What We Will Abide

I've been wrestling with my anger about the havoc Covid-19 has wrought in our country and the ineptitude that has typified how we've dealt with it. But, I still feel I don't know enough to have an opinion at all. So, in this episode, I turn to Michael Taylor, a Respiratory Therapist who works in the York, PA area. We talk about his career and, in the main, how his expertise is utilized in the current pandemic. I don’t posit Mike Taylor here as the definitive voice on the subject, and neither does he, though I surely present his perspective as a means of telling a certain kind of story in a certain kind of way. In short, I still think something needs to be done about how we as individuals and as a culture have responded (or not responded) to Covid-19. Music for this episode by Sherbanski.Interact with What We Will Abide on Facebook and Twitter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Once an aspiring Medieval historian, Jessica Edonick now serves as Dean of Students at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in downtown Lancaster, PA. She defines and redefines the position almost all the time, giving liberally of herself to students in need in a selfless, exhaustive way. As a member of the PCAD faculty, I work with her closely and refer students to her regularly. In a professional setting she is always kind, gracious and caring. In this more personal conversation, those traits prove to be the bedrock of her personality and identity. Music by Jordan Capizzi of The Nielsen Family Band See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Osmyn Oree is an admissions counselor at the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design (PCA&D) and is a gradate of the college. He is also a photographer and an activist. We talk about the evolution of his work, his political consciousness, and a bit about his inner life amidst this turbulent time.Osmyn Oree PhotographyFacebookInstagramOriginal music by Nick Peterson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Of Lenny Bruce, Eric Bogosian said, "Saint Lenny, he died for our sins."Over 60 years ago, comedian Lenny Bruce cracked wise about racism, corrupt power and American culture. His critique still reverberates, which means not enough has changed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Step 1: Unite. People of all skin colors, political agendas, genders and sexualities. All together as one. Step 2: Get the police to join in. Otherwise, it's utter bloodshed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My daughter records a message to herself at age 30 while getting trucks to honk at us; birthday present requests, and the glory of meatballs.Music by Eliot White and Eyal Marcovici. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At some point along the way, Leo DiSanto and I recognized we were dependent on alcohol and took steps to release ourselves from the hold it had on us. What we learned was that things got worse before they got better, Drinking quiets the hobgoblins of self-hatred, but only for a short while, and then they come back with a vengeance. It's at that point that the real work begins.DiSanto is a local Lancaster musician who performed regularly around town until the Covid-19 outbreak. He now streams his performances live from a studio in his home, and is riding out the pandemic by sharing both his music and the music of others, and finding new ways to connect with human beings.https://leodisanto.comhttps://www.facebook.com/thisisleodisanto See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dawn Cox at Prana Functional Manual Therapy (PranaPT.com) came to the PT profession later in her life, and brings to bear her experience connecting with human beings in various sectors of her life in her work now. At Prana, physical therapists treat the whole human being, and don't just reduce people to their injury or their diagnoses.In the era of COVD-19, Prana is still helping people navigate and lessen their pain with Telehealth visits.Music by Eliot White, recorded specifically for his ongoing Quarantine Song/Poem/Art Share project on Facebook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bob Fenster is a social studies teacher and a musician. I met him a bunch of years ago at aconference on the Arab Spring in Philly. He's a New Jersey boy, born and bred, but I still retain enough (professional) respect for him that I felt like asking him a few questions about how he addresses controversial and contentious political issues in the classroom. Bob is the kind of teacher I aspire to be: self-reflective, both compassionate and vigilant, and clear-eyed. Over the years he's helped me with a number of queries about Model United Nations and curriculum. We talked back in November of 2019, and now we're both confined to our homes, teaching remotely when we can, eyeing the future with a skeptical but oddly optimistic eye.If you like the music you heard in this episode, check out more of it here, https://bobfenster.bandcamp.com/. And tune into to his nightly live shows on FB. He takes (reasonable) requests. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is a crossover episode. These days I co-own 9 Panel Comics a comic book store with my friend Jon Darby. We buy and sell old and new comic books. We also produce a comic-related podcast. For this episode, I interview Lee Francis IV is the author of Ghost River, a graphic novel about the Conestoga, a native people who lived in what is now Central Pennsylvania, and the founder of Native Realities and Red Planet Books and Comics in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lee opened Red Planet Comics to provide an outlet and marketplace for the work of native creatives, including books, comics and more.Red Planet ComicsRiverbend ComcsInstagramFacebook See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While Part 1 focused mainly on mental health and constructive coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety and depression, in this episode we consider what so-called “American” values are —as opposed to Canadian values— and spend a good chunk of time critiquing the U.S. health care system.There's also more of Sarah’s music, as it features songs from her newly released album The Family Curse.Find all of Sarah's music here.You can also find her on Instagram @sarah.jickling and on Facebook @sarahsgoodbadluck. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I don’t know Sarah Jickling, but we talked for an hour about anxiety, depression, alter egos, pole-dancing, and just how goddamn big Canada is. I met her on Instagram, via the quirk of a misplaced hashtag. Not long ago, I loathed and readily excoriated social media and its tentacles, as they worm and wiggle their slimy way into our lives. As it turns out, social media isn't the problem -- the problem was, in fact, the tentacles of anxiety and depression that ruled me. But in a year filled with upheaval, one of the bits that got excavated was the truth about my mental health.Now that I’m aware of it, I’m seeing things very differently. I’m embracing things I once resisted, namely, social media and the internet, and I find I actually enjoy connecting with other human beings. Sarah Jickling is one of those people; she's a musician and mental health advocate from Vancouver, British Columbia and she was kind enough to set aside some time to talk openly and honestly with me about mental health, sexuality, the healing wonders of pole-dancing and, of course, the absurd civilization we’re stuck in.Sarah's new album, The Family Curse, is out now.See her music videos here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Here is a live album of sorts; Liz Fulmer and her band playing at Tellus360 on August 18, 2019, for the Come As You Are words and music event. This is just the music. SONG LIST1) Come As You Are (Nirvana) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Piano; Allan Dutton: Guitar.2) Today (Smashing Pumpkins) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Piano; Allan Dutton: Guitar; Brendan Stengle: Bass Guitar3) Doll Parts (Hole) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Piano, Percussion; Hadassah Wilson: Vocals; Allan Dutton: Guitar4) Nuts (Bitter Delores) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Guitar5) A New England (Billy Bragg) Liz Fulmer: Guitar, Vocals; Leo DiSanto: Guitar, Vocals6) Please Please Please (The Smiths) Leo DiSanto: Guitar, Vocals; Liz Fulmer: Percussion7) Where Is My Mind? (The Pixies) Hadassah Wilson: Vocals; Liz Fulmer: Piano; Allan Dutton: Guitar; Brendan Stengle: Bass Guitar8) Pictures of You (The Cure) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Piano; Allan Dutton: Guitar; Brendan Stengle: Bass Guitar9) Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) Liz Fulmer: Vocals, Piano; Allan Dutton: Guitar See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode #56: Come As You Are: Words and Music, Jamie Beth Cohen and Liz Fulmer shared their thoughts on the live concert they gave at Tellus360. Here, What We Will Abide offers bonus material from the concert. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jamie Beth Cohen's Wasted Pretty is a YA novel set in 1992, a year in which grunge, indie pop, and new wave all seemed to get along. In a special live event at Lancaster's own Tellus 360 this past August, Cohen teamed up with local musician Liz Fulmer to present "Come As You Are," a concert during which Cohen read from her novel and Fulmer (and friends) played music from the period. In this episode, Cohen and Fulmer talk about their collaborative effort, what music can mean for teenagers, and why songs written by men can have very different impact when they're sung by women.Jamie Beth CohenLiz Fulmer Music See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"If you want to see humanity at its most vulnerable, a refugee camp will give you that image."Mustafa Nuur immigrated to the US after a 10-year stay in a refugee camp in Kenya. He is originally from Mogadishu, Somalia and has lived in Lancaster PA since 2017.In chapter IV of What We Will Abide's series on Immigration, Mustafa tells his own story, including the origins of his entrepreneurial drive, his first job in America and how he hit upon an idea to have refugees and immigrations tell their own stories through the universal language of food.He now runs Experience Bridge, a business which helps bring refugees and non-refugees together by sharing food and culture, and Xulbo, a Somali food stand (which also features food from various other nations and cultures) on the roof garden at Tellus 360 in Lancaster.Mustafa has been featured in Lancaster Online, the UN Refugees website and TedX Lancaster.Music by Hannah Bingman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A certain 7-year-old explains his choice to sit out the Pledge of Allegiance at school.Music by Here Inside. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"It's all about the wrestling," Rabbi Jack Paskoff tells me, as we rattle up 95 North on our way home from Washington DC. He drives like a New Yorker: aggressive and confident with an air of 'I got this.' It's sort of the same way he serves his community–out front and fearless while also remaining honest and deeply contemplative. He's "my" rabbi because he's got a huge heart, an indefatigable work ethic, and a genuine interest in what others have to say. In these past few years of his life and career, he's also found that opening his eyes to ways of thinking that were once anathema has now pretty much become the norm. He's "staying on the mat" as the wrestling lingo has it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though they were happy running Lancaster's favorite bottle shop and pizza joint, The Fridge, Zach Miller and Erin Schram decided to leave the United States after the election of 2016. Following a 2+ year sojourn in New Zealand, they have returned, seeking more time with family and the perfect taco. It might just be the Kiwi, a fish-and-chips inspired creation, or it might be the JJ - a Korean-style delight. Think you've got the chops to invent the world's greatest taco? Head down to Tacos Del Soul and let them know! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's easy to lose sight of privilege; if you're an American citizen, it's something you probably don't think about, ever. But Andrea Alarcon has thought about what it means to be a citizen every day of her life since she learned she couldn't get a driver's license at age 16. The obstacles only compounded from there.This interview was conduced in 2017, and we muse about what might be on the immigration front in two years. Now, two ignominious years later, we know all too well.Original music by Hannah Bingman-Forshey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The fourth installment of the apparently ongoing series of interviews with my father, collectively entitled "American Cynic." In this episode, my father and I review an array of unpleasant encounters: with law enforcement officers; on the basketball court; and with mysterious, vehicle-napping Manhattan "Marshals." Also, the 'best' films of all time.Twitter @SamSchindler43Facebook.com/WhatWeWillAbide/Subscribe on iTunes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The final installment of the American Cynic series surveys life in New York City in the first half of the 20th century: Mirrors shattered by errant baseball bats, squandered investment opportunities, and a street race for the ages. Also, why nobody is funny. Subscribe on iTunes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About year ago, I interviewed my father about his past, specifically his experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War. This time, I ask him to survey his 76 years as a lay critic of American foreign and domestic policy.The conversation ranges wide as my father ruminates on presidential doings and misdoings over the course of a half century, and culminates almost inevitably in an argument about a crucial question: how tall is Henry Kissinger? Though consensus isn't reached on that key point, we can agree that old HK is probably one of the worst human beings ever.It's part 2 of American Cynic - a bit of a wild ride. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist Michael Deibert has called several countries --if not continents-- home, and has written several books, including In the Shadow of Saint Death: The Gulf Cartel and the Price of America's Drug War in Mexico, and most recently Haiti Will Not Perish: A Recent History, which came out earlier this year.He’s had articles published in The Guardian, Truthdig, The Huffington Post and Slate among others. He currently resides in Lancaster, but as his résumé clearly shows, staying put isn’t exactly his game. We sat together on a relatively cool summer morning in the cemetery adjacent to St. James’ Church in the heart of Lancaster City, where he was born and the city he calls home - for now."One Rural County's Battle to Stop a Pipeline" (In These Times, 8.15.17)"Haiti: In the Kingdom of Impunity" (Huffington Post, 6.2.14)Haiti Will Not PerishIn the Shadow of Saint DeathOriginal music by Ari GoldSubscribe to What We Will Abide on iTunes See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In just a few short weeks the Stone Independent School will embark on our inaugural academic year. Two of the classes are my own creations: United States History through the lens of the economics of slavery; and the history of Israel/Palestine.I’m sharing my process for building these classes here as a means of documenting their development and ultimately charting their progress. Will I wind up doing what I set out to do? Is what I’m setting out to do well-conceived or utterly misguided? Is it too narrowly drawn? Does it skew matters without the proper proportion of self-awareness and humility? These are a few of the pitfalls I’m afraid of.A few links of note:Deborah Miranda, Bad IndianEdward Baptist, The Half Has Never Been ToldDavid Stannard, American HolocaustPascal Robert on Dead Pundits SocietySteve Sheinkin, History Writer (Hear a great interview with him on Erica Heilman's terrific podcast Rumble Strip)Norman Finkelstein on the 1967 War here; and also here.Rashid Khalidi, Palestinian Identity Moshe Dayan on the 1967 war See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This story is about pain, both mental and physical, and it’s about how these two kinds of pain are very much connected, despite our culture’s insistence that they’re not. It’s also about our unwillingness to admit that we’ve made mistakes, big mistakes, even though an admission would certainly lead to and end to suffering and the beginning of healing for large numbers of people. This is Roey Shmool's story. He is a filmmaker and an aspiring anxiety coach; two things which might seem disparate but, as his story unfurls, will have more and more in common. He lives in Minneapolis, and has for several years been at work on a documentary film about infant surgery and its aftermath. Some of his story includes discussion of our physiology, and how sometimes it breaks down and in his case, what’s been done to try and fix it.www.iknownowanxietycoach.comCover art by Roey ShmoolMusic by Nick Peterson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A year ago, I started this podcast, in which I interview people providing local solutions to systemic problems.My wife Jamie Beth, who has known me for nearly two decades, sees me as an introvert. So, to her, this has always seemed like a strange project to take on. In this episode, she asks me why I did.Music by Sea Ray.Jamie Beth, writer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I began my conversation with Christina Hartman as I always do, by telling the origin story of What We Will Abide, which involves seeing the world through despairing eyes. I was certainly surprised when she countered with a parallel story of her own that has played out along a similar timeline. Unlike hers, my story did not culminate in a stirring run for the congressional seat in the 16th district of the State of Pennsylvania this past election cycle. Prior to that endeavor, Christina Hartman has lived and worked in places as far flung as Uzbekistan and South Sudan, and has worked tirelessly in pursuit of human rights. About six years ago, she brought that fight home to Lancaster, and has recently shown that she's not afraid to go 12 rounds in the political ring. http://christinamhartman.com/Ralph Nader with Chris Hedges on third parties in America (2015) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mahfuz Meherzad is the president of the United Islamic Association of Lancaster County and is an adjunct Political Science professor at Chestnut Hill College and Millersville University. Prof. Meherzad and I took part in a panel discussion back in May in which five representatives of different religious backgrounds attempted to answer the question, “Does religion lead to war?” Prof. Meherzad provided a Muslim response. We also heard from those representing Hinduism, Buddhism and Mennonite Christianity. I provided the semblance of a Jewish response, cynical and ironic though it was. Thanks to the Peace Action Network of Lancaster. They plan to host further panels of this kind. Music by Nick Peterson. SUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Aryeh Bernstein is a Chicagoan, an Israeli citizen, a teacher, and a seeker of social justice. He wears his Judaism on his sleeve, as well as beneath his shirt. Each day he dons a “talit katan” with its fringes that hang from a traditional garment he wears beneath his outer clothing. It’s one of several of his daily reminders to engage in self-reflection, to recall his heritage, and to be aware that there’s something out there that’s bigger than him.Music: “Shine” by The Maccabeats.Breaking the Silence: Israeli soldiers discuss the occupied territories.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WWWA_041_060517.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For a while now, I’ve frequently and ubiquitously espoused a theory derived largely from the work of Daniel Quinn which is this: Humans lived as hunter-gatherers for most of their existence on earth. Somewhere along the line, this way of life, built and maintained largely to be in harmony with the earth, took an acute turn, a turn toward agriculturalism, and ultimately what we know of (and often celebrate) as Civilization. What’s happened since has been nothing short of disaster.I offered this theory to Dr. Jim Delle, an anthropologist and archaeologist currently serving as an associate dean at Shippensburg University, for his consideration. What transpires is a race through about 20 thousand years of history which ends, unsurprisingly, on a bit of an alarmist note.Music by Nick Peterson.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/WWWA_040_051917.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeremiah Miller’s play, Guilty Parties of New Orleans, will be given a staged reading with seasoned actors this coming Friday night, April 28th, at Community Mennonite Church, as part of the Theater of the Seventh Sister Spoken Word series. It largely deals with the trial of Clay Laverne Shaw, a New Orleans businessman who was the only person ever officially prosecuted in connection with the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy.Miller collaborated with researcher David Reitzes to recreate as yet undramatized scenes surrounding the 1967 trial of Clay Shaw, which was prosecuted by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison.Music by Nick Peterson.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WWWA_039_042517.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A couple of months ago I made an amateur overture to Representative Lloyd Smucker of the 16th Congressional district of Pennsylvania to be a guest on What We Will Abide, but didn’t get a response. Perhaps I didn’t explain myself well enough the first time, so I’m giving it another go.Music by Ton-Taun.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WWWA_038_042417.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jocelyn Park is originally a street punk Quaker from Delco (Delaware County, PA). She arrived in Lancaster, PA five years ago by way of Sydney, Australia, and found that starting over socially was a daunting prospect. Since then, she has launched Lancaster Transplant, a local organization designed to connect newcomers to the city by means of…pretty much whatever works.In our conversation, Lancaster Transplant’s Founder and Creative Ace talked about how her Quaker background has shaped her life and the mission of the project, the recent new directions it has taken and the ever-evolving nature of her own role.Music by Nick PetersonEpisode cover art by Russell Foltz-Smithhttp://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WWWA_037_JocelynPark_042017.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last month, after nearly a decade as Franklin & Marshall College’s chaplain, Susan Minasian has moved on, back to her home state of Virginia, where she will serve as pastor at Sojourners United Church of Christ in Charlottesville. Her tireless work on the college campus and all across Lancaster county was renowned in both religious and secular circles.We talked about what brought her to Lancaster in the first place over three decades ago, and why she decided to start a new chapter in a familiar place. Though it ranges over several individual topics, the conversation maintains the theme of raging against injustice. Whether in the form of the Turkish program of genocide perpetrated against Armenian Christians a century ago, or working against forms of exclusive theological thought, Susan Minasian leads with her own brand of contemplative activism.Music by Ari GoldOriginal cover art by Russell Foltz-Smithhttp://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/WWWA_036_SusanMinasian_040217.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The fundamental flaw in our civilization is that it’s convinced itself that it’s the best way to live. But there are cracks in the drywall. In a conversation that starts off about running, veers into politics and concludes with donkeys, Christopher McDougall and I examine the damage.Then, a visit with Paul Sherban, a recent college graduate who rode 4,500 miles on his bicycle in search of slowness, not speed. He rode in effort to forget himself and found that the real lesson he learned was that he couldn’t have done it without the help of the many strangers he met along the way.This episode first aired on WLRI 93 FM on Saturday 3/25/17.From Dec 27, 2016:Christopher McDougall is well known for his 2009 book Born to Run, which, among many other things, tells the story of the Tarahumara (Rarámuri), the tribe who (literally) ran away from the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century – and never came back. The book features the stories of several colorful characters including the peripatetic runner known as Caballo Blanco, who died in 2012, the podcaster/antelope-chaser Scott Carrier and the effervescent ultra-runner Scott Jurek. For me, it was singularly important because it convinced me to take off my shoes and run barefoot.Ever since seeing him on The Daily Show and then reading the book, I’ve wanted to ask Chris about the irony of embracing barefoot running in the 21st century, when every single technological advancement (and accompanying advertising) seems to implore us to do otherwise. This notion goes beyond athletics; our culture has deliberately forgotten myriad practices that our ancestors employed tens of thousands of years ago. Are we better off as a result? Chris and I seem to agree that we’re not.Chris has recently taken up another ancestral activity: animal partnerships. As he details in his New York Times series “Running With Sherman,” Chris’s latest endeavor is burro-running, which more than anything else requires a quality our culture seems to devalue: patience.  He’s currently working on a book about this venture, to accompany Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes (2015).http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WWWA_035_Running_Riding_032517.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The real story is corruption large and small: A Conestoga Board of Supervisors chairman appropriates $69 worth of mulch and doesn’t pay for it until 5 months later; the zoning board slaps The Stand’s barn with condemnation notices, seemingly out of the blue. What do these two events have in common? One, they were both part of the public discussion during the March 7th Conestoga Board of Supervisors meeting, and two, they’re both examples of abuse of power.The mysterious countdown to the launch of William’s Partners assault on Conestoga Township in the form of a pipeline continues.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WWWA_034_031517.mp3 DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In December of 2008, I interviewed my father about his experience in Vietnam. Just this past summer, I interviewed him again for What We Will Abide and it appears as Episode 16, “American Cynic.” But, back in 2008 I also interviewed my mother about how she experienced his time in the Army. After making that video recording, it sat for years, untouched. I never watched it.In the summer of 1966, my parents got married and my father got drafted. He was sent to Fort Riley in Junction City, Kansas, and expected to stay there, as an on-base dentist for the full 2 years. In the fall of 1967, he was given orders – he was being sent to Vietnam.I can sort of imagine what Junction City might have looked like in 1966, and I can definitely imagine how my mother, at age 21, having lived all her life in Flushing, Queens, would have seen it. It was so disagreeable that, by comparison, Manhattan, Kansas was nearly paradise. That year, and the year that followed, my mother spent as an army wife. In this interview, now over 8 years old, she told me what that was like for her.It was really the only time we’d talked at length about this part of her life. She died in 2012; March 17, 2017 would have been her 72nd birthday.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WWWA_033_031117.mp3Music by Morning Stillness.DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The BBC recently noted that, per capita, Lancaster, PA absorbs and resettles more refugees than any other city in the United States. In fact, it’s part of the city’s heritage. Madap Sharma was one of those refugees who came to the U.S. with his family after fleeing his home country of Bhutan.Emigrating first to Maryland in 2010, Madap ultimately resettled in Lancaster, where he served for several years as the refugee resettlement director for Bethany Christian Services. Though he recently moved to Philadelphia, Madap asserts that upon arrival in Lancaster, the distinct farmland smell convinced him he’d found a worthy, comfortable new home.Madap spoke about his life as a refugee in his 2016 TEDX Talk at the Ware Center downtown, and sat down with me last October.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WWWA_032_022617.mp3Music by Ari GoldOriginal cover art by Russell Foltz-SmithDOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dear Congressman Lloyd Smucker,What We Will Abide is a Lancaster-based podcast which serves to tell stories about people who are providing local solutions to systemic problems. You want to solve local problems – that’s why you ran for congress.I invite you to take part in an interview for What We Will Abide so you can talk openly about your platform, policy initiatives, and to further detail your plans to serve Lancaster’s interests on Capitol Hill.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WWWA_031_022517.mp3Music by Ton-Taun.DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re well into Trump’s first hundred days, a period of time in which the new President insisted that he would do away with President Obama’s executive order called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), enacted in 2012. The orders Trump has signed so far indicate that he’s going to attempt to follow through on this promise.What this will mean for 1.5 million young people is as yet unknown.In this episode, DACA beneficiary Audrey Lopez, who was introduced in Waveland: An Introduction, tells her whole story. A legal consultant at Church World Service in Lancaster, PA, she now works primarily with refugee families who are seeking to be reunified. She is a participant in the inVISIBLE Americans project and prevailed as the 2016 Lancaster Story Slam champion. Watch her winning story here. Here’s the article in Lancaster Transplant, a local blog by and for people who are new to the city.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WWWA_030_020717.mp3Original music by Ari GoldOriginal cover art by Russell Foltz-SmithDOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, a Williams Partners natural gas pipeline project (they’re from Tulsa, OK), has been in the works for a while now. The planned project route, though altered now several times, still runs right through the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The local movement Lancaster Against Pipelines (LAP) has been at the heart of the opposition to the project for almost three years. In recent weeks and months, LAP has held events at two locations along the pipeline route that now feature solid wooden structures. These are The Stand and The Stand II, the first of which will likely be the focal point of an encampment modeled upon Standing Rock in North Dakota. As Williams continues to maneuver and wangle its way into full-fledged production of the pipeline, efforts to build a resistance movement are gaining momentum.I spent a blustery winter afternoon surveying the pipeline route with Robin Maguire, the self-appointed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline tour guide. Her knowledge of the area, its history and the granular implications of the pipeline project is encyclopedic. We were accompanied by Stephanie Graybill, a veteran of the Standing Rock resistance movement and her daughter Ella, and Robin’s very patient dog Katie.Original music by Ari Gold.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WWWA_029_012517.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast The StandThe Stand II“Exterminated”Katie the Patient Dog See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There’s a great deal of hypocrisy that permeates the conversation about immigration – but I don’t want to get into that. Instead, three separate people, all of whom I would classify as “Americans,” speak candidly about their experiences connecting with or living as immigrants in the U.S.A.Here I offer a slightly different format, in which I introduce three different people living very different lives: a lawyer, a refugee resettlement director and an immigration consultant. These individuals begin to tell their stories—stories which will be told in full in later episodes of What We Will Abide.Original music by Ari Gold.Original Artwork “Ambered Waves” by Russell Foltz-Smith.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WWWA_028_011417.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris McDougall is well known for his 2009 book Born to Run, which, among many other things, tells the story of the Tarahumara (Rarámuri), the tribe who (literally) ran away from the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century – and never came back. The book features the stories of several colorful characters including the peripatetic runner known as Caballo Blanco, who died in 2012, the podcaster/antelope-chaser Scott Carrier and the effervescent ultra-runner Scott Jurek. For me, it was singularly important because it convinced me to take off my shoes and run barefoot.Ever since seeing him on The Daily Show and then reading the book, I’ve wanted to ask Chris about the irony of embracing barefoot running in the 21st century, when every single technological advancement (and accompanying advertising) seems to implore us to do otherwise. This notion goes beyond athletics; our culture has deliberately forgotten myriad practices that our ancestors employed tens of thousands of years ago. Are we better off as a result? Chris and I seem to agree that we’re not.Chris has recently taken up another ancestral activity: animal partnerships. As he details in his New York Times series “Running With Sherman,” Chris’s latest endeavor is burro-running, which more than anything else requires a quality our culture seems to devalue: patience. He’s currently working on a book about this venture, to accompany Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes (2015).http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/WWWA_027_122716.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Social critics come in all shapes, sizes and ages.Music by Ton-Taun.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/WWWA_026_121416.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jordan Capizzi’s septet Ton-Taun has, in one form or another, been around for a decade. They happily play local gigs and have produced four albums. Their most recent enterprise is an EP entitled Sorry Brian: You’re Derek Now which will be released this weekend by means of a musical theater performance of the same name. The show runs from Dec 2-4 at Tellus360 in Lancaster.Jordan came by the TBA School back in September to discuss being an artist, finding common ground with people you disagree with, and avoiding arguments with his father. He brought along his guitar and gave the inaugural studio music session for What We Will Abide. Surely we will have more.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/WWWA_025_120116.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

These days “Millennials” take a lot of flak from older generations, but some of them are mature and attentive to the world around them – in ways I certainly never was as a teenager. Identical twins Andrew and Isaac Schlager are self-aware and zealous about matters pertaining to social justice, which they demonstrate in both word and action. As a member of that “older generation,” I see myself as both their teacher and student. In fact, they took my class as high school freshmen. Now, they’re seniors eyeing college. Together we find ourselves working toward a common goal of equality for all, elusive though it may be.Music: “Brother, What Happened?” by Muddy Magnolias from their debut album Broken People. Available on iTunes.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWWA_024_112916.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One thing that’s happening these days is that people who are distraught by the election results are banding together. They seem to be setting aside ideological differences which they now agree ultimately led to the election of a president they vehemently reject. A theme that is emerging among these coalescing groups is an urgency to protect one another – to stand up for those who are now thrust into imminent vulnerability. In two different venues, I took part in exercises amongst teenagers and adults who want to address these dangers head on.What We Will Abide #23, “Movement,” is an episode in two parts: The first, a rally populated by students from McCaskey high school and the second, a gathering at the TBA school of adults (and children) who are seeking to mobilize an anti-fear machine.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWWA_023_111716.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Let’s imagine you and I are in an empty room. You approach me and ask, “What happened? What do we do now?”First, I shake my head in derisive disbelief. Then, I put my own crap aside, throw my arms open and give you a big hug and say, “let’s get to work.”http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWWA_022_110916.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I attended Friday afternoon services at the Islamic Community Center of Lancaster, where Shaykh Walead Mosaad gave the weekly sermon (Khutbah) about –what else– the election of 2016. Later, we ask each other, “Now that it’s over, what’s next?”http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWWA_021_110816.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a conversation that includes references to both Pep Guardiola and Eli Manning, old friends finally deal with a nagging problem.Zach Mann returns in a short that serves as an impressionistic version of a protracted dialogue pitting seemingly antagonistic worldviews against one another. But it’s really so much more complicated than that.Music by Bob Fenster.http://samschindler.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/WWWA_020_110716.mp3DOWNLOAD this episodeSUBSCRIBE to this podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.