20Sitrep%20Negative%20%28November%208%2C%202021%29.mp3 Sat, 27 Nov 2021 15:10:12 -0500 00:39:50 Grace and Paul Potts This episode contains a lost chat about Thanksgiving 2020, when things were just a little bit more upbeat. I found a leftover file from just about one year ago today. Things were just a little bit more upbeat and we spoke mostly about happier matters, like babies accidentally giving us concussions, tofurkeys, deep-frying chicken, vegan cheesecake with pecan pie topping, a mountain of side dishes, watching Die Hard and samurai films for Christmas, and other delights. I found a leftover file from just about one year ago today. Things were just a little bit more upbeat and we spoke mostly about happier matters, like babies accidentally giving us concussions, tofurkeys, deep-frying chicken, vegan cheesecake with pecan pie topping, a mountain of side dishes, watching Die Hard and samurai films for Christmas, and other delights. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2020_index.html#conversation-62-and-a-bit-adventrageous-november-29-2020 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2362%20and%20a%20Bit_%20Adventrageous%20%28November%2029%2C%202020%29.mp3 Sat, 27 Nov 2021 20:16:37 -0500 01:10:54 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I went for a walk and talked out spring in Michigan, and five widely-believed but false myths about COVID-19. On a beautifully cool spring day, Grace and I went for a walk and talked about the plants coming back to life in our garden, the black-capped chickadees, and five widely-believed but false myths about COVID-19, which are based in part on wishful thinking, in part on anti-vax and pro-vax talking points, and in part on our understanding of other diseases. These myths are: 1. COVID-19 is best countered by sanitizing surfaces. 2. We can achieve herd immunity. 3. COVID-19 will become endemic like the common cold. 4. Long COVID is not a big deal. 5. The after-effects of COVID-19 are mild so re-infection is not a big deal. The hard truths we must accept instead are: 1. COVID-19 is not typically transmitted by contact with surfaces. 2. We will not be able to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, either through vaccination or infection. 3. COVID-19 will not shift to an acceptable endemic state. 4. So-called long COVID is not rare, not mild, happens to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and is not a product of hypochondria. 5. The after-effects of COVID-19 infection are not yet fully understood, but evidence suggests they are very dangerous and may be cumulative, leading to hepatitis, diabetes, cardiac problems, severe vascular damage, and damage to the immune system allowing opportunistic infections. So, what do we do next? Grace has realistic but unpopular policy proposals: ongoing masking, improved ventilation, and filtration. It starts with risk mitigation, and identifying and resisting the gaslighting going on all around us, including workplaces, institutions, and government. On a beautifully cool spring day, Grace and I went for a walk and talked about the plants coming back to life in our garden, the black-capped chickadees, and five widely-believed but false myths about COVID-19, which are based in part on wishful thinking, in part on anti-vax and pro-vax talking points, and in part on our understanding of other diseases. These myths are: 1. COVID-19 is best countered by sanitizing surfaces. 2. We can achieve herd immunity. 3. COVID-19 will become endemic like the common cold. 4. Long COVID is not a big deal. 5. The after-effects of COVID-19 are mild so re-infection is not a big deal. The hard truths we must accept instead are: 1. COVID-19 is not typically transmitted by contact with surfaces. 2. We will not be able to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, either through vaccination or infection. 3. COVID-19 will not shift to an acceptable endemic state. 4. So-called long COVID is not rare, not mild, happens to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, and is not a product of hypochondria. 5. The after-effects of COVID-19 infection are not yet fully understood, but evidence suggests they are very dangerous and may be cumulative, leading to hepatitis, diabetes, cardiac problems, severe vascular damage, and damage to the immune system allowing opportunistic infections. So, what do we do next? Grace has realistic but unpopular policy proposals: ongoing masking, improved ventilation, and filtration. It starts with risk mitigation, and identifying and resisting the gaslighting going on all around us, including workplaces, institutions, and government. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2022_index.html#conversation-64-five-covid-19-myths-april-17-2022 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2364_%20Five%20COVID-19%20Myths%20%28April%2017%2C%202022%29.mp3 Sun, 17 Apr 2022 19:32:18 -0400 01:00:06 Grace and Paul Potts This is the conclusion to our multi-part Conversation 63, which started with part 1 in early August, 2021. Grace leads this discussion, emphasizing that personal responsibility and virtue do not add up to public health. This is the conclusion to our multi-part Conversation 63, which started with part 1 in early August, 2021. Grace leads this discussion with three main points, which she has summarized as follows: First of all, this is not a matter of personal responsibility, but a matter of sound governance and leadership. The second point carries some subtleties, but is basically that there are three ways (four, if you count doing nothing) to respond to a novel viral public health threat: Eradication, Elimination (nearly the same as eradication), and Mitigation. Absent context, these stratagems are morally neutral. But in this context, ideally Eradication, but at least Elimination is, and was, the only moral course. Third, your virtue isn't going to save you, or us. Terrible things befall virtuous people. Terrible people escape earthly justice all the time. This is not a matter of religious faith, or sympathetic magic, but of knowledge and trust. This is the conclusion to our multi-part Conversation 63, which started with part 1 in early August, 2021. Grace leads this discussion with three main points, which she has summarized as follows: First of all, this is not a matter of personal responsibility, but a matter of sound governance and leadership. The second point carries some subtleties, but is basically that there are three ways (four, if you count doing nothing) to respond to a novel viral public health threat: Eradication, Elimination (nearly the same as eradication), and Mitigation. Absent context, these stratagems are morally neutral. But in this context, ideally Eradication, but at least Elimination is, and was, the only moral course. Third, your virtue isn't going to save you, or us. Terrible things befall virtuous people. Terrible people escape earthly justice all the time. This is not a matter of religious faith, or sympathetic magic, but of knowledge and trust. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2022_index.html#conversation-63-part-10-bringing-it-home-may-30-2022 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2363%2C%20Part%2010_%20Bringing%20It%20Home%20%28May%2030%2C%202022%29.mp3 Mon, 30 May 2022 16:33:43 -0400 01:25:46 Grace and Paul Potts I (Paul) sat down for a free-ranging conversation with my son Joshua, age 13. I prompted him with a few questions, asking him to describe what the pandemic years have been like for him so far. I (Paul) sat down for a free-ranging conversation with my son Joshua, age 13. I prompted him with a few questions: How have the past two years been for you, since March 13, 2020 when we began our isolation? What are some positive things you remember about that time? What are some negative things you remember about that time? Has this time made your relationships with family members better, or worse? And in what ways? I (Paul) sat down for a free-ranging conversation with my son Joshua, age 13. I prompted him with a few questions: How have the past two years been for you, since March 13, 2020 when we began our isolation? What are some positive things you remember about that time? What are some negative things you remember about that time? Has this time made your relationships with family members better, or worse? And in what ways? https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2022_index.html#conversation-65-joshua-on-the-pandemic-june-12-2022 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2365_%20Joshua%20on%20the%20Pandemic%20%28June%2012%2C%202022%29.mp3 Sun, 12 Jun 2022 16:33:43 -0400 01:18:29 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul sat down for a lengthy discussion of what may happen next with COVID, long COVID, and monkeypox. Grace and Paul finally got a little quiet time and sat down for a lengthy discussion. This is a long one ranging across a number of topics including what we think the next few years might hold, the institutional decisions to flatten the country instead of the curve, the betrayal of the people by allowing the mass-disabling long COVID, the futility of a vaccines-only strategy, and what we might expect from monkeypox now that it's been allowed to spread unchecked while authorities scapegoat gay men and ignore decades of knowledge about this virus. Grace and Paul finally got a little quiet time and sat down for a lengthy discussion. This is a long one ranging across a number of topics including what we think the next few years might hold, the institutional decisions to flatten the country instead of the curve, the betrayal of the people by allowing the mass-disabling long COVID, the futility of a vaccines-only strategy, and what we might expect from monkeypox now that it's been allowed to spread unchecked while authorities scapegoat gay men and ignore decades of knowledge about this virus. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2022_index.html#conversation-66-flattening-the-country-august-22-2022 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2366_%20Flattening%20the%20Country%20%28August%2021%2C%202022%29.mp3 Mon, 22 Aug 2022 19:06:08 -0400 02:57:05 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul have a chat about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, with several digressions, and the complicated relationship between long COVID and exercise. COVID-19 is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. We're doing nothing to stop it, but be sure to follow the CDC's recommendation to never eat raw cookie dough! We're not even stopping COVID transmission in health care settings, leading to ever more health care-acquired infections, as our COVID-damaged immune systems are exposed to infections again and again. The infections may get milder, but milder infections are more likely to lead to long COVID. We're learning more about the constellation of related illnesses, and the news isn't good; many survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic suffered similar long-term sequelae, but this is not widely understood. Meanwhile, our pharmaceutical interventions are more and more limited to a vaccine technology that has failed to remain effective. It usually takes years to get a vaccine right, so we shouldn't be surprised by this. But letting COVID-19 rip allows it to mutate rapidly, almost guaranteeing that vaccine development won't keep up. Grace and I talk about the shift to our contemporary culture in which sick children going to school, and sick parents going to work, has been completely normalized. But it wasn't always like this, and doesn't need to be in the future. This is personal to us, as Grace recounts the story of our son with asthma, and his old-school pediatrician who knew that constant respiratory illnesses didn't actually _help_ kids with asthma, and that the immune system isn't a muscle. We wander off-topic and talk about various other things going on in our home and garden, including how we feed our family of nine and how Paul makes chili. We cover the status of our fried appliances. Finally, after many digressions, we discuss the challenge of exercise and long COVID --- why the fatigue and exercise intolerance associated with the condition aren't simply due to deconditioning, and why exercise often hinders, not helps, recovery. COVID-19 is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. We're doing nothing to stop it, but be sure to follow the CDC's recommendation to never eat raw cookie dough! We're not even stopping COVID transmission in health care settings, leading to ever more health care-acquired infections, as our COVID-damaged immune systems are exposed to infections again and again. The infections may get milder, but milder infections are more likely to lead to long COVID. We're learning more about the constellation of related illnesses, and the news isn't good; many survivors of the 1918 influenza pandemic suffered similar long-term sequelae, but this is not widely understood. Meanwhile, our pharmaceutical interventions are more and more limited to a vaccine technology that has failed to remain effective. It usually takes years to get a vaccine right, so we shouldn't be surprised by this. But letting COVID-19 rip allows it to mutate rapidly, almost guaranteeing that vaccine development won't keep up. Grace and I talk about the shift to our contemporary culture in which sick children going to school, and sick parents going to work, has been completely normalized. But it wasn't always like this, and doesn't need to be in the future. This is personal to us, as Grace recounts the story of our son with asthma, and his old-school pediatrician who knew that constant respiratory illnesses didn't actually _help_ kids with asthma, and that the immune system isn't a muscle. We wander off-topic and talk about various other things going on in our home and garden, including how we feed our family of nine and how Paul makes chili. We cover the status of our fried appliances. Finally, after many digressions, we discuss the challenge of exercise and long COVID --- why the fatigue and exercise intolerance associated with the condition aren't simply due to deconditioning, and why exercise often hinders, not helps, recovery. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-67-a-twenty-minute-covid-rant-extended-dance-version-april-29-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2367_%20A%20Twenty-Minute%20COVID%20Rant%2C%20Extended%20Dance%20Version%20%28April%2029%2C%202023%29.mp3 Thu, 18 May 2023 19:43:34 -0400 01:27:50 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and Paul talk about our interest in, and experiences with, the Novavax vaccine as an alternative to the mRNA COVID vaccines. In this recording, which Grace and I made in our car while running errands, we discuss the reasons we sought out Novavax and our experience receiving this vaccine as an alternative to the more widely available and promoted mRNA vaccines. Note that during this conversation, I stated that had gotten an mRNA booster in December 2021, although I had tried to arrange to get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine instead, because my employer required it. I mis-remembered events. My employer had, earlier in 2021, asked employees to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status and provide a scan of their vaccine cards, but employees were allowed to opt out if they chose. I decided to get a booster in December 2021 because in the fall, I had needed to spend time in the office to complete work, around unmasked co-workers and occasional groups of visitors, and I wanted to be better-protected going into 2022. In this recording, which Grace and I made in our car while running errands, we discuss the reasons we sought out Novavax and our experience receiving this vaccine as an alternative to the more widely available and promoted mRNA vaccines. Note that during this conversation, I stated that had gotten an mRNA booster in December 2021, although I had tried to arrange to get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine instead, because my employer required it. I mis-remembered events. My employer had, earlier in 2021, asked employees to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status and provide a scan of their vaccine cards, but employees were allowed to opt out if they chose. I decided to get a booster in December 2021 because in the fall, I had needed to spend time in the office to complete work, around unmasked co-workers and occasional groups of visitors, and I wanted to be better-protected going into 2022. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-68-novavax-july-8-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2368_%20Novavax%20%28July%208%2C%202023%29.mp3 Fri, 14 Jul 2023 19:16:21 -0400 00:49:28 Grace and Paul Potts Grace recently arranged to rent an entire theater during off-peak hours so a COVID-conscious group could have a safer experience watching the new Barbie movie. In a long discussion, Grace and I discuss movies: just how long it's been since we've seen movies in a theater, and the movies we've been sharing with the kids at home. Some of our recent movie choices include A.I.: Artificial Intelligence; Be Kind, Rewind; and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Grace recently arranged to rent an entire theater during off-peak hours so a COVID-conscious group could have a safer experience watching the new Barbie movie. In a long discussion, Grace and I discuss movies: just how long it's been since we've seen movies in a theater, and the movies we've been sharing with the kids at home. Some of our recent movie choices include A.I.: Artificial Intelligence; Be Kind, Rewind; and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Grace recently arranged to rent an entire theater during off-peak hours so a COVID-conscious group could have a safer experience watching the new Barbie movie. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-69-going-to-the-movies-july-31-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2369_%20Going%20to%20the%20Movies%20%28July%2031%2C%202023%29.mp3 Mon, 31 Jul 2023 23:23:55 -0400 01:38:39 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I dodge bees and discuss a conversation I had on the Xitter, started by my Xeet recommending that people give up on the mRNA vaccines and go forward getting Novavax instead. Grace and I discuss a conversation I had on the Xitter, started by my Xeet recommending that people give up on the mRNA vaccines and go forward getting Novavax instead. We immediately digress into talking about how Malachi got some kind of a sting or bite on his lip and went around looking like one of the Simpsons. But we bring it back around to the subject of soft minimizers, self-proclaimed vaccine realists, as opposed to those they call novids or zero-COVID extremists. If there is such a thing as a zero-COVID extremist, then I am one; I just want to minimize the actual risks of the disease, not people's concerns about the disease. The Xitter conversation immediately went off the rails as my interlocutor wanted to bicker about definitions and accuse me of demanding an unrealistic degree of perfection, when actual measured efficacy of vaccines against infection and transmission is actually far lower than people realize. He also insisted that I could not predict efficacy against future variants, which is of course trivially true, although there is a great deal of data that suggests that Novavax has had better durability against known variants so far, as has the Soberana 2 vaccine in Cuba, and even the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. In fact there is a lot of data; I read as many papers as I can and follow some smart people who live by the precautionary principle, rather than minimizing the risks. But I don't think it's my job to Xeet out summaries of every source I read; that's why I repost the Xeets of many other people who are far better-qualified than I am to explain the science as it develops. My interlocutor then went on about how nobody was stopping other companies from developing better vaccines, a breathtakingly wrong statement which ignores every single aspect of the way vaccines are approved, purchased, distributed, and promoted. Grace and I also discuss the way in which the vaccines ought to be the very last line of defense, not the first and only line of defense, and why it was never reasonable to expect that the first versions of any vaccine would be both very safe and very effective, and how quickly everyone forgets the actual statements that authorities made about the aims and successes of the vaccine program. We further discuss what interventions could have made a meaningful difference. Ultimately, my interlocutor would not even agree that it would have been a good idea to promote hand sanitizer and social distancing for an airborne virus, and made the risible claim that at the start of the pandemic, nobody knew anything about how to lower the risk of spreading an airborne SARS virus. If you take nothing else away from this podcast episode, take away the idea that the practice of public health is a process of building trust, and misleading the public, or outright lying to the public, undermines every aspect of that effort. Winding up, we talk about how there is community on social media, althought it is weird, broken, siloed, and filled with trolls, and what we hope to achieve, and occasionally do achieve, when using these platforms. Grace and I discuss a conversation I had on the Xitter, started by my Xeet recommending that people give up on the mRNA vaccines and go forward getting Novavax instead. We immediately digress into talking about how Malachi got some kind of a sting or bite on his lip and went around looking like one of the Simpsons. But we bring it back around to the subject of soft minimizers, self-proclaimed vaccine realists, as opposed to those they call novids or zero-COVID extremists. If there is such a thing as a zero-COVID extremist, then I am one; I just want to minimize the actual risks of the disease, not people's concerns about the disease. The Xitter conversation immediately went off the rails as my interlocutor wanted to bicker about definitions and accuse me of demanding an unrealistic degree of perfection, when actual measured efficacy of vaccines against infection and transmission is actually far lower than people realize. He also insisted that I could not predict efficacy against future variants, which is of course trivially true, although there is a great deal of data that suggests that Novavax has had better durability against known variants so far, as has the Soberana 2 vaccine in Cuba, and even the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. In fact there is a lot of data; I read as many papers as I can and follow some smart people who live by the precautionary principle, rather than minimizing the risks. But I don't think it's my job to Xeet out summaries of every source I read; that's why I repost the Xeets of many other people who are far better-qualified than I am to explain the science as it develops. My interlocutor then went on about how nobody was stopping other companies from developing better vaccines, a breathtakingly wrong statement which ignores every single aspect of the way vaccines are approved, purchased, distributed, and promoted. Grace and I also discuss the way in which the vaccines ought to be the very last line of defense, not the first and only line of defense, and why it was never reasonable to expect that the first versions of any vaccine would be both very safe and very effective, and how quickly everyone forgets the actual statements that authorities made about the aims and successes of the vaccine program. We further discuss what interventions could have made a meaningful difference. Ultimately, my interlocutor would not even agree that it would have been a good idea to promote hand sanitizer and social distancing for an airborne virus, and made the risible claim that at the start of the pandemic, nobody knew anything about how to lower the risk of spreading an airborne SARS virus. If you take nothing else away from this podcast episode, take away the idea that the practice of public health is a process of building trust, and misleading the public, or outright lying to the public, undermines every aspect of that effort. Winding up, we talk about how there is community on social media, althought it is weird, broken, siloed, and filled with trolls, and what we hope to achieve, and occasionally do achieve, when using these platforms. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-70-wittering-on-the-xitter-august-19-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2370_%20Wittering%20on%20the%20Xitter%20%28August%2019%2C%202023%29.mp3 Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:12:51 -0400 00:54:56 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I dodge mosquitoes and talk about the various ways we've been trying to make our food supply more relilient and more local. Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry Strips are simply WRONG; movie night snacks; our fish taco hack; wasting away again in mosquitoville; food security and how to diversify our food sources; our pantry; our garden as a food source; a local produce source; the density of mosquitoes inside the car compared to outside the car; food resilience; Calder dairy; finding local meats; attempts to find resilient, local food sources; the shit-hits-the-fan pantry; planning for exponential change; Bamboozled: a Spike Lee joint. Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry Strips are simply WRONG; movie night snacks; our fish taco hack; wasting away again in mosquitoville; food security and how to diversify our food sources; our pantry; our garden as a food source; a local produce source; the density of mosquitoes inside the car compared to outside the car; food resilience; Calder dairy; finding local meats; attempts to find resilient, local food sources; the shit-hits-the-fan pantry; planning for exponential change; Bamboozled: a Spike Lee joint. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-71-food-talk-september-16-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2371_%20Food%20Talk%20%28September%2016%2C%202023%29.mp3 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:00:08 -0400 01:41:15 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I talk for an hour about the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how it came to this point, and the historic shift in media coverage and public attitudes. Paul jokes that he is being overwhelmed by the sudden wave of antisemitism we've been reading so much about, but really, it's always been here, and so have the schisms in Judaism; there's a state that seems to be really good at causing antisemitism, because it's a great opportunity for fundraising and for the state of Israel to gain support for pursuing its goals; the maelstrom of politics surounding criticism of the state of Israel; linking the safety of Jews worldwide and the state of Israel; the larger historical context of the Ashkenazi diaspora and the narrative of their historical persecution; Sephardic and Misrahi Jews and their lived experience; Israel is not majority Ashkenazi, but you wouldn't know it, because of the voices you hear in the media; the marginalization of Jews who do not support the Occupation of Palestine; the generational divide between American Ashkenazi Jews; the Ashkenazi embrace of whiteness and white privilege, and the performance of white supremacy; the identity of persecution and the protection of whiteness; Israel's posthumous sperm retrieval program; Noam Chomsky's _The Fateful Triangle_ and the lessons to be learned from reading Hebrew-language newspapers; these weren't two people; the imaginary claim that things were going fine before October 7th; the wildly overstated claims about what happened on October 7th; Hellfire R9X missile with blades instead of explosives; natalism and the questions around sperm and egg retrieval; don't pretend Ashkenazi Jews performing white supremacy doesn't harm Jews everywhere; the long-term white supremacist roots of the settler-colonial project; how the history is very complex over thousands of years, but considerably simpler over the last hundred years; Israel's river of lies and the shift in mainstream media coverage since the Al-Shifa hospital siege; the question of who this propaganda is _for_ and _why_ it is so poorly executed; this isn't working anymore, and it isn't making Jews safer; stoking antisemitism will lead to Israel's demise; a second Holocaust; do you denounce Hamas? The closing audio is from _Babylon 5_, season 2, episode 20, "The Long, Twilight Struggle." In this scene, the Narn have surrendered to the Centauri. The Centauri have ordered the detention and trial of all Narn leadership. Narn Ambassador G'kar (played by Andreas Katsulas) is stripped of his ambassadorship by Centauri Londo Mollari, and ordered out of the council chamber. As he leaves, he speaks these words of heartbroken, but unyielding, defiance on behalf of his now-occupied people. Paul jokes that he is being overwhelmed by the sudden wave of antisemitism we've been reading so much about, but really, it's always been here, and so have the schisms in Judaism; there's a state that seems to be really good at causing antisemitism, because it's a great opportunity for fundraising and for the state of Israel to gain support for pursuing its goals; the maelstrom of politics surounding criticism of the state of Israel; linking the safety of Jews worldwide and the state of Israel; the larger historical context of the Ashkenazi diaspora and the narrative of their historical persecution; Sephardic and Misrahi Jews and their lived experience; Israel is not majority Ashkenazi, but you wouldn't know it, because of the voices you hear in the media; the marginalization of Jews who do not support the Occupation of Palestine; the generational divide between American Ashkenazi Jews; the Ashkenazi embrace of whiteness and white privilege, and the performance of white supremacy; the identity of persecution and the protection of whiteness; Israel's posthumous sperm retrieval program; Noam Chomsky's _The Fateful Triangle_ and the lessons to be learned from reading Hebrew-language newspapers; these weren't two people; the imaginary claim that things were going fine before October 7th; the wildly overstated claims about what happened on October 7th; Hellfire R9X missile with blades instead of explosives; natalism and the questions around sperm and egg retrieval; don't pretend Ashkenazi Jews performing white supremacy doesn't harm Jews everywhere; the long-term white supremacist roots of the settler-colonial project; how the history is very complex over thousands of years, but considerably simpler over the last hundred years; Israel's river of lies and the shift in mainstream media coverage since the Al-Shifa hospital siege; the question of who this propaganda is _for_ and _why_ it is so poorly executed; this isn't working anymore, and it isn't making Jews safer; stoking antisemitism will lead to Israel's demise; a second Holocaust; do you denounce Hamas? The closing audio is from _Babylon 5_, season 2, episode 20, "The Long, Twilight Struggle." In this scene, the Narn have surrendered to the Centauri. The Centauri have ordered the detention and trial of all Narn leadership. Narn Ambassador G'kar (played by Andreas Katsulas) is stripped of his ambassadorship by Centauri Londo Mollari, and ordered out of the council chamber. As he leaves, he speaks these words of heartbroken, but unyielding, defiance on behalf of his now-occupied people. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-72-about-that-wave-november-18-2023 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2372_%20About%20That%20Wave%20%28November%2018%2C%202023%29.mp3 Sat, 25 Nov 2023 16:47:46 -0500 01:01:43 Grace and Paul Potts Becoming better prepared for disruptions in the availability of foods; the state of infectious diseases and the public health response; DOGE and the biggest conflict of interest in history. Grace and I have a long and rambling conversation. Topics: how we accidentally wound up with 450 pounds of Hubbard squash; becoming better prepared for disruptions in the availability of foods; the state of infectious diseases and the public health response; DOGE and the biggest conflict of interest in history. Grace and I have a long and rambling conversation. Topics: how we accidentally wound up with 450 pounds of Hubbard squash; becoming better prepared for disruptions in the availability of foods; the state of infectious diseases and the public health response; DOGE and the biggest conflict of interest in history. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2023_index.html#conversation-73-the-biggest-conflict-of-interest-in-history-february-9-2025 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2373_%20The%20Biggest%20Conflict%20of%20Interest%20in%20History%20%28February%209%2C%202025%29.mp3 Fri, 14 Feb 2025 15:20:52 -0500 02:24:17 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I discuss the very long, tedious, and frustrating process of trying to safely get health care from a medical practice that won't take either precautions or accountability. Grace and I have a long chat about this and that. First, food: Purim treats; a strategy for making virus-safe yogurt; building your food stash. Then, reading: we're reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin together. Paul discusses other books he's been reading, including: the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny, Goliath by Max Blumenthal, and others. We give a special shout-out to Detroit Specials Used Books. Finally, we discuss the very long, tedious, and frustrating process of trying to safely get health care from a medical practice that won't take either precautions or accountability. Grace and I have a long chat about this and that. First, food: Purim treats; a strategy for making virus-safe yogurt; building your food stash. Then, reading: we're reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin together. Paul discusses other books he's been reading, including: the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny, Goliath by Max Blumenthal, and others. We give a special shout-out to Detroit Specials Used Books. Finally, we discuss the very long, tedious, and frustrating process of trying to safely get health care from a medical practice that won't take either precautions or accountability. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2025_index.html#conversation-74-healthcare-plz-march-11-2025 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2374_%20Healthcare%20Plz%20%28March%2011%2C%202025%29.mp3 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:04:28 -0400 01:40:27 Grace and Paul Potts Our main topic is Grace's trip to the Festival of Friendship in Steubenville, Ohio, and her keynote address, called "In the Vacant Places, We Will Rebuild with New Bricks." To skip ahead to her talk, jump to the 1 hour mark. Our main topic is Grace's trip to the Festival of Friendship in Steubenville, Ohio, and her keynote address, called "In the Vacant Places, We Will Rebuild with New Bricks." To skip our assorted chit-chat and hear Grace read her talk, jump to the 1 hour mark. I will add the text of Grace's talk to the linked blog post. The topics we discussed prior to her talk include an update on trying to get the health care and dental care we need, unmasking to get a driver license photo taken, trying to finish Math Academy's Foundations II class with poor concentration and bad eyes, dealing with young children (still) after 25 years, the ongoing state of emergency which has become our new normal, our new kakistocracy, Paul's comments on the five-book Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, our new library acquisitions: anthologies of stories by Sheridan Le Fanu, and Grace's trip to Steubenville, and some background information on the town and the Festival of Friendship. Our main topic is Grace's trip to the Festival of Friendship in Steubenville, Ohio, and her keynote address, called "In the Vacant Places, We Will Rebuild with New Bricks." To skip our assorted chit-chat and hear Grace read her talk, jump to the 1 hour mark. I will add the text of Grace's talk to the linked blog post. The topics we discussed prior to her talk include an update on trying to get the health care and dental care we need, unmasking to get a driver license photo taken, trying to finish Math Academy's Foundations II class with poor concentration and bad eyes, dealing with young children (still) after 25 years, the ongoing state of emergency which has become our new normal, our new kakistocracy, Paul's comments on the five-book Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, our new library acquisitions: anthologies of stories by Sheridan Le Fanu, and Grace's trip to Steubenville, and some background information on the town and the Festival of Friendship. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2025_index.html#conversation-75-the-festival-of-friendship-may-10-2025 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2375_%20The%20Festival%20of%20Friendship%20%28May%2010%2C%202025%29.mp3 Sat, 17 May 2025 17:47:52 -0400 01:22:43 Grace and Paul Potts In early October, in the midst of many challenges including my long-term unemployment and concerns about being able to stay in our home, Grace needed emergency surgery on her spine. Last October, we were facing many challenges including my long-term unemployment and concerns about being able to stay in our home. Grace's condition took a turn for the worse and she needed emergency surgery on her spine. The next couple of months, which included Halloween, children's birthdays, Christmas, and New Year's, were very difficult. Grace has healed from surgery, but still suffers from cauda equina syndrome, with nerve damage that may be permanent. On January 11th, we had a conversation about her condition, surgery, and recovery, at our outdoor burn pit. Unfortunately I had not brought the furry filter to reduce wind noise, so occasional gusts of wind partially drowned out our voices. I have used Izotope RX to reduce the wind noise. It can't completely bring back the damaged audio, so there are parts where it is hard to hear us. I apologize for that, but we have to take the opportunities we get to record a conversation without the kids. They did not want to come out in the cold! After our main conversation outdoors, we had a further chat inside to talk in a bit more detail about her surgery and the results. Last October, we were facing many challenges including my long-term unemployment and concerns about being able to stay in our home. Grace's condition took a turn for the worse and she needed emergency surgery on her spine. The next couple of months, which included Halloween, children's birthdays, Christmas, and New Year's, were very difficult. Grace has healed from surgery, but still suffers from cauda equina syndrome, with nerve damage that may be permanent. On January 11th, we had a conversation about her condition, surgery, and recovery, at our outdoor burn pit. Unfortunately I had not brought the furry filter to reduce wind noise, so occasional gusts of wind partially drowned out our voices. I have used Izotope RX to reduce the wind noise. It can't completely bring back the damaged audio, so there are parts where it is hard to hear us. I apologize for that, but we have to take the opportunities we get to record a conversation without the kids. They did not want to come out in the cold! After our main conversation outdoors, we had a further chat inside to talk in a bit more detail about her surgery and the results. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2026_index.html#conversation-76-october-took-a-turn-january-11-2026 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2376_%20October%20Took%20a%20Turn%20%28January%2011%2C%202026%29.mp3 Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:44:54 -0500 01:32:58 Grace and Paul Potts Grace and I pick up where we left off with a conversation about everything that has happened since her surgery. It's national Women's Day and we're back at the fire pit. It's a little warmer this time. Grace and I pick up where we left off with a conversation about everything that has happened since her surgery -- a mess of unhelpful referrals, useless appointments, practitioners that can't be bothered to do the reading, and above all, a lot of frustration and wasted time. Along the way we discuss the conventional and unconventional wisdom on self-catheterization and urinary tract infections. What practitioners don't know about cauda equina syndrome could fill many books. We also touch on unsweetened cranberry juice, eating baking chocolate as a kid, getting a suprapubic catheter, the 'impatient' surgery center, neuropathic pain, epidurals, lidocaine patches, the decision made months ago that she did _not_ need spinal rehab, and being an uncooperative patient. We also talk about being gaslit and stonewalled while trying to negotiate for a mortgage loan modification with Rocket Mortgage, Paul's long-term unemployment, forming an LLC, and dealing with everything that has to be done to run a small embedded firmware development business from a home office. Finally, we talk about how impossible it would have been for us to manage Grace's medical expenses without Medicaid, and how we might find ourselves in that very situation in the near future. It's national Women's Day and we're back at the fire pit. It's a little warmer this time. Grace and I pick up where we left off with a conversation about everything that has happened since her surgery -- a mess of unhelpful referrals, useless appointments, practitioners that can't be bothered to do the reading, and above all, a lot of frustration and wasted time. Along the way we discuss the conventional and unconventional wisdom on self-catheterization and urinary tract infections. What practitioners don't know about cauda equina syndrome could fill many books. We also touch on unsweetened cranberry juice, eating baking chocolate as a kid, getting a suprapubic catheter, the 'impatient' surgery center, neuropathic pain, epidurals, lidocaine patches, the decision made months ago that she did _not_ need spinal rehab, and being an uncooperative patient. We also talk about being gaslit and stonewalled while trying to negotiate for a mortgage loan modification with Rocket Mortgage, Paul's long-term unemployment, forming an LLC, and dealing with everything that has to be done to run a small embedded firmware development business from a home office. Finally, we talk about how impossible it would have been for us to manage Grace's medical expenses without Medicaid, and how we might find ourselves in that very situation in the near future. https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2026_index.html#conversation-77-a-bonfire-of-wasted-time-march-8-2026 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2377_%20A%20Bonfire%20of%20Wasted%20Time%20%28March%208%2C%202026%29.mp3 Wed, 06 May 2026 11:11:41 -0400 01:55:27 Grace and Paul Potts In our basement we discuss nineties songs, films, the last Laundry Files novel, and Grace's ongoing struggle to get decent medical care. We're dans la maison, in the basement watching X-Files with no lights on, and Paul is making mad films, wired up on nineties music, particularly the micro-genre of post-grunge upbeat patter songs -- what even is this called? -- with lyrics that are too clever by half. I hope the Smoking Man's in this one! Grace recalls the sad fate of Alex the Seal. Paul's brain is being short circuited by synchronicities. Why are Vincent Price's character Doctor Phibes, and Vincent Price himself, suddenly breaking containment and exiting their glass coffins and appearing in our reality? Paul talks about the very last Laundry Files novel by Charles Stross -- OR IS IT??? What fiction will one day emege from our current years of chaos? Grace explores how JFK changed politicking forever because he had a face for television, and Nixon... did not, and ever since then, the American public has treated elections like Hollywood screen tests, instead of discussing policy. After a digression into the alleged assassination attempts on the President, we discuss the pre-code Depression-era musical film Footlight Parade, starring James Cagney, two shorts by Laurel and Hardy, and how some humor will never grow old. Afer a seemingly endless series of digressions including an update on our mortgage and health insurance situation, we just barely start touch on the topic of invisible disability, and get a health update from Grace, describing the road to getting her suprapubic catheter placed, and some of the constant urinary tract infections she has been experiencing, which led to weekly trips to the ER, while her urologists (plural) stubbornly maintained a posture of complete indifference. We also wistfully discuss an anecdotal report of a woman with a similar herniated disc who _did_ receive adequate intervention in time to avoid needing a machine to poop. Paul tries to squeeze in some recent papers on long COVID and connect this to the topic of invisible disability. Meanwhile, medical staff are still mocking us for wearing masks into clinical settings, even to the point of bullying our minor children. The precautionary principle is fun for the whole family! We're dans la maison, in the basement watching X-Files with no lights on, and Paul is making mad films, wired up on nineties music, particularly the micro-genre of post-grunge upbeat patter songs -- what even is this called? -- with lyrics that are too clever by half. I hope the Smoking Man's in this one! Grace recalls the sad fate of Alex the Seal. Paul's brain is being short circuited by synchronicities. Why are Vincent Price's character Doctor Phibes, and Vincent Price himself, suddenly breaking containment and exiting their glass coffins and appearing in our reality? Paul talks about the very last Laundry Files novel by Charles Stross -- OR IS IT??? What fiction will one day emege from our current years of chaos? Grace explores how JFK changed politicking forever because he had a face for television, and Nixon... did not, and ever since then, the American public has treated elections like Hollywood screen tests, instead of discussing policy. After a digression into the alleged assassination attempts on the President, we discuss the pre-code Depression-era musical film Footlight Parade, starring James Cagney, two shorts by Laurel and Hardy, and how some humor will never grow old. Afer a seemingly endless series of digressions including an update on our mortgage and health insurance situation, we just barely start touch on the topic of invisible disability, and get a health update from Grace, describing the road to getting her suprapubic catheter placed, and some of the constant urinary tract infections she has been experiencing, which led to weekly trips to the ER, while her urologists (plural) stubbornly maintained a posture of complete indifference. We also wistfully discuss an anecdotal report of a woman with a similar herniated disc who _did_ receive adequate intervention in time to avoid needing a machine to poop. Paul tries to squeeze in some recent papers on long COVID and connect this to the topic of invisible disability. Meanwhile, medical staff are still mocking us for wearing masks into clinical settings, even to the point of bullying our minor children. The precautionary principle is fun for the whole family! https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/blog/2026_index.html#conversation-77-a-bonfire-of-wasted-time-march-8-2026 https://thepottshouse.org/pottscasts/gapp/Conversation%20%2378_%20A%20Fast%20Rap%20on%20a%20Slow%20Sunday%20%28April%2026%2C%202026%29.mp3 Mon, 11 May 2026 13:00:22 -0400 02:40:24