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The new year finds us with a new co-host: Sister Meredith Moore of Dallas Lodge #44 in Texas. Meredith brings a wonderful background in Odd Fellowship and in data collection and analysis to the show and we waste no time in putting her skills to work. She developed and posted a survey on member burnout that got responses from 37 jurisdictions. The results are, in most cases, not surprising. Members like meaning, ritual, and regalia. The real question is whether any action will be taken based on the data from the survey or if higher levels of leadership will just continue on as before.There's no Shoutout on this episode. We would love it if you would share great things your lodge is doing so we can tell the rest of Odd Fellowship about it. Email us at 3linksoddcast@gmail.com and give us the info about what you're doing. In the Odd Podge, Ainslie shares the exciting news that his father joined the Odd Fellows, Toby talks about a visit from Michael and Ryan Crile of California (including a tour of the Washington Odd Fellows Museum), and Meredith previews the upcoming Encampment and Canton Degree Days at the end of January.
Thousands of people protested construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. A new poetry collection takes readers inside a community, nearly 10 years later.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced that he will end targeted sweeps of homeless encampments and tents as mayor. Dan Rivoli, politics reporter at Spectrum News NY1, discusses the polarized response to this announcement, and what alternative to these sweeps Mamdani has planned instead.
This is the 4pm All-Local update on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Just east of downtown St. Paul, near Pig's Eye Park along the river, people at a homeless encampment are facing this winter's first subzero temperatures. Recent reports say the camp has grown in the last six months and comes at a time when several St. Paul shelters say they're at capacity. It's a site that's far away from many homeless support services and organizations. Volunteers and the city's homeless response team have been regularly coming to the camp to provide supplies and support. Minnesota Now host Nina Moini spoke with St. Paul's director of safety and inspections, Angie Wiese, to learn more about the situation.For more information on warming spaces available in Ramsey County, visit the county's website.
Today... The United Methodist Church in Montrose has settled with the city over its backyard encampment for unhoused people, agreeing to probation and dropping appeals in exchange for dismissal of most citations and avoiding formal convictions. And later... Montrose kicked off the holiday season with a festive tree lighting downtown, and celebrations continue this weekend with the annual Vintage Christmas-themed "Parade of Lights".Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TWh4sw8goQ With thanks to @socialrightsireland Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/
The Flashpoints of Woke Capitalism: Occupy Wall Street and the SEC — Charles Gasparino — Gasparinoidentifies the 2008 financial crisis and the ensuing progressive populist backlash, including the Occupy Wall Streetencampment at Zuccotti Park, as pivotal flashpoints accelerating corporate woke adoption. CEOs embraced ESG and DEI frameworks, influenced by ideological groupthink at forums like Davos. Corporate leadership adopted stakeholder capitalism as a political defense mechanism against progressive lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren and regulatory pressure. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), particularly under the Biden administration, has begun systematically enforcing woke corporate policies through regulatory authority. 1931
On Thursday morning, a judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the city of Minneapolis against a landlord who allowed dozens of people to camp on a parking lot he owns. The city sued Hamoudi Sabri in September to force him to close the encampment. A few days later, the city cleared the encampment after a shooting there killed one person and injured six others. Sabri's lawyers argued the city could not move forward with the lawsuit without including the people who had been living in the encampment in the case. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer was at the courthouse during the hearing and joined MPR News host Nina Moini to explain.
It’s getting harder for unhoused people in Tacoma to find a place to spend the night. Last week, the city council there voted narrowly, 5-to-4, to expand buffer zones where encampments are not allowed. The new ban, which went into effect this week, includes areas within two blocks of public schools, parks, libraries, and most of downtown and Hilltop. Critics say this only makes it harder for people to find a place to sleep. Guest: Tacoma News Tribune reporter Cameron Sheppard Related Links: How will Tacoma’s encampment-ban expansion impact plans to address homelessness? In a split vote, Tacoma council decides fate of homeless camping-ban expansionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Antifa FINDS OUT IT'S OVER after Police RAID their encampment! FAFO!
In a stunning weekend crackdown, Portland police finally smashed the Antifa encampment besieging the ICE facility for months, clearing tents and barricades amid fears of incoming National Guard troops under Trump. Was it self-preservation or a real stand against chaos? Meanwhile, NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani's emotional 9/11 aunt story unravels as a hoax—exposing fake tears and fabrications that ignore real victims. Plus, Democrats' "America Last" betrayal shines through as we enter the fourth week of the shutdown. Plus, the gerrymandering wars rage on, with the GOP pushing back against what the Left has pushed for years. Join Alan Sanders for unfiltered truth on Ep. 204—don't miss the fireworks! Please take a moment to rate and review the show and then share the episode on social media. You can find me on Facebook, X, Instagram, GETTR, TRUTH Social and YouTube by searching for The Alan Sanders Show. And, consider becoming a sponsor of the show by visiting my Patreon page!
Canadian cities are now declaring "housing emergencies" to fast-track homeless encampment sweeps – and surprise, surprise, it's just expensive whack-a-mole with taxpayer dollars! Toronto's homeless population doubled in under four years, while cities spend tens of billions on "affordable housing" that somehow creates more homelessness, not less. We dive into the uncomfortable truth about the homeless industrial complex: build it and they will come, complete with wraparound services costing $50K per person annually.From Toronto's hostile architecture (concrete blocks to prevent tent setup) to Barry's mayor declaring "day one, no encampments allowed," we see two approaches to the same crisis. Meanwhile, advocates ignore the crime spikes, the screaming at night, and the fact that 70% of Seattle's homeless come from outside the city for the resources. The real kicker? New York's shelter system houses 95% of their homeless economically, while cities obsessed with individual housing units can't keep up with demand.Is this really about compassion, or is it a multi-billion dollar industry that depends on perpetuating the problem? What happens when "misguided compassion" meets fiscal reality? Drop your thoughts below – are encampment sweeps the answer, or just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic? Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share if this opened your eyes to the homeless industrial complex!
The 25th Triennial of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar was held in August, 1892. It's impact cannot be overstated. With almost the same number of Knights Templar active in the US today, the 25th Triennial doubled the size of Denver overnight and made Denver perhaps the most electrified city in the world!Support the showwww.rockymountainmason.comwww.esotericmason.comSupport the show: https://patreon.com/rockymountainmason?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
The Trump administration abruptly cleared numerous homeless encampments in less than a month during its federal takeover of the District. Nearly two months later, many people are still in the region, sleeping outside.
Cities around the Bay Area have been debating how to handle people camping in public places or living in RVs. Oakland may follow suit.
Five candidates vying to be the next Minneapolis mayor participated in Friday's debate. This year's election is on Nov. 4 and uses ranked-choice voting. Early voting began Sept. 19.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told MPR News if he's elected to a third term, he plans to serve the entire term.This is an MPR News Evening update, hosted by Emily Reese. Theme music is by Gary Meister. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or RSS.
Jimmy Kimmel returns to TV, promising that the Trump jokes will go on. An Inglewood man gets a payday after wrongfully spending decades behind bars. Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Bass team up to clean up a long-standing encampment. Plus, more.Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.comVisit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support the show: https://laist.com
Homelessness has been top of mind for many leaders in the Twin Cities metro area in recent weeks. On Sept. 15, seven people were injured in a shooting at a homeless encampment in south Minneapolis that was on private property. Since then, one person has died from their injuries. It's raising questions about how to best prevent and respond to homeless encampments.David Hewitt, Hennepin County's Housing Stability Director joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about leadership on homelessness at the county level, the types of services they provide and the work they do surrounding homelessness.
Google has dropped its plan to rezone hundreds of acres on the southeast side of Marion County for a massive data center campus. Community leaders from across the country will gather in Carmel this weekend to discuss the importance of civility in the face of growing political violence. Everyone who was living at an encampment in Fountain Square has been housed through a new initiative. The ACLU of Indiana and Exodus Refugee Immigration are pushing back against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's investigation into Exodus. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. WFYI News Now is produced by Zach Bundy and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.
Jason is joined by our legal analyst Joe Tamburino to talk about his Op/Ed in the Star Tribune about the recent clearing of a homeless encampment in Minneapolis, and what he sees as the failure of the city council
Greg Brady spoke with April Engelberg, Toronto lawyer and former city council candidate about Encampment clearings still not working & New building starts down in Ontario Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Greg Brady spoke with Alejandra Bravo, City Councillor for Ward 9—Davenport about Dufferin Grove encampment clearing is slowly underway, as the city negotiates with occupants holding out for housing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why are we paying her over $220,000 a year?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More of Priestess at http://www.yannicktaylor.com Two Bodies Found in Mississippi: Delta State University- Trey Reed https://newsone.com/6463787/black-man-found-hanging-mississippi-delta-state-university/ https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2025/09/16/trey-reed-family-retains-attorney-ben-crump-in-death-at-delta-state-cleveland-ms/86187783007/ Corey Zukatis https://www.vicksburgpost.com/news/zukatis-df6ca71a Unhoused Encampment: https://abcnews.go.com/US/people-hurt-mass-shootings-minneapolis-homeless-encampments/story?id=125620641 Greeting 00:08-01:15 Trey Reed 01:29-03:55 Corey Zukatis 04:00-04:40 Unhoused Encampment Shooting 05:06-06:09 Jimmy Kimmel Cancellation, Free Speech, 06:10-12:30 Tyler Robinson and Alleged Trans roommate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
And the City of Los Angeles still claims there's nothing they can do about itSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Minneapolis city attorneys will be in court Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to stop property owner Hamoudi Sabri from allowing a homeless encampment on parking lots he owns. Earlier this week, a shooting at the encampment on Sabri's property in South Minneapolis left seven people hurt, including three who were critically injured. To learn more about the city's response to homelessness, MPR News host Nina Moini talks with Enrique Velázquez, director of regulatory services in Minneapolis.
A massive homeless encampment in Koreatown, Los Angeles has grown into what some residents are calling a “tiny city.” The camp, located on a vacant private lot, now includes unusual features like a tennis court, barbecue pit, and garden.Local residents are voicing frustration, citing safety hazards, fire risks, and neighborhood concerns, while officials try to balance enforcement with outreach efforts.
Oakland Councilmember Ken Houston wants to turn Oakland's encampment rules upside down. His plan would let the city clear homeless camps without offering anyone a place to go, erase protections that keep people from being arrested just for being homeless, and treat the vehicles they live in like ordinary cars, towing them at will if they're “in the way” or deemed unsafe.On this episode, we speak with Talya “Boots” Husbands-Hankin, the founder of Love and Justice in the Streets. Talya is joined by John Janosko from Wood street Commons. — Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Oakland Says NO to Encampment Crack-downs w/ Talya “Boots” Husbands-Hankin and John Jonasko appeared first on KPFA.
Another total failure of the cIty of Los AngelesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Multiple stories involving Madison's unhoused population have made headlines in recent weeks — from money questions about the upcoming permanent men's shelter, to disturbances at the Social Justice Center, to whether or not funding will continue for the first city-sanctioned encampment at Dairy Drive. There's a lot to take in. To dig into these stories and the complex causes and solutions surrounding them, we spoke with Brenda Konkel, longtime advocate and executive director of Madison Street Medicine.
Stacy joins us about halfway in for what turns out to be a Queen-sized episode. Enjoy!
Tech workers at the heart of Microsoft are waging one of the most significant and undercovered labor battles in the US right now. For the last two weeks, members of the No Azure for Apartheid coalition, including current and former tech workers at Microsoft and community allies, have been taking bold, continuing, and escalating actions to disrupt business as usual in solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide and in protest of Microsoft's contracts with the Israeli military to provide tech that Israel uses to surveil, kill, and retroactively justify the killing of Palestinians. Those actions have included establishing a “liberated zone” encampment and even occupying executives' offices at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA. In this on-the-ground episode of Working People, recorded at Microsoft headquarters on Aug. 19-20, we take you to the front lines of the No Azure for Apartheid struggle.For full show notes and episode transcript, click here.Credits:Studio Production: Maximillian AlvarezAudio Post-Production: Jules TaylorHelp us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
Rideshare giants and California state leaders have struck a deal over workers unionizing. The story behind a mural in Pico-Robertson which centers Jewish and non-Jewish working-class history. Governor Gavin Newsom creates a new homeless encampment task force, plus more. Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com Visit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency!Support the show: https://laist.com
This week, the City Cast Madison team is talking about Madison's ties to the Minneapolis school shooting, updates to the Dane County Humane Society's stray animal contract, and the removal of a downtown homeless encampment. Host Bianca Martin talks with producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about these heavy news topics, plus the hiring of Madison's new police chief. Wrapping things up on a brighter note, Rob tries to stump the team with a quiz about UW-Madison slang. Mentioned on the show: The Clock Is Ticking For the Dane County Humane Society [City Cast Madison]What we know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school [Associated Press]
Critics of Minneapolis policies around encampments for unhoused people spoke out Tuesday morning. A property owner said allowing people to stay in tents on his private land in south Minneapolis should be allowed. On Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey is expected to brief the city council on possible legal action against the encampment and property owner. MPR News reporter Cari Spencer was at a press conference with the property owner and joined Minnesota Now host Nina Moini from Minneapolis.
The 44th annual FIESTA Indianapolis is canceled after a decision organizers say is meant to keep people safe. A massive data center campus is coming to Franklin Township in south Marion County. Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham will not be returning to the court this season. The Indiana Pacers announced that head coach Rick Carlisle has signed a multi-year contract extension with the team. Indianapolis officials reversed plans to fully close an encampment for people experiencing homelessness in Fountain Square last week. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. WFYI News Now is produced by Zach Bundy and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.
A tragic double homicide at Virgil Flaim Park in Seattle's Lake City neighborhood has sparked urgent action from city officials and community members. Following the shooting, the City of Seattle ordered the immediate closure and cleanup of a homeless encampment located next to a children's playground.
Seattle is closing a homeless encampment near a Lake City park where a double homicide just occurred. Gas prices are down nationally, but they’ve gone up in Washington. Nonprofits are spending money to protest the DC takeover. // LongForm: GUEST: Founder of the Quality of Life Coalition Saul Spady on how the dangers of homelessness have reared their ugly heads in recent days. // Quick Hit: Pierce County is patting itself on the back for an affordable housing plan that has been a complete failure.
To thwart a redistricting scheme that will disenfranchise Black and Latinx voters in Texas, state Democratic lawmakers have fled the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the legislation. And Pro-Palestine activists hold an encampment outside the DC offices of several corporate news organizations, accusing them of complicity in enabling the genocide in Gaza. Plus headlines. The show is made possible only by our volunteer energy, our resolve to keep the people's voices on the air, and by support from our listeners. In this new era of fake corporate news, we have to be and support our own media! Please click here or click on the Support-Donate tab on this website to subscribe for as little as $3 a month. We are so grateful for this small but growing amount of monthly crowdsource funding on Patreon. PATREON NOW HAS A ONE-TIME, ANNUAL DONATION FUNCTION! You can also give a one-time or recurring donation on PayPal. Thank you! “On the Ground: Voices of Resistance from the Nation's Capital” gives a voice to the voiceless 99 percent at the heart of American empire. The award-winning, weekly hour, produced and hosted by Esther Iverem, covers social justice activism about local, national and international issues, with a special emphasis on militarization and war, the police state, the corporate state, environmental justice and the left edge of culture and media. The show is heard on three dozen stations across the United States, on podcast, and is archived on the world wide web at https://onthegroundshow.org/ Please support us on Patreon or Paypal. Links for all ways to support are on our website or at Esther Iverem's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/esther_iverem
This episode delves into three political developments in Seattle and King County. Part I examines a proposed initiative to ban unauthorized public camping in unincorporated King County, discussing its scope, the signature-gathering process, and the larger goals of its main proponent, Saul Spady. Part II focuses on the B&O tax increase proposal which passed out of committee unanimously last week, exploring its financial implications, its goals, recent amendments, and its potential impact on Mayor Harrell's re-election. Part III gets into City Attorney Ann Davison and Mayor Bruce Harrell's lawsuit against the Trump administration, and the timing … just before the August primary.Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.comThanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.comSupport the showYour support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.
“The Jewish voice must be heard, not because it's more right or less right, but it's there. The suffering is there, the grief is there, and human grief is human grief.” As Jews around the world mark Tisha B'Av, we're joined by Columbia University professor and award-winning poet Owen Lewis, whose new collection, “A Prayer of Six Wings,” offers a powerful reflection on grief in the aftermath of October 7th. In this conversation, Lewis explores the healing power of poetry in the face of trauma, what it means to be a Jewish professor in today's campus climate, and how poetry can foster empathy, encourage dialogue, and resist the pull of division. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod: Latest Episodes: An Orange Tie and A Grieving Crowd: Comedian Yohay Sponder on Jewish Resilience From Broadway to Jewish Advocacy: Jonah Platt on Identity, Antisemitism, and Israel Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War: The Dinah Project's Quest to Hold Hamas Accountable Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Owen Lewis: Overheard in a New York Restaurant. I can't talk about Israel tonight. I know. I can't not talk about Israel tonight. I know. Can we talk about . . . Here? Sure. Let's try to talk about here. Manya Brachear Pashman: On Saturday night, Jews around the world will commemorate Tisha B'av. Known as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, the culmination of a three week period of mourning to commemorate several tragedies throughout early Jewish history. As a list of tragedies throughout modern Jewish history has continued to grow, many people spend this day fasting, listening to the book of Lamentations in synagogue, or visiting the graves of loved ones. Some might spend the day reading poetry. Owen Lewis is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics at Columbia University. But he's also the award-winning author of four poetry collections which have won accolades, including the EE Cummings Prize and the Rumi Prize for Poetry. His most recent collection, A Prayer of Six Wings documents in verse his grief since the October 7 terror attacks. Owen is with us now to talk about the role of poetry in times of violence and war, what it's been like to be a Jewish professor on the Columbia campus, and a Jewish father with children and grandchildren in Israel. And also, how to keep writing amid a climate of rising antisemitism. Owen, welcome to People of the Pod. Owen Lewis: Thank you so much, Manya. Manya Brachear Pashman: So you opened with that short poem titled overheard in a New York restaurant. I asked you to read that because I wanted to ask whether it reflected how you felt about poetry after October 7. Did you find yourself in a place where you couldn't write about Israel, but yet you couldn't not write about Israel? Owen Lewis: Among the many difficult things of that First Year, not only the war, not only the flagrant attacks on the posters of the hostages one block from where I live, 79th and Broadway, every day, taken down every day, put back up again, defaced. It was as if the war were being fought right here on 79th and Broadway. Another aspect that made this all so painful was watching the artistic and literary world turn against Israel. This past spring, 2000 writers and artists signed a petition, it was published, there was an oped about it in The Times, boycotting Israeli cultural institutions. And I thought: artists don't have a right to shut their ears. We all need to listen to each other's grief, and if we poets and artists can't listen to one another, what do we expect of statesmen? Statesmen, yeah, they can create a ceasefire. That's not the same as creating peace. And peace can only come when we really listen to each other. To feel ostracized by the poetry community and the intellectual community was very painful. Fortunately, last summer, as well as this past summer, I was a fellow at the Yetzirah conference. Yetzirah is an organization of Jewish American poets, although we're starting to branch out. And this kind of in-gathering of like-minded people gave me so much strength. So this dilemma, I can't talk about it, because we just can't take the trauma. We can't take hearing one more thing about it, but not talk about it…it's a compulsion to talk about it, and that's a way to process trauma. And that was the same with this poetry, this particular book. I feel in many ways, it just kind of blew through me, and it was at the same time it blew through me, created this container in which I could express myself, and it actually held me together for that year. I mean, still, in many ways, the writing does that, but not as immediately and acutely as I felt that year. Manya Brachear Pashman: This book has been praised as not being for the ideological but for the intellectually and emotionally engaged. So it's not it's not something that ideologically minded readers will necessarily be able to connect to, or is it actually quite the opposite? Owen Lewis: Well, it's very much written from the gut, from the experience, from in a sense, being on the ground, both in Israel and here in New York and on campus, and trying to keep a presence in the world of poetry and writers. So what comes from emotion should speak to emotion. There are a few wisps of political statements, but it's not essentially a politically motivated piece of writing. I feel that I have no problem keeping my sympathies with Israel and with Jews. I can still be critical of aspects of the government, and my sympathies can also be with the thousands of Palestinians, killed, hurt, displaced. I don't see a contradiction. I don't have to take sides. But the first poem is called My Partisan Grief, and it begins on October 7. I was originally going to call the bookMy Partisan Grief, because I felt that American, Jewish, and Israeli grief was being silenced, was being marginalized. And I wanted to say, this is our grief. Listen to it. You must listen to this. It doesn't privilege this grief over another grief. Grief is grief. But I wanted ultimately to move past that title into something broader, more encompassing, more humanitarian. Manya Brachear Pashman: And did that decision come as the death toll in Gaza rose and this war kept going and going and the hostages remained in captivity, did that kind of sway your thinking in terms of how to approach the book and frame it? Owen Lewis: Yes, but even more than those kind of headlines, which can be impersonal, the poetry of some remarkable Palestinian poets move me into a broader look. Abu Toha was first one who comes to mind Fady Joudah, who's also a physician, by the way. I mean his poetry, I mean many others, but it's gorgeous, moving poetry. Some of it is a diatribe, and you know, some of it is ideological, and people can do that with poetry, but when poetry really drills down into human experience, that's what I find so compelling and moving. And that's what I think can move the peace process. I know it sounds quite idealistic, but I really think poetry has a role in the peace process here. Manya Brachear Pashman: I want to I want to unpack that a little bit later. But first, I want to go back to the protests that were roiling Columbia's campus over the past year and a half, two years. What was it like to be, one, writing this book, but also, teaching on campus as a Jewish professor? Owen Lewis: Most of my teaching takes place up at the Medical Center at 168th Street. And there I have to say, I didn't feel battered in any way by what was happening. I had a very shocking experience. I had a meeting that I needed to attend on, or that had been scheduled, I hadn't been quite paying attention. I mean, I knew about the encampments, but I hadn't seen them, and I come face to face with a blocked campus. I couldn't get on the campus. And what I'm staring at are signs to the effect, send the Jews back to Poland. I'm thinking, Where am I? What is this? I mean, protest, sure. I mean we expect undergraduates, we expect humans, to protest when things really aren't fair. But what did this have to do…why invoke the Holocaust and re-invoke it, as if to imply the Jews should be punished? All Jews. And what it fails to account for are the diversity of Jewish opinion. And you know, for some Jews, it's a black or white matter, but for most thinking Jews that I know, we all struggle very much with a loyalty to Israel, to the Jewish people, to the homeland and larger humanitarian values. So that was quite a shock. And I wrote a piece called “The Scars of Encampment,” in which I say, I can't unsee that. " And I go to campus, and, okay, it's a little bit more security to get onto campus. It's a beautiful campus. It's like an oasis there, but at the same time, I'm seeing what was as if it still is. And in a way, that's the nature of trauma that things from the past just roil and are present with almost as much emotion as when first encountered. Manya Brachear Pashman: So did you need to tune out those voices, or did that fuel your work? Owen Lewis: No, that fueled my work. I mean, if anything, it made me feel much more, a sense of mission with this book. And a commitment, despite criticism that I may receive, and no position I take is that outlandish, except to sympathize with the murdered on October 7th, to sympathize with their families, to resonate with what it must be like to have family members as hostages in brutal, brutal conditions. Not knowing whether they're dead or alive. So I really felt that the Jewish voice must be heard, not because it's more right or less right, but it's there. The suffering is there, the grief is there, and human grief is human grief. Manya Brachear Pashman: Owen, if you wouldn't mind reading another poem from the collection. Of course, many of us remember the news out of Israel on Thanksgiving Day 2023, right after October 7th. And this poem is titled, “Waiting for the Next Release, Reported by the New York Times, November 23 2023”. Owen Lewis: Waiting For the Next Release, Reported N.Y. Times, Nov. 23, 2023 Maybe tomorrow, if distrust doesn't flare like a missile, some families will be reunited. How awful this lottery of choice; Solomon would not deliberate. Poster faces always before my eyes, Among them, Emma & Yuli Cunio. Twins age 3, Raz Katz-Asher, age 4, Ariel Bibas, another four year old. What do their four year old minds make of captivity? What will they say? What would my Noa say? What will the other Noas say? Remembering Noa Argamani, age 26, thrown across the motorcycle to laughter and Hamas joy. I have almost forgotten this American day, Thanks- giving, With its cornucopian harvests, I am thinking of the cornucopian jails of human bounty. (What matter now who is to blame?) Manya Brachear Pashman: Really beautiful, and it really captures all of our emotions that day. You have children and grandchildren in Israel, as I mentioned and as you mentioned in that poem, your granddaughter, Noa. So your grief and your fear, it's not only a collective grief and fear that we all share, but also very personal, which you weave throughout the collection. In another poem, “In a Van to JFK”, you talk about just wanting to spend one more hour with your family before they fly off to Israel. And it's very moving. But in addition to many of the poems, like the one you just read, they are based on and somewhat named for newspaper headlines, you said that kind of establishes a timeline. But are there other reasons why you transformed those headlines into verse? Owen Lewis: Yes, William Carlos Williams in his poem Asphodel, says, and I'm going to paraphrase it badly. You won't get news from poems yet, men die every day for wanting what is found there. And I think it's a very interesting juxtaposition of journalism and poetry. And I mean, I'm not writing news, I'm writing where my reflections, where my heart, goes in response to the news, and trying to bring another element to the news that, you know, we were confronted. I mean, in any time of high stress, you swear off – I'm not watching any more TV. I'm not even gonna look at the newspaper. And then, of course, you do. I can't talk about Israel today. I can't not talk about it. I can't read the paper. I can't not read the paper. It's kind of that back and forth. But what is driving that? And so I'm trying to get at that next dimension of what's resonating behind each one of these headlines, or resonating for me. I mean, I'm not claiming this is an interpretation of news. It's my reaction, but people do react, and there's that other dimension to headlines. Manya Brachear Pashman: That seems like it might be therapeutic, no? Owen Lewis: Oh, totally, totally. You know, I'm very fortunate that having started a career in medicine, in psychiatry, and particularly in child and adolescent psychiatry. I always had one foot in the door academically. I spent, you know, my life as, I still teach, but I'm very fortunate to have, maybe 10+ years ago, been introduced to a basically a woman who created the field of Narrative Medicine, Rita Sharon. And now at Columbia in the medical school, we have a free-standing Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics, of which she's chairman. So I've had the fortune of bringing psychiatry and medicine and writing together in a very integrated way. And yes, writing is therapeutic, especially, I could say in medicine, which has given itself over to electronic medical record keeping, but our whole society is moving towards the electronic. And what happens when you sit and write, and what happens when you then sit and read, you reflect. Your mind engages in a different way that is a bit slower than the fast pace of electronic communications and instant communications and instant thinking. And now with AI, instant analysis of any situation you want to feed data from. So that's sorely lacking in the human experience. And the act of writing, the act of reading has huge therapeutic values, huge salutary benefits for humans in general, but particularly in times of stress. In a lot of work on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, finding an outlet, an artistic outlet, it doesn't have to be writing, but that's often a way of transcending the trauma. And medicine is filled with trauma. People trying to come to terms with acute illnesses, chronic illnesses. Doctors and caregivers trying to come to terms with what they can and can't do. And you know, we're coming up against limitations. But how do you make peace with those limitations? And it's not that it's a magical panacea, but it's a process of engagement, not only with the subject, but with yourself in relation to the subject. Manya Brachear Pashman: I mean, I imagine dialogue is really the healthiest way of conversation and speaking through and interacting with a topic. And so I would imagine poetry, or, as you said, any art form, responding to news reports, it makes that a two way conversation when you're able to process and it's not just the headlines shouting at you, you're actually interacting and processing it by writing and reaction, or painting and reaction, whatever you choose to do. Owen Lewis: Exactly. Manya Brachear Pashman: You have said that poetry can serve a purpose during times of war. Is this one of the purposes to to be therapeutic or are you talking more in terms of what statesmen could learn from it? Owen Lewis: Well, yes, of course, what statesmen could learn from it, but it's human nature to want to take sides. I mean, that's kind of just what we do. But I think we can always do better than that. So I'm really talking about the people. I mean, there are also many Jews who are so angry at Israel that they can't listen to the story of Jewish grief. They should be reading mine and others poetries from this era. I wish the Palestinian poets were. I wish the Palestinian people. I mean, of course, in their current situation, they don't have time when you're starving, when you're looking for your next glass of fresh water. You don't have time for anything beyond survival. But once we get beyond that, how long are these positions going to be hardened. I mean, I think when the people of all sides of the dilemma really listen to the others, I mean, they're, I mean, if, unless as Hamas has expressed, you know, wants to push Israel into the sea, if Israel is going to coexist with the Palestinian people, whether they're in a nation or not in a nation, each has to listen to the other. And it's, you know, it's not one side is right, one side is wrong. It's far too complex a history to reduce it to that kind of simplicity. And I think poetry, everyone's poetry, gets at the complexity of experience, which includes wanting to take sides and questioning your wanting to take sides and moving towards something more humanitarian. Manya Brachear Pashman: You said earlier, you recommend Abu Toha, Fady Joudah, two Palestinian poets who have written some beautiful verse about– tragically beautiful verse–about what's happening. But there have been some really deep rifts in the literary world over this war. I mean, as you mentioned before, there was a letter written by authors and entertainers who pledged to boycott Israeli cultural institutions. Some authors have refused to sell rights to their books to publishers in Israel. So why not reciprocate? And I know the answer. I think you've already addressed it pretty well. What's wrong with that approach? Owen Lewis: In any conflict, there are at least three sides to the conflict. I mean, claims to nationhood, claims to who shoved first, who. I mean, you don't entangle things by aggressively reacting. I mean, if we learned anything from Mahatma Gandhi, it's what happens when we don't retaliate, right? And what happens when we go the extra mile to create bridges and connections. There are a host of people in Israel who continue to help Palestinians get to medical facilities, driving them back and forth, working for peace. I mean, there's a Palestinian on the Supreme Court of Israel, and well, he should be there. You know, that's the part of Israel that I am deeply proud of. So why not retaliate? I think it entrenches positions and never moves anything forward. Manya Brachear Pashman: So have you gotten any negative feedback from your writing colleagues? Owen Lewis: Some cold shoulders, yes. I mean not nothing overtly. I haven't been slammed in a review yet. Maybe that's coming. But when I publish pieces, I tend not to look at them. I had an oped in the LA Times. I've had some other pieces, you know, that precipitates blogs, and I started to read them. And the first blog that came off of the the LA Times oped was, God, is he an opportunist, just taking advantage of having a daughter in Israel? And trying to make a name for himself or something. And I said, You know what, you can't put yourself out and take a position without getting some kind of flack. So occasionally, those things filter back, it's par for the course. Manya Brachear Pashman: Right, not really worth reading some of those. You included Midrash in this book. You also spelled God in the traditional sense in the poems. Why did you choose to do that? Owen Lewis: Well, I felt it honors a tradition of Jewish writing. It mean we have yud, hey, vav, hey, you know, which in English comes down as Yahweh, but it's unpronounceable. The name of God is unpronounceable. And, you know, yud, hey, vav, hey is just a representation. It isn't God's name. And there's a tradition that the name of God, when it's written down, can't be destroyed. And it's a way of honoring that tradition. Millennium of Jewish writers, you know, it's similar to say Elokim, instead of Elohim when the text is written. To sort of substitute. We know what we're talking about, but really to honor tradition, to pay respect and sort of to stay in the mind frame that, if there is a God, he, she, they, are unknowable. And somehow it creates, for me, a little bit of that mystery by leaving a letter out. It's like, G, O, D, seems more knowable than G-d. It's leaving that white space right for something bigger, grander, and mysterious, for the presence of that right in the word itself. Manya Brachear Pashman: And what about including Midrash? Owen Lewis: That's a very interesting question. You know Midrash for me, when you steep yourself in traditional Midrash, there's stories that exemplify principles and they fill in gaps. I mean, some of the most important. I mean, we have this notion of Abraham breaking the idols of his father before he left. No. That's Midrash, thats not in the Torah. And yet, nine out of ten Jews will say that's in the Torah, right? So, it kind of expands our understanding of the traditional text. But it also very much allows a writer to creatively engage with the text and expand it. It's like a commentary, but it's a commentary in story, and it's a commentary in terms that evoke human responses, not necessarily intellectual responses. So frankly, I think it's every Jews' responsibility to write Midrash. That reinvigorates the stories, the texts, and the meanings, and then we write midrashes upon midrashes. And you know, we get a whole community buzzing about a single story. Manya Brachear Pashman: Which is very much what you've done with this collection, you know, writing poetry in response to news stories and engaging it in that way. It's very Jewish response, I would argue. Do you observe Tisha B'av? Owen Lewis: You know what I do. You're gonna laugh. My grandmother always warned us, don't go in the water on Tisha B'av, the sea will swallow you up. So I'm a big swimmer. I love swimming. I don't swim on Tisha B'av, because I hear my grandmother's voice, I'm going to be swallowed up. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you could please wrap up this conversation by sharing a poem of your choice from your latest collection. Owen Lewis: A poem I love to read again starts with a headline. 2000 Pound Bombs Drop, Reported N.Y. Times, Dec,, 22 2023. In Khan Younis, the call to prayer is the call of a dazed Palestinian child crying baba, standing at the brim of a cavernous pit of rubble biting his knuckles–baba, baba . . . It's so close to the abba of the dazed Israeli children of Be'eri, Kfar Azza. There is no comfort. From his uncles he's heard the calls for revenge– for his home and school, for his bed of nighttime stories, for his nana's whisper-song of G-d's many names. His Allah, his neighbor's Adonai, cry the same tears for death and shun more blood. No miracle these waters turning red. Who called forth the fleets of avenging angels? By viral post: Jewish Plagues on Gaza! A firstborn lost, then a second, a third. What other plagues pass over? Hail from the tepid sky? From on high it falls and keeps falling. Though we've “seen terrible things,” will you tell us, Adonai, Allah, tell us– do You remember the forgotten promise? From the pile once home of rubble stone, a father's hand reaching out, baba, abba crushed by the load. We know the silence of the lost child . . . G-d “has injured us but will bind up our wounds . . .” Mothers Look for us, called by the name yamma, calling the name imma. Our father of mercy, not the god of sacrifice. Our many crying heads explode. Manya Brachear Pashman: Owen Lewis, thank you so much for talking to us about how this book came about and for sharing some of these verses. Owen Lewis: Thank you so much. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you missed last week's episode, be sure to listen to my conversation with Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder on the sidelines of AJC Global Forum 2025. Hear how his Jewish identity shapes his work, how his comedy has evolved since the Hamas terror attacks, and what he says to those who try to silence him.
The Trump Administration has slashed U-C-L-A's research funding over claims of anti-semitism. Children and families are slipping through the cracks in the fight against homelessness. One of the most notorious encampments is now gone, and LA's mayor is declaring a win. Plus, more.Support The L.A. Report by donating at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.comVisit www.preppi.com/LAist to receive a FREE Preppi Emergency Kit (with any purchase over $100) and be prepared for the next wildfire, earthquake or emergency! Support the show: https://laist.com
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A Fountain Square encampment for people experiencing homelessness will close next month. There is still a large gap between what it takes to afford an average two-bedroom apartment in Indiana and the typical Hoosier renter's wage. Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval at the Brickyard 400 this weekend. The only American Sign Language interpreting program at a public university in Indiana will be cut as a result of a new policy in the state budget. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. WFYI News Now is produced by Drew Daudelin, Zach Bundy and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.
A drunk driver who drove on a bike trail before hitting and killing a man in Vista is expected in court today. Mayor Todd Gloria and Caltrans have agreed to let city crews clean up homeless camps on freeways. MTS is expanding its trolley service for Comic-Con.
A senior living center in West Seattle continues to play whack-a-mole with a homeless encampment. The Steve Miller Band has canceled all of its upcoming concerts due weather disasters that they blame on climate change. Guest: Washington State Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) cuts through Democrats’ lies about The Big Beautiful Bill. // Big Local: Residents in cities like Kent and Bellevue continue to deal with the hassle that is the garbage workers strike. An absurd article in the Spokesman Review claims that the presence of ICE agents could cause problems for local law enforcement. // Guest: Jake Skorheim and Jason discuss the viral moment of a CEO and his employee getting caught in an affair at a Coldplay concert.
California is home to the nation’s largest homeless population. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration has spent more than $20 billion on the issue, recently urged cities and counties to pass laws that effectively ban “dangerous and unhealthy” encampments. While some welcomed the move, others worry about the health impacts of such measures on the state’s homeless population. Stephanie Sy reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
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