Podcasts about my backyard

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Best podcasts about my backyard

Latest podcast episodes about my backyard

Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Abundance for Whom? Big Tech's Agenda in the Democratic Party w/ Kate Willett

Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 61:44


On this edition of Parallax Views, comedian and writer Kate Willett joins us to examine the growing influence of Silicon Valley billionaires on the Democratic Party and the controversial politics behind the so-called Abundance Agenda. Framed by figures like Ezra Klein as a bold, future-focused vision of progress, this agenda is increasingly backed by tech elites such as Dustin Moskovitz—co-founder of Facebook—and promoted through a network of well-funded think tanks, including the Niskanen Center, that aim to push the party in a technocratic, pro-market direction. With sharp wit and political insight, Kate unpacks how the Abundance movement—closely aligned with key figures on the Tech Right—represents a slick, astroturfed rebranding of neoliberalism. Beneath its glossy surface lies a coordinated strategy to marginalize progressive and working-class voices while recasting Silicon Valley's private interests as public goods. We explore how this plays out most visibly in San Francisco, where billionaire-funded groups have successfully reshaped local politics and helped unseat progressive officials. Kate also offers a thoughtful critique of California's YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement. While she is not a NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) advocate either, she raises serious concerns about how YIMBY rhetoric often functions as a Trojan horse for real estate developer- and tech-driven policies that displace working-class communities under the guise of solving the housing crisis. This episode explores the intersection of tech money, urban development, media influence, and intra-party power struggles—and asks the vital question: “Abundance for whom?” Show Notes: "Abundance: Big Tech's Bid for the Democratic Party by Kate Willet (New International Magazine)

Odd Trails
Episode 174: Angels and Harmonicas

Odd Trails

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 49:01


Stories in this episode: - I Saw Death, by PowderFresh86 - Angels and Death, by Alexis - Strange Creature in My Backyard, by Onion - Grandpa's Harmonica, by Lynn - I Woke Up in a Different Body, by KissMyAlien - Strange Place Found in Mississippi, by Academic-Luck-3785 Submissions: stories@oddtrails.com Hate ads? Sign up for our Patreon for only $5 a month! You'll also hear episodes at even better audio quality. Your support is very much appreciated. Connect with us on Instagram, the Odd Trails Discord, and the Cryptic County Facebook Group. Listen to Odd Trails on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts! Find more Cryptic County shows at CrypticCountyPodcasts.com.

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
Giving Ventures: Ep. 80 – Making Housing More Abundant and More Affordable

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025


Affordable housing is a persistent challenge in American politics. Bad public policy leads to artificial housing supply restrictions which causes prices to rise. But stimulating housing supply to bring costs down is a thorny issue. The latest episode of Giving Ventures brings together Sonja Trauss from Yes in My Backyard and Charles Gardner from the Mercatus Center to explore how grassroots […]

Giving Ventures
Ep. 80 - Making Housing More Abundant and More Affordable

Giving Ventures

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 34:43


Affordable housing is a persistent challenge in American politics. Bad public policy leads to artificial housing supply restrictions which causes prices to rise. But stimulating housing supply to bring costs down is a thorny issue. The latest episode of Giving Ventures brings together Sonja Trauss from Yes in My Backyard and Charles Gardner from the Mercatus Center to explore how grassroots advocacy and deregulation can make housing more abundant and more affordable. Sonja is the Founder and Executive Director of Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY), a grassroots organization that aims to address the housing shortage by advocating for policies that promote affordable housing. Charles is a Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, where he explores housing policy, zoning, and land use. He brings a legal background and experience as an elected official in Connecticut to his work on housing policy.

Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast
14x09: We Unknowingly Stayed at a Cult Leader's House

Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2025 60:57


Stories in this episode: Bizarre Break-In and Possible Link One Year Later? | communistnymph (0:41) Man in My Backyard | sanrioscr (5:59) We Unknowingly Stayed at a Cult Leader's House | emotional-mothman (12:20) A Journey I'll Never Forget | Dumb_riva (19:43) He Was Planning to Rob Me | Xntrik_shaman (27:28) The Man Who Tapped on My Window | KeyFinish4702 (34:10) Date Invited Me to a Fake BBQ And Then Wouldn't Let Me Leave | Feral_doves (38:03) Extended Patreon Content: Driver Confesses | Chelsea "Patricia Scared The Shit Out of Me"  | Kayden The Story of Stanley Snowplow | Sean Quigley The Clown in the Window | Meghan Due to periodic changes in ad placement, time stamps are estimates and are not always accurate. Follow: - Twitch - https://twitch.tv/crypticcounty - Website - https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ - Patreon - https://patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/letsnotmeetcast/ - TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@crypticcounty Check out the other Cryptic County podcasts like Odd Trails, Cryptic Encounters, and the Old Time Radiocast at CrypticCountyPodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts!    Get access to extended, ad-free episodes of Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast with bonus stories every week at a higher bitrate along with a bunch of other great exclusive material and merch at patreon.com/letsnotmeetpodcast. This podcast would not be possible to continue at this rate without the help of the support of the legendary LNM Patrons. Come join the family! For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS get a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/meet and use code meet All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors. Let's Not Meet: A True Horror Podcast is not associated with Reddit or any other message boards online. To submit your story to the show, send it to letsnotmeetstories@gmail.com.    

In Hot Water, a Climate and Seafood podcast
In Hot Water: The History and Growth of Aquaculture in Maine and its Challenges in Coastal Communities

In Hot Water, a Climate and Seafood podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 48:26


The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the ocean.  In this episode of In Hot Water, Maine, we learn more about the history of the state's aquaculture sector, kelp farming as a means to diversify income, social license, and the increasing effects of NIMBY or, Not in My Backyard, which is becoming more pervasive across the Vacationland state. There's no quick fix for seafood harvesters in the Gulf, but climate solutions do exist. From encouraging species diversification to actively involving frontline communities, changemakers are leading a new path for seafood in Maine Produced by Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) and Seaworthy, the “In Hot Water” podcast explores SEAFOOD and CLIMATE JUSTICE in distinct regions.   Episode Guide :00 Intro to In Hot Water, Maine Edition 01:52 Meet Sam Altznauer, director of Canopy Farms, an aquaponics facility located in downtown Brunswick, Maine  03:12 While some lobster harvesters are leaving Maine altogether, some are finding new opportunities to diversify into kelp farming 11:50 Social license to operate. What is it? 13:25 What the fish? White, older lobstermen have social license to operate in Maine's coastal communities, which seems exclusionary. We dive deeper on why this is problematic. 20:58 Meet Jaclyn Robidoux with Maine Sea Grant and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, a university-based program under NOAA that does research extension and education, who also has a program to support lobster harvesters diversify their income  26:23 A brief history of aquaculture in Maine 29:17 Opposition to the growth of aquaculture in Maine 33:50 Overcoming the NIMBY mindset around aquaculture in Maine 38:36 Gentrification of Maine's coastal communities 44:06 Meet Seraphina Erhart, manager of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, which sells wild-harvested seaweed products. Between NIMBY and gentrification, access to these wild seaweeds is becoming tenuous. Resources Recommend this series to anyone who enjoys seafood and is curious about how climate change is affecting our seafood-producing regions.      

NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback and Neuropsychology
Neurofeedback, Cell Towers, & Mental Health: Jay Gunkelman Explains It All | NeuroNoodle Podcast

NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback and Neuropsychology

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 43:41


Join Jay Gunkelman and Pete Jansons on the NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback and Mental Health Podcast as they explore fascinating topics, including: How neurofeedback can support mental health and brain optimization The science behind cell towers, 5G technology, and their impact on the brain Understanding power lines, electromagnetic exposure, and brain health Key differences between General Health and Wellness devices and medical-grade neurofeedback equipment Insightful stories about brain science, mental resilience, and environmental factors Jay Gunkelman, a renowned EEG expert, offers his unique perspective on these critical topics. Don't miss this engaging discussion filled with actionable insights and thought-provoking science. Key Moments: [0:00] Welcome and Introductions Jay Gunkelman and Pete Jansons kick off the episode, introducing the NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback and Mental Health Podcast. [6:01] Local vs. National Politics and Mental Health Impacts A discussion on how local and national political engagement affects mental health and community well-being. [12:02] Cell Towers: Not in My Backyard! Exploring the resistance to cell tower installations and the implications for community connectivity. [16:58] 5G, Power Lines, and Brain Health Concerns Addressing concerns about the impact of 5G technology and power lines on brain health and overall safety. [24:03] Satellite Cell Towers: The Future? A look at the future of communication technology with satellite-based cell towers and their potential benefits. [32:09] General Wellness Devices vs. Medical-Grade Neurofeedback Comparing general health and wellness devices with medical-grade neurofeedback systems for mental health applications. [40:49] Why Wavelets Beat Fourier Analysis for EEG Explaining why wavelet analysis is a superior method for EEG processing compared to traditional Fourier analysis.

Ten Across Conversations
A Housing Shortage in the Sun Belt Shakes Up Perceptions of the Region's Affordability

Ten Across Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2024 45:34


The cost of housing has risen nationwide, but this change has been particularly acute in the Ten Across geography. With the exception of California, the Sun Belt has been known for decades to offer abundant and affordable housing, attracting young families and retirees alike.  However, development of new single-family housing has shown more hesitancy since the 2008 housing bubble collapse, and proposed multifamily properties can be deterred by NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) attitudes. Both factors have contributed to a significant housing shortage in Arizona and its neighboring states, according to report by ARCHES, the Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability. Further compounding the issue, the recent growth in domestic migration to the region has outpaced this weaker rate of real estate development.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the median home price in Arizona surged 50% to $470,000 and nearly half of all renters are considered cost-burdened, meaning they are spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Local land use policies have overwhelmingly favored single-family development, so much so that it represents nearly 78% of all housing units built in Arizona since 2000.  Today, lacking a diverse stock of housing options, service industry workers, teachers, first responders and other professionals earning less than $60,000 a year are struggling to find affordable places to live. Researchers warn that such an unbalanced mix of housing opportunities leads to economic instability, poorer health outcomes and social division over time. Rising rates of homelessness tend to be an early warning sign, and in 2023 homelessness in Arizona reached its highest recorded level since 2010.  Housing is a universal need. To thrive, communities need to become better at cultivating a sufficient and diverse inventory. In this episode, ARCHES housing researchers Alison Cook-Davis and Kristi Eustice discuss the findings and recommendations contained in their center's first report as a HUD-funded resource for furthering housing equity in the U.S. Southwest.    Relevant links and resources:   2024 State of Housing in Arizona Report (Arizona Research Center for Housing Equity and Sustainability at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, August 2024, PDF file) “Housing is Health Care” (Morrison Institute for Public Policy, May 2021, PDF file)  “America's housing problem—and what to do about it” (Harvard Magazine, November-December 2024)  “Why Phoenix is the ‘Most American City' with George Packer” (Ten Across Conversations, August 2024)  “Local Experts Answer: Why Are People Still Moving to Phoenix?” (Ten Across Conversations, February 2024)  “Understanding Housing and Homelessness in America with Gregg Colburn” (Ten Across Conversations, December 2022)

The Assignment with Audie Cornish
Can We Build Our Way Out of the Housing Crisis?

The Assignment with Audie Cornish

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 26:36


Owning a home is the cornerstone of the American dream, but an affordability crisis is making it a distant fantasy for many. The presidential candidates are taking notice. Sonja Trauss is a key activist in the YIMBY movement (“Yes in My Backyard”), and says the solution is pretty simple: Build more homes. Getting that done isn't so easy. Audie sits down with Trauss in Southern California — ground zero for the housing shortage — to talk about the origins of the problem and potential solutions.  Watch a version of our conversation here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Badass Records
Episode #123, Brian McCarty

Badass Records

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2024 89:47


As the beat goes on, I found myself lucky enough to sit down with Brian McCarty, and visit with him about his life and his journey as a musician. It's Episode No. 123, and this one was a treat. Please join me and Brian as we talk about his roles in The Matchsellers, Greg Blake & Hometown, plus his duo setup. We also poked around at family and growing up, the pursuit of dreams, happiness, and the appropriate life path to walk. We also took a peek at a few of his favorite records, which were these:Black Sabbath's Paranoid (1970)Newgrass Revival (s/t), (1972)Dead Milkmen's Big Lizard in My Backyard (1985)Del & the Boys (2001), Del McCoury Band I feel very grateful to have had this conversation with Brian, and to have gotten this podcast to the place it has come to live. Thank you to those of you that support it, and best of luck to Brian in his future endeavors. Note: Apologies to Bob Stewart; the name of the University of Missouri-Kansas City publication is New Letters and its radio-companion piece is New Letters on the Air. Letters, not voices.copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the audio clips contained in the intro/outro/promo portions of this episode. They are snippets from a tune called, "Madison," which comes from Drugdealer's 2022 album, Hiding in Plain Sight, c/o Mexican Summer.

Male Chastity Journal
There’s a Zebra in My Backyard

Male Chastity Journal

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2024


We are still not feeling all that great. Lion's tummy is off from time to time. He's tired. I can be fine one minute and not the next. It's very disconcerting. We can't really plan anything, including what's for dinner. Lion mentioned putting up some pictures. Some of them were The post There's a Zebra in My Backyard appeared first on Male Chastity Journal.

lion backyard zebra my backyard male chastity journal
The Strong Towns Podcast
The Strong Towns Tension With YIMBYism

The Strong Towns Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 65:31


The Strong Towns approach to housing has some obvious tensions with NIMBYism, but what about YIMBYism? That's the topic for discussion on the table for today's episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, because while our approach has more in common with the YIMBY (“Yes in My Backyard”) crowd than differences, there are some nuances that are worth addressing. And if you want to take a serious deep dive into the Strong Towns approach to housing, then you'll be glad to know that Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis is going to be released tomorrow—so order your copy now! ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Order your copy of Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis today! Chuck Marohn (Twitter/X).

Real Talk
Is the Carbon Tax ACTUALLY Effective in Reducing Emissions?

Real Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2024 77:14


Millions of Canadians are feeling the effects of a serious housing crunch. And every single one of us is feeling the effects of climate change. The federal governmen't spending billions and billions of dollars to address these very real issues - but is it working? Are we getting bang for our (billions of) bucks? We take a closer look at Ottawa's plans for housing and the carbon tax (28:45) in this episode of Real Talk.  5:00 | Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities responds to Pierre Poilievre calling him "the worst Immigration Minister in Canadian history," tells us how record numbers of new Canadians are impacting the housing crunch, and tells us how the feds are approaching existing housing deals with Alberta's big cities in light of Premier Danielle Smith's "Stay Out of My Backyard" bill (Bill 18).  22:58 | Real Talker Sarah, a lawyer, tells us why she's nervous about Bill 18 and how it might impact medical research in Alberta.  CHECK OUT SARAH'S "CAR FREE" APPEARANCE ON REAL TALK: https://rtrj.info/011524MommyPedals 28:45 | Is the carbon tax ACTUALLY effective? Like, is there proof it's actually lowering emissions in Canada? University of Ottawa economist Nic Rivers takes us into what we know (and what we don't).  1:04:45 | Ryan and Johnny are just a liiiiiiittle bit excited about the Real Talk Golf Classic presented by CWB Wealth on Thursday, June 20! Have you registered yet to play, volunteer, or sponsor this annual fundraiser for the Real Talk Julie Rohr Scholarship?  SIGN UP TODAY: https://ryanjespersen.com/real-talk-g... 1:08:10 | STOP THE PRESSES: former UCP president Erika Barootes agrees with Rachel Notley on something! We take a quick look at the newest episode of The Discourse.  SUBSCRIBE TO THE DISCOURSE: https://www.youtube.com/@UC1WjKtBGH6U0S6HDePuLjkw  FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM: @realtalkrj  REAL TALK MERCH: https://ryanjespersen.com/merch QUALIFY FOR EXCLUSIVE PERKS! BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Solarpunk Presents
Easing the Housing Crisis By Saying Yes, in My Backyard

Solarpunk Presents

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 39:42


You've heard of NIMBYs and NIMBYism, and you probably are living with the consequences of neighbourhood planning or city policies influenced by landowners who say “Not in My Backyard” to new developments planned in their area. But what about YIMBYs? The name might be strange, but the homeowners who make up these groups say “Yes In My Backyard” to normalize the goals of affordable housing advocates, transit planning, tenants' rights organizations and others who are working towards making the city a more liveable place to be for everyone. Today on the podcast, Ariel talks to Melissa Bowman, cofounder of the group Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard (WRYIMBY) about what a YIMBY group is, what some actions are that it might take, the issues that it might address, and how to start up a YIMBY group in your area, if there's not one already!Support Solarpunk Presents on Patreon or make a one-time donation via PayPal. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Messy City Podcast
The Housing Trap, with Daniel Herriges

The Messy City Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 59:56


Daniel Herriges has been one of my favorite reads on the Strong Towns site for many years. He has thoughtful, in-depth pieces on many subjects, notably housing. Now, he has co-authored a new book with Chuck Marohn called “Escaping the Housing Trap.” We discuss the book, and much more, including my guest appearance in the book.New feature: transcript belowFind more content on The Messy City on Kevin's Substack page.Music notes: all songs by low standards, ca. 2010. Videos here. If you'd like a CD for low standards, message me and you can have one for only $5.Intro: “Why Be Friends”Outro: “Fairweather Friend”Kevin K (00:02.704)Welcome back to the Messy City podcast. This is Kevin Klinkenberg. Thanks for listening. I've got a special guest here today, somebody who has been one of my favorite reads for many years now. Daniel Herrigus is here joining us. And Daniel, it's great to see you.Daniel Herriges (00:24.11)Great to be here, Kevin. Thank you.Kevin K (00:25.85)We're going to talk a lot about housing today and housing itself is obviously, it's probably one of the most, been one of the most talked about topics nationally inside the urban planning and development world and outside that world as well, probably for at least a decade as housing costs have really exploded in a lot of places in the country. So it's a very, very common conversation piece.And a lot of it is often frustrating and confusing to talk about. So into this, Daniel Steps, he's actually been writing about this for some time on the Strong Towns website and writing really great pieces. And now he is the co -author of a new book with Chuck Marrone called Escaping the Housing Trap, which comes out, when does it come out Daniel?Daniel Herriges (01:21.494)April, April 23rd.Kevin K (01:23.152)April 23rd, okay. So I'm really, really looking forward to this. I think Daniel and I have probably learned from each other quite a bit in things that we've talked about and written about. And so I'm really, I'm excited to have this conversation and kind of dive deeper a little bit into the general topic of housing and his perspective and the book's perspective on it.So Daniel was kind enough to share with me a little bit of the introduction. And I say that just because I've marked a few notes to help me direct the conversation a little bit. Housing is so broad as a topic. There's about a thousand different places you can go. And I really like how you laid it out here in the beginning. But I do want to start with just kind of one piece that I think is really fundamental that I just highlighted here a couple of sentences.And I know probably for strong towns readers, this will sound familiar, but I just think it's important to emphasize this and repeat it because, and have you expand on it. But you talk about central to this approach is that recognition that cities are complex systems. They are shaped by countless decisions made by millions of individuals over time with interconnections that are challenging to trace or fully grasp. When attempts are made to simplify.or ignore this inherent complexity in organizing urban life, challenges and disruptions arise. I wonder if you could expand a little bit on that and why do you think that's so fundamental to this conversation?Daniel Herriges (03:04.526)Yeah, well, it's something that's been it's been fundamental to the Strong Towns conversation for a long time, as I think anybody who's read the blog and is familiar with our work knows. And I do think it's central to to grasping what's really gone wrong. You know, it's it's funny, I would talk to people casually, you know, old friends and stuff in the process of writing this book, and they'd say, well, what's new in your life? And I'd say, well, I'm co -writing this book with my boss and.It's about the housing crisis. And an old high school friend of mine, I remember I'm sitting down for coffee with him, and I said, I'm writing a book about the housing crisis. And he goes, oh, cool. Wait, which one? I've never talked to anybody who like, I say housing crisis and they scoff at the idea like, oh no, there isn't a housing crisis. But people's understandings of what that means are incredibly varied because of exactly what you're saying and what you pulled out of the intro to the book. That what,Kevin K (03:41.84)Hahaha.Kevin K (03:49.776)Yeah.Daniel Herriges (04:02.03)really we try to organize the narrative around in this book is we have this massive paradigm shift in the 20th century in how we house ourselves as a society in the US. And to a lesser extent, Canada, I think throughout the Anglosphere, you can see commonalities, but we have this massive paradigm shift alongside sort of the broader paradigm shift that we've talked about as the suburban experiment at Strong Towns.starting in the mid 20th century and really upending the way we finance housing and all sorts of urban development, the way we finance it, the way we plan it and regulate it, and our cultural assumptions about it. And what that really amounts to, at the core of that paradigm shift, is this very modernist, this very 20th century idea that we can solve, we can permanently solve the messiness of the city.that we can permanently solve these tensions that exist around, well, how is your neighborhood going to change and evolve? Are you going to be uncomfortable with that change? Are people going to be displaced? Is the character going to change? How are you going to finance housing? Is it going to be a struggle? Are you going to have to make sacrifices? This idea emerges for a number of reasons that we can delve deeper into that, well, we can solve all these problems now. In a modern, prosperous society, we're going to have mass.middle class prosperity, we're going to have mass homeownership. It's going to be an economic engine. It's going to be the the foundation of everything good in society. We're going to build, we're going to plan neighborhoods that are better than the places people have lived in the past. It's all going to be scientific and orderly and optimized. And through that, we can deliver kind of a permanently prosperous society. And this is the vision that emerges through the 1930s into the middle of the century.And looking back now, decades later, we can really see the cracks in that vision. And those cracks look like a whole bunch of different things breaking. And to most people, housing crisis means the affordability crisis, which is especially acute in certain kind of high cost regions of the country. So a lot of the discourse around, quote unquote, the housing crisis, initially starts to come out of places like New York City, like San Francisco, like Boston, and it's all about, well, nobody can afford the rent anymore.Daniel Herriges (06:26.926)But we paint, I think, a picture of it that's inclusive of that, but broader than that. Because there are all sorts of ways in which housing is just broken. We're not building the right kinds of housing for people's needs. We're not building it in the right places. A lot of people are squeezed. They're overly indebted. They're making huge sacrifices in terms of how they live their life or where they can live their life. We're not happy. We've largely lost faith that...the development industry is going to be responsive to community needs and is going to give us products that really amount to the kind of communities we want to live in. Things are just, they're fundamentally broken in a lot of ways that don't necessarily tie up with a bow into a really neat package. Like, well, this is the definition of the housing crisis and this is the thing that's wrong. So I think the messy city is a great place to be having this conversation because it's kind of a messy book, and deliberately so, because it tries to get at all of these different facets of, well, what is the paradigm that emerged with the suburban experiment? And then what are all these sort of cascading consequences of it that have led to the situation we're in today?Kevin K (07:45.36)So let me give you some of the, just right off the top, let's maybe get the grumpy old man questions out of the way. I'll give you some of the grumpy old man questions. Well, so one of them is, well, you know, you're mostly talking about cities in certain parts of the country where they just make it really hard to build anything, and that's why housing is so expensive. And...Daniel Herriges (07:52.846)Hahaha.Kevin K (08:09.968)Also, you know, when I was a young person, we shared bedrooms. My starter home was an 800 square foot house and you expect a 2000 or 2400 square foot house. And it's really just expectations have changed.Daniel Herriges (08:29.166)Yeah, so that's two great kind of grumpy old man questions to use your parlance there. Yeah, I think that in terms of sort of the geographic question, the loudest voices in the discourse tend to be from these places that are really kind of exceptional, San Francisco, New York. But the sense that there's a housing crisis is much, much broader and more widespread than that. It just manifests a little bit differently.Kevin K (08:32.016)I'm good for those.Daniel Herriges (08:56.654)I think that you hear it and you see it in Kansas City where you are. I mean, I'm certainly aware of some of the stories of, you know, some of the tenant activism that has come out of Kansas City, people who really are finding their housing situation, the options available to them, finding it to be dire. I think that in every city, there are issues where there are these mismatches and these spillovers in terms of where really should we be building housing and what kind of product should we be building?versus what are we building? You have neighborhoods that are mired in stasis, that are mired in disinvestment for decades. They've got really good bones, they're good places, they have a lot of historic character, they have people who deeply love them, but places that just can't catch a break. At the same time, you've got these building patterns happening maybe out on the suburban fringe that are...I mean, they're financially ruinous, which is a core thing we've talked about at length at Strong Towns. They're producing more liabilities than they are revenue for the communities that they're in. But they're also mismatched with where the demand really is, especially among younger people who want to move into home ownership. So even in a place like Kansas City, where if you look at aggregate, like metro area statistics, like housing is a bargain there compared to on the coasts.And even if you look at relative to local wages, which are certainly lower than in a San Francisco or New York, it's still better. Home prices in Northern California are 10 times median income. Where you are, it might be four times. But there are still people who are stretched and who are squeezed. There are neighborhoods where there is a shortage of decent housing in good condition that meets the needs of people there. There's definitely a shortage ofwalkable urban places. I'm sure that there are places that people are getting pushed out of. And then there are these mismatches that are really pervasive all over the country from small towns to mid -size and big metros, where, for example, one statistic that I find myself repeating a lot, and I learned this from Ali Thurmond -Quinlan, who I know you know, Kevin, fantastic incremental developer in Arkansas. She does this great presentation about how,Daniel Herriges (11:19.15)Two thirds of American households are made up of one or two people. And yet 88 % of the new homes that are built have three bedrooms or more. It's that kind of thing that plays into the housing crisis where like we keep churning out this really, really limited range of products, these monocultures. And often it's, you know, the suburban tract home in a cornfield where the financing is in place, the institutional arrangements are in place. We've made it really, really easy.to keep churning that out. But even within a relatively small geography, you can have housing shortages in other places. You can have real problems with people being able to access close -in neighborhoods, close to jobs, close to amenities, or housing that is the right size and configuration for what they actually need, where they are in life.Kevin K (12:11.472)Let's dive into the starter home piece of that a little bit because I just know you've written about that extensively in the past and I think about like my own situation. When I look at the houses my parents owned when – either before I was born or shortly after I was born, they were very modest houses. I think when I was born in 1969, at that point –Daniel Herriges (12:15.758)Mm -hmm. Yeah.Kevin K (12:39.632)When I was born, we had four kids and I think we lived in a three bedroom ranch with a basement in Omaha, a pretty small place. And then we're able to get a little bit bigger place, probably more like a four bedroom or so. But I mean, really for most of my childhood, we shared bedrooms as kids. And there's certainly, I know as a parent today, there's a vastly different expectation.on the part of my other parents, on the part of kids, about what constitutes an appropriate house for a family. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that and just how that all has changed so much over the years.Daniel Herriges (13:19.758)Right. Right.Daniel Herriges (13:26.414)I think the expectations are in a feedback loop with these other kind of institutional factors that are affecting what we build and what we don't build and what options are out there. So I think, I hear what you're saying and I think there's a lot of truth to that. I mean, I look at my family, I got two young children and would sharing a bedroom be the worst thing in the world for them? No, but even when we like, when we go on vacation somewhere, when we...go stay with in -laws and there's the prospect that they're gonna have to sleep in the same room. It's like, oh God, they won't get any sleep. They'll keep it to like, but it's really alien to like what we've assumed is just like the basic, like this is how you're supposed to live as a middle -class American family. And I think there has been that shift. I think it's also the case though that like the kind of starter home you're talking about, like you even look at the old photos of Levittown or those early sort of mass production suburbs.in the 1950s, like we're not building those anymore. Houses like that, almost nothing is built that's on that scale. There are institutional factors that play into that. I mean, there are regulatory factors like minimum lot sizes in a lot of communities. There are things that we've done that basically make it uneconomic to build smaller homes on smaller lots. And then, you know, combine that with this cultural expectations question. I think there's a little bit of chicken and egg there.I do think though that maybe not in the context of families with children specifically, but there is a huge amount of demand out there for maybe a different version than what you're thinking of in the 50s, the leave it to beaver kind of era, but there's a huge amount of demand out there for what we might call a starter home today. It just looks different. My wife and I, when we were in our 20s,starting out not making a lot of money, we didn't own a lot of stuff. We lived in backyard accessory dwelling units, backyard cottages behind a larger single family home. And these were all homes that had been built in like the 1930s. So they were kind of grandfathered into a zoning code that doesn't allow them anymore. We were lucky to find these, they were fantastic. I mean, they were the right sized living arrangement for where we were in life. We weren't ready to be homeowners. Maybe in a different era, we might've been homeowners at that age, I don't know.Daniel Herriges (15:47.566)But a very small home for a modest rent, like that was perfect. In big high cost cities, you see there's a lot of push to, can we do more micro apartments? Can we do sort of a modernized version of the single room occupancy where amenities like the kitchen are shared? There is demand out there for this stuff. I think that the new version of it needs to be allowed to evolve. And I think it will.Kevin K (16:18.704)Yeah, I think you could see this even when you look to, you know, I think a lot about some of the things that the author Joel Gourault wrote years ago. He wrote a couple of books that I really loved, but one of them was called Edge City. And he came up with this whole notion of the favored quarter, that if every metro area has like a quarter, if it's a pie, there's a quarter of it that just has better.demographics, better reputation, whatever, than the other parts of the metro area. And I think if you look in some of those favored quarters that have those subdivisions still from the 1940s and 50s, the very small Cape Cod homes and others that were built in that era, it's amazing how you, I think it validates what you're talking about. There's incredible demand for those. Those areas have really continued to be.desirable places to live for young families, even though they're much smaller homes than they might buy on the edge. And in the unfavored quarters, you don't see as much of that. They've had a lot more decline. And that speaks to other factors. But there's clearly this interest in demand still for the people will make that trade off to have a smaller place, you know, regardless if it's in an area they want to be in.Daniel Herriges (17:47.15)Yeah, the thing that's tough is that that stuff is getting bid up really fast in a lot of cities to the point where it's not really a viable starter home option for a lot of people. I mean, those old like Cape Cod, you know, those houses, you find them in California now. Like you're paying two million dollars for one of those. It's valued for the land underneath it. And often it's going to be torn down and replaced with a much larger home. But I mean, my wife and I, when we did buy our house in Sarasota, Florida, where we lived until...on the middle of last year, we bought in the neighborhood, like we really prized the location. We wanted to be somewhere where she could walk to work, where we only had to own one car, where we were close to downtown, close to walkable parts of the city that we liked. And we bought in the neighborhood that was sort of the last bastion of affordable home ownership in that it is these really modest houses. A lot of them are under a thousand square feet. But the prices have run up like crazy just in the...in the seven years since we made that purchase. We couldn't have gone back and bought that house today, the one that we just sold last year. And the notion that like this is a viable option for working class families, I mean, that's gone. Like it's a working class neighborhood that is transitioning really fast because anywhere, like you said, where the location is desirable, when we have an overall scarcity, small homes, big homes, it doesn't matter, they're gonna be bid up.Kevin K (19:11.472)How much in your writing or thinking about this has the impact of kind of just shifting demand for like more urban or walkable places? How does that play a role in exactly what you talked about there with Sarasota where, you know, we had a few decades of really going gung -ho with building suburbia and then all of a sudden we've had this major shift in interest and demand in the last couple of decades.on the part of all age groups, but especially younger people. And yet those new places haven't built much housing at all. So what do you see? How do you see that? Is that like a major factor in what people are talking about in terms of the pain they're feeling?Daniel Herriges (19:58.926)I think that shift is huge and I think it's underappreciated. I think it's actually hard to quantify because you got another kind of chicken and egg thing, right? Where people, I mean, you hear the contrarians right now. Like there are a lot of voices saying there's been this big shift and millennials are much more pro -urban than older generations were. And Gen Z is even more pro -urban than that. People want to live in walkable places, centrally located places. They don't want to do all this driving like.And then you see the confrarians come back and say, well, actually, millennials are all having kids and buying homes out in the suburbs. And it's kind of like, well, they're, do you know that that's what they want or are they buying where they can afford? And there's probably a bit of both in a lot of cases, but I think that the notion of revealed preference gets really tricky here. Does the fact that 10 ,000 more times, 10 ,000 times more people buy Camrys than Lexuses, does that mean that everybody likes the Camry more as a car?That's probably 10 ,000 is probably not the factor there. I'm positive it's not, but I needed a number real quick. But like there's suppose it revealed preference is going to be shaped by what the market makes available. You know, in Sarasota, there are tons of great kind of single family, quote unquote, homes that are occupied by families. They're occupied by a bunch of 20 something roommates who work in the service industry and they're crowding into a house because that's how they can afford the rent.Not, it's not because that's the way those people would prefer. Like that's the ideal living arrangement for people at that stage in life and in kind of a roommate situation. It's because that's all that there is. So I think, yeah, I think that there is evidence of a really profound shift and where it's showing up is not so much in where people currently live or what they're buying, what they're renting. It shows up to some extent in preference surveys that you'll hear from like the National Association of Realtors, like.Oh, 42 % of Americans would rather have a smaller house in a walkable neighborhood than a larger house in a place they have to drive. But more than that, it's showing up in prices. It's showing up in the way some of these preferred locations are being bid up. Despite being older housing, smaller housing, maybe lower quality, you look at price per square foot and it becomes really obvious that the places where people will pay a premium for less house tend to be walkable, really well -located locations withDaniel Herriges (22:23.406)with access to some urban amenities. We're just beginning to re -legalize more of that pattern. So there's gonna be a big lag in how much of this is actually being built and how are people actually living. One thing we talk about in the book is that I think a bunch of people's assumptions about the housing market were shaped during this really anomalous era, you know, post -post -World War II and the era of kind of urban decline, where from the 1970s through the 1990s, you had had massive suburban flight out of core cities in almost every metro in America. You had huge amounts of vacant real estate, even in New York, even in Manhattan, you had huge vacancy rates. And so the city became this place that, if that was when your attitudes were shaped, you thought like...this is a place, this is affordable, this is where the artists go to get their cheap studio space, this is where the people who are kind of on the margins of society, the city is where they go to live and they live this cool bohemian life. And so the most important policy priority is preventing the decline of these places. Let's do really rigid historic preservation, let's zone them in amber, let's try to protect this environment. Nobody was thinking about large -scale gentrification, nobody was thinking aboutpeople actually being displaced en masse from these urban locations. That wasn't on the radar in the late 20th century. I think there has been an absolute sea change now where in some ways the policies that we established in that era now are really, really biting us because we essentially locked down a bunch of what remained of our pre -suburban kind of built environment.And now there's this massive demand for these places and there's this need to change. And the only lever we have is, well, let's pick pockets of it and let's allow mass scale redevelopment, like giant five over one buildings, you this wholesale sort of wiping clean. Like we're struggling with, oh, wait a minute, now there's actually all this demand for what used to be like sort of the fringe oddball.Kevin K (24:25.104)Yeah.Daniel Herriges (24:41.068)Bohemian choice. I don't know.Kevin K (24:42.672)Yeah. It's funny how that kind of infects people's brains in so many respects. And I know that because I'm old enough to have lived in my part of the city when it was still pretty rough and pretty cheap. And I know a lot of people and friends who were older than me in that era who did exactly as you described. They were able to buy these incredible historic homes or buildings for next to nothing.And they have a vision of the way things were in that era as like they haven't really changed all that much. And I've often talked about it. They went from being basically no demand neighborhoods to now a lot of them are high demand, but they're still kind of using that like no demand thinking about how to solve problems. And it's like, I'm sorry, it's just, it's a different world now.Kevin K (25:38.96)So I want to piggyback a little bit on this. There's another sentence here, a couple sentences I picked up on that you wrote that I'd like to just kind of talk about, because I thought this was really insightful. You said, those who set housing policy often do not understand housing finance. Those who focus on finance are often oblivious to the effects of land use policy. These conversations, housing finance and land use policy, occur in separate circles.and are often insufficiently informed by each other. I really like the way that you talk about that. It certainly resonates with my experience. I wonder if you could expand a little bit more on how you've seen that play out.Daniel Herriges (26:21.838)Yeah, you can kind of witness it. If you go on Twitter, which I refuse to call X, but you can actually see the separate conversations happening in real time, depending on kind of who you follow and who's responding to those conversations, you can see that there are people who are interested in land use policy and zoning in housing development. A lot of them are associated with things like the Yes in My Backyard movement, and they're talking about housing in one set of terms.Kevin K (26:29.588)Likewise.Daniel Herriges (26:51.47)And, but then you go and you follow people who analyze the financial markets and they're looking at the housing market in the sense of what is happening with housing as an asset class. And they like, it's literally like they're speaking different languages. It's these people aren't in conversation with each other. Like they're literally not in each other's replies, but they're also it's different metrics. It's different assumptions about like, what even is quote, quote unquote, the housing market? Are we talking about,housing as a financial product, mortgages and their secondary, their derivatives as a financial product. Are we talking about the homes that people live in and the rents that they pay? And it's a really funny divide. And that divide, the stage was set for that through the policy decisions made in the 20th century to create a mass market in federally supported, federally insured.long -term mortgages and to make that the foundation of how we're going to house people in this country. And what we did was we created a system where increasingly housing was the foundation of the financial system. It was also the foundation of a bunch of other things. It became the foundation of local government's ability to fund their own operations. So many things are riding on housing prices going up and up and up.And if you talk to someone in that finance world, what is a housing crisis? A housing crisis is 2008. A housing crisis is when housing prices crash and it brings the economy with it. And fears of a housing crisis mean, well, we're afraid that building is going to slow down and prices are going to slump and rents are going to slump and it's going to have all these cascading effects on the financial system. If you go talk to a bunch of yimbies in San Francisco, what is a housing crisis? Well, duh, a housing crisis when people can't pay their rent.There is a really fundamental tension that is deeply ingrained in our society because we expect housing to do two contradictory things. We expect it to be a reliable, secure source of shelter for everyone who needs shelter, which is everyone. We also expect it to be this sort of indefinitely appreciating financial asset. Not necessarily like your home, though often your home, but...Daniel Herriges (29:18.446)more broadly, the housing market as a whole needs to go up and up and up or things break. That is the fundamental, you know, the book is titled Escaping the Housing Trap. That is fundamentally what the housing trap is. It is this contradiction that we haven't grappled with that a whole bunch of us need housing prices to fall and a whole bunch of us are also going to suffer if housing prices fall.Kevin K (29:42.224)Yeah. How have you, I'm just curious, how have you been able to talk to people in your own community or at the local level? Do you engage, especially for the dozen or so years you lived in Sarasota, did you engage with housing activists or people who are trying to shape local housing policy and talk about this perspective that you bring about?the housing trap and the different perspectives and motivations.Daniel Herriges (30:16.078)I did, you know, I had the chance in Sarasota to talk with a wide variety of people from kind of community and neighborhood activists to local elected officials, chamber of commerce types. I can't say I was super successful at influencing the conversation there. I would try to plant seeds when I talk to people, because I think that there's a lot of lack of understanding of even the contours of the issue. Like, I guess I'd tell you two stories here kind of related to that, and I'll try not to ramble.When I was in planning school, I had to do a summer internship and I did mine. I went to grad school up in Minneapolis, but then I went back to Sarasota where my wife lived for the summer and I did my internship in the county planning department. I think at this point, it's been far enough, you know, it's been enough years that I can say this and I don't have to worry about who I might be offending by saying this, but they tasked me as part of my planning internship with doing some kind of internal research, internal white papers basically on.best practices for promoting affordable housing. Because by 2016, they understood Florida is growing really fast. We have a housing crisis. We don't have enough housing. Rents are skyrocketing. But the prevailing thinking was so undeveloped about like even the terms of the conversation. So like I'm I'm trying to put together this research on, you know, what what levers do we have as the local government, as the county government to promote affordable housing?And I'm thinking of it in terms of how do we promote housing affordability, you know, get supply and demand aligned, remove zoning related obstacles to the production of more inexpensive housing, the production of housing where there's high demand. And then there's also this conversation about sources of subsidy and how do we get purpose -built affordable housing built. And that's all well and good. I went into one meeting where I'm supposed to like briefly summarize some of these results. And I realized sitting at this table, like 20 minutes in,it kind of dawns on me and a couple of the other planners that half the people at this table think that we're there to talk about homelessness. And they're they're baffled by everything coming out of my mouth and out of the, you know, the other planners' mouths because we're talking about zoning and they're like, but, you know, we what we really want to talk about is we've got this handful of vacant lots that the county owns and can we partner with any of the providers who Salvation Army or Habitat or both? And all of a sudden it's kind of like, wait a minute.Daniel Herriges (32:42.734)we're talking about affordable housing, we're not talking about homelessness. And they're like, I thought they were the same. Like, people are really way more, if you're immersed in kind of urbanist debates or just thinking about these issues, like the average person, including the average local policymaker, is way closer to square one than you think they are. So I saw that in Florida that like the everybody who was elected to office there had this sense that, well, we got to do something about affordable housing.and they didn't have the slightest clue how to think holistically about housing affordability as an issue in their community. Like, literally it was like, who can we partner with to get a small amount of subsidy delivered to one nonprofit that's gonna build a few homes? No sense of the scale of the problem or really, you know, the problem as a basic issue of what do we allow the market to build? And when you...That conversation has grown and Sarasota is, I think it's behind the curve, but I think they are tackling some of these broader questions of like, what does it say in our zoning code and how does that affect what gets built and what can't get built? There's still this mentality that's really, really ingrained. And it goes back to what I was saying about kind of that 1970s through 1990s, that defensive mentality of cities are.You know, we've got suburban flight and urban neighborhoods have suffered decline and they've suffered stagnation. And the thing we need to do is hold the line and protect them. We're not even worried about overwhelming demand. We can't even conceive of that. So I sat in this meeting once. I was asked to come by the president of my neighborhood association and it was a handful of neighborhood advocates and then a local elected official and a couple of city staff. And we're talking about missing middle housing because they were considering a.zoning code change to allow a modest amount of what's called the missing middle. Essentially in some neighborhoods in Sarasota where only single family homes were allowed to be built, they were gonna allow up to four units on a residential lot. And the question is, how broad will this be and what are the parameters of it be? And I'm listening to these people who work for the city and they're saying, well, I'm just concerned that this needs to be tightly, tightly regulated to prevent abuses. So.Daniel Herriges (35:06.478)You know, what if, what if people build multiple units and then they Airbnb them? Well, we got to make sure we have provisions that they can't turn them into short -term rentals. And, you know, what if, what if someone builds a fourplex and, you know, there are loud parties there and it's a nuisance to the neighbors. So, okay, we got to have special, um, provisions to, you know, maybe there's more landscaping screening or a bigger setback or something, but we got to make sure it won't be a nuisance to the neighbors. And well, you know, the goal of this is to provide more housing for our downtown workforce in our restaurants and stores. And.But what if the people who are living in this housing, what if they're vacationing snowbirds? What if they're not our workforce? Well, can we put a provision into the lease? You know, if you want to build multiple units on this lot, maybe you should be required to put a provision into the lease that the person living there must be employed in downtown Sarasota. Like these were literally the things being thrown out in this conversation. It needs to be tightly, tightly regulated to make sure it does exactly what we think it should do. And, um,You know, I pointed out and I think it largely fell on deaf ears. Like, do we say any of this stuff about new single family houses? Well, no, we don't. It's only this prospect of something that is a change in the existing pattern, you know, God forbid. But the funny thing that happened in this conversation was it kind of reached a natural lull and people are just sort of shooting the breeze for a while. And it's mostly a bunch of like neighborhood association presidents in Sarasota who are people in their 60s and 70s.They've moved down to enjoy the Florida sunshine and they're all from somewhere else. Everyone in Florida is from somewhere, pretty much. And the gentleman to my left starts talking about his childhood in Fall River, Massachusetts. And he, you know, lived on this wonderful street and it was full of triple -decker houses where you've got the family that owns it is probably living in one of the units and they have a couple tenants. And there was this restaurant on the ground floor of an apartment building on the corner and he used to love it.this idyllic picture of just kind of traditional, missing middle urbanism. And other people chimed in and they had similar childhood experiences. And the person who kept saying tightly, tightly regulated, chimes into the conversation and turns out that one of her family members, I don't remember if it was father or grandfather, but had owned a triple decker in Massachusetts. And it had been a stepping stone into building some wealth and joining the middle class and being homeowners in an affordable way.Daniel Herriges (37:31.402)had nothing but fond things to say about this. And so they all have these really positive experiences with real missing middle housing in the real world. And then the conversation goes back to the topic at hand and immediately a switch flips and it's, anyway, yeah, this is all great. I love this stuff. I think we should allow the missing middle. I just think it needs to be tightly, tightly regulated. So there's this huge disconnect. There's this huge sort of loss aversion that people have.Kevin K (37:53.296)Ha ha ha ha.Daniel Herriges (38:01.006)And this disconnect between like the stuff we're talking about as urbanists, the kind of things that have been illegal for a long time in most places that we're talking about allowing again, they're not alien to Americans. People have been to places that have this development pattern, they've seen it, and they largely have positive impressions of it. And the question is, how do you get past that wall with people? When I would talk with people in Sarasota, I would always point out like,because there were a lot of similar fears about an ordinance to allow backyard accessory dwelling units. And I would point out that the one neighborhood in Sarasota that has a lot of existing accessory dwelling units, it was built in the 1920s and 30s, it is one of the wealthiest, one of the nicest, one of the universally thought most charming, successful neighborhoods in Sarasota. Everybody loves this place. Everybody is simultaneously terrified of what could go wrong.Kevin K (38:57.84)Ha ha.Daniel Herriges (38:57.902)if we allowed more places like it to be built today.Kevin K (39:00.464)Yeah, we can't have any of that. It's clearly way too desirable. I think that's a great segue into this other piece, another piece here that really caught my eye in your introduction where you talked a little bit about James C. Scott's book, Seeing Like a State and his ideology of high modernism. And so just a couple of quick sentences on that where he said, high modernism consists of a strong belief in the scientific perfectibility of society. The high modernist seeks to rendercomplex social phenomena, discrete, legible, and measurable in order to prescribe solutions through rational scientific management. And then later how you said we believed we could devise permanent solutions to problems that had bedeviled city dwellers forever. So I mean, I love that. It kind of speaks to something that I've thought a lot about as well. And one of the more...of all the fascinating changes that we made in the 20th century, really one of the least talked about is just exactly this that you highlighted there was this adoption of that everything in society could be categorized and scientifically managed and that that was the right approach. But I think what you point out here is that it also had tons of consequences.Daniel Herriges (40:22.51)Mm -hmm.Yeah, in the more historical portion of the book, I got to do a lot of research on the origins of American zoning for this book. And you really see that underlying ideology in the way people talk about it. The earliest attempts at residential zoning came from a really good place. They largely came from progressive public health reforms in the late 19th and early 20th century. People looking at squalid conditions in tenements and like...Kevin K (40:33.68)Lucky you.Kevin K (40:53.488)Mm -hmm.Daniel Herriges (40:53.71)People are getting sick, these buildings are catching on fire, what can we do? And so there are some really obvious reforms that take shape that, okay, we're gonna require a little more space between buildings so light and air can get in, we're gonna require firewalls. But then you very quickly see that morph into a tool that can be used not for sort of urgent public health and safety needs, but for either to address circumstances that...frankly, kind of really elitist reformers deem morally objectionable. You see anti -immigrant sentiment play into it. You see a lot of things, but you see this notion that, well, now that we have this tool of we can regulate the form and the arrangement of buildings in the city, hey, this is great. We can designate whole neighborhoods where apartment houses aren't allowed because we think that apartment houses are going to be a deleterious impact on the moral well -being of the neighborhood, on the children who are going to play with God knows who.Um, a mere parasite. Take advantage of the, I can't, I can't quote the whole thing from memory, but yeah, take advantage of the pleasant residential character in the neighborhood, but degrade that character at the same time. You can find tons of quotes like that and you can find it from the same reformist figures who were involved in sort of the anti -tenement struggles. So it's really easy, I think, to moralize about figures of the past and to judge them by what we know in the present.Kevin K (41:51.312)What were they described as in the Euclid decision, like parasites? Yeah.Daniel Herriges (42:21.326)And I'm doing a little bit of that right now. And I do try to be disciplined about not doing that. You have to understand that these people thought they were doing good and they were products of their time. And that in some ways they were doing good. But what you see is that these regulatory tools, whether the intentions were good to begin with or not, they've metastasized into this notion that now we're going to order the entire urban landscape and we're going to strictly separate uses from each other.residential zone over here and the apartment the higher density apartment zone over here and the commercial over here. And it becomes this thing that's less about you know well we can really articulate the the urgent public purpose here the urgent health and safety issue and more about well of course we should do this of course we should diligently plan every aspect of the city to ensure that it's harmonious and works well and.And so it gets put to all sorts of purposes where each one in isolation might make sense. The rationale for building setback requirements might make sense in isolation. The rationale for parking mandates, especially at a certain time in history, might have made sense in isolation. There's often a very concrete problem that the planners of the day are trying to address. You lump all of it together, and now we've got this system that we've inherited that has just become this multi -headed hydra.The zoning chapter of the book starts with an anecdote about Somerville, Massachusetts, which I'm indebted to Daniel K. Hertz, who's a housing scholar for this. But the illegal city of Somerville was a blog post that Hertz initially wrote back in 2015 based on a study that Somerville's own planning department did where they found that in a city of 80 ,000 people, there were only 22 conforming lots. There were only 22 lots in the entire city of Somerville where...What was standing on that lot, if it burned down today, you could get a permit to rebuild it tomorrow. Like, that's insane. And nobody who initially contributed to the spread of zoning, nobody foresaw that outcome. But we have a broken paradigm.Kevin K (44:26.448)And I think most lay people especially have no idea how crazy that's gotten. And I think the house that I live in now is actually a non -conforming lot for the zoning that we live in. And it's pretty amazing how that has metastasized so much. I wonder, and I also do appreciate what you're talking about. I do feel like sometimes it's easy to cast dispersions on.I mean, I think if you went back in time, you would find that it was often many, most of the smartest and most idealistic people of those generations who were really doing what they felt was the right thing to do to make better places and have a better society. And we have a hundred years of hindsight now to look at those things. And it's, so we have a lot of easier way to look at what's worked and what hasn't. But...I really do think that a lot of it had good intentions behind it that we don't talk about. One thing I want to hit on while I have you is, you know, now that you're back in Minnesota and you left Florida, which is a very high growth state, and I'm not sure how fast growth Sarasota and that region is in particular compared to other parts of Florida. But...Daniel Herriges (45:50.166)extremely.Kevin K (45:53.52)How do you perceive these issues, especially some of the housing issues being different in really fast growth places like the Sunbelt versus here in the Midwest, Kansas City and Minneapolis are both growing metropolitan areas, but they grow very modestly. Although I think the Twin Cities probably grows faster than most people realize, but they're still by comparisons of Sunbelt cities, they're slower growing.Daniel Herriges (46:18.67)Yeah. The issues of people struggling to afford rent or to find a home in the kind of place they want, I mean, those exist in both kinds of places. I do think there are some really key kind of contextual differences in the Sunbelt. I mean, Sarasota, that region is home to two of the three fastest growing master planned communities in the US. Number one is the villages, which is the 55 plus.Kevin K (46:47.92)Yeah. Sure. Yeah.Daniel Herriges (46:48.43)like Metro at this point outside of Orlando, but then two and three are both in Greater Sarasota. So incredible amounts of in -migration from other parts of the US, incredible rate of growth. And so it gives you the opportunity to make big mistakes really quickly. Like from my perspective, I mean, driving around on the suburban fringe of Sarasota is kind of this horrifying scene of just like, okay, here's two more square miles that have been clear cut that weren't clear cut last month, and they're going to be subdivisions and.We can replicate our bad mistakes really, really quickly. But we can also, there's a whole bunch of energy that can go towards like making things better. You know, you just like, when you're growing, there are resources to be spread around. I think there's a zero sum element to the conversation in slow or no growth places that becomes a little bit more challenging where like, you know, I'm...I would love to see a whole bunch of urban revitalization in St. Paul where I live now. I can think of specific spots around the city that have just sort of languished for decades, you know. Big giant vacant lots that were vacant when I was a little kid and are still vacant. And it's kind of like, when is somebody going to do something here? And it's like, well, when are enough people going to move to St. Paul to make it economically viable for somebody to, quote unquote, do something with all of this land? And I'm dying to see it happen.And I think the kind of opportunities are different. I was in Charlotte for the Congress for New Urbanism, along with the Strong Towns National Gathering last May. And in Charlotte, it's incredible. They've built this light rail line and at like three different stops on the one light rail line, there are entire high density mixed use neighborhoods popping up out of full cloth. And it's just like, how on earth is there this much money going like...And nothing like that is going to happen here. And we kind of have to resign ourselves to like, we're not going to see these miraculous things just emerge from the dirt. But what's possible in, you know, the kind of environment where you don't have the cataclysmic money so much, you don't have the, you know, real estate isn't the same kind of like just omnipresent giant business as it is in somewhere like Florida or somewhere like North Carolina.Daniel Herriges (49:14.958)What you have is opportunities for incremental developers who are resourceful and a little bit scrappy. And if, especially if local government can find the way to support people who want to be the one to buy that vacant lot in their neighborhood and put up something cool on it, remove the barriers in the way of that person, help them connect with each other, learn from each other, access financing. Cool things can happen from the bottom up.in places where, you know, from a 30 ,000 foot view, they're not growing or exploding in the same way. And that's something that I get really excited about. It's something that the last third of our book is really heavily devoted to. Kevin, you're actually in the book. I don't know if you knew this. You are credited with the term swarm for talking about, you know, having a whole bunch of small scale developers.Kevin K (50:00.432)Uh oh, I didn't know that.Kevin K (50:05.464)Ha ha ha ha.Daniel Herriges (50:11.598)building within existing neighborhoods, within the existing fabric of our cities, as opposed to the current large developer, large site led model of how we build housing. But that's to the extent that we have a prescription for what needs to happen, that's at the core of it, is we need to cultivate and enable and support the swarm of.up, you know, infill developers working at small scales, often people working with property they already own and live on or in the neighborhood where they live, to start to thicken up the places that we already have where we do need housing, doing backyard cottages, doing vacant lot infill, doing small apartment buildings, mixed use projects. And the places where we see that happening, where we see like some snowballing momentum with a community of people doing the small scale development work,It's not the San Francisco's of the world. Nobody can afford to do it there. It's not the big Sunbelt cities. It's not Sarasota. It's not Charlotte. It's not Nashville. Those places are a little more mired in this like kind of suburban experiment mindset. That's really, really hostile to anyone other than a big entrenched developer. Where we see it happening is it's in South Bend, Indiana, which we discuss a lot in the book. It's in Memphis, Tennessee. It's in these poorer places, these disinvested places where there's a huge amount of opportunity to bring them back.But it's going to happen through kind of scrappy people working, you know, working in the cracks and the seams of what's already there.Kevin K (51:43.408)Yeah, I was going to ask you, you know, it's always dangerous to give kind of generic advice in a book or on a podcast. And I want people to buy the book. So we don't want to give away everything here. But what else might you tease that you talk about in the book as potential avenues for people to look at? And is it mostly focused like at the local level or do you talk about like national?Daniel Herriges (51:58.542)Hahaha.Kevin K (52:13.476)changes as well.Daniel Herriges (52:16.174)I think the national aspect is there in talking about the housing finance system and the history of how it's developed. A lot of the historical stuff meant to set the context. I think we deliberately shy away from offering federal policy prescriptions. True to the bottom -up emphasis of strong towns. What you're gonna get out of this book, if you go in looking for the solution to the housing crisis, you're gonna be disappointed.In fact, our publisher wanted us to have the Strong Towns solution to the housing crisis be the subject of the book. And we fought them on it. We said, no, it's the Strong Towns response to the housing crisis. We don't have a solution for you, but we have avenues to pursue. And those avenues are local. I think there's a lot that is within the power of local governments to jumpstart and to help snowball and sometimes just to get out of the...Kevin K (52:50.128)Oh, there you go.Daniel Herriges (53:13.102)of the paradigm shift that really needs to happen. I'm not gonna spoil it, I want people to buy the book. Believe it or not, much more than you want people to buy the book, I want people to buy the book. There's some stuff, and some things that Chuck came up with that I was kind of blown away by, like it's never occurred to me that this is a policy tool we could use, but there's some really good practical advice for local leaders.Kevin K (53:22.416)I'm sure you do.Daniel Herriges (53:41.838)local developers, local governments in particular, to not be helpless at the hands of these overbearing market forces. The housing market, capital H, capital M, is this thing that just goes up and up and up forever. But how can we get out of the clutches of that? And how can we enable bottom -up solutions to actually proliferate in our communities from people who are invested in our communities?Kevin K (54:07.696)Great. That's great. Daniel, what else is next up for you? I presume you're going to keep writing. Are you going to become a small developer at some point?Daniel Herriges (54:17.71)Uh, not out of the question. I will never say it's out of the question, because small developers are kind of... Small developers are kind of my heroes. I've got the bug, you know? I go, I'm out and about around the city, I'm walking, I'm riding my bike, and I'm constantly looking at some derelict or vacant lot and saying, well, what could be there? And who's gonna do it? And like, I get excited about that. I'm probably not becoming a small developer anytime soon. I don't know that I have the risk tolerance or the constitution for it.Kevin K (54:18.672)I ask I try to I try to ask everybody that and put and nudge peopleKevin K (54:36.272)Shush, shush, shush.Daniel Herriges (54:47.598)Definitely gonna keep writing. I write every week just about for Strong Towns and we'll see what else comes next. But I'm really excited to have finished this book and for the world to get to read it.Kevin K (54:58.96)Well, I'm looking forward to it. I'll certainly buy it myself and look forward to finding out where I am in the book. That's interesting to hear. So always fascinating. So Daniel, as we wrap up, do you have a favorite messy city or messy neighborhood that you want to talk about?Daniel Herriges (55:07.406)HeheheDaniel Herriges (55:17.614)Oh man, that's a really good question.Kevin K (55:19.952)That's why I ask it.Daniel Herriges (55:23.906)That's why you ask it.Kevin K (55:24.91)Yeah.Daniel Herriges (55:33.774)I got too many favorite messy places. The places that I go to is just my favorite kind of urban places are often not particularly messy. They're just the shining examples, like Savannah's historic district of just like, man, if we could just do this all day every day, that would be great. But I do appreciate messiness. I appreciate kind of ad hoc places where people are doing what they can with what they have.Honestly, you see a lot of that outside the US. It's been a while since I've left the country and I feel like I'm due to find a chance to travel. I am fascinated by cities in the global south. I lived in Quito, Ecuador for a little less than a year when I was younger and the tolerance for messiness there is like super cool. Like if you want to do something, you kind of go out and do it, largely because like the state doesn't have the capacity to stand in your way, but...Kevin K (56:18.704)Oh wow.Daniel Herriges (56:34.776)There is like an ad hoc transportation system in Quito that I went my first two months that I lived there I went looking fruitlessly over and over for like a system map where I could see all the bus routes and where they go I finally realized that there wasn't one There was no such thing because these are just private operators and they run a bus and they'd slap a bunch of signs on the front windshield of neighborhoods that that bus served and you paid a quarter and you got on and You kind of had to figure it out through trial and errorKevin K (56:47.44)Ha ha.Kevin K (57:01.968)Yeah, that's the...Daniel Herriges (57:03.086)But it was this incredibly adaptive system. You could get anywhere once you figured out how to use these informal buses. But same things like informal forms of like the lowest bar to entry development. You would see street vendors all over the place. Like that's the entry stage restaurant. You know, you set up a little shack in the park, or let's shack a little stand, and you sell like skewered meats in the park. And eventually you get a brick and mortar space. And you like, I love that kind of thing.There's an energy and an excitement that it's almost totally absent from North American cities.Kevin K (57:36.784)Yeah, actually, I just read a really great article that Chris Arnod just published, I think this week, on the very topic. And he even talked about Quito, Ecuador. And he was comparing the experience as a bus rider there versus being a bus rider in Los Angeles or a lot of other American cities. And just completely echoed almost everything you just said, which is very true. Yeah. Yeah, he's a brilliant writer. So.Daniel Herriges (57:43.5)Mm -hmm.Daniel Herriges (57:53.294)YeahDaniel Herriges (57:58.382)Yeah, I read that same article, it was great. I always love his writing.Kevin K (58:04.624)Well, Daniel, thanks so much for all this. It's really great to catch up and look forward to getting the book and engaging more and talking about these issues. So appreciate your time.Daniel Herriges (58:09.486)Thank you.Daniel Herriges (58:16.398)Totally, I will tell your listeners, housingtrap .org is the one stop shop if you wanna, you can pre -order the book from there, you can get links to places you can do it, you can also learn about hosting an event to talk about some of these issues. So.Kevin K (58:30.244)Terrific, terrific. And could also find you on the Strongtown site and on social media. All right. All right, Daniel. Thanks again. Take care.Daniel Herriges (58:35.796)Absolutely.Daniel Herriges (58:40.078)Thank you, Kevin. Take care. Get full access to The Messy City at kevinklinkenberg.substack.com/subscribe

Densely Speaking
S3E6 - Remote Work and City Decline: Lessons From NYC's Garment District (Clay Gillette)

Densely Speaking

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2023 52:45


Remote Work and City Decline: Lessons From the Garment District (Clay Gillette) Clay Gillette is the Max E. Greenberg Professor of Contract Law at New York University School of Law. He is the author of Remote Work and City Decline: Lessons from the Garment District, 15 Journal of Legal Analysis 201 (2023). Appendices: Clay Gillette: the book In a Bad State (by David Schleicher), work by Joan Didion, TV shows Borgen, Fauda, Shtisel, and The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and the movie Oppenheimer. Greg Shill: the novel A Confederacy of Dunces, the New Yorker short story series Sell Out, and the TV show Rough Diamonds. Jeff Lin: journal articles Networking off Madison Avenue and The Curley Effect: The Economics of Shaping the Electorate, and Trees? Not in My Backyard. (Jerusalem Demsas) in the Atlantic. Follow us on the web or on Twitter/X: @denselyspeaking, @jeffrlin, @greg_shill. The hosts are also on Bluesky at @jeffrlin and @gregshill. Producer: Courtney Campbell The views expressed on the show are those of the participants, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Federal Reserve System, or any of the other institutions with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

Move Smartly: The Podcast
How to Increase Toronto's Housing Supply — YIMBYism, Should the City Build? and More: An Interview with Eric Lombardi

Move Smartly: The Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2023 56:33


Urmi talks to Eric Lombardi in the third interview in our series on the supply-side zoning, planning, social and political issues that are cited as being one of the key drivers of the Toronto Area's housing affordability crisis. As a young professional who works in a non-housing industry or related capacity in the financial sector in Toronto, Eric is a passionate citizen about housing issues, and importantly, part of the very generation that many worry are being squeezed out of market housing due to lack of affordability.  As a key leader in Toronto's YIMBY (the “Yes, in My Backyard”) movement and the “More Neighbours Toronto” volunteer organization, Eric is very knowledgeable and thoughtful about how things need to change if we are to build the number of homes experts say are required to make a dent in easing our housing availability and affordability crisis in all sectors — market, affordable and shelter, a view embodied by the ‘More Neighbours Toronto' call to action that “Every Level of Government Can Do More.”  Eric and Urmi talk about what needs to be done at all levels of government, what solutions Eric thinks are most promising and how he responds to criticisms of these approaches.  Follow Eric on Twitter: @EricDLombardi More Neighbours Toronto: https://www.moreneighbours.ca You can also watch this interview on our Move Smartly YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/movesmartly Follow us and send us your questions and feedback via Twitter @MoveSmartly, Instagram @move.smartly, or email: editor@movesmartly.com  And if you find this show useful, please rate and, even better, leave us a written review on Apple podcasts, so that more people can benefit from this information. It's very much appreciated!

80's Underground Podcasts
Episode 166: 80s Underground Replay: June 4, 2014 (Hr 1)

80's Underground Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2023 61:37


KILLING JOKE - Chessboard (Brighter Than 1000 Suns) 1987WIRE - Ambitious (The Ideal Copy) 1987THE SNAKE CORPS - Miracle (Flesh on Flesh) 1986XYMOX - Blind Hearts (Twist of Shadows) 1989XMAL DEUTSCHLAND - Eisengrau (Viva) 1987AND ALSO THE TREES - Suffering of the Stream (The Millpond Years) 1988MORRISSEY - Every Day Is Sunday (Viva Hate) 1988PREFAB SPROUT - Cue Fanfare (Swoon) 1984FICTION FACTORY - Feels Like Heaven (single) 1984OMD - Enola Gay (Organisation) 1980THROBBING GRISTLE - Hot on the Heels of Love (20 Jazz Funk Greats) 1979PSEUDO ECHO - Stranger In Me (s/t) 1984THE NAILS - Things You Left Behind (Dangerous Dreams) 1986THE BEAT FARMERS - Big Rock Candy Mountain (Tales of New West) 1985DEAD MILKMEN - Bitchin Camaro (Big Lizard in My Backyard) 1985 *request*

Baring It All with Call Me Adam
Season 3: Episode 13: Kristos Andrews: The Bay - Season 7 Exclusive Interview

Baring It All with Call Me Adam

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2023 40:07


Kristos Andrews, an 11-time Emmy Award winner, is known for playing Pete Garret/Adam Kenway on The Bay, the multi-Emmy Award winning series currently in its 7th Season on Tubi. In this exclusive interview, Kristos & I discuss: Season 7 of The Bay Playing Twins Being related to Marilyn Monroe Being a Guinness World Record Holder And so much more Stream all 7 seasons of The Bay on Tubi. Like What You Hear? Follow me on social media @CallMeAdamNYC Special Thanks: Theme Song by Bobby Cronin Podcast Logo by Liam O'Donnell  More on Kristos Andrews: -Emmy® award-winning Actor Kristos Andrews was also nominated for his role as teen heartthrob Tyler on the POP TV series This Just In. Kristos has also played opposite Bruce Willis in Survive The Game, as well as the lead in a new holiday classic The Magic on Amazon Prime. Additional TV series regular credits include bad-boy Liam Buchanan in Popstar Network's THE AGENCY, along with an upcoming post-apocalyptic sci-fi series Fraxtur. Kristos recently played the lead male in 2nd Chance For Christmas, the antagonist in Lifetime Movie's The Killer in My Backyard, and a supporting role in the multi-awarded Netflix football film The Last Whistle. Kristos is also an X Games Gold Medalist in extreme sports and two-time Guinness World Record holder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CooperTalk
Joe Genaro - Episode 952

CooperTalk

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2023 43:53


Joe Genaro is a musician and songwriter, best known for the punk rock group The Dead Milkmen. The Dead Milkmen formed in 1983, evolving out of a home-recording project with a mythological back story that Genaro had begun in 1979. The members of the group regularly employed pseudonyms, and Genaro most frequently called himself "Joe Jack Talcum" (stemming from the character of Jack Talcum that Genaro had imagined as the leader of the band in their mythology) in the context of the group, although he also used the pseudonyms "Butterfly Fairweather" and "Jasper Thread" on certain records. The band's debut LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard was released in 1985, and their initial twelve-year career saw some college radio and MTV success, notably surrounding singles "Bitchin' Camaro" (1986) and "Punk Rock Girl" (1988). Genaro acted as the group's guitarist, co-lead vocalist and co-songwriter, and occasionally played keyboards and piano. The band originally disbanded in 1995 but have reunited since. 

Too Opinionated
Too Opinionated Interview: Kristos Andrews

Too Opinionated

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2023 59:27


Today on Too Opinionated, we sit down with Kristos Andrews!  Kristos Andrews is a British-American Actor, Producer, Director and 11-time Emmy® winner.  Kristos holds the record five Lead Actor Emmy® wins by the age of 30. He holds six additional Emmys for his work as a Producer and Director, and moreover, an Emmy® nomination as a Writer. Kristos is the only individual in history to have won Emmy®s in the three well-coveted professions of Acting, Producing and Directing. Additionally, from his former career as an athlete (extreme sports), Kristos is an X-Games Gold medalist and multiple Guinness® World Record holder. Andrews has garnered most of his acclaim through his raw and 'soulful' performances in the crime-drama "The Bay" (Peacock) , in which he plays Pete Garrett, the hometown hero, opposite love interest Karrueche Tran; a highly popular super-couple on the series, known for their chemistry-filled scenes, as well his own twin; as British bad-boy, Adam Kenway.  Kristos' breakout performance as Adam Kenway on The Bay landed him the lofty 'Big Bad' anti-hero role in the Lionsgate action film, Survive The Game (2022) in which he goes head-to-head in heavy scenes throughout the movie with film legend, Bruce Willis. In the action film arena, Kristos has risen to the occasion of working head-to-head with legends such as Bruce Willis and Jean-Claude Van Damme ("Darkness of Man," 2023). Known to perform his own stunts, Andrews' extreme sports discipline and martial arts experience has been put to great use. Kristos has wrapped as the protagonist in the upcoming action movie "Breakout" (2023) co-starring Tom Sizemore and Louis Mandylor. Other recent movies include Lifetime Movie Network's 'The Killer in My Backyard' (2021, Lifetime), Showtime's "2nd Chance for Christmas" (2020, Showtime) co-starring Vivica Fox and Tara Reid, the Netflix football drama "The Last Whistle" (2020, Netflix) co-starring Brad Leland, and the lead role in "A Place Called Hollywood" (2019, Apple TV). In addition, Kristos was also Emmy nominated for his comedic role as series regular, Tyler, in the teenage family sitcom This Just In (Pop TV). In addition to being attached as co-director and special guest star on The Bay's spin-off teen drama 'yA' (2022) Kristos will also star as a series regular in the upcoming dystopian sci-fi "Fraxtur" (2023), co-starring Brittany Curran and Denise Richards. Want to watch: YouTube Meisterkhan Pod (Please Subscribe)

Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger
The Impact of Construction Next Door on Your Community with Katie Berkey, AICP, Becker & Poliakoff

Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger

Play Episode Play 46 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 15, 2023 43:58


This week, Becker Shareholder Kathleen "Katie" Berkey, AICP, sits down with Donna DiMaggio Berger and explains how she helps clients deal with all sorts of issues related to their property. As Mark Twain once said, “Buy land, they're not making it anymore,” and truer words have never been spoken. Land remains invaluable and there is often a developer looking to build, renovate, or demolish any given property. When a project like this commences, it can bring a host of headaches and trouble to those living next door. Katie Berkey is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in City, County, and Local Government Law and is a certified Professional Planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners. Katie is the only practicing professional to hold both credentials in Southwest Florida and one of eight statewide. She represents clients in zoning, land use, and planning matters and represents clients in local government administrative matters before city and county commissions, councils, and boards. Katie has been recognized by various publications and organizations as one of the best lawyers in America, a Florida Rising Star, a member of the Legal Elite, a Legal Up & Comer, one of the Top 40 Under 40, and Woman of the Year!Conversation highlights include:How can volunteer boards, managers, and association residents stay alert to possible land use changes in their vicinity?How to determine if a proposed new development presents an incompatible commercial use with the existing neighborhood?What are typical deal points in a shared use agreement with a developer?How prevalent is the NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) mindset?What kind of next-door development do people fear the most? Why do local building departments often cite the association for certain violations when it might be the owners who created the violation without the association's knowledge or consent?Who should attend a municipal or county Code Enforcement hearing with an attorney? What can be done when a city wants to repave streets in a community or enforce traffic violations but is requiring an onerous indemnification agreement from the association?BONUS: Katie discusses various valuable resources for working moms and discusses her work with the Mother's Milk Bank of Florida.

Luxe Life Discovered
Hollywood Actor and Producer Jacob Taylor Explains the Meisner Technique

Luxe Life Discovered

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2023 32:40


#actor #hollywood #podcast ** New Episodes Wednesdays 1pm CST -- Click SubscribeActor Jacob Taylor was born and raised in central Kentucky. After college, Jacob moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career and to study under well renowned acting teacher John Ruskin, at the The Ruskin School of Acting where Jacob honed in his craft with The Meisner Technique, a 2 year study. Jacob is known for his wide work across TV and streaming platforms. Actor Profile https://www.backstage.com/u/jacobtaylor/ Starring in Lifetime's "Husband, Wife, and their Lover". Opposite actress Nicki Leigh and Emmy Winning director Lane Shefter Bishop. Jacob also guest starred in the multi Daytime Emmy winning show "The Bay" streaming on Peacock. Co-starring in Paramount + "The Offer'' alongside Miles Teller, as well as a featured role in Christopher Nolan's new biographical film "Oppenheimer'' with actor Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh. Best known for A Criminal Affair (2021), The Killer in My Backyard (2021), and Fatal Memory (2021).Website www.luxelifediscovered.com Youtube Roku Amazon Fire TV

Green Sense Radio
How Zoning Broke the American City

Green Sense Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2022 25:45


Are zoning codes stopping cities from being vibrant, equitable, and sustainable? This week we spoke with M. Nolan Gray, the Research Director for California YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) and author of “Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It.” During the interview, Nolan discusses how flawed policies are a major reason many US cities cannot address housing shortages, stunted growth and innovation, persistent racial and economic segregation, and car-dependent development. Nolan shares his proactive ideas for making our cities better.

The Con Hour
The Con Hour 2.66 with Jonni Shandor

The Con Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2022 57:00


Jonni Shandor has been a fan of horror films since she was about 6 years old. Her love of horror as well as performing in front of others brought her to horror conventions where she takes on challenging cosplays, performs 80s metal cover songs, and hosts events in front of hundreds. Jonni's passion for acting and performing has brought her a whole new love for the film industry.. During quarantine, while all her film opportunities were postponed, she took advantage of the time off at just 8 years old. Jonni ended up deciding to write and direct her own films. Such as, 'There's an Alien in My Backyard', and 'Should We Be Doing This?'. Jonni Shandor also found herself as the star of a one person variety show, 'Scary Haggis', where she was able to become familiar with being in front of, and behind the camera. She can be seen in horror films such as The Embalmers, He Knows, and Parallels. With Guest Cohost Freddy Cruz.

The Rush Limbaugh Show
Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Sep 16 2022

The Rush Limbaugh Show

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2022 42:50


Not in My Backyard! Where's the Love, Martha's Vineyard Libs? Tomi Lahren Tells Us About the Violent Mob That Shut Down Her Speech. Dave Marcus on Crime: How Bad People Think It Is, It's Actually Worse. Introducing Animal Thunderdome!Follow Clay & Buck on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Animated Story
I Have A Money

My Animated Story

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 19:33


We have previously published the story "I Have a Money Tree in My Backyard" in two parts. This time we are publishing it in one piece. Two in one for those who haven't watched it yet! An opportunity for nostalgia for those who watched it before. :) Have fun! Kindly please follow/subscribe to our other podcast ( My Daily Story ) by clicking this link

Lithium-ion Rocks!
Biden's Big Money for Battery Metals - Roundtable @Mines & Money 5@5

Lithium-ion Rocks!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 57:19


YES in My Backyard! Four Americans at Luna Lithium, Talon Metals, ioneer and Piedmont Lithium discuss the bi-partisan consensus to on-shore and "friend shore" clean energy battery metal production for climate, sustainability and national security reasons. The national discussion has shifted from "if" we should mine & process locally to "how" and "where," now supported by a "land of plentiful" government support aimed to level the playing field with China.  #Tesla #battery #ev  0:00 - 2:20 - Introduction 2:21 - 7:10 Emily Hersh CEO of Luna Lithium outlines her view on the importance of having a US-based battery supply chain  7:11 -  15:45 Todd Malan VP Government Affairs at Talon Metals discusses in detail the IRA and the Critical Minerals Tax Provisions within the Act and other related provisions that will encourage the development of projects in the US 15:46 - 26:45 James Calaway, Chairman of ioneer, discusses the potential impact of the IRA and the DOE loan program on ioneer's project  26:46 - 33:20 Austin Devaney VP and Chief Marketing Officer of Piedmont  discusses the IRA's impact on the company and permitting projects in the US 33:21 - 44:15 Emily, Todd and Austin discuss the public perception of mining in the US and the challenges of changing those perceptions and fears 44:16 - 51:15 James Calaway discusses the challenges of developing projects on Federal land in the US  51:16 - 57:02 - Final commentary from all the participants on the future prospects of a US supply chain with locally produced battery materials  57:03 - End Please join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/lithiumionrocks Please subscribe here on YouTube to Rock Stock Channel to ensure full access to all our free content. And click the 'like' button and comment so we can improve our content going forward. Please register your email at www.rkequity.com  Follow Rodney and Howard on Twitter (@lithiumionbull @lithiumionrocks @RodneyHooper13) and on LinkedIn.  ----- DISCLAIMER NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH Welcome to Rock Stock Channel. Today we start a new series of individual short videos on raw materials companies that we think should benefit from the rising demand from electric vehicles, energy storage and other clean energy technologies. No payment has been paid in connection with the preparation of  this video and all Rodney's comments and research are his own independent opinions. Rodney and Howard are not financial advisors nor broker dealers, this video is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment or financial advice. Please do your own independent research and read the disclaimer at the end of the video or on RK Equity's website www.rkequity.com Intro and outro audio credit: Jamie Klein

The PrisonCare Podcast
The Five Forgotten People Groups in a Prison

The PrisonCare Podcast

Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Jul 11, 2022 17:24 Transcription Available


Have you ever thought about that icky feeling you get when you drive past a prison, and wondered how that might be effecting the way you look at correctional officers?  Or people who were formerly incarcerated?In this episode, we take a hard look at the five people groups inside a prison, and recognize how quick we are to forget about them, when they all need our support. Time Markers:(1:00) Not in My Backyard!(2:31) What's the Threat That We Perceive?(4:31) Our Comfortable Forgetfulness is Hurting People(5:30) How Many People Groups? Because you keep chaining the number(7:30) The Five Forgotten People Groups in a Prison(9:40) How Much Do You Know About the Corrections Industry?(10:40) The Fear That Inmates Admit Most Readily(12:05) Prison Makes People Worse Instead of Better(12:50) How Do We Really Feel About Corrections Professionals?(13:50) Taking Responsibility(15:10) Coming Up Next: What is Positive Prison Culture?Transcript of this episode is also available at http://prisoncare.org/podcast--video.html.  Intro/Outro MUSIC CREDIT: We've Come A Long Way (No Vocal Version) Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Support the show

Saturdays are for the Ghouls
Ep. 55 - Campfire Stories 5

Saturdays are for the Ghouls

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2022 49:39


Sit back and relax in front of the campfire and GET SPOOKED. If you have any spooky, creepy, or just straight up odd stories that you want us to read for Campfire Stories, send us a DM on Instagram or Facebook ( @saturdaysarefortheghouls ) or email us at saturdaysarefortheghouls@gmail.com Story Links [in order] My scariest experience [by SomewhereUnlikely] https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueScaryStories/comments/vby22s/my_scariest_experience_its_long_but_you_will_be/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 Alien Creature in My Backyard [by Warholalien] https://www.reddit.com/r/Thetruthishere/comments/ug898o/alien_creature_in_my_backyard/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  There is something in the woods... [by Scott from Tennessee] https://www.reddit.com/r/INTHEHILLS/comments/v8tnpm/there_is_something_in_the_woods/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 don't open the door, that's not him [by Mayipleasego] https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/vd6ha7/dont_open_the_door_thats_not_him/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  Crazy story from a juvenile detention center. [by SockTacoz] https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/uzux5u/crazy_story_from_a_juvenile_detention_center/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  There's something there [by Theotherguy952] https://www.reddit.com/r/skinwalkers/comments/s6a9hs/theres_something_there/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  No clue about what's going on in my house. [by Just-a-name-yeah] https://www.reddit.com/r/creepyencounters/comments/vg39mg/no_clue_about_whats_going_on_in_my_house/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  Called the cops on a ghost during New Years. [by Meaty Cheerios] https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghoststories/comments/vbxuvo/called_the_cops_on_a_ghost_during_new_years/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3  **Sound Effects from Youtube Audio Library** Music: https://www.purple-planet.com This podcast is part of the Podmoth Network. https://podmoth.network/ Join us EVERY Saturday for your weekly dose of spooky! Check out BSP Podcast from the Podmoth Network.

Sisters In Music Radio
Chatting with Nat - Mother/Daughter Music Duo -Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez

Sisters In Music Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 58:00


Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yañez are a mother/daughter music team who perform in several genres including classical, folk, and children's music. The two are both classically trained musicians with Master of Arts degrees in Music.  They work as college music educators in their communities in addition to concertizing throughout the U.S. and abroad. The BILLBOARD charting duo's music has appeared on television, in film soundtracks, with symphonies, and in choral and orchestral music arrangements. The two have won numerous awards for their two children's albums “Kokowanda Bay” and “The Spaceship That Fell in My Backyard,” including the Parent's Choice Award (2020), Mom's Choice Gold Award (2020), KidsFirst! 3-star endorsement (2020), Grand Prize-Hollywood Music in Media Award (2020), L.A. Music Critics Award, The Creative Child Magazine's CD OF THE YEAR Award (202), The Family Choice Award 2018, the John Lennon Songwriting GRAND PRIZE (children's music 2018), National Assoc. of Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA 2018 and 2020), Clouzine International Music Awards (children's), and many more! Their song, “We're Gonna Be Legendary,” is the theme song for the San Diego Public School System. The duo's most recent album, “I Had a Dream: Songs of an Immigrant,”began as a labor of love when Ruth set the poems of her late grandma, Betty Karon Hertz, to music so that the story of her impoverished childhood in Russia, her daring escape during the Bolshevik Revolution, and her life as an immigrant in the United States could be forever memorialized.  Website:https://www.ruthandemilia.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RuthandEmilia        

Getting lumped up with Rob Rossi
Rockshow episode 156 Lynyrd Skynyrd

Getting lumped up with Rob Rossi

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 60:29


RockerMike and Rob discuss Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (/ˌlɛnərd ˈskɪnərd/ LEN-ərd SKIN-ərd) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass guitar) and Bob Burns (drums). The band spent five years touring small venues under various names and with several lineup changes before deciding on "Lynyrd Skynyrd" in 1969. The band released its first album in 1973, having settled on a lineup that included bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboardist Billy Powell and guitarist Ed King. Burns left and was replaced by Artimus Pyle in 1974. King left in 1975 and was replaced by Steve Gaines in 1976. At the height of their fame in the 1970s, the band popularized the Southern rock genre with songs such as "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". After releasing five studio albums and one live album, the band's career was abruptly halted on October 20, 1977, when their chartered airplane crashed, killing Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, and seriously injuring the rest of the band. https://lynyrdskynyrd.com/ https://m.facebook.com/LynyrdSkynyrd https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MVyzYMgTwdP7Z49wAZHx0 https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/lynyrd-skynyrd https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/remembering-lynyrd-skynyrds-deadly-1977-plane-crash-2-195371/amp/ https://mobile.twitter.com/skynyrd?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/skynyrd/?hl=en #musicvideo #musicstudio #musiclover #musiclife #musicindustry #musiclovers #musiccover #musician #LynyrdSkynyrd #musicproducer #musicproduction #musicians #musicislife #musicartist #musicphotography #musicvideos #Music #Punk #drummer #Guitar @drummers @spotify @twitter @LynyrdSkynyrd Please follow us on Youtube,Facebook,Instagram,Twitter,Patreon and at www.gettinglumpedup.com https://linktr.ee/RobRossi Get your T-shirt at https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/gettinglumpedup And https://www.bonfire.com/store/getting-lumped-up/ https://app.hashtag.expert/?fpr=roberto-rossi80 https://dc2bfnt-peyeewd4slt50d2x1b.hop.clickbank.net Subscribe to the channel and hit the like button This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rob-rossi/support https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-lumped-up-with-rob-rossi/id1448899708 https://open.spotify.com/show/00ZWLZaYqQlJji1QSoEz7a https://www.patreon.com/Gettinglumpedup --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rob-rossi/support

Mad Mad World
"Not In My Backyard!" Both Sides of the NIMBYism Debate

Mad Mad World

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2022 69:03


NIMBY (standing for "Not in My Backyard") is a phenomenon (and group of people) Los cannot stop talking about. Whether it's Dave Chappelle or his neighbors in California—if you ask Los, NIMBYs are a huge reason why the housing crisis seems to be getting worse and worse. But are NIMBYs really THAT bad? Is there a legitimate case for their opposition to the new development they work so hard to oppose? Los and Bertram roll up their sleeves to debate the cases for and against NIMBYism. Don't let all the talk about zoning and housing fool you—you don't want to miss this one. You might find out you're a NIMBY after listening to this episode

The Mike Wagner Show
The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez from San Diego are my very special guests!

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 36:58


The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez talk about their new release “I Had a Dream: Songs of an Immigrant” as a labor of love when Ruth set her poems of her late grandmother to music of her impoverished childhood in Russia and a daring escape during the Bolshevik Revolution and her life as an immigrant in the US! Ruth served as a music director of the billboard-charting San Diego Jewish Men's Choir while Emilia is an upcoming artist and both are adjunct music faculty members and educators in the San Diego area! Ruth and Emilia have also performed around the world and won numerous awards including the Parent's Choice Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Grand Prize plus talk about their previous releases “Kokowanda Bay”, “The Spaceship That Fell in My Backyard” , the award-winning film “One Little Finger” and more! Check out their amazing new release on Amazon and www.ruthandemilia.com ! #ruthweber #emilialopezyanez #singer #songwriter #sandiego #ihadadreamsongsofanimmigrant #grandmother #russia #jewish #billboard #sandiegojewishmenschoir #johnlennon #kokowandabay #thespaceshipthatfellinmybackyard #onelittlefinger #ruthandemilia #parentschoiceawards #amazon #audible #iheartradio #spreaker #spotify #itunes #googleplay #applemusic #youtube #podbean #anchorfm #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerruthweber #themikewagnershowruthweber #mikewagneremilialopezyanez #themikewagnershowemilialopezyanez --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/themikewagnershow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/themikewagnershow/support

The Mike Wagner Show
The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez from San Diego are my very special guests!

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 32:33


The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez talk about their new release “I Had a Dream: Songs of an Immigrant” as a labor of love when Ruth set her poems of her late grandmother to music of her impoverished childhood in Russia and a daring escape during the Bolshevik Revolution and her life as an immigrant in the US! Ruth served as a music director of the billboard-charting San Diego Jewish Men's Choir while Emilia is an upcoming artist and both are adjunct music faculty members and educators in the San Diego area! Ruth and Emilia have also performed around the world and won numerous awards including the Parent's Choice Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Grand Prize plus talk about their previous releases “Kokowanda Bay”, “The Spaceship That Fell in My Backyard” , the award-winning film “One Little Finger” and more! Check out their amazing new release on Amazon and www.ruthandemilia.com ! #ruthweber #emilialopezyanez #singer #songwriter #sandiego #ihadadreamsongsofanimmigrant #grandmother #russia #jewish #billboard #sandiegojewishmenschoir #johnlennon #kokowandabay #thespaceshipthatfellinmybackyard #onelittlefinger #ruthandemilia #parentschoiceawards #amazon #audible #iheartradio #spreaker #spotify #itunes #googleplay #applemusic #youtube #podbean #anchorfm #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerruthweber #themikewagnershowruthweber #mikewagneremilialopezyanez #themikewagnershowemilialopezyanez --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/themikewagnershow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/themikewagnershow/support

The Mike Wagner Show
The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez from San Diego are my very special guests!

The Mike Wagner Show

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 36:29


The amazing singing duo of Ruth Weber and Emilia Lopez-Yanez talk about their new release “I Had a Dream: Songs of an Immigrant” as a labor of love when Ruth set her poems of her late grandmother to music of her impoverished childhood in Russia and a daring escape during the Bolshevik Revolution and her life as an immigrant in the US! Ruth served as a music director of the billboard-charting San Diego Jewish Men's Choir while Emilia is an upcoming artist and both are adjunct music faculty members and educators in the San Diego area! Ruth and Emilia have also performed around the world and won numerous awards including the Parent's Choice Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Grand Prize plus talk about their previous releases “Kokowanda Bay”, “The Spaceship That Fell in My Backyard” , the award-winning film “One Little Finger” and more! Check out their amazing new release on Amazon and www.ruthandemilia.com ! #ruthweber #emilialopezyanez #singer #songwriter #sandiego #ihadadreamsongsofanimmigrant #grandmother #russia #jewish #billboard #sandiegojewishmenschoir #johnlennon #kokowandabay #thespaceshipthatfellinmybackyard #onelittlefinger #ruthandemilia #parentschoiceawards #amazon #audible #iheartradio #spreaker #spotify #itunes #googleplay #applemusic #youtube #podbean #anchorfm #mikewagner #themikewagnershow #mikewagnerruthweber #themikewagnershowruthweber #mikewagneremilialopezyanez #themikewagnershowemilialopezyanez

Values & Politics

Green in My BackYard, Gimby, is the philosophy that we must take the responsibility to execute the transition to Green Technology and the resulting strains on the environment resulting from new raw materials required. Going green requires a whole new list of raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, magnesium, rare earths, silicon, and copper. These metals require mining and extensive processing. For five decades we have pushed the responsibility of mining and processing these raw materials to other countries where the devastation on the environment was outside of our control. Often great harm was done to the environment as we pushed technology off of our shores because we did not want the technology in our backyards, NIMBY. Now I am advocating we keep the technology from the mine to the manufacturing plant to the sales office in our country and we do it green and clean. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/whiteguy/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whiteguy/support

People Over Plastic
Still in My Backyard [featuring Filipino environmental activist Von Hernandez, climate justice campaigner Yvette Arellano, and Indonesian lawyer Tiza Mafira]

People Over Plastic

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2022 30:52


Welcome back for our season 1 finale, ‘Still in My Backyard' As we've underlined throughout season 1, the exclusion of BIPOC voices in mainstream narratives on both the climate and plastic pollution crisis has majorly hindered efforts to build a more just and equitable world. For many of us, when it comes to multi-layered issues linked to environmental racism, it's difficult to grasp what this actually means in the day-to-day. For instance, imagine learning that petrochemical pollution is hindering your ability to start a family. Imagine if your city was used as a literal dumping ground for foreign trash. Imagine living with the daily anxiety of watching your kids grow up near a river you loved as a child, one that's now choked with plastic pollution. In ‘Still in My Backyard', our host Shilpi Chhotray gets personal with three incredible leaders from different parts of the world who spend a lot of time on the intersections of plastic, climate, health, and environmental justice. Our guests include: Von Hernandez, the Global Coordinator for the Break Free From Plastic movement based in Manila, Philippines. A Goldman Environmental Prize awardee, Von is one of Asia's leading environmental activists and made history in 1999 when he helped make the Philippines the first country to ban waste incineration. You'll also hear from Yvette Arellano from Houston, Texas. Yvette is a foremost environmental justice campaigner addressing the impacts of petrochemical production. After decades of working with communities on-the-ground, they recently founded Fenceline Watch which is dedicated to ending the multigenerational harm of communities living on the fenceline of industry. And last but not least, Tiza Mafira from Jakarta, Indonesia. An environmental lawyer by profession, Tiza works to mobilize governments and industries to ban the plastic bag throughout Indonesian supermarkets. Her organization Plastic Bag Diet Movement (IDDKP), is pushing for a nationwide ban on plastic bags. Von, Yvette, and Tiza are featured in the Emmy-award winning documentary: The Story Of Plastic. Don't forget to subscribe to People Over Plastic available on Apple and Spotify! Stay tuned to our season 2 drop. Follow People Over Plastic on social media at @peopleXplastic on Instagram & Twitter. Resources: Story of Plastic - link to watch the full documentary Tiza in New Security Beat: Aiming for A World Where Everything Is Circular: Q&A with Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Cofounder Tiza Mafira Yvette in the New York Times: In the Shadows of America's Smokestacks, Virus is One More Deadly Risk Von in South China Morning Post: False promise of disposable plastic recycling obscures firms role in global waste crisis About Break Free From Plastic movement: website About Fenceline Watch: website About IDDKP: website

Create a New Tomorrow
EP 74: Diversity and Inclusion with Jeff Le

Create a New Tomorrow

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 99:50


Jeff Le has had a career at the highest levels of public policy and politics at the state, federal and international levels. A recognized thought leader in political advocacy and representation, his analysis and opinion-writing have been featured in The New York Times, POLITICO Magazine, USA Today, The Washington Post, FOX News, The Hill, Roll Call, Forbes, and local and regional newspapers in 30 states.=================Welcome back to another episode of create a new tomorrow. I am your host, Ari Gronich. And today I have with me, Jeff Le, and I've been looking forward to having this conversation for a long time. Jeff is a two-time tour guide in Afghanistan. He's an ultra-marathoner. He's in the political arena. And that's the thing that I really want to talk to him about. But this is a guy who's recognized as a thought leader, as in political advocacy. He's been featured on Politico magazine, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, I mean, Fox News, all kinds of stuff. But Jeff, I'm gonna let you tell a little bit more about yourself. And where it is that, you know, you feel like your history has met your present, and is like pushing your future forward. Jeff Le2:36Thanks for having me. Ari. Flattery will get you everywhere. So, thank you for that very warm introduction. You know, when I talk about my life, I really must take time to talk about my parents, first and foremost, not just because they love each other very much, and here I am. But also, because, you know, it's their bravery and passion that allows me to be an American today. Right. So, they were Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon. 46 years ago. 3:25Yeah, they were refugees in, you know, Thailand and the Philippines and escaped Vietnam and communism on a 32-foot raft. So, you know, when they made it to the United States in 1981, after six years, a year later, I was born. And that came with great rights, but also responsibilities. And growing up in Southern California. My parents had a gardening company. And it's important to highlight because it was my first job. My first job at eight years old was being the gardener's kid, and mowing lawns in the weekends. I learned two things about this. Number one, manual labor sucks. And education is really important, two people treat you based on what they think of you based on what you do. And so, understanding that we're only equal in concept, but maybe not in reality is an important lesson learn at a young age. I say all that because a lot of my professional and personal life was driven on this understanding. And I would break my life chapter into three chapters, and we can talk about each of them. Yeah, the first was a chapter in the international affairs arena, right? I got to work and travel and 85 countries around the world. There was so much to see and do, including, you know, what you referenced was, you know, my time in Afghanistan, you know, working in the international development, economic space, but also working in the human rights and advocacy, is base. And obviously, recent events in Afghanistan, are quite tragic and horrible. We'll talk about that. After that experience, it made me ask for mentally, what was I doing for the country back home? And so, the second chapter of my life was in politics, but you know, really with a stronger emphasis in state and local politics. I got to work for the governor of California specifically for five years. Jerry, yes, great way for Jerry Brown, Jerry Brown, the governor of California, so that the current governor of California, the previous governor of California, and which, for me was fascinating, because when Jerry Brown was governor, California, in the 70s, and early 80s, my parents arrived here. So it was so fascinating that their son could be advising the governor of California, the same governor, who was governor when they landed. So, think about that, from that, you know, the world is an interesting circle. And I was really proud of the work that I got to do in California, as you know, I mean, California, you know, covers some really interesting issues and technology and innovation. Ari Gronich5:53California is crazy state. Jeff Le5:55There's a lot of stuff to talk about, right? Fires, floods, you know, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, I mean, your amens, I mean, there's so much stuff that comes from there. And also what's not talked about the largest veteran community in the country, and 30 military installations that are sort of the backbone for our efforts in the Pacific, not talked about, but it's very important. Think about not just from a national security perspective, but also from a local economy perspective, having those installations there, those work I really got to work in really proud of. And now in this phase, I work in technology. And I'm really focused right now on housing, and really focused on reducing barriers for people to get to affordable safe housing, at a time where you have potentially millions of people being evicted, through no fault of their own. So, you know, for me, my goals have really been focused on trying to support empower the most marginalized at a time where the haves and have nots grow, what can we be doing to be smart and thoughtful about this, and not throw the baby with the bath wash. Ari Gronich7:09Absolutely. So let's start to unpack some of this stuff a little bit. We're gonna go back, I actually I had a girlfriend. Long time ago, she had a tattoo on her butt that looked like a shipping label. It's said made in Vietnam. She had been a refugee who had escaped on a boat, like a rowboat, almost to Thailand. And so I find that interesting, because I know what it's like what it was like for her parents, who did the escaping, you know, and all of that what they faced and possibilities that they faced in order to escape a place. And where I'm going to draw the parallel in a minute is not necessarily to the Vietnam, but it's to Afghanistan, and all the refugees that are being forced, you know, to leave their home. And so, we'll draw that parallel as well. But what I want to get to at the first is, is that eight-year-old boy, who is being aware of the fact that your equality is not necessarily equal in the eyes of the people. So, I want to just kind of unpack this this one little bit for a second, let's talk about equality. And if there should even be anything called equality, and if so, what would it look like to you? So, let's just.  Jeff Le8:49Yeah, it's funny. So, under the law, there is supposed to be equality, right? In society, that's certainly not necessarily the case. There is something very important which is equity. Equity is important. Yes. Equanimity too. Those two concepts are very important. And so, I believe in equality of, there's an equality of opportunity and potential. Outcomes are different. Outcomes or outcomes. But we also must acknowledge that, there are some folks that are born on third base. There are some folks that are born on first base, and there are some folks that are selling hotdogs in the stands. It's it is different. And so, where you start does affect how you play the game. Right? Like if you're playing Monopoly and you got Boardwalk and Park Place to Start, it probably affects the way you probably can maneuverer. And I can tell you that my you know, my parents coming to the United States with nothing, I can't say we had Boardwalk and Park Place. I think we were just happy to have it. Have a token on the board. Right, we're happy to be here. And very much at least in an Asian American Pacific Islander angle, particularly Vietnamese American one, there's one very much filled with gratitude, a gratitude that we get to be here and that we get to chase, the thing that you and I have talked about, which is the American dream. The American Dream, though, isn't the dream for your parents, the American Dream is the possibilities for your children. That's what that is. Because, you know, very few, you know, these refugees you cited and Afghanistan, they're here are like being resettled. They are not going to be the direct beneficiaries of the American experience and the opportunities here; their kids will be. That is the American dream. The parents will have to live with the trauma of what they lost and what they'll never get back. And I know we discussed like, oh, how lucky these Afghans are to make it. The survivor's guilt. That's real. And they're separated from their family, their friends, their loved ones, everything they've ever known. So, they're always going to be knothole. So, I think there's this notion when we talk in society about like, oh, these refugees are taking advantage of things. Oh, they're just trying to find a way to, you know, further themselves. No, it's a last resort. It is a last resort. I mean, you think about what makes you happy? It's your community. It's the people around you. It's the sense that you're living in your skin. Ari Gronich11:27You know, it's funny to me, as you're talking, I had a thought, right? How many people do I know that I grew up with? Who have never left? The place that we grew up. Quite a few. And how difficult it is for somebody, just to willingly choose to go move somewhere, even just out of city. Not just out of state but out of city. You know, how many people do I know that have lived on the same block. You know, as their parents lived, and their grandparents lived the same block the same neighbourhoods. And when I hear somebody say, you know, these people are, they're being forced. What I want to see happen, right. When I hear you say, they'll never be whole, what I want to see happen is block parties. I want us to be, you know, the 50s, again, when we welcomed the world, right, onto our blocks into block parties, and we actually understand and listen and question like, What was that experience that you went through so that people can become whole? Jeff Le12:52Yeah, I mean, you're totally right. I think this first off, I mean, if you look at the founding of America, America is a nation of immigrants and refugees, by the way, seeking refuge. In the only scenario of options last, right, if you look at the history, right? We focus so much on the Mayflower. There are many other May flowers for many other generations that we never talked about. It's not as luxurious, right? But the reality is that you, we have a culture that has a connection to cultures of many. And part of our strength, if you talk about from innovation, what makes America so powerful, is that we have these viewpoints, perspective skills and abilities from all around the world that come here, the best of the best. And then they use those talents and skills to create things that change the world. That creates that new tomorrow. Right? If you look at, you know, for example, let's just talk about, let's say the vaccine, for example, one of the things that people don't talk about who worked on the science of these vaccines, right? The research and development are on the backs of immigrants, doing the lab and bench science. So, you know, America benefits from those talents. And to your point, we have to recognize, it takes a whole of society to put people in the best position to succeed. They deserve to have an at bats, whether they strike out whether they get a single, I couldn't tell you.Ari Gronich14:23So, hold on a second. Let's again, I'm I like to unpack some of this. I don't agree. With the premise that all people should have an equal starting ground. Right. And say that because I'm going to have a different brain than you have different set of skills than you. I'm going to have abilities that you will never have. You will have abilities that I will never have. And I disagree with the philosophy of any possibility of starting from an even ground. Now, here's, here's to say, if I had $100 million, okay, my brain would know who I need to put that with. So that I could get things moving forward, somebody else's brain that's given $100 million is going to spend it on junk that's not going to move anybody forward or anything forward, another person is going to spend that 100 million totally different, right? They're going to actually like maybe go to classes and learn and gain a skill and do good in the world. So, money, or resources or family, like, you might have a much larger family of resources than I have, my family might have more money. So, I don't believe that there's ever going to be a time possible in which we have an equal starting point or equanimity in relationships, it have equanimity and other things. Jeff Le16:09Well, I think historically, that's right. I mean, again, like we talked about my family's history in the United States is 39 years. Right. So, the starting point is different versus, you know, someone that's been here since their family has been here since 1840s. Whether we can agree that's different, and totally agree that there's different skills and abilities. I think it's the case of how do we best put people in positions, you know, to fulfil their talents and potential? I agree with you. Not everyone is gonna be a starting pitcher. Not everyone is going to be even playing that sport. I totally agree. But I do think on the services part, like the thing you talked about for society, right? Having that openness to learn to understand that benefits everybody, and that benefits a stronger country as a whole. Ari Gronich17:01Yeah. But also. I guess what I want to get to is, can we agree on a solution, right? That starts us from a place of maybe not equanimity. But at least not fight or flight. Right. So having somebody not necessarily have to worry about survival skills, survival instincts, surviving in general. And that's where I believe that if we could get away from the nervous system being triggered into this fight or flight response constantly, right? Meaning, we give people a way to have shelter, have clothes, have food, have the things that are necessary to sustain a life. That starting point, at least, is a starting point that will allow people to move in a quicker fashion, right? But to your point, at eight years old, you started a job. At seven years old, I started a job. Right. Mine was paper boy, and we did lawn mowing for like five bucks a lawn. Five bucks a lawn, I think back then. It was like three bucks a lawn. Right. And so, here's the other part of that. So, I'm going to be my own devil's advocate on this. The struggle is what made you who you are, right? That having to work that early, the being forced into an a non-equal position, right. Whereas somebody who's wealthy, whose kids are wealthy, they don't have to do anything, they don't have to learn, they don't have to think they don't have to, and they'll lose anything that they're given pretty darn quickly. So, there's, the dichotomy in my in my head, and we give people an equal footing ground as far as like survival. And will that have an opposite effect of taking the struggle away that makes people really forged in strong?   Jeff Le19:32Yeah, so I think you know, if you think of that, you know that Maslow's hierarchy, right. So, if you reduce the existential crises, then it can allow people to forge and foster in the other ways. I think there's three factors I think about first is, you know, just personality, right. I think there's the things that are born innately like you were talking about earlier. Alright, that is a factor. The second one, I think, is really helpful is exposure to other people? So, I mean, if you think about, you know, everyone remembers their third-grade teacher, right? Like there are people that influenced your life in a unique way. Even if it doesn't seem like it's going to be changing your life, those people are really important that you can't really control for right is the quality of your teacher or the quality of, you know, important figures in your life? The third is luck. And that, I think, to the point you, I think you imply it, I think that's fair. We live in a society that tells us that if you work hard to do these things, and you're successful, and that, alternatively, if you don't work hard, you will fail, and that's on you. So, when we see people fail, we just assume they didn't work hard enough. That might not necessarily be true. So, it's like that. That's an interesting premise here on, you know, this path dependency of like this dichotomy of if you do this, you do this, if you do this, this happens. Ari Gronich20:56See, I don't I don't believe that hard work means anything. Right. I've seen housekeepers who, I mean, like, go 10 hours, 12 hours a day, they work their butts off, and they're making, you know, five bucks an hour, so to speak. 10 bucks, whatever the minimum nowadays. And I see CEOs who do absolutely nothing all day, right? Who make massive amounts of money. So, I don't believe that it's equal hard work for outcome, right? It's what you create as value. It's how much value you're providing to the world. Right? So, the value you provide to the world is gonna depend on your personality, as you said, it's going to depend on your skill set your, you know, your history, but all but mostly your mindset skill set, isn't that correct?  Jeff Le21:57It is and again, also, the degree of understanding systems. So, this is the other part like we were talking about, from, you know, the welcoming, I view, the welcoming is also an education on, how do you navigate? I think about my parents in the first two years, they were trying to figure out the DMV. I think everyone struggles, the DMV in some way. But imagine, you've come from this conflict, and you've been in transit. And now you're here and you have some sort of social network or you're working through, but then they're like, Oh, you have to get driver's license. Like, what is that? How does that work? So, there's also like, the quicker one can pick up the system. And as we talked about, I think really gifted creatives in this space, we'll learn the system, maximize what that looks like, and then break it. Right. I think that's where it gets really interesting. When you're starting in a position of the basics, you're not talking about breaking systems just yet, right? So, I think anything you can do to, again, expedite the ability to get people administratively in the points you talked about with this, you know, this hierarchy. That is helpful, because it will help for people's transition. to not feel like they don't belong here. Or at least you pretend you belong here.    Ari Gronich23:22So, belong here, an interesting phrase. So, I'm a firm believer that I should have the free ability to travel about the universe as I see fit. Right? I don't think I should have to have a passport. I don't think that there should be borders of any kind. I don't, you know, let me play. I'm gonna play this out. Like, yeah, well, your goal on here, I don't think there should be any limits. To me traveling around the globe. I look on a world view of Earth from space. And there aren't any of those, you know, barriers or lines that we've put onto the globe. Yes, you can see the Great Wall, but that still doesn't delineate the country, it only delineates one place. But the point is that this is earth, right? We all belong. If we live, if we exist, we belong on this earth. And so, stopping people from traveling, creating all these borders, what does that do psychologically? To somebody's mind, right? I have a friend in London right now. And he had to get permission from the government to fly out of London to come to the US because of COVID right otherwise There would be a $7,000. Fine. Okay, in order to travel around the country around the globe around whatever, you had to get permission. I think that that's wrong. You've been to 85 countries. Right? You've travelled the world. You have seen, I'm sure more amazing things than 99% of all people. Because you've been to more places that, you know, most people have, like, like we said before, never lost their block, never got off their block, let alone travelled 85 countries. So, what do you think of belonging to the universe belonging to Earth, right, belonging in general? And how this whole issue can get alleviated? If we stop the nationalism thought? Jeff Le25:56Yeah, yeah, um, I want to react really quickly about some insights. When you travel to different countries, I have two universal principles. And then we'll talk about the nationalism question that you raised. The first is in the travels, I got to experience and see with all the different people. Principle number one that I found is that regardless, where I went, who I met, how I met, what I saw, the people who had the least always gave the most, that's irrespective of nationality, irrespective of label, gender, you name it, I thought it was incredibly powerful. And from a humanist perspective, like just very inspiring, especially in places of the most hardship, I found people to be absolutely the most resilient, the most resistance to negativity, but also willing to sacrifice in a way that was in almost inhuman in some ways. Second principle, the more I travel, the more I miss home. And there's something about home that is important. And I struggled to understand what was it about home that it was, was it? Was it air conditioning? Was it my cereal in the morning? Was it the ease of driving on the right side of the road? What was it? And what I concluded was, it was a sense, where I didn't have to constantly translate in my head, a situation or scenario. And I think when you're what you're talking about, from a big picture perspective. When you talk about these barriers, or borders or labels, you're talking about haves and have nots. And you're talking about people that are deemed X and people that are deemed Y. And it's never done in a way that's done with rigor, right? It's just a label, right? It's based on what you talked about. It's based on nationality or passport, or it's based on a classification. It's not based on the individual, right, with rare exception, like your friend is a rare exception to get that exemption, for example, largely based by Guile in relationships.      Ari Gronich28:07But he's spoken in front of parliament in the United Nations. So, he's been a guest on this show. I mean, that will get him. Well, we'll get him anything, Jeff. Jeff Le28:18Besides a cosmic karma. But to your point, though, you know, I do think the nativism part is dangerous, because it irrationally puts people into intellectually lazy buckets. That is dangerous from not just from an everyday life perspective, but from a policymaking perspective. Right. And, you know, as you know, that the government, there might be well intended actions or options. But implementation is always the question. And then there's always exceptions to the rule. That is the question. And so, it can be really hard to right size solutions for the most people possible. Understanding that is far from perfect. But fundamentally, one of the issues that I see here is the policy makers that use rhetoric to score political points, mainly campaign dollars, to then advance their own personal interest without actually doing good for the others around them. That is, and maybe that's human nature. I don't know, we can debate that. I would argue it's not because I've seen the most giving people on planet Earth. So, it's hard. It's hard to see the difference. But unfortunately, in the system, we're in Ari. It's very much driven on. There's only so much pie, and I'm going to claim the pie for my people versus some of us believe that. Actually, you can go in the kitchen and make pie and we'd all be better off. So, it's an interesting debate. Ari Gronich29:55Yeah, there's plenty of pie. I always say to somebody who thinks that there's a lack of anything in the universe. Say count handful of sand grain, just a handful. Just count them. See if you can, if you can't, you probably don't have a lack in the world, right? How about counting the hairs on your head? Can you count how many hairs are on your head or pores or on your skin? Right? We don't have a lack of for anything. In fact, we have an abundance of so much. Part of what I feel is like going to a restaurant where there's a menu, that is five pages versus a one page menu, right? One causes anxiety. The other cause, you know, creates ease. I only have these choices. Yeah, this is all that I can do. Right. Whereas the universe right now, is the smorgasbord, we have this thing called the internet that allows you to have a buffet of all you can eat of your own topic, right? And so like, for me, I'm the kind of person who gets a little piece of everybody's, right. And I want a little I want to try a little bit of everybody. So, I don't get stuck in my own thoughts.  Jeff Le31:17Well, also you don't get stuffed either. Right. So, you get to enjoy the taste without having to deal with that coma after so that's a smart strategy. Ari Gronich31:25Right. But, that's how I like my people. You know, diverse. That's how I like my life is to have diversity to have levels.    Jeff Le31:41Go outside to see different and I would also say difference. Right. Because I think one of the killers that we were talking about with nativism, is people just all go in their corners, right? And that creates groupthink. And groupthink is a killer. That's the thing that we need to be breaking. And I'm really, I really admire the way you sort of look at life in that you want to be exposed to as many things as possible. Not as little.  Ari Gronich32:06Cancel Culture sucks. Let's just get it out. Like anybody who's cancelling anybody. You should be ashamed of yourself. Really, like down and dirty. You should be ashamed of yourself, cancelling people cancelling things that you have no idea about who they are, you never asked them a deep question, or found out why and you're cancelling them. I find it disgusting. It's actually like, I find that that whole concept, completely disgusting. Anybody who's an American like it's going against the Constitution, which is free speech, the idea of free speech, right? So, let's just like I'm just getting that out of my system. At the onset, right? Cancel culture sucks. So that being said, what's the solution? So, I like solutions. I'm all about solutions. These days, we've talked a lot about problems. Yeah. I want to get to some solutions with you. Okay. So, let's go to Afghanistan, for instance, and what's going on there. You had two tours. And you kind of have an insider's perspective. So, let's get perspective on that location. Jeff Le33:27Yeah. I mean, obviously, Afghanistan has been in the news. What's fascinating about Afghanistan, is it's one of the most complex histories on planet Earth. I mean, just where it's located in the world is one of the busier more complex neighbourhoods, you can you just take a look around the neighbourhoods, it's busy. And what I learned from the years I was there, that one, one really important lesson, which is super helpful for both empathy, but also humility, is the longer you're in a place, the less you understand. And I think that's the case in many countries in many parts of the world. Ari Gronich34:04Unpack that. Explain that. Jeff Le34:05So, there's layers of complexity. And let's say, you know, you want to understand the United States. So, you stay here for a semester, or you stay here for a couple weeks. All right, you have a good handle. You stay here five years, what did you really learn? Oh, my goodness, there is way more to unpack than one thought. That's very much the case in a foreign country that is in a conflict, an active conflict zone, and you're trying to figure out, how do we promote better relations? How do we, you know, ensure more prosperity and economic development? How do we build things? And also, more importantly, how do we get rid of the bad guys? Which by the way, there's that construct of good guys bad guys, which we can talk about that. The great part about that experience two things one, I got to be outside of the Capital for lots of parts of it. And that's helpful because the country isn't just The State Capital or the nation's capital, just like if you look at the United States right now, you know, there's Washington and there's everything else. Everything else is quite different than Washington very much as hasten Kabul and everywhere else and understanding that the local differences matter. But more importantly, the local sensitivities, the local people, local constructs are different. That helps you get a sense of what's possible. And the only way I could do anything Ari was with hiring local people who were invested in trying to promote a better Ari Gronich35:33Hold on one second, I'm gonna pause you.  Ari Gronich35:57Jeff, I'll be right back. I just got to do something real quick.  Jeff LeYeah, of course. Ari Gronich36:40Sorry about that, my ex is coming to pick up stuff for my son. Jeff Le36:52Understand, understand. That's complexity. Ari Gronich36:56Yes. All right. So where were we? Jeff Le37:01We were talking about FSM. Yeah. I guess, to say, if you want to be successful, in a country, like that, you need to have local buy in. And you need to have local staff who are committed to building a very different country. That's not an easy sell. But when you do have folks who are interested in stronger prosperity or having closer Western alignments of the world, when they're all in, you're all in, here's the thing. They make a choice. That choice isn't just a job decision. That's a life and death decision. That's the difference Ari. So, the choose to support the Americans, like just how my parents supported the Americans. If you don't win, you lose. And that's what unfortunately, has been the case here in the last six weeks following the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. And I think we can agree 20 years is a very long time. And we can agree that 20 years, what did that give us? Those are fair, valid, thoughtful, important questions that we should and absolutely need to learn from. But speaking at a human level, knowing that the vast majority of my local staff, people that made sure I was okay, made sure our troops were okay. That they're not going to be okay, now. That is crushing to me. Because they're the unlucky ones, the ones that won't make it to United States, and 46 years ago, my parents were the Afghans. And so, I feel a tremendous sense of both heartbreak, guilt, and shame, knowing that we couldn't do everything we really could do. You'll hear Ari, people say that, oh, we did the best we could. It could have been way worse, you know, right. And listen, I would love to go down the multiverse to determine the other scenarios I'd love to. But the reality is in the universe you and I live in today. There are family members of my former staff that have already been killed, or people are hiding in a hole in the ground or deciding which land border are they going to cross over? That's the questions right now. And that's a difficult thing to accept for me. Putting aside the strategic questions, which we can talk about, of course, that's that that is well deserving, but just on a human level. It's something I haven't been able to shake. I don't sleep very well, to be honest with you. I tried to do the best I could and continue to try to support visa applications, whatever the case might be through our process, which is a 14-step process. And it's hard to know that even the greatest most powerful country in the history of the world, still can't get the stuff, right. Ari Gronich0:02So, I'm gonna unpack a little bit because the humanity part, right, so let's just kind of talk about that in a way, that is more of a strategic thing. Right? So, we're in a country 20 years.What were we doing there? And what should we have been doing there? Right? Those are the two questions that I asked like, what were you doing now? And what could we have been doing differently? Or better or whatever? Because the way I see it, and I say it on the show all the time is we made this shit up, we could do better. So, there's not a single thing on the planet that we've created as humans, that can't be improved upon or optimized more. So, I try to take out the judgment. Just put in. Okay, what are the facts? No, what did we do? And what should we have been doing to be more optimized? And then the last question on that is, people who are extremists? Are they ever going to not be extremists? And if so, what are the things that we're doing? To cause them to not be extreme? Jeff Le1:16Hmm, yeah. The $64,000 question, among other things, actually, we'll call it $2 trillion, because that's how much it costs $2 trillion question. So, the first question of what were we doing there? I mean, the whole point of being there was to ensure that terrorists or extremism would not be able to attack the United States, homeland, and soil, that was the original cause and effect, right, 20th anniversary of 911 just happened, the whole idea is we were going to go to these places of safe harbour or against the bad guys, we're gonna kill all of them. And then they'll never mess with us again. That was the idea. So that's like phase one, right? Well, here's the thing. Phase two became, oh, well, okay, that's done now what? And you had two challenges. This, there was sort of a school of thought of, oh, we should build democratic institutions and shared economic values and alignments. In a place where you have no idea of understanding. That's a challenge. And then the second piece of that was, oh, by the way, we'll do this, we'll review it every year. So, it's not 20-year war, it's 21 year worse. That's how I viewed it. And guess what, when you have the handoff from one to another, it takes time to it's like Groundhog Day, right. And that's what unfortunately happened. And regardless of what the troop numbers were, or the casualties or the strategic value of x or y, it just did not change the fact that there was not a clear NorthStar of how we were going to do what we're going to do. And what was success. So, the second point, right, what can we've done better? What is success? Number one defining success, so you can meet success and move on, fundamentally did not happen. And that is shocking, because you would think the politicians would understand   Ari Gronich3:09So there was no end goal. Jeff Le3:12Not sighted with consensus. Ari Gronich3:16Okay, no analytic that we could measure that says that is success. Now it doesn't seem like military intelligence to me. Jeff Le3:26No, I mean, listen, if success have superiority in the air on the ground, we're going to do that. That's not the issue. The issue is after all the bombs and toys that is the issue. Listen no one's gonna doubt American military superiority? Ari Gronich3:42Oh, what I'm saying there was no target. There was no goal, you're shooting a gun at nothing. Jeff Le3:48How do you shoot and this is the challenge. How do you shoot a gun at ideas? How do you shoot a gun at better governance? Right. This is a fundamental challenge that we're talking about, about the Maslow's hierarchy earlier. You know, what people really wanted. They wanted things to function. And the Afghan government though, the United States and Western Allies were supporting, we're not doing the basics. Some of that is incompetence. Some of that is massive corruption. Some of that is a lack of capacity. Some of it was lack of will. All of those things are a recipe for people saying, you know, what, maybe these Taliban people aren't so bad. So, the point you brought up very thoughtfully. Extremism. So, is it extremism or just wanting the basics? What is it and there are some folks like, you know, the horrible people that murdered our troops in the evacuation. Those folks are definitely there's nothing you can give them or sell them. Right. That's, that's a that's a very different premise. That's, unfortunately something that usually ends with a bullet. But for the vast majority Have the locals and communities even to help most of Taliban forces are probably thinking, You know what, I just want to have a place where I can raise my family, I can have money come in, and I can do the basics. And that basis would be ensuring that my kids a better life than me, kind of sounds like, you know, what my parents were thinking about when they came here. So this inability to deliver was going to be the downfall. And in 20 years, they couldn't deliver, therefore, we couldn't deliver. And without any metric for success, we were destined for failure. That's what happened.       Ari Gronich5:37Okay. So, I don't know that I agree that people just want to survive and have the basics, like the Taliban, for instance. Right? If they were to do absolutely nothing right now. Not hurt anybody, not assume their control. They would probably have the basics. The thing people want control, and that control gives them a sense of safety. And that sense of safety, just like any gang on any block in South Central, or, you know, or anywhere else, Chicago doesn't matter. Any gang, any mob, any mafia, any family of people that choose a certain way of living to be a violent way of living. It's not just about survival. It's, it's about control. Jeff Le6:36Well, I will premise and say this, that it's really important to distinguish the Taliban is not a monolith. So, when you say the Taliban, I mean, that's like, it's a lot of different groups, right? It's more of a federation, that might be a better way to describe them. And the point you raised about power and control. Yeah, that's at the top. That's at the top. If you're talking rank and file, it's a little different. You know, you hear stories of Taliban folks asking about, you know, what it's like in Australia. You know, it's a very interesting dynamic, right? They've been fighting for 20 years. That's all they know. And they're talking about, hey, what, you know, do you didn't even go to Australia? is a fascinating question. But to your point, yes. It gets back to who's in power? And then the accumulation of power and resources? Yes. But if we're talking the everyday person who is, you know, just trying to figure things out, I think it's a little different. But. Ari Gronich7:40But so then we get to my big premise is silence is a bully's best friend. So, we got to get loud, right. So, what it sounds like, if I break it down to the smallest point, is it sounds like the bully in the in the school yard? Right? Whether the bully in the schoolyard wants control over the kids for lunch money? Or the Taliban or the Federation? One's control over its people? Yep. So, it creates a dialogue that incites its people, right. It still is a bully. So, the question that I have is, why do we let the bullies win? Jeff Le8:35We let the bullies win, because we are convinced that there's no other way or option? Right? To your point, to because if you're just looking at the numbers, the majority, it's the silent majority. Right. And these places, why don't they just overthrow them? Right. I think that's the question. Ari Gronich8:52That's, really the question is, why do we allow that to happen?       Jeff Le8:59Well, it's similar to I think, what I see with bystanders in general, right? So, you see something horrible happen, and the people just stand around, right? Let's say there's a car accident, not always, but I'll give you an example. Two weeks ago, I was walking back from a work meeting, and someone had a really bad car accident. And so, I call 911. You know, what's crazy? Is no one else thought to do that. There are about 20 people. And these are all folks have a variety of lobbyists in Washington DC, you have to assume people have phones and this sort of stuff, right? Why is that somebody doesn't do something? And so, it's a really interesting question of like, you know, from an actor or a decision maker perspective, like what compels people to go outside of their bubble, outside of their world to something much bigger, to potentially put themselves to exposure or risk right. And the game theory of it in theory is that if everybody does it, they're in a better position. Right, and in theory, in this case, we can get help for someone who was in a bad car accident. Ari Gronich10:07Yeah, you got 30 kids, or you got 30 kids in a class. One is a bully. So, 29 of them says, Hey, we're not going to be bullied by you. You can be our friend, but we're not going to be bullied by you. Defuse the situation, right? Jeff Le10:23Yeah, some of that, too, is a question of, you know, who's really the boss here. And if you have conditions where the teacher is not around, maybe that is more likely to happen. So, I mean, using your schoolyard analogy. Ari Gronich10:37Right, but in the schoolyard analogy, right, you got the principal and the teachers, right, that those are the bureaucracies. It's like to me, it's like Hamas, and the Palestinian government and the PLO, right. They're all different organizations, but it's like the superintendent, the district teacher, and. Jeff Le10:58and the school board or the school board, and Ari Gronich11:01All those people are the people who are fighting, and all these students are the people who are getting the grunt of the fighting, they're getting screwed because of these people. right. So that's where I go, like, how do we get and just in general in society. How do we get people? And you know, you're part of the Homeland Security, I'm sure been part of some peace talks of some sort. How do we get people to stop going against their own self-interest? And to rise up and say, Hey, we could do peace, there's enough of us to make it peaceful. You don't want to be peaceful? But   Jeff Le11:46Yeah, the first thing I would say is, so many of us need the validation to do so. It's really interesting. Like, if someone told you, hey, Ari, I need you to do this for all of us. I think you would do it. If you sort of sat and thought about and said, you know, what, it all over interest. But in these sorts of situations where there's not a natural leader, it's very hard. And so, it gets back to like this principle of how do you become a better bystander, which then allows you to act? How do you act? And I want to think that you and I in that situation, we will look around, say, Hey, we're gonna take the bull by the horns, we're gonna do this. But it's not always the case. And in the Afghanistan context, there's long standing history, long, long, thin history of previous conflicts, battles won and lost. But usually, a history that says, hey, the writings on the wall. Let's acquiesce now. So, we can all live to fight another day. That is a long-standing history as well. So, there are some of these like cultural historical forces that are at play here. So that's maybe something beyond the school yard because I guess it's based on where the school yard is. Ari Gronich12:57Right? I love having the discussion about you know, what human nature is? Because I don't think it changes between country to country or civilization to civilization as much as we think it does. I think cultural, Yeah, we have certain cultural differences on how much we've technologically grown in our civilization, right? So, US has the landmass, to create lots of web manufacturing, and, you know, things like that. So, we have a lot of technology that we've created, because our landmass has allowed that. A lot of other countries haven't built those. So, they're still living in a more tribal, you know, situation. Jeff Le13:45Well, I would say, too, I mean, if you're talking about geography, right, it helps to have two oceans, you have two oceans, you're probably thinking about things differently from a security perspective, right. So that's, that's fair. That's fair. Ari Gronich13:57So, we're gonna go into some other topics. But hold on one second. All right, so Asian hates, You and I talked about this a little bit. I'm gonna break it out into just hate in general, because I kind of feel like, doesn't matter if you're Irish, Jewish, Black, Latino, Asian, right. There's always somebody who's hating on somebody. And usually, it's a lot of people hating on one person or one group of people. But it doesn't really matter which group depends on where you live. It's everywhere. When I was in Greece, it was the Albanians, you know, Albanians are coming in and taking our jobs. Okay, so everybody's got their Mexicans, so to speak, the people that they consider to be entering and taking So let's talk about the hate and lack.         Jeff Le15:04Yeah, I mean, if we've talked about hate broadly, this is actually a great starting point. The FBI recently released their hate crime report. Last year was the highest year of reported hate crime in 12 years. And that's among all groups. But it was interesting because there's a significant outlier with Asian Americans. So, if you're talking about, like, who's the latest to get picked on Asian Americans, but it's not to say that other groups aren't being picked on, it's not to say that Asians have never been picked on and are suddenly being noticed. Right. But it was very starkly if you if you look at data and evidence, there was a stark outlier. And that was certainly in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout the country, even in a place and people will say, well, you know, maybe that's just, you know, places that aren't as sensitive to groups. Well, in California, which is a pretty diverse place, hate crime was up over 100%, year over year. So, this is a place where 40 million people from pretty much everywhere, this is majority minority, the longest place where you have Asian Americans, the longest history of Asian Americans in the US, right? Chinese Japanese came here in the 19th century, railroads, economy, that sort of thing. So really close, long-standing histories of different groups and they had it pretty bad during that time. So, I think big picture, something was happening. It certainly didn't help that there is rhetoric that said that viruses came from certain places that probably didn't help. And, you know, I'd like to think that words don't matter. But they, they do. Because words are the thing you can't kill, like we talked about, right? You can't like point a gun to an idea. If there's an idea that says this group is the reason for your detriment, or your discomfort, and that's why you have to wear a mask. I think it's very complex. And as we just talked about there, there's always underlying things. Long standing past, right. And those fissures, with enough pressure become chasms. And this was a trend we saw across country, it certainly happened to me. It's not, you know, when acts of hate happened to me in the last 18 months, it wasn't new. It was just more blatant, right? It used to be like, Hey, your English is really good. Or, Hey, can you like with your eyes with the shape? Can you see like, do you see better on the science? Or like, Hey, do you eat dog? It's that sort of stuff, where it's like, I can laugh it off, right? A recent story I'll give you that happened to me. Two guys went up to me and we're like, hey, a Buddha. You know, can we rub your belly for good luck? And the thing is, Ari this is not the first time I've been asked, so I haven't answer Ari Gronich17:57Budda is my nickname it has been since I was nine years old  Jeff Le18:01Well, you and I share that. Ari Gronich18:04I got these these big ear lobes. Jeff Le18:05Yeah, me too. Me too.   Ari Gronich18:08I've been told that there Budda ear lobes. Jeff Le18:11I think they're lovely. I love your ear lobes. So, but you know, I have a response to this answer. And that is, Listen, I'm not a genie. So, if you rub my belly, you don't get any wishes. And as an Asian American, you're taught your entire life to defuse tension to blend in quickly. Because the alternative is, the communist government will kill you. So, you know, you're you come from a position of gratitude, right? You're happy to be here, you're just happy to be here. You just want to live your life. But you live in your life, having to sort of know the cost of doing business and existing here is dealing with that stuff. Right. Having people ask you about strange things from time to time, right, including what does a dog taste like? So, you know, that's something as early as age nine, age 10.  Ari Gronich18:59Yeah, I had I had similar being Jewish, you know, all kinds of things. I was told that I killed I personally killed Jesus and I shouldn't be alive. Like, literally, my entire life was, you know, grew up being told, you're Jewish, you're your Jesus killer. You know, and then I started practicing Buddhism and now I'm a Jewish Buddhist that that was even worse. Jeff Le19:23Well, yeah, because they don't know how to box you then. Ari Gronich19:25Right? And then I started studying the Quran. I mean, I was 7,8,9 10 years old, 12 years old, and I'm studying these religions druidism, paganism and studying all this stuff. And I get labelled. So, I understand. Let's go back Asian American concentration camps, so to speak. We had those in our country tournament. Jeff Le19:45Yeah. Ari, when we had internment, in the US.  Ari Gronich19:49Right, we built you guys built the railway system in the early 1900s, late 1800s. That that allowed for us to build to travel the world, right? Around the country.  Jeff Le20:02And Ari to your point on the internment camps during World War II. Did you see any? Did you hear of any Italians or German Americans?    Ari Gronich20:10No. Jeff Le20:11Yeah. So, I mean, the difference does matter. Ari Gronich20:16Right. Difference absolutely matters. Jeff Le20:21No good. Ari Gronich20:24I'm like holding up the mic. This is how we do it Jeff Le20:28Hey, you're getting your reps in. Ari Gronich20:36Anyway, I'm just gonna hold this for the rest of the time because it's come apart. Jeff Le20:43Yeah, I know. Sounds like you need. It's time for new mic. Ari Gronich20:46So, hate in general. And, you know, but part of what I wanted to talk about with regards to Asian hate, specifically, and foreign hate specifically, is the concept of human trafficking. Okay, part of Homeland Security. So, you have a little bit more inside track down. Human trafficking. But this seems to be an issue of color, so to speak. I don't really hear too much, except for maybe Russian, Ukrainian. in whiter countries. But it also seems to be something that is perpetuated by the people who live there not necessarily the outsider, white ghost devil that is coming out and doing it. So, let's talk about that a little bit.  Jeff Le21:52Sure. I mean, if you're talking about so I would say illicit trade in general. Yes, is perpetrated by local economic interests. So, let's start with that. There's a marketplace for that, right. So, whether it's heroin and opium, or in trafficking in persons, there's a market for that. And that's part of the reason why it happens. It's so just acknowledging the global trends for vice is profitable, especially when it's banned, right. So, from a contraband perspective is even more lucrative for some of these groups. So, your point, it is a global phenomenon. It is not bound by borders and that way, you're right. It's mainly global, South driven. And in, you know, communities that are not of European descent, with the exception of Eastern Europe, there's some stuff you'll see, particularly in Moldova, Ukraine, I mean, I would say more underserved parts of those parts of the country, right. And so, there are elaborate efforts of logistics that happen, because everyone's incentivized to find the best conduits for this. And that's irregardless of regime. But one of the big things is, you know, that's used as a strong ploy is they talk about it as an employment opportunity for somebody. And then employment opportunity turns into force imprisonment. That's the scenario that you hear quite a bit, especially if it's someone that's like, 16,17, 18. And they're trying to provide for their family in a situation that there are very few avenues for them. Ari Gronich23:37Sorry, I'm listening, and I'm fixing at the same Jeff Le23:40Yeah, no, no of course, I'm sorry, you had this look like you want to ask me questions. I'm like, Okay, I'm ready for the question. Ari Gronich23:45Yes. So, let's talk about the so we have an economic reason, typically, in lower income areas that breed the idea of human trafficking. And so, who are the people who are doing the taking? Who are the people who are doing the trafficking? Jeff Le24:07Sure. So, if you're talking about the, if you're talking about the Syndicate, right, so it's, I wouldn't say these are pretty elaborate sophisticated organizations. Federation's, if you will, of people who have a hierarchy, bosses, turf incentives and bonuses. And the folks who are in the taking business are your sort of rank and file. And they're incentivized because of their own survival questions. And there's a triangle to the top, like we've actually talked about in some of the themes that we discussed, right? There's a power dynamic, and people are using that as a opportunity as a survival mechanism. And it doesn't have to be even in the traffic person that we're talking about it's also the trafficking of, of people to try to make it to other countries, right? Specifically, you know, the coyote types, right, and let's say in Latin America to get people, the United States, there's economic incentives. And I would say, these are not exactly people that you know, how to say, have strong lawyers, or, you know, you can trust a handshake deal. And it's usually an exorbitant amount of money that's then leveraged. So that the person then becomes not just imprisoned physically, but in prison, and in their mind that this is sort of, there's no way out. You've already gotten as far as you go. Ari Gronich25:40So the crux of the Asian hate started with the shooting in the massage parlour. Being that I'm a sports therapist, and I've been a massage therapist and all that stuff I had, I had a reaction to this. And because I know that the majority of these massage parlours are actually the home for home, for people who have been human trafficked from China from Asia, in some respects. It hit me a little harder, because I'm like, you know, these people are literally here, they're living typically inside of the places that they work. And like, you know, caught kind of beds or whatever. And, and so that kind of got my interest. Right. And so, I just want to talk about that part of what it is that people if we're you know, the citizenry, right, and we're looking for ways to help with Homeland Security with human trafficking with, you know, stopping this stuff, what are the things that people can look for? Jeff Le26:59Yeah. So first, so I would say in terms of, you know, some of the Asian hate, I would say, it goes further back, I think, to your point, you know, the shootings in Atlanta. I think it really shocked so many people, because of what you talked about this realization that these were very marginalized women in situations of likely objects hopelessness. And what does that say about our society that we sort of nonchalantly. Look away? Ari Gronich27:35Right. Oh, I mean, we literally were, we don't nonchalantly look away. We see a neon sign that says open. And it's a massage place. And we pretty much know that that is a happy ending place. You know, I mean, in the industry, at least, we kind of stay away from neon signs in the open. But we have the Homeland Security, we've got the government, we've got police, we've got all kinds of things. And in LA, I remember, when you go to get a massage license, there was one set of inspectors who are licensing the massage for everybody else. And then one set who was inspecting for the Asian American or Asian massage parlours that were basically turned into sex shops. And so, it's a systemized thing as well. Right? Jeff Le28:29Yeah. And into your point, right. There are some things that are folks are incentivized in some ways to look at other parts of it rather than the true nature. What's your IMO? So, you know, let's talk about from a regulatory perspective. Right. And I'll talk about it from a taxation issue. I'll talk about it from a health inspection. Question, right. One thing that well, two things first, and I know it sounds really, it seems so unlikely in the world we live in. But you'd be surprised. You'd be surprised just how important it is to raise the issue with your local person, your local elected official, because it's so rare that they will get an inquiry about this. I mean, think about the inquiries that your local politician's person gets usually about the trash, or about like a noise of a complaint or violation. But if you say something like that, the thing you're talking about with the neon sign, actually, it does stand out because that's not your normal complaint. So, to the point we talked about, it's a CSA. And it is surprising how little people are willing to do that, partly because they're scared of having to deal with more of a time suck or more paperwork that comes with that. Being a good citizen. That's, I mean, honestly, one part about it, and having a real discussion with people in your community about the subject. Again, it's something people would argue there's a million things to worry about. Right? The second thing and this is a group, I really admired a group called the Polaris Project, which works on Trafficking in Persons. They have pretty strong trafficking hotline and other services that they provide, especially for people that have recently got out of that situation. And that's really the heart issue. Right. The one issue is the root issues, the root issues are really tough. But if you're talking about the individual, the human level getting out, how do you put them in a situation where they can acclimate and integrate? Especially knowing that you're strong trauma, that might come from that exploitation? Ari Gronich30:37What are the incentives that come through Homeland Security for actually policing, you know, human trafficking? I mean, getting rid of the sweatshops that are in the US getting. What is it? What are the incentives for Homeland Security to actually go and do this stuff? Jeff Le30:57Well, I mean, there's first and foremost that the political incentives, the political incentives, and just being snarky about it, that the press release is really nice. They should be doing more of that they're not the big challenge, honestly. Ari, is scale. It's the question if you remove one, what happens, right? And it will most likely, because if economic incentives just become harder to get to. So, it's like, okay, you knock out one nest, and then five others happen, right? So, before you have an activity before the government says, Okay, we're gonna work on this issue is we're going to have a war against sex trafficking or war against trafficking persons issues. Fundamentally, you need to commit the resources, the time the investment, and, frankly, trust in a community. Because at the end of the day, it's the community folks who understand really the ins and outs and who's, who's a real barrier, who's a real player, because the government coming in? I mean, they don't know Adam, for me. Right? Right. And so, you do need the local buy in to have that disruption. Ari Gronich32:05sounds the same as Afghanistan and needing the local. Jeff Le32:10It's well, it's a human, it's a community, it's a universal community question, right? It's people coming from the outside coming in, it's gonna affect your life. Who's gonna? Who wants change to happen? How do you work together to do it? And how do you do it where everyone is safe? Right, very hard, especially if there's shadowy players involved, who have firepower and incentives to make sure you disappear. That is pretty scary. The government will say, we have other fish to fry, too. So that's the other thing, the government say, hey, we're focused on cybercrime. We're focused on, you know, insider trading, you know, things like this, which, I mean, from an economic perspective, I mean, those are pretty important things are taken from a human level. It's largely because at the end of the day, these are the most vulnerable people and they're not prioritized, Ari Gronich33:08Right? So, then we'll take it away from the government's rules and responsibilities, right? We put it on the people, what can the people do? Who might be passionate about these things? What can they do specifically, to end this when they see it, to recognize it when they see it, etc?      Jeff Le33:27Well, I think one thing is to have open conversations about it. So, like, from what I see there's very little active discussions in the public space on this topic. I don't know what you've seen. I haven't seen much of it. And maybe it's because we're just overwhelmed. Ari Gronich33:43I happen to have two friends who own two separate human trafficking non-profits. Jeff Le33:50Yeah, I think that's an exception,  Ari Gronich33:52I am. You know, it becomes on my mind, when I see Afghanistan and the refugees coming over, I think of human trafficking. To what they're going to be subjected to. Yeah. If they come over, and we don't say, Welcome to our neighbourhoods, let me get you a job. Let me help you. If we don't do that, what's going to happen is they're going to become traffic. Right? They're going to they're going to be exploited in some way. So, I'm looking at it like, Where can I see this as a solution that we can, you know, take on the run right now? You know, I'm tired of I'm tired of talking about problems. Really tired about talking about prompts because I don't see enough people actually doing the solving of them. They're talking a lot. They're making all kinds of plans in their heads. But there's nothing being done that's substantial, specific, targeted, that has a buy in of massive amounts of people, right? That's where I'm like, where do we go to get this? Whether it's our medical system, whether it's human trafficking, whether it's the environment, whether it's whatever it is, right? We have things that we know for a fact. Right? The chemicals that are in our food are causing cancer and killing us killing our health, yet we don't take it out of the food, we don't create the incentive, right? If the incentive was that the people needed to be healthy, that's the incentive, then everything has to happen in a way to make that happen. And otherwise, you don't get paid. Right? So, you only get paid when people get healthy in the medical system. When that caused all the fraud to disappear. Literally, the system would have to morph itself just to fit that one incentive. Same thing, I believe, with human trafficking. So, anything I believe with all these other things, there's one thing and it's the incentive that we give it. Jeff Le36:03Yeah, I would say I

Beginnings
Episode 493: Joe Jack Talcum of The Dead Milkmen

Beginnings

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2021 53:18


On today's episode, I talk to musician Joe Jack Talcum. Originally from Wagontown, PA, Joe Genaro AKA Joe Jack Talcum is the guitarist and co-lead singer of the seminal punk band The Dead Milkmen. Formed out of his home recording project dating back to the late '70s, the group didn't really coalesce until Joe went to college at Temple University. Starting with 1985's Big Lizard in My Backyard, they recorded dozens of albums and EPs, and though they broke up in 1995, they've reunited a number of times since for various shows. Outside of The Dead Milkmen, Joe is prolific, recording a number of albums on his own and with groups like The Low Budgets. His latest album Joe Jack Talcum sings Railroad Bill and Other Songs was just released late last year! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter.

Time To Say Goodbye
The Fight to End Single Family Zoning and the YIMBY/NIMBY/PHIMBY War with Darrell Owens

Time To Say Goodbye

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2021 83:25


Hello! Today’s episode is about housing, the fight to end single-family zoning, YIMBYs, NIMBYs and PHIMBYs. Our guest today was Darrell Owens, a housing activist and policy analyst. We went through a lot — Berkeley’s recent unanimous initiative to end single-family zoning, asked the inevitable questions about whether this would actually help make Berkeley more affordable, talked a bit about the PHIMBY movement (Public Housing in My Backyard), the pragmatic limitations of all housing work, and much more. Give it a listen!- JayRelated Reading: Darrell’s Twitter: @idothethinkingHow Berkeley Beat Back NIMBYs in NYTimes OpinionWho are the PHIMBYs? in LA MagAn interview with Ananya Roy This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

2 Cops 1 Donut
2 Cops 1 Donut ep011: Does Hollywood Alter Perception of Police? w Chris Hatchett

2 Cops 1 Donut

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2021 146:57


On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Chris Hatchett. Chris is an Army Veteran and movie director/producer. You may recognize him from such films as Silent Night, Hallie's Hero's, This Old Horse, and It's My Backyard. Support the show

Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast
Affordable Housing: Bi-Partisan Legislation Addresses Housing Shortage with the YIMBY Act

Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2021 4:47


The U.S. Senate is taking a close look at the YIMBY Act. The Yes in My Backyard legislation was first introduced in 2019, but was put on hold because of the pandemic. It addresses the national housing shortage by encouraging local policies that will increase affordable housing, including changes to zoning restrictions in single-family neighborhoods.Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii reintroduced the YIMBY Act a few weeks ago. (1) YIMBY is a reaction to the well-known NIMBY concept for Not in My Backyard. Inside the YIMBY bill is a list of 20 policies that local governments or states could adopt to increase housing affordability and availability.HUD Block Grant FundingAlthough the bill doesn’t mandate the adoption of these policies, it requires the elimination of discriminatory land use policies and affordable housing barriers before jurisdictions receive HUD block grant funding. To qualify for the annual grants, jurisdictions would have to submit reports to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development at least once every five years.The reports would identify which policies a jurisdiction has implemented or is in the process of implementing and how they are being implemented. For the policies that are not being adopted, the jurisdictions must explain why that can’t happen. A similar bi-partisan bill was passed in the House about one year ago, in March 2020. That legislation also included a policy list that is basically the same as the one in the Senate bill. Policies in the YIMBY ActAt the top of the list are policies that would increase housing density in single- and multifamily neighborhoods. One policy also targets single-family neighborhoods exclusively by proposing they be zoned to allow duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. Another one encourages zoning that allows the subdividing of single-family homes into duplexes. The bill also proposes that zoning rules include manufactured homes and prefabricated structures.Other entries on the list encourage multifamily development in retail, office and light manufacturing areas, single-room occupancy development within multifamily housing, smaller lots, and fewer buildings that are protected by historic preservation codes. The legislation also wants to see easier and faster permitting for affordable housing projects, the elimination of off-street parking requirements, and the conversion of empty office space to apartments. (There may be plenty of empty office space for that last one, if companies don’t bring all their employees back from their remote work positions.)Both lists include the lifting of restrictions on accessory dwelling units for single-family properties. And the Senate bill trades the last four policies on the House bill for two others which include the legalization of short-term home rentals and the legalization of home-based businesses.The four House policies include bonuses for housing density, fewer height restrictions on buildings, tax abatement for higher density developments, and the donation of land for affordable housing development.YIMBY Support from Housing GroupsMore than a hundred affordable housing groups just sent a letter to Senate lawmakers in support of the YIMBY Act. (2) It says in part: “The YIMBY Act is vital for encouraging communities to build more affordable and market-rate housing. This need will only grow as the country recovers from the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19.” It says the legislation is: “An essential first step in decreasing barriers to new housing at all price levels.”All the big real estate and mortgage groups signed on to the letter, along with many smaller state and local organizations. The Washington D.C.-based National Housing Conference was one of them. President David Dworkin told HousingWire that local governments are often given money for affordable housing but don’t end up putting it to its best use because of NIMBY opposition. (3) He says, instead, local officials may sign off on something that is easier to swallow for the NIMBYs. As HousingWire reports: “The politics of the YIMBY Act is tricky. There is no organized opposition in Washington to the bill. You won’t find a national NIMBY group.” The article basically says the issue will blow up at the local level when community members become concerned about a proposed project. Advocates might say that this legislation is a way to mandate more of a YIMBY attitude toward housing.You’ll find links to the legislation and the letter in the show notes for this episode at: NewsForInvestors.comClick here to join RealWealth now, it's free and only takes a minute!Links:1 - https://www.young.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/YIMBY%20Act.pdf2 - https://www.housingwire.com/articles/housing-groups-organize-against-nimbys/3 - https://www.young.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/YIMBY_Coalition_Support_Letter_2021-05-13.pdf

The Late Night Flight
Hustle and Flow Pt. 3 w/ Dave Chappelle and Big Kn0t$

The Late Night Flight

Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 52:52


0:10 (This is the game where we find out if this is the BullSh#t)4:14 (The Takeoff/Chappelle's Show is now owned by a Chappelle)11:58 (I can't believe I gave the proud boys 10 mins of my life lol)21:06 (In Flight Entertainment presents: On the next episode of That's My Maga)22:26 (The Adventures of Matt Gatez and the Venmo tab)26:09 (Disaster Dating 101 Podcast w/ Natasha Renee. It's not you it's me. Which means it's you Lol)36:00 (Cuffin' You w/ Natasha)39:21 (New Music entitled "Bags")40:51 (Live from My Backyard w/ Big Kn0t$)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Negotiators Podcast
Money Laundering - Derek Arden with Paul Coleman

Negotiators Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 36:12


Money Laundering - Derek Arden with Paul Coleman Paul Coleman is an expert on money laundering. He has written a book about the subject 'Not in My Backyard'. Paul advises financial services companies on how to avoid getting into trouble with the authorities by helping criminals launder money. We will learn from Paul that it is a very sophisticated business. 91 million dollars are money laundered every hour. https://DerekArden.co.uk https://negotiatorspodcast.com/podcasts/ https://www.negotiatorspodcast.com/power-to-persuade/

Sateli 3
Sateli 3 - 4 Cantautoras Estadounidenses de Country-Folk (2000-2004) - 11/05/21

Sateli 3

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 60:04


Sintonía: "Arkansas Traveler" - Rex Allen "Guided By Wire", "Mood To Burn Bridges", "Thrice All American" y "Whip The Blankets" - Neko Case & Her Boyfriends (2000); "Cry To You", "Drivin´ My Heart Around" y "Neverland" - Cindy Bullens (2003); "My Backyard", "Ok With Me", "Love Letters" y "Nightingale" - Nora O´Connor (2004); "Different Kind Of Gone", "Lifetime" y "Jackie´s Train" - Mary Gauthier (2001) Escuchar audio

Listen To Sassy
June 1988 Fashion Etc.: Hippies, Hat Crimes & A Hacked-Up Prom Dress

Listen To Sassy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 47:25


We're talking about the fashion and beauty of the June 1988 issue! Why is "My Backyard" in black-and-white, and did it make us less likely to covet the clothes? Which panelists hate all the hippies (and the hippie looks) of "Hip Hip Hippie"? Did any models cut their feet modeling barefoot in "Big Brights," and what the hell does "popsicle speed" mean? Did you attempt to tie-dye using What Next's instructions? Did "Some Things Never Change" make you nostalgic for your grandma's style, or Tim Conway's comedy? Isn't that a co-host of The Real on the About Face page? SHOULD you cut up your prom dress? How wild are "The Wild Ones" of Coty Wild Musk? Do we still think Mary Clarke is cool and envy reader Barbara Francis's day at the magazine? Some of these questions will be answered in our latest episode!QUICK LINKS

Listen To Sassy
June 1988 Fashion Etc.: Hippies, Hat Crimes & A Hacked-Up Prom Dress

Listen To Sassy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 47:26


We're talking about the fashion and beauty of the June 1988 issue! Why is "My Backyard" in black-and-white, and did it make us less likely to covet the clothes? Which panelists hate all the hippies (and the hippie looks) of "Hip Hip Hippie"? Did any models cut their feet modeling barefoot in "Big Brights," and what the hell does "popsicle speed" mean? Did you attempt to tie-dye using What Next's instructions? Did "Some Things Never Change" make you nostalgic for your grandma's style, or Tim Conway's comedy? Isn't that a co-host of The Real on the About Face page? SHOULD you cut up your prom dress? How wild are "The Wild Ones" of Coty Wild Musk? Do we still think Mary Clarke is cool and envy reader Barbara Francis's day at the magazine? Some of these questions will be answered in our latest episode! Visual Aids

Green Gab Podcast – Green Homes, Green Living and Green Companies
How to Be Pollinator-Friendly with Laryssa Kwoczak, Beekeeper

Green Gab Podcast – Green Homes, Green Living and Green Companies

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 35:33


Today, I am doing something a little different. Laryssa Kwoczak, my guest, is also a podcaster, so today, I am her guest, too. We will be releasing this podcast on her platform as well as on mine.  Listen in to our fascinating conversation to learn more about Laryssa, why bees are such an important part of our world, what you need to know before attracting bees to your garden, and so much more. Did I mention resources? We’ll have plenty of those for you, too. About Laryssa Laryssa lives in Hawaii. She has been keeping bees for about ten years. She used to work for a commercial apiary where she was teaching people about bees.  The Buzz About Bees When she stopped doing that, she started doing her podcast called The Buzz About Bees. Laryssa created her podcast to dive a bit deeper into the hive and what bees do, and what the beekeeper does. She tries to make her podcast as friendly to non-beekeepers as possible.  Why bees are so important Bees are important because they make honey, plus they pollinate foods like nuts, fruit, and vegetables, and flowers. They are an integral part of our world, and they are fascinating creatures. Bees are also food for birds, and they help the soil.  Honey Honey has antibacterial properties. It gets used in bandaging for burn victims because it helps pull the moisture out. Never goes bad Honey is the only food that never goes bad. Planting for honey bees Honey bees have an action called flower fidelity, so they like to fill their sacks with just one kind of nectar for months at a time. So, when you are planting for bees, it is good to have more than one plant of one variety to encourage the bees by making it worth their while to stop by.  One of the best pollinators The pollen sticks to the fuzzy bodies of the bees. Then they go to the next flower of the same variety, spread the pollen, and pollinate it. That is why honey bees are one of the best pollinators. Lots of everything Different things attract different pollinators. So, have lots of everything! Herbs are great to plant if you want to attract pollinators to your garden. Natural practices It is healthier for everything in your garden if you use natural practices and trust that the bees know what they are doing. Attracting bees Before you try to attract bees to your garden, make it a healthy environment for them by not using harsh chemicals, like weed killers that could kill them. Do not spray any weed killers, even natural ones, in the garden during the daytime when the bees are around. Sunset is the best time to spray. But it is best not to spray at all because some weeds are food for bees. Planting for the bees Planting some bee-friendly flowers is a great way to attract bees to your garden. Planting flowers like tulips, or goldenrod, that come up in the early spring or late fall is best because that's when the bees are desperate for food.  Butterflies are amazing Butterflies can sniff out their host plant from over a mile away. If you plant something that attracts a certain kind of butterfly, there is a chance that they live in your area that they will find it.  Great places to go for resources The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge is a great place to go for resources. You can also post your garden on that site. There is also Xerces.org, where you can go to your state, and it will tell you what to plant for native pollinators, as well as honey bees. Finding more pollinator-friendly places Laryssa encourages people not just to think about their yard, but also to get involved with their homeowner's association and to talk with their neighbors to find places in the neighborhood that can be made more pollinator-friendly. Potted plants If you are not interested in pulling weeds or dealing with unwanted pests, potted plants are also great for attracting bees. Don’t be afraid You do not have to be afraid of having bees in your garden because bees are unlikely to sting. Honey bees will die if they sting you.  Creating a green environment around your home Many different practices will support you in working with nature and help you create a pollinator-friendly environment around your home. Referral Links: My website Green Home Coach Book: Living Green Effortlessly Facebook Group: Love Your Everyday Green Home  Curated for your yard and garden The Buzz About Bees Podcast Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists Million Pollinator Garden Challenge ID plants  Bees in My Backyard videos "This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. That means that if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and usually use myself."

Impact Everywhere | Positive Impact in Unexpected Places
From Science Journalist to Encrypted App-Maker (used by OXFAM, WWF, UN, etc...) ft. Anjali Nayar, Creator of TIMBY

Impact Everywhere | Positive Impact in Unexpected Places

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2021 41:18


Our guest today is the ultimate jack of all trades. A scientist, journalist, award-winning filmmaker, and most recently, tech entrepreneur — Meet Anjali Nayar. Anjali began her career as a scientist before realizing that it wasn’t the lack of facts that prevented change, but the lack of hope. This led her first into journalism, and then documentary filmmaking for award-winning films like Gun Runners and Silas, which demonstrate the human potential for transformation. One of Anjali’s latest feature documentary, Silas, highlights citizen reporters that are using smartphones to expose the land-grabs and corruption in their countries. In fact, Silas is the whole reason TIMBY came about in the first place.TIMBY, short for “This is My Backyard,” is a suite of encrypted tools created by Anjali. It is used by communities and NGO workers to document and share human rights violations in order to hold companies and governments accountable. TIMBY is used across the world by governments, the United Nations, OXFAM, WWF, and many others.In this episode, host Benjamin Von Wong speaks to Anjali about the responsibilities of storytellers around the world, how we need to re-think aid in the context of empowering communities, and how we as individuals can fight against corruption. For the full story of Anjali’s career and how TIMBY is having a positive impact in the world, click on your preferred podcast platform below:Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Google PodcastsSubscribe on Apple PodcastsKey Points From This EpisodeStorytellers, whatever the form, have an obligation to tell the story in a way it will reach people while also ensuring it is told from the subject’s perspective.Anjali’s service, TIMBY, came to be while working on the film Silas as a way to increase the exchange of information and collect media for the film.Storytelling can be extractive — you come in, you tell the story, and you leave. By developing TIMBY while telling the story of Silas, it provided a long-term system to help locals solve their own problems.TIMBY operates on a SAS model, which mainly relies on revenue from subscriptions. The tool has spread to so many different countries and organizations that the TIMBY team works with whoever wants to use it to build it to work for them. The point of most tech developments is to empower people to do what they want to do quicker and better — TIMBY shows that:1. There are ways to use tech to adapt to different circumstances to help humans across the globe.2. You don’t need a background in tech to build something amazing.

Journeys of Scientists
Episode 18 - Emily Conway

Journeys of Scientists

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 46:12


Emily is a second year PhD student in the Department of Plant Biology and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program at MSU. Her research interests center on plant community dynamics broadly, and urban ecosystems and ecological restoration more specifically, using prairies as her focal community type. More information about the MSU Department of Plant Biology can be found here. Emily is participating in the MSU Science Festival School Programs, with her presentation titled Ask a Scientist: Nature in My Backyard where she will discuss her work with plant communities in urban ecosystems. You can learn more about her program and other STEAM related programs at https://sciencefestival.msu.edu/schools/virtual-school-programs. Emily is also presenting on this topic in a public presentation through the Science Festival on Thursday, April 1 at 7:35 pm. The MSU Science Festival is virtual this year and will have events all throughout the month of April. WaMPS is also participating in the virtual school programs. If you would like WaMPS to virtually visit your classroom, you can contact Bryan Stanley at the email posted below. At the festival, WaMPS will be doing a Physics of Sports presentation on Saturday, April 10, at 1:30 pm. On that same day, at 3:30 pm, Journeys of Scientists will be a part of the Sci-Files Podcast Panel on educational podcasting. To keep up to date with WaMPS updates, you can follow @msuwamps on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. If you would like to learn more about graduate school in physics and astronomy at MSU, check out their website here. If you would like to leave comments, questions, or recommend someone to be interviewed on Journeys of Scientists, you can email Bryan at stanl142@msu.edu

Upzoned
Does Increasing Available Housing Cause Gentrification?

Upzoned

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 33:28


One of the arguments against YIMBYism—YIMBY stands for “Yes in My Backyard,” a response to NIMBY (“Not in My Backyard”)—is that adding housing units in a neighborhood will actually increase housing scarcity, because, in the words of journalist Nathan J. Robinson, “we’re luring rich people from elsewhere to our city.” This scenario would be the housing equivalent of the “induced demand” phenomenon seen with traffic, whereby expanding road capacity induces more people to drive, quickly negating the benefits of the expansion. In an article last month, Matthew Yglesias, took on the induced demand objection against YIMBYism. (Yglesias was also a guest on the Strong Towns podcast last month.) He says the induced demand critique “fails on four scores”: It is empirically false, at least most  of the time. Accepting its logic would counsel against all efforts to improve quality of life. If it were true, it still wouldn’t follow that new construction is bad. It misconstrues what the YIMBY proposal is in the first place. Yglesias’s article is the topic of this week’s episode of Upzoned, with host Abby Kinney, an urban planner in Kansas City, and regular co-host Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns. Abby and Chuck discuss the argument that increased housing worsens housing scarcity, where Strong Towns aligns with YIMBYism (and where it may diverge), and the problem with approaching the “wicked problem” of housing with a Suburban Experiment mindset: big solutions, big developers, big development. They also talk about why the fundamental problem of scale is crowding out the possibility of a city shaped by many hands. Then in the Downzone, Chuck discusses reading “On the Shortness of Life,” by Stoic philosopher Lucius Seneca. (He referenced it in his Monday article too.) And Abby talks about rewatching Breaking Bad and rediscovering just how good it is. Additional Show Notes “The ‘induced demand’ case against YIMBYism is wrong,” by Matthew Yglesias Matthew Yglesias on the Strong Towns podcast: Part 1, Part 2 “How to Talk to a NIMBY” (Webcast) Abby Kinney (Twitter) Charles Marohn (Twitter) Gould Evans Studio for City Design Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud) Strong Towns content related to this episode: “Unleash the Swarm,” by Daniel Herriges “Why Housing Is the Wickedest of ‘Wicked Problems’” (Podcast) “Is Strong Towns NIMBY, YIMBY, or What?” by Charles Marohn “What Can Hives and Barnacles Teach Us About Solving a Housing Crisis?” by Patrick Condon “Here's What Happens When a Handful of Developers Control the Housing Market,” by Daniel Herriges “Gentrification and Cataclysmic Money,” by Daniel Herriges “The Trickle or the Fire Hose,” by Daniel Herriges

Urban Ecology Podcast
Connecting to Nature and Each Other During a Pandemic

Urban Ecology Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2021 53:19


In this episode, we explore how the Urban Ecology Center has changed and adapted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Connecting people in cities to nature and each other has remained our top priority at the UEC, but how do we do that work when we cannot gather together in person? To tell this story, we check in with three departments at the UEC to see how they've adapted their work: the land stewardship team who maintain our parks the marketing team who curate the UEC in My Backyard virtual lessons portal and the community programs team who continue to create meaningful programs for kids and families in our community This episode is hosted by Danny Pirtle with contributions from Gillian Spence and Ken Leinbach. Special thanks to our guests Caitlin Reinartz, Anna Aragon, Hayley Bartlein, Payton Biwer, and Kiara Atre. For more from the Urban Ecology Center, visit our website (www.urbanecologycenter.org) or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @UrbanEcologyCenter.

Generation Green New Deal
S1 | GenGND Conversation with Leah Stokes

Generation Green New Deal

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2020 31:14


University of California at Santa Barbara Political Science professor Leah Stokes is a renowned expert on U.S. energy & climate Policy—and she’s also a young person, living through climate change in California.  Hear about Leah’s journey to becoming one of America’s most outspoken climate-academics, as well as her thoughts about the historic 2020 election, and the prospects for climate action and the Green New Deal under the incoming Biden-Harris administration.  Register for GenGND’s Sneak-Preview Screening & Panel @ DC Environmental Film Festival, on 11/13: https://watch.eventive.org/dceffshowcase/play/5f8db28896c84b005c0ccee0 Subscribe to GenGND's newsletter: https://generationgnd.substack.com/subscribe Listen to Leah’s Pod, A Matter of Degrees: https://www.degreespod.com/ Buy Leah’s Book, Short Circuiting Policy: https://www.leahstokes.com/book Buy All We Can Save: https://www.allwecansave.earth/ Read Biden has a Climate Mandate in the Boston Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/11/08/opinion/biden-has-climate-mandate/ Read Climate Change in My Backyard in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/opinion/california-floods-mudslides-climate.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Primalosophy Podcast
#105: Mikkel Aaland

The Primalosophy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2020 59:08


MIKKEL AALAND IS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER and the author of 12 best selling books on digital photography. His non-technical books include, "County Fair Portraits,” (for which he made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman) “Sweat” (an illustrated tour of international bathing customs, culminating a three-year project), "The Sword of Heaven," "Pilgrimage to Kailash" and a recently published memoir, "The River in My Backyard.” He is the host of the documentary series Perfect Sweat, currently in post-production. Connect with Mikkel Aaland: http://www.mikkelaaland.com/ https://www.perfectsweatseries.com/ Twitter: @mikkelaaland Instagram: @mikkel.aaland Connect with Nick Holderbaum: Personal Health Coaching: https://www.primalosophy.com/ https://www.primalosophy.com/unfuckedfirefighter Nick Holderbaum's Weekly Newsletter: Sunday Goods (T): @primalosophy (IG): @primalosophy Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-primalosophy-podcast/id1462578947 Spotify YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBn7jiHxx2jzXydzDqrJT2A The Unfucked Firefighter Challenge

Agility at Work: One Step Ahead
22. Not in My Backyard

Agility at Work: One Step Ahead

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2020 19:45


Big cities and small towns have at least one thing in common: they’re hot houses for breeding costly conflicts. In a leafy suburb, the Hatfields’ application for a zoning variance to expand their house can spark a fight with the McCoys next door, who want to protect their own views. In a metro area, economic … Continue reading 22. Not in My Backyard →

What the Riff?!?
1973 — August: Lynyrd Skynyrd "(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)"

What the Riff?!?

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2020 41:10


There are only a handful of bands who seem to jump fully formed onto the scene from their debut album, and one of these is certainly Lynyrd Skynyrd with their debut studio release (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd).  Lynyrd Skynyrd is arguably the band that defines Southern rock.  Originally formed as “My Backyard” in 1964, the group would take the name “Lynyrd Skynyrd” in 1969, taking the name of a PE teacher (Leonard Skinner) at Robert E. Lee High School — a teacher whose strict enforcement of school policies against boys having long hair resulted in guitarist Gary Rossington dropping out of high school.  In addition to guitarist Rossington, the band consisted of front man Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Allen Collins, guitarist and bassist Ed King, keyboardist Billy Powell, and drummer Bob Burns.Despite the jam band feel from songs like “Freebird,” the band itself went into the studio with their songs quite perfected, and no improvisation was allowed.  The album itself is terrific, and the band vaulted into an incredible popularity after opening for The Who during their Quadrophenia tour.Skynyrd would produce five studio albums before tragedy struck in a plane crash in 1977 that killed Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the pilot and co-pilot.  Other members of the band would suffer serious injuries.FOTS Bill Cook brings us this iconic Southern Rock album, which happened to be the first album he ever owned. I Ain't the OneThe opening track from the album was written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant.  It tells a story of a rich girl "tryin' to put a hook on me" when she was found to be pregnant, but "you know and I know, woman, I ain't the one."Gimme Three StepsThe lyrics that Ronnie Van Zant penned for this well known tale are a true story.  Ronnie Van Zant had a fake ID, and made the rest of the band stay in the car while he went into The Little Brown Jug in Jacksonville, Florida.  He was confronted by a man with a loaded 44 after dancing with his wife, Linda Lou.  Van Zant ran out to the car and wrote the lyrics on the way back to their studio.Things Goin' OnThis deeper cut is appropriate for today.  It is influenced by the Muscle Shoals sound, and has a great honky tonk keyboard sound.  The song is a warning about social and environmental issues, and the politicians' uncaring attitudes.  Tuesday's GoneA slower cut, this song has become iconic over time.  Stories regarding the meaning of the lyrics conflict to a great degree.  Some say it is about a girl who was left behind, while others say it is about a lifestyle that was lost as the band became famous.  "Train roll on many miles from my home, see, I'm riding my blues away.  Tuesday, you see, she had to be free but somehow I've got to carry on." ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the CometsThis song was part of the movie "American Graffiti," debuting in the theaters in August 1973 STAFF PICKS:“Why Should I Care” by Beck, Bogert, & AppiceBruce features a supergroup formed by Jeff Beck, Tim Bogert (bassist for Vanilla Fudge, Cactus), and Carmine Appice (drummer for Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Blue Murder).  The song was written by Raymond Louis Kennedy, who also wrote "Sail On, Sailor" for The Beach Boys and "Isn't It Time" by The Babys.  “Half Breed” by CherRob brings us a song about a biracial girl with a white father and a native American mother, and the lack of acceptance she found from both races.  Cher had some Cherokee ancestry on her mother's side.“I Found Sunshine” by The Chi-LitesWayne's staff pick brings us the soulful sound of The Chi-Lites from Chi-town — Chicago.  They were going to name the band "The Hi-Lites," but decided to make it "The Chi-Lites" in homage to their Chicago.  The band charted 21 songs on the hot 100 throughout their career.“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim CroceBill brings the staff picks home with acclaimed singer-songwriter Jim Croce's first hit.  Leroy made a pass at Doris, and her husband beat him up.  Leroy Brown was based on a guy that Croce met in the army.  He went AWOL from the army, but was arrested when he came back for his check.  Croce knew after listening to him that he would write a song about him one day. COMEDY TRACK:“Uneasy Rider” by The Charlie Daniels BandContinuing the storytelling theme, the late, great Charlie Daniels tells a story about getting stranded in a red neck bar in Mississippi.

Brave Dynamics: Authentic Leadership Reflections
Anthea Ong as a Nominated Member of Parliament, Overcoming Personal Collapse, and Courage as a Muscle

Brave Dynamics: Authentic Leadership Reflections

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2020 43:49


Anthea Ong is the former Nominated Member of Parliament for the 13th Parliament of Singapore. In a term as NMP between 2018 and 2020, she spoke on behalf of youth activists and sex workers, proposed a national suicide prevention strategy, conducted a public consultation on the mental health landscape, made recommendations for closing our digital divide, and advocated for greater work injury compensation and other forms of support for migrant workers. Anthea is also a full-time social entrepreneur, having founded and co-created several ground-up initiatives and impact businesses, including Welcome in My Backyard, Hush TeaBar, the WorkWell Leaders Workgroup, A Good Space, Playground of Joy, and Project Yoga-on-Wheels. She also served as the president of the Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully [WINGS] from 2010 to 2017, which helps women embrace aging with confidence. She was the founding board member of Daughters of Tomorrow, a registered charity that provides individualized coaching to vulnerable women. Prior to social entrepreneurship, Anthea held leadership roles with multinational organizations, including Pearson, New York Institute of Finance, The Terrapinn Group, and United Overseas Bank [UOB], where she expanded and solidified market leadership positions. She founded the Singapore-based education and technology consultancy Knowledge Director Group, which advised governments in developed economies on education, transformation and innovation strategies, in addition to being an inventor for an award-winning technology application. Most recently, she was the regional managing director with Omega Performance Incorporated, a strategy consulting group for banks and financial institutions based in Washington, D.C., where she double-hatted as the Asian Lead of the Global Corporate Responsibility board for its parent company, Informa. She is a published author for the anthology "My Story, My Life", by National Library Singapore, and author of "50 Shades of Love", a unique wood-cover book memoir with life coaching questions and trees. Anthea graduated from the National University of Singapore, with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, Finance, and Marketing. She is also a professional certified coach with the International Coach Federation, and has served over 50 clients from all around the world. She is also a certified yoga instructor and Reiki practitioner, and an avid traveler to off-beaten tracks like Antarctica, Mount Everest Base Camp and Siberia. You can find the shownotes at www.jeremyau.com/blog/anthea-ong.

Get Rich Education
306: Homelessness and Real Estate, Chicago Is World Class

Get Rich Education

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 52:53


You contribute to homelessness. I do too. The problem goes right through real estate. Factors include: NIMBYism, minimum wage, salamanders, smoke detectors, and rent control. (Complete transcript on homelessness segment below.) Then, Chicago is a world class city with lots of economic diversification. Chicagoland’s numbers make sense for real estate investors. In northwestern Indiana (suburban Chicago), you avoid the high cost of Illinois property.  A typical SFH has $1,350 rent and a $125,000 purchase price. If you’re serious about building your cash-flowing portfolio, learn more and see property at: www.GetRichEducation.com/Chicago Resources mentioned: Chicagoland turnkey property: www.GetRichEducation.com/Chicago Environmental regulations & housing: https://www.huduser.gov/periodicals/cityscpe/vol8num1/ch5.pdf NIMBYism: Reason.com Mortgage Loans: RidgeLendingGroup.com QRPs: text “QRP” in ALL CAPS to 72000 or: eQRP.co By texting “QRP” to 72000 and opting in, you will receive periodic marketing messages from eQRP Co. Message & data rates may apply. Reply “STOP” to cancel. New Construction Turnkey Property: NewConstructionTurnkey.com Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Top Properties & Providers: GREturnkey.com Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Keith’s personal Instagram: @keithweinhold   Welcome to Get Rich Education! I’m your host, Keith Weinhold, with a two-part show. Real estate is a substantial input into homelessness. Why are people homeless - and why might you & I be partly RESPONSIBLE for it, in fact?   The second part - in general, world class cities don’t make any sense to invest in for cash flow - New York, LA, DC, London, Singapore … but we’re going to discuss one “world class” city that actually DOES. Today, on Get Rich Education. __________________   Here it is - hey! You’re inside GRE. From Sarasota, Florida to Sarajevo - in Bosnia and Herzegovina - and across 188 nations worldwide.    I’m Keith Weinhold, this is Get Rich Education.   Even in the affluent United States, there is a large and growing population of vagrants - homeless people … more than half a million of them … and you & I … unknowingly play a role in keeping them homeless.   Why are people homeless? Well, the #1 reason is real estate-related. So that’s why I’m talking about it in the first of two show segments here.   Let’s look at the Top 5 cited reasons that people are homeless.   5th most common - Substance abuse - drugs. 4th - Mental illness. 3rd - Poverty ...OK, that’s sort of an obvious one. 2nd - Unemployment 1st - Lack of affordable housing   Lack of affordable housing is the #1 reason that people are homeless. Well, one mission here at GRE is that we PROVIDE society with affordable housing.   But, it’s generally not the same kind of Class D, lowest-end housing that there is - and that homeless people are looking to get into.    We focus on properties just below the median housing price in some of the lower-cost U.S. metros - B-class and C-Class. That’s a notch or two above where those on the brink of homelessness would be.   The homeless population is more visible in my own home city since the pandemic - and perhaps yours too … now that the unemployment rate is 10%.    I’m going to tell you what contributes to homelessness - and a lot of this has to do with real estate: contributors are carbon monoxide detectors, minimum wage, salamanders, NIMBYism, and over the long term: rent control.   Now, before we unpack that. Let’s define homelessness.   One of the better accepted definitions is - a condition where people lack "a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence". That’s “homelessness defined”.    I think you & I can agree that “homeless” is not the best technical term - right? Because even if someone lives under a bridge, that IS their home.   Houselessness would actually be more accurate.   Vagrancy is an even better way to say it. A vagrant is a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging.   That’s what we’re really talking about here. But homelessness is the widely understood term, so I’m going to it.   Now, HUD - the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has a lot of statistics on the homeless, and ...   … as of 2018, they reported there were roughly 553,000 homeless people in the United States on a given night,[2] or nearly two-tenths of 1% of the population.    That’s about 1 in 500 Americans then. Well, many people - me included - believe that the real number of homeless is greater than this 553,000.   In fact, private & local reports tell you that the homelessness have increased 40% per annum in recent years - yeah, 40% per year!   A big mistake is that people think about the homeless as all one type. But there are so many different types of homeless.    There are the temporary homeless -  passing through that 553,000 number.   Some are voluntarily homeless. Others are really couch-surfing because perhaps they were in a divorce or domestic violence situation.   Then you need to realize that about 2/3rd of their population is sheltered, and ⅓ unsheltered.    Consider too, that there are at least 40,000 homeless veterans. To think that a person could have served this country - and maybe even risked their life for this country - but don’t have a home in this country … can be heartbreaking to think about.   Now, though I’m not sure, I don’t believe that a digital nomad would be considered among the homeless - the laptop entrepreneur that stays at a different AirBnB location, say monthly.      Before we bring in the real estate angle, let’s get some historical context. Just talking about the U.S. here ...   Homelessness emerged as a national issue in the 1870s.[6] Early homeless people lived in emerging urban cities, like New York City.    Into the 20th century, the Great Depression of the 1930s caused a substantial rise in unemployment and related social issues and distress and homelessness.    In the 21st century the financial crisis of 2008 and resulting economic stagnation and downturn has been a major driving factor and contributor to rising homelessness rates.   That is probably happening again, right now, in the COVID pandemic.   A Zillow report found that people in communities where the average renter spends more than 30 percent of their income on rent — meaning that they can be described as being “rent-burdened” — are particularly vulnerable to rapid increases in homelessness rates.   Eviction obviously creates homelessness.   Now, some naively think - can’t we just raise taxes to build permanent housing for them & move them all in there? I really doubt that that’s a viable long-term solution.    Because at some point, if taxpayer funded housing is just “provided” for people, then people don’t have incentive to work & pay the rent.   That’s in general. Right, maybe someone has a disability that prevents them from making a living.    Some think - maybe we SHOULD impose rent control. Rent control means capping the amount of rent that a landlord can charge.   I’ll tell ya - that could reduce the number of homeless people in some areas that HAVE enough housing. But long-term, rent control is a terrible plan.   Because now an income property owner like you has zero incentive to improve the property any longer.    Long-term, rent controlled areas fall into serious dilapidation.    And because homelessness is concentrated in inner cities. It’s those exact same big cities - like New York - that have tried rent control.    It doesn’t work. So many areas that have tried to impose it, have to repeal it, because it eventually turns areas into ghettos.   What if you own property in an area where rent control were imposed? Even if you did improve your property - not only would you NOT get more rent for it - but you had better believe that property owners all around you wouldn’t be improving their property … and the entire condition of the neighborhood would be on a loooong downhill slide.   You might remember that I devoted an episode to the rent control topic. You can look that up on Get Rich Education Episode 192 if you’re further interested there.    One factor that contributes to higher housing costs - which prices people out of having any shelter and creates more homeless people are … environmental regulations that limit development in certain areas.   Sometimes you need to leave a development buffer for streams or you can’t build in areas that are wetlands in order to protect flora and fauna.   A rare orchid, or a spotted salamander or a threatened egret or an endangered heron. They say, you can’t build in their critical habitat areas. You’ve got to protect them.   But yet, often, the same type of people that want more environmental regulations are the same people that say that they want more affordable housing options.   Well, when you limit where you can build, now you’ve reduced the housing supply. Real estate pricing is highly susceptible to supply/demand factors, of course.   All these wildlife protections limit supply. That makes prices go up. That prices people out.   Now, maybe you’re thinking I’m anti-environmentalist? No, I’m not taking a side either way.    It’s just that one needs to understand the cost and the longer-term ramifications of decisions that limit development in protecting the spotted salamander.    I think it’s easy to make a case that more biodiversity is better than less biodiversity. But the better question is: “At what cost should we protect species? How far do we take it?”    Environmental regulations in the United States are intended to improve the quality of the environment; preserve ecosystems - that includes wildlife; and protect human health too.   But these regulations are often written without considering how much they will cost.   Another contributor to homelessness is excessive safety regulations.   Again, some safety regulations are good. But how far do we take it?    My gosh, when an area needs to build more affordable housing for people - which is something that would reduce the homeless rate … and ...   Sheesh, a new home today might need fourteen smoke detectors and five carbon monoxide detectors … then the detectors need to be connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other … and all these devices and this added complexity increases the cost of housing.   That makes mortgage payments higher, rent payments higher, and it just prices more people out of the real estate market. The lower end of the income spectrum gets priced out of affordable shelter.   I’m not anti-safety. But at some point, one has got to ask the question, “How much safety do we really need?”    Even - “What is the cost of a human life?” There actually is an answer to that question. In fact, the EPA pegs the cost of a human life at $10M - one of the highest of any federal agency.     And then, there’s the entire question of how can you ever monetize the value of a human life. You can make the case … that it’s priceless. That’s a different discussion.      But the point is, all these safety regulations increase the cost of housing and increase homelessness.   Minimum wage does, in many instances, increase homelessness long-term.    This might come as a surprise to you. You would think that raising the minimum wage would have to DE-crease homelessness - because a higher wage would mean that low-income workers could now afford housing.   Well, long-term, besides higher wages in an area creating inflation & soon making the cost of everything go UP - including housing …   Think about it from the perspective of if you’re an employer & you have to pay your workers a higher wage - now that minimum wage is higher.   If someone that works for you makes $9 an hour - but they only produce $12 an hour worth of productivity for you...     And a new minimum wage of $15 an hour is implemented, you’re losing money if you retain that worker. So you would lay them off.   You would find ways to automate - or make a machine do the work that that employee used to do for you. That layoff increases homelessness.   Just look at the number of self-serve checkout kiosks in grocery stores. Those lanes used to be staffed by humans that earned a wage.   With a hike in the minimum wage up to $15 an hour, you’d begin to see a trend where more fast-food restaurants have self-serve kiosks. You’ll have fewer humans there.   That’s because some employers can’t afford to pay people $15 an hour. Every self-serve digital kiosk that you see represents a laid-off worker.   Talk to your parents or grandparents and they’ll tell you that gas stations used to be attended by humans that would pump your gas for you, check your tire pressure, check your fluid levels - that’s been gone for a couple generations.   Now, an increase in the minimum wage would help get some people out of homelessness short-term … yes.    I’m giving you insight so that you can see both sides & see the long-term consequences of government intervention into the free market.   Let’s say that you’re an employer at a warehouse, the minimum wage is $15 an hour and you want to hire someone to help you sweep floors & do odd maintenance jobs around this warehouse that you own.     Well, now it’s illegal for you to hire them at $12 an hour. You’d love to give a kid a job and help him learn - and you can’t make the numbers work at $15 an hour.    So now he’s unemployed because the government said, “No. You can’t hire him at $12 an hour.” That’s what a $15 minimum wage says. Try looking at it from that angle.   Another phenomenon that keeps people homeless is NIMBY - Not In My Backyard.   NIMBYists are the ones that say, “No, I don’t want you to build low-cost housing in my neighborhood, because I’m afraid that it’s going to ruin the character of my neighborhood and it’ll stifle the rate of home appreciation here.”   Lafayette, California is a wealthy San Francisco suburb. It is nestled in Contra Costa County, where its residents fight to stop what they call a "very urban," "unsightly" 315-unit housing development    It was recently profiled by The New York Times.   Over in the suburban community of Cupertino, California—we’re talking Silicon Valley now—local activists spent years trying to stop the development of an abandoned mall into apartments, half of which would be rented out to lower-income tenants at below-market rates. In  Berkeley, California, activists often argue against new housing on the grounds that it will threaten their community's sustainable character. Well, what is another example of NIMBYism?  At a recent Zoning Adjustment Board Meeting in Berkeley, I think one resident summarized NIMBYism really well - and this was published in the New York Times - they said "Berkeley needs to prioritize a livable, sustainable environment for people who already live here” … … when they were opposing a 57-unit development of student housing. They went on to say: "We are not obligated to sacrifice what is best about Berkeley to build dorm rooms." That’s the end of what they said. NIMBY - this “Not in My Backyard” opposition to new housing development - centers on concerns of property values and crime and gentrification and environmental sustainability.  Even though it’s often not their intent, the result of NIMBYism is that less housing gets built, housing costs go up and homelessness … rises. So, let’s draw some conclusions here and look at some actionable ways that you can make things better.   Though it isn’t immediately apparent - carbon monoxide detectors, minimum wage, salamanders & egrets, rent control, and NIMBYism - all go right through the heart of real estate investing and contribute to the long-term cycle of homelessness.   A giant takeaway for you here, is that, what is the common denominator in ALL of these factors. There is one common theme.    You know what that is - it is Government intervention.   Government intervention and interference in the free market - is the contributor here - excessive safety, minimum wage, protecting salamanders & egrets, rent control, and NIMBYism.    Every single one of them.    And now, maybe if you’re a new Get Rich Education listener - especially - you might be wondering, am I some anti-government guy where I think that the answer to EVERYTHING is free market economics.   Well, though I think that less government would be better.    I’ll tell you that SOME government regulation is good - just less than what we have now.    For example, look at all the smoky, hazy pollution in Pittsburgh, PA in the 1970s. It was a hazard to your health just to walk Pittsburgh then.   You might have heard about this: famously, in the summer of 1969 - An oil slick in Ohio’s Cuyuhoga River caught on fire.   Companies were committing rampant pollution such that it was a hazard to human health. Well, government regulations like the Federal Clean Water Act Of 1972 helped to clean that up.   So, that regulation helped. Government has a role, but it’s often overly intrusive.   When it comes to you helping the homeless directly, I like the campaign slogan that says, “Give real change, not small change.”    That means, don’t give money directly to panhandlers on the street. Where do you think that your goes then? Probably straight to cheap monarch vodka in those plastic bottles.   Also, if you don’t want to see homeless people in your neighbourhood, don’t give to them if they’re on your city’s street corner - like they are mine - because you’ve just given them an incentive to show up there again & do the same thing.   So instead of small change, give real change. When you donate to your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen, your money is going to do MORE REAL GOOD for the homeless.   It’s going to provide them with shelter, or educational resources, or a computer so that they might be able to apply for a job. That’s real change.   You want to help the homeless? I think that’s great. That’s kind. Give real change, not small change.   When it comes to NIMBYism and the environment, there’s a great saying out there.   What do you call a developer –  someone who wants to build a house.  Well, what do you call an environmentalist – someone who already owns the house, [LAUGHING] because they don’t want anyone else to build there, right?   Well, we avoid investing in coastal areas here at Get Rich Education. They’re what I call the volatile markets - they have a history of more regulation, more rent control, and more laws that are disadvantageous to property owners.   Just more reason … as to why we invest in the U.S. Midwest & South. They’re what I call the stable markets.   You’re listening to Get Rich Education, Episode 306.   We are your source for independent groundbreaking, original content on really three main topics: real estate investing is what we major in - with minors in both wealth mindset, and real estate economics.    Get Rich Education is not affiliated with any large media conglomerate.    And we’re here to enrich you - and sometimes even rescue you & help you survive in this widening difference between the “haves” and “have nots” - that continues to broaden in pandemic times.   This show is also when you can find all your finance heroes - that have come onto the show to run alongside me for an episode.   Check our shows published over the years to find me here with the best-seller finance author of all-time Robert Kiyosaki, the world’s leading sales trainer Grant Cardone, global wealth mindset magnate T. Harv Eker, and other economic minds and thought leaders Jim Rogers, Jim Rickards, Sharon Lechter - all your favorite thought leaders are here on this show.   We have more of them coming onto the show in the future, including the upcoming Get Rich Education debut of success thought leader Hal Elrod and others.   There is so much real estate & economics news that the pandemic is providing to us ... more & faster than before.   We bring you that here. Also, be sure to subscribe to the DQYDD Letter. That’s our wealth-building email letter that you can get at GetRichEducation.com   A lot of times, I can write you something in the letter faster than I can get it out here on our weekly show. Yes, I do write the letter myself - and email it directly to you.   Never any spam - never sharing your email address with others, of course.   Also, would you like to join me on a live webinar? We’re looking at doing some of those soon. Look for those announcements - in the Don’t Quit Your Daydream Letter as well.   Information, actionable resources, and education -     Get ahold of that completely free - at GetRichEducation.com   Again, What do you call a developer –  someone who wants to build a house.  What do you call an environmentalist – someone who already owns the house.   Kind of exciting next - A world class city where the real estate numbers actually make sense for you … straight ahead.   I’m Keith Weinhold. This is Get Rich Education.

#empathyforgrief - Break the Silent Struggle With Grief Podcast
Portal To Another World - #empathyforgrief - Break the Silent Struggle With Grief

#empathyforgrief - Break the Silent Struggle With Grief Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2020 28:31


Welcome to Mother's Backyard Buzz and #empathyforgriefandloss episode #16 - Part 1 where I want to focus on a "Portal to Another World". Each episode is all about "breaking the silent struggle" around grief and loss. My podcasts are based on my personal grief and loss journey and reflections from my book: My Backyard Garden - A Memoir of How Love Conquers Grief. I'm reflecting on Chapter 1 of my book entitled "A Change of Planes". From my book, I share current insights into this life-changing journey called grief and loss. Thanks for joining me, Debra Hester, as the author and your host of #empathyforgriefandloss podcast. A Couple of Firsts This is an exceptional podcast for me. As always, there are no chance meetings. In Episode #16, you will be hearing a new format. This topic will also have two episodes dedicated to it. This format is transitioning #empathyforgrief podcast to a video series on the Mother's Backyard Enterprises Channel on YouTube. You will be listening to a pre-recorded conversation with my very first guest. His name is Ruben Medina. We met virtually, and I recorded his interview via Zoom as he shared it "live" on Facebook. The discussion includes fun and earnest insights on how to create a Portal to Another World when you're suffering from grief and loss. Ruben not only shares some of his wisdom, but also some of his inspirational music. My favorite song by MC Medina is "Wake Up." As always, loved ones, I hope you find this episode helpful and inspirational.  [Recorded Conversation] Medina: So ladies and gentlemen, we are good to go…celebration!  Oh man, I wish I had some more noise making material over here!  Debra: All right, well for me, it's welcome, especially all your guests! You know this is my first time and I really look at you as a God-sent because I don't think I would have done this alone. So I really needed a partner to get me to this Facebook live experience. And here he is Mr. Ruben Medina M.C Medina and you know, as I said, no chance meetings, right? This was just amazing how we met online and just sort of have a very similar vision. and when I talked to him and understood sort of where his head was I knew that he needed to be a guest on #empathyforgrief Break the Silent Struggle with Grief and Loss. And I can only say that I hope this isn't the last time. Medina: Good afternoon, thank y'all for checking in I got a homie with me. We haven't even met, but I'm calling her my homie because we did on such a deep spiritual level. Her name is Miss Debra Hester and she's got books and she's got all types of stuff. Y'all can't see her right now but we're doing this on Zoom video for the first, I mean this is my first timeYeah this is both of our first time doing the podcast video style, big quarantine style. No masks today I thought about wearing one just for aesthetic purposes but then I thought I should probably have gloves too.  And I don't have gloves so we just threw out the whole idea. But we're definitely more than six feet apart right now, so we're good. Debra: I’ll go through the front end about the podcast a little bit. It's all about breaking the silence struggle with grief. This is my 16th podcast of #empathyforgrief. You can get podcasts anywhere you download podcasts.  It is available through most podcast providers. What I do is, every podcast I talk about a subject from my book.  I wrote this book, "My Backyard Garden, A Memoir of How Love Conquers Grief." And it chronicles the last days of my mother's life.  and she was like my everything and I lost her.  I had a long time, don't get me wrong and she was ready to leave this world. She had lived a long, healthy life and she was only ill near the end. So that's a blessing in itself.  But she told us all these different things. She had a chance to tell all the grandkids, the kids, and her great-grandchildren. What she told me is this is your book. So I actually wrote this book, “My Backyard Gardening, A Memoir of How Love Conquerors Grief.   I named it "My Backyard Garden" because my mother said that you know God had prepared her and that she wasn't afraid to die. And that he had told her to help the children because the children go out into the world for the things that they should get in their own backyard, so "My Backyard Garden, is the name of the book. "My Backyard” because she left us with a lot of love.   And I struggled so until I realized other people were struggling and I just started creating a podcast because it's a journey. You know grief isa journey we all will take. And this particular episode is about "Portal to Another World."  Yes, right?  Medina: Yes, and you heard that here first, okay! I said they heard it here first, the MC Medina experience is "Portal To Another World" and that’s where we're gonna take you guys right now.  Thank y'all for tuning in! Debra: Exactly! Exactly, and you know as you can tell Ruben is so charismatic, right!  He has all these different talents, music!  I love his music! If you see the video of this we're going to make sure that his music is in here!  Right? Because he has one song, we wanted to play right here that's called "Wake Up" because that’s what we're talking about, you know, wake up. We gotta, sometimes.  You need a portal to another world. You need to get away from where you are. And that's where I found myself,I found myself on my way to my mother’s bedside before she passed. On the plane, in the public, you know, breaking down wanting to cry, wanting to throw up, wanting to faint. Everything, but I couldn't right?  And that's sort of like how we are today. You know, every time you go out in public, you got to be wrapped up and wrapped your head and hands covered So if there are times when you just have had enough, you know what I mean, out in public and you just need this time to get away.  Our minds are wonderful! That's one of the things I want to talk about. You know, if you have been stuck in a public place and grief or loss strikes you. What do you do?  You create that "portal to another world.” The way I do it is just imagining that I'm somewhere else.I will close my eyes or keep my eyes open so I won't be really strange looking to folks. But in my mind, I am somewhere else. In that portal.It is under construction and in a few minutes I'm gonna be through that portal and with the people in the place that brings peace and stability to me.  So I know you know so much, Ruben, about how to bring peace and how to find yourself and things like that.  Tell us how you would do that.  Tell us your perspective on that "Portal to Another World" and how to manifest that in the real world. Medina: Oh man, I know I'm gonna get deep with you now. I like how we're starting off in the deep end already.  Debra: I mean #empathyforgrief gets deep now.  You know we don't make any excuses for taking people where they are or meeting them where they are, how high, low, medium or deep they want to go. Medina: Yeah I like it and you know Hispanic and Black folks, we're not used to the deep end either. We stay in shallow water so this is kind of out of the ordinary for us in that regard, metaphorically speaking.  But thank you so much, first of all, everybody being here. Thank you, Debra, for having me on. I'm so excited about this! Hope y’all can see it in my face it should be glowing! It's glowing. It's glowing hard because you mentioned the "Wake Up."I gotta do this if we can. We could even do this a cappella. So check it out,  "It's Wake up, wake up, wake up for you forgotten who you are. Travel far from home we come from the stars. Not just above you the one in your third eye. Your golden self, the you who sees through the lies came here to learn to see beyond the illusion, truth about this hyper-dimensional transfusion. Each day a new experience unlocks an old memory. This body is extension of source, accessory, we're all light vibrating to create this form. So do your spark I mean do your part to be a spark in the storm. I'm looking, I'm looking for a lighter.  That's all right, do your part to be a spark in the storm Ripples create waves so be the change you wish to see. Act from the heart, love is the only key. Don't stop there because it's just so much you can learn. This world and those beyond keys waiting to be turned. Take a look around what's hidden in plain sight. Sacred "G" and Fibonacci all the way into infinity."  Medina: That’s it we got a lot going on there.  Debra: That’s word.  Medina: Best word right, bars, bars!  Debra: Right, right, right, right and you're so right.  You know as brown and black people I mean we just know how to have a good time. But we've endured so much, until we just know how to cover up stuff. Don't we? But you know then on the other side is that I think we are connected to source.  Medina: Right, we are connected to source. Yeah we're one race on the planet according to all the greats and uh what they call ascended masters or even people like Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle. People who have claimed a certain level of self mastery.  Debra: Right, right, we're all connected  to source. And sometimes our brothers and sisters  who are farther from source we need to help them. I was listening to a lady the other day and she said "I don't want to call people out.” "I want to call people in."  I thought that was wonderful, right!  We want to call people in; so they can be closer to the source.  Medina: Yes! what I say,  "we're calling you, from the north to the south side, calling you, y'all gotta come on and take a ride! Calling you!  Debra: Exactly, we calling you in!And that's what #empathyforgrief is, you know because I found out  that so many people are suffering from some traumatic event in their life. It can be a loss of a loved one. And all of a sudden grief and loss came up after  COVID-19. But there have been people who are grieving from loss way before Covid-19.  You know with all of the deaths and all of the wars and you know just not having what they feel like they need. All of that's a loss. And now the whole  world knows that what it's like to lose your lifestyle, right?  People are struggling over losing that lifestyle; but, some of us been losing our lives, and our families and having to deal with it.  So, that's what this is all about #empathyforgrief for yourself. Show yourself some empathy! Yeah, show yourself some love, some understanding. That's what empathy is, treat yourself with care and treat others with care and love. Right? And we gotta break the silence. Don't keep this quiet. I mean look at those beautiful verses. Oh, say it again, it's just wonderful! We all need emotional lifesavers.  Song: "Wake Up" playing...not just above you the one in your third eye. Your golden self the you who sees through the lies. Came here to learn to see beyond the illusion. Truth about this hyperdimensional transfusion. Each day a new experience unlocking old memory this body is extension of source accessory. We're all right vibrating to create this form.So do your part to be a spark in the storm. Ripples create waves to be the change you wish to be. Act from the heart, love is the only key. Don't stop there cause there's just so much you can learn. This world and those beyond keys waiting to be turned. Open up what's around hidden in plain sight. Take a "G" and Fibonacci all the way into infinity.  Wakeup love, for you've forgotten who you are! Wake up wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up for you’ve forgotten who you are. Travel far from home we come from the stars.Manifest your intention with the power of your mind. Meditative freedom and freedom you will find. This isn’t new age jargon this is something that is real. It's something that is lived something you can feel.It's just my art don't believe it for me. Go and journey on your own and share what you see. As collective consciousness together we will grow. Create your own reality as above so below. Source is the course that we're all headed on. Don't be spiritually broke cause there’s nothing to pawn. Dive into yourself and hear the beautiful song of the universe singing like it has all along. Get your strengths from the foods that you're eating. Must have strengths for the words that you're speakin To reach and teach the weary and the weak in, the energy to practice the words you're preaching. Put their words into action like a digital priest. I'm peace it's peace. I'm like a digital priest. Put them words into action like the digital priest. M.C. Medina never gonna stop, never gonna cease. Put them words into action like a digital priest. This peace is peace, I'm like a digital priest. Never gone stop never gonna cease. M.C Medina putting it down like a digital priest. Peace. Wake up, wake up, for you've forgotten who you are. Travel far from home, we come from the stars. Wake up, Love. You've forgotten who you are. Travel far from home, we come from the stars. Debra: So what are some other ways that we can create these emotional lifesavers, through this portal to another world? You know we were talking a little bit about creating at least, that's how I do it. Create it. And I know that you probably do it by creating songs and verses. Right? Is that your way?  Medina: I do, I enjoy like you, I enjoy writing. Recently, more of the writing has been going on in my head and I haven't been, like there would be times where I would wake up in the middle of the night and I'm fully prepared. Things start just coming, downloads from source or the great creator spirit as we call it in the Native American organization that I'm a part of. The great creator spirit will inspire us and I'd be popping up in the middle of the night and just start writing stuff down.  I want to go ahead and dive straight into it because you've been able to really hack life.  I want to do a video series called MC Medina’s 50 Life Hacks. Little tidbits. And you've been able just after having several conversations with you I have seen you have been able to utilize a lot of these life hacks.  Now a lot of these life hacks, I'm gonna just bestow the knowledge on to everybody right now. If you want to have a head start in being the best you, you can be or being a "G."  And when I say being a "G," I don't mean a gangster or gangsters I mean a god or a goddess. Yes. And for the gender non-specific gender folks, it can be a combination of whatever you want.Okay, so there's no right and wrong here. And be very prideful of whatever it is that you are, please, everybody.   So the 12 Universal Laws is ancient knowledge from ancient civilizations starting with the Sumerians, the Native Americans going into Africa, the Ancient Egyptians and then all of that culture infiltrated into what we know as the Ancient Mayans, Incas and the different indigenous all over the world. This is something that I’ve studied.  And after speaking with people at the School of Metaphysics in Dallas, I got a chance to speak with faculty and students there.The 12 Universal Laws aka God's Law.   Debra: Can you tell everybody metaphysics.. you know a lot of people you know don't understand metaphysics. I mean they may have tried to avoid taking physics in school. LOL! So the metaphysics is a little different than physics so you know we might want to clarify that for people. Medina: Okay, so good that's a good point. We have our physical world which is this vessel that we’re currently utilizing to engage in the five senses and it can do fun spiral things like that. I was in ceremony one time doing Ayahuasca and I did that and it was just one of the most mind-blowing experiences that I had and I was just looking and moving my hands. It was like remembering how important just our breath is. Yes. Type of moment where you're just enchanted by the simplest thing of the mechanics of your hands. Anyways, the 12 Universal Laws, Is that where we were?   Debra: Yes, you were about to tell us, I wanted you to tell them about metaphysics and you did that.   Medina: So the physical world this is this. and then metaphysics is another way of saying spiritual, esoteric there's more words for this.   Debra: Like energy? Okay. I hear energy, waves, things that you can't see. But you can feel.  Medina: Yes, there's that. Yeah, for all my empaths out there. Thank you for being empathic. Trust in that characteristic and that gift that you have because being an empath definitely helps us move love into the world. And so yeah so what we're using then is whenever people say catch the vibe or you know can you catch my vibe it's sort of saying  are you able to see me with your with your mind's eye with your third eye. And your mind's eye is what we use when we want to visualize a desired outcome. And in visualizing a desired outcome that's essentially like prayer. Because when we’re praying we find ourselves being in gratitude like we're saying thank you God. So we're being in gratitude and then once we express our gratitude now we feel comfortable asking for things, right?  So normally we're like thank you God uh for everything that I got now check this out Man, I need help paying the rent this month. Exactly. Right?  And so what we're essentially doing is we're visualizing in our mind’s eye different either money being deposited into your bank account. Or if you're a freelance worker it's a check that's given to you somehow. Maybe even electronically, but we're able to visualize with our mind’s eye our desired outcome.  Debra: Or health, let me put that out there. Some you know because all of it doesn't have to be...we can heal ourselves to some degree.You know what I mean?  You can bring healing to yourself, to your mind and your spirit because a lot of people, especially with my podcast. Ruben, I know you're my first guest. People feel stuck.  They feel like they can’t get over the loss of a loved one or something that they've lost. And that’s what you're talking about, right? That's a way  to envision how you want to feel.  Medina: Yeah. Right? Exactly, exactly envisioning how you want to feel or whatever desired outcome. It doesn't need to be material. It could definitely be even health-related. Mental health, physical health, spiritual health, and emotional health and financial health. So those are the five things that I normally like to cover because I'm into holistic healing and being a holistic advisor and an Ambassador of holistic alternative methods to finding peace.  Debra: Love it, love it!   Medina: Yeah so and I want to go back to the 12 Universal Laws because whenever we're visualizing things with what we call our mind's eye or our third eye or it's technically in scientific terms known to be the pineal gland. And the pineal gland according to not only ancient civilizations, mystics, doctors and science, it is also doctors and scientists is known to be the seat of the soul. So the pineal gland or your mind's eye or your third eye is like the cockpit of a spacecraft. It's like it's the pilot seat of our space suit that we know to be our physical human bodies, our vessels.  And these 12 Universal Laws when we're using our minds eye, pineal gland, third eye, we're  utilizing these 12 Universal Laws. And if anybody has seen, there's a documentary that really put things in perspective for me at the time there's a it's a book and it's also a video documentary. It’s called "The Secret” the secret law of attraction. And the secret law of attraction explains it. It’s pretty much like an hour and a half to two hours.  I highly recommend the audio book too ladies and gentlemen. It dives deep into the 7th Universal Law which is the Law of Attraction. And the Law of Attraction, now all twelve universal laws are laws that are constantly at play. They're always at work. They're immutable, there's no way to stop these laws. They're like the laws of our whole universe and multiverse and all of creation so that's why they’re called the 12 Universal Laws.  Debra: And we're going to have you back to talk about all of them. I know we were focusing on two that you always mentioned to me. The Law of Attraction and then the one?  Medina: Yeah and then the very first one is one that i like to touch on and that's the Law of Oneness. Now when we watch and when we listen to "The Secret Law of Attraction, it's like I said an hour and a half to two hours of simply focusing on number seven. They don't even  really mention anything about the other 11 Universal Laws. And that's why I want to take a moment to heavily stress to our listeners right now. Not right now, after we get done because we're still dropping a lot of jewels. After we get done, lookup the 12 Universal Laws. Please make yourself familiar. This is ancient knowledge that secret societies and the elite have purposely kept away from the masses. And with great knowledge comes great responsibility. If you find yourself here in this now moment hanging out and chilling with Debra and I, you've called this into your experience. You've asked for this. That's why we are here in the now moment. Specifically telling you to take a note lookup the 12 Universal Laws.   The Law of Divine Oneness.  The Law of Vibration.  The Law of Action.  The Law of Correspondence.  The Law of Cause and Effect.  The Law of Compensation.  The Law of Attraction.  The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy.  The Law of Relativity. The Law of Polarity. The Law of Energy The Law of Gender Medina: The first one I'm going to tell you about is the Law of Oneness and the Law of Oneness specifically reminds us, now don't, I want to express I want to clearly express myself to our brothers and sisters that these 12 Universal Laws are not new to you. It might seem new to you right now. And it may be a little bit foreign, but once you read these 12 Universal Laws you will resonate with them to such a high level in such a heavy degree and high frequency that you will have a sense that you are being reminded of something that you’ve you already knew.  Debra: Yeah, exactly, exactly and that's what's beautiful about it too.  Medina: It is,now my experiences have been brought upon through traditional Native American ceremonial settings with Ayahuasca and different plants that have led me into these places in our mind of great peace of great harmony and understanding and compassion and acceptance and bonding and bliss and the list goes on. You, Debra, have you had a very life-altering experience with the death of your mother.  Debra: Yes, my mother was an empath too.   Medina: So what I feel like happened there is because in the Ayahuasca ceremonies it's a rebirth experience.  In a rebirth experience there is a certain degree of quote-unquote death that one would experience and what I experienced is something known as ego death. And so how our stories are so awesome and unique and compatible is that you experienced your mother which was a piece of you that you self-identified with and she passed away. That's like a piece of you dying.  Debra: Absolutely.  Medina: And that's exactly what happened to me in the Ayahuasca ceremony. So this led us to a place in our mind where we had to put our emotions to the side. We had to recognize that we are way more powerful than this self-identification that we have created. And a lot of people say the ego mind creates this illusion of separation and that's going back to the law of oneness. Which is the number one out of the 12 Universal Laws.  The Law of Oneness explains that everything is connected in the organic living world. What does that mean to us here on earth? What that means to us is the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom and I like to say the insect and fungus kingdom because those play very intricate roles in our human experience today. Our ability to breathe clean carbon dioxide, oh wait, we breathe in oxygen we exhale carbon dioxide. LOL!  Debra: Breathe.  Medina: See that is what happens when you get sucked into the oneness you forget about all the details, now.  Debra: Right, right, all the terms that have been attached to things. So they're terms that someone has identified as what already existed.  Medina: Exactly.  Debra: Yeah, it was already here. Air didn't get a name it was, you know, somebody gave it that. Medina: Yeah.  Debra: But I want to go back to the Oneness because  a lot of my listeners have lost someone. When I first lost my mother I did feel like I had lost part of myself and I did go through a lot of emotions.I think emotions are healthy.  I think they are human. Do they help us get to where we need to go if we just keep with them? Or did I have to go through emotions to come to the realization that my mother is still with me?  Medina: Well, that's different for everybody because people like you you had a very blessed shout out to your pops because from what I've heard he has a phenomenal, astronomically good job thorough job with raising his children and that's what we we like to hear that about fathers today that’s very important.  Debra: And I want to bring him on, too because he's a student of Ancient Civilizations. That's his whole perspective is that we all need to go back to our ancient African ancestry because it's there they formulated everything and it just it's based on a lot of goodness but they, it got used for bad. It got secluded you know exclusive and then exclusive sort of let evil into it and then it manifested itself in a not so positive way. But that's another thing, I know we jumping all over the place. But that’s another thing I wanted to talk about is that. Because my Dad explained that we're moving from the Age of Pisces which is suffering. Two thousand five hundred years. We're not talking about the zodiac signs now we talk about the planetary movement. Not the stuff you say what do you do as a Pisces or whatever you do as an  Aquarius, but this is an Age. You know, like the Dinosaur Age.  [End of “Portal to Another World - Part 1” Interview with Host Debra Hester and Ruben MC Medina..To Be Continued in Part 2] I want to thank you loved ones for listening to #empathyforgrief podcast episode #16, "A Portal to Another World Grief." I also want to thank my guest, Ruben Medina, and our sponsor, BetterHelp, that's Betterh-e-l-p. Betterhelp offers online, private, professional counseling at a very affordable rate. All you have to do is go to www.betterh-e-l-p.com/move to get our discount and get matched with a professional who can talk with you by phone, text, or video chat at a time that is convenient for you. You don't have to travel to an appointment. You can also enroll in live emotional and mental health webinars that can help the entire family. This is Debra Hester, your host, where I pledge to continue to break the silent struggle with grief and loss. Remember: move forward with more empathy, less sympathy. If you found the podcast helpful, it's available FREE on Mother's Backyard Buzz blog at www.mothersbackyard.org. Podcasts are available on most podcast providers. And remember our new, engaging video versions of #empathyforgrief are available on YouTube at Mother's Backyard Enterprise Channel. #empathyforgrief podcasts are on Force 3 Radio Network. Force 3 Radio streams online at www.force3radio.com airing the podcast now at 3pm CST during their all inspirational music Sundays.  Peace & Blessings

Podcast UMN Radio
ADA YANG JANGGAL DI MUSIC VIDEO ARDHITO?! - MUSIKALITAS with Nadya #2

Podcast UMN Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2020 29:19


Penyanyi Jazz idaman wanita @ardhitopramono ternyata menyimpan makna misterius dibalik music video “Craziest Thing Happened in My Backyard”

BKR Brothers
#42 Reinkarnasi Ardhito Pramono

BKR Brothers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2020 71:47


Here We Go Again, Trash Talkin' about working 925, Happy memories, how to get to Plaza Avenue and plenty more. Selamat atas rilis EP “Craziest Thing Happened in My Backyard”. Cheers kawan!

BKR Brothers
#42 Reinkarnasi Ardhito Pramono

BKR Brothers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2020 71:47


Here We Go Again, Trash Talkin’ about working 925, Happy memories, how to get to Plaza Avenue and plenty more. Selamat atas rilis EP “Craziest Thing Happened in My Backyard”. Cheers kawan!

Guelph Politicast
GUELPH POLITICAST #210 - On Development Part III: Why Not YIMBY?

Guelph Politicast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2020 61:20


An ongoing segment here on the Politicast involves taking a closer look at development issues, and this week's timely entry of the series will look at the under-appreciated cousin of NIMBYism, YIMBYism! NIMBY, or "Not in MY Backyard," dates back to the 80s, and has become a controversial term when it comes to growth in Ontario's cities, but one group in Waterloo Region is now trying to turn the tables. "Yes in My Backyard" is more than just a statement, it's now an advocacy group out of Kitchener-Waterloo that’s seeking to be the opposite of the widely recognized NIMBY. They see NIMBYism as an impediment to the development of more affordable housing, and have taken it upon themselves to advocate for changes that will allow the construction of more housing, and more types of housing, which will hopefully address homelessness in Waterloo Region. This episode of the show arrives a little over a week after a planning meeting of Guelph City Council where a 25-storey tower downtown, and another proposal for nearly 700-unit development in the west end, both got stern and full-throated opposition. It was for the usual reasons: more traffic, ugly buildings, ruining the character of the area. Only a few had the gall to make the point that many of these proposed units were intended for rentals, which is a market that desperately needs more capacity. That's speaking the language of YIMBY! On this week's podcast we're going to hear from YIMBY co-founder Martin Asling about the creation of Waterloo Region YIMBY, and what he thinks his group can do to promote affordable housing where others have failed. He also talka about the challenges of NIMBYism, and what talking points work best in trying to combat it. And he will discuss the roadblocks in the system, the goals of Waterloo Region YIMBY, and how sometimes, in planning, perfect becomes the enemy of the good. So let's talk about the proverbial backyard on this week's Guelph Politicast! To learn more about his group, Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard, you can join their Facebook group here. If you would like to get involved, you can also follow WR-YIMBY on Meetup by clicking here. The host for the Guelph Politicast is Podbean. Find more episodes of the Politicast here, or download them on your favourite podcast app at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify. Also, when you subscribe to the Guelph Politicast channel and you will also get an episode of Open Sources Guelph every Monday, and an episode of End Credits every Friday.

Sunday Talks 2010
The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! – QA

Sunday Talks 2010

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2019 48:36


This QA session was given by Ajahn Amaro on the 13 October 2019 at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, UK. The post The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! – QA appeared first on Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Sunday Talks 2010
The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard!

Sunday Talks 2010

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2019 57:17


This Sunday Talk was given by Ajahn Amaro on 13 October 2019 at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, UK. The post The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! appeared first on Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Amaro Podcast by Amaravati
The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! – QA

Ajahn Amaro Podcast by Amaravati

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2019 48:36


This QA session was given by Ajahn Amaro on the 13 October 2019 at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, UK. The post The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! – QA appeared first on Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Ajahn Amaro Podcast by Amaravati
The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard!

Ajahn Amaro Podcast by Amaravati

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2019 57:17


This Sunday Talk was given by Ajahn Amaro on 13 October 2019 at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, UK. The post The Place of Non-abiding & Not in My Backyard! appeared first on Amaravati Buddhist Monastery.

Land Matters
Yes in My Backyard

Land Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2019 26:41


Those in the “Yes in My Backyard” or YIMBY movement have a simple goal: increase the supply of housing in cities across the US, and sky-high prices should come down. But they face a growing backlash from neighborhood activists fearful of gentrification and displacement. In California, a bill to fast-track more height and density near transit stations was derailed, even with a provision to require affordable homes through inclusionary housing, a land value capture mechanism. In this episode, Randy Shaw, a San Francisco-based tenants advocate and author of “Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in Urban America,” talks about the multi-pronged efforts needed to confront the affordable housing crisis in cities nationwide. For further reading, see Backyard Brouhaha in Land Lines magazine.

Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast
"NIMBYs" Block Multi-Family Housing

Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2019 5:33


The U.S. needs more rental housing but developers can’t keep up, and there’s a new survey that shows exactly what it is that’s impeding them. According to this survey by the National Apartment Association, there are several barriers to apartment construction but the one that stands out the most is coming from local residents, or NIMBYs -- which stands for “Not in My Backyard.”   www.NewsForInvestors.com

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

(Photo courtesy of Becky Neely, Engineers Without Borders USA Communications Director, and used with permission.) When we think of communities without clean water, or other basic needs, many of us don't envision them in the U.S. Nonprofit Engineers Without Borders knows differently.  They provide volunteer engineering services to underserved communities in 44 countries. And that includes the United States.  A relatively new branch of the organization, Engineers Without Borders USA, is currently celebrating its fifth anniversary. Currently, Engineers Without Borders USA volunteers are at work on projects in 33 states.     They have a three-pronged program: the global International Community Program; the Engineering Service Corps, comprised of their most seasoned volunteers; and the Community Engineering Corps.  The latter is an alliance of technical professionals and students, working together to solve problems and empower communities. Clare Haas Claveau is Community Engineering Corps Director at Engineers Without Borders, USA.  We talked about Engineers Without Borders USA's current projects, what volunteers can expect, and how you or your business or employer can get involved, if you'd like (whether or not you're an engineer!). On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear: How Clare first became involved in Engineers Without Borders USA; Current projects in progress, in the U.S.; Several projects which may not be the first thing you think of, when you think of engineering (Including one very cool one that needs more engineer volunteers right now!); How engineers can get involved; What volunteers can expect, once they commit; One of the best creative challenges Clare has encountered; How the outreach campaign, What's in My Backyard, works; Where other professionals (non-engineers) can get in touch and work with Engineers Without Borders USA; The obstacles around which Clare and her teams are working; What Engineers Without Borders USA needs most, at this point; One of Clare's most rewarding experiences, among the projects she's facilitated; A closer look at an agricultural project in New Orleans, and a clean-water system in California. Community Engineering Corps' vision for the future. Like to know more about what Engineers Without Borders is doing internationally?  Check out our earlier interview with Re:3D co-founder Samantha Snabes!

Original Transplants
Ep 43: Garden Math

Original Transplants

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2019 63:35


The Original Transplants Podcast Episode 43: Garden Math, 3/31/19 Neither of the stewards at Satoyama Homestead are all that math-inclined. Sarah and Will do their best anyway in this 43rd edition of the podcast. Subjects discussed: is that a prime number?; spring honey bee business; chicken crop problems; dealing with a violent rooster; edible food arriving in spring; "garden math" or why you should stop worrying and start calculating your garden; orchard prep; spring cleanup; the Woods in My Backyard series put out by Penn State Extension; and the fox that walked into the wrong chicken coop. Notes: Jurassic Park film, 1993 True Grit film, 2010 The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, by Edward C Smith, 2000 Chester County Food Bank Seed to Supper, https://chestercountyfoodbank.org/programs-education/raised-bed-gardens/seedtosupper/ Lancaster Farming, "Now is the Time" Column by Leon Ressler You Bet Your Garden/Gardens Alive, www.gardensalive.com How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us, 2018, by Michael Pollan Woods in Your Backyard, 2019, Penn State Extension: https://extension.psu.edu/backyard-woods Nikola Tesla, Free Energy: http://free-energy.ws/nikola-tesla/ Pyne, Stephen J. 1982. Fire in America: A Cultural History of Wildland and Rural Fire. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 654 pages. See Chapter 2 “The Fire from Asia” pages 66–122. TAGS #food #farming #agriculture #gardening #gardens #podcast #satoyamahomestead #bees #beekeeping #homesteading #permaculture #beekeeping #honey bees #apiculture #backyardchickens #chickens #coop #rooster #ediblelandscape #gardeners #farmers #weather #news #rain #season #spring #summer #autumn #fall #winter #homestead #plants #yard #hunting #wildlife #hiking #nature #outdoors #diy #ecology #forestry #sustainability #permaculture #landscaping

Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast
San Diego's YIMBY Turn, with Mayor Kevin Faulconer

Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2019 42:45


San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is a newly self-identified "YIMBY"--a proponent of "Yes in My Backyard" development. Liam and Matt discuss what that the Republican mayor's pro-density policies mean for the one of the largest and sprawliest cities in California. First, an Avocado of the Fortnight asks whether the cure for the state's housing crisis is parked right in front of us (2:00). Then a discussion of whether Gov. Newsom is punting tying gas tax money to housing goals (6:30), followed by a roundup of state legislation originating from the Bay Area's CASA compact (9:30). Then, Liam sits down with San Diego Mayor Faulconer for a conversation about all things housing (22:00).

Craig Lewis: Stories from Northants and beyond
MY:BK:YD - Northamptonshire Police launch My Backyard project to give gang members a route in to work

Craig Lewis: Stories from Northants and beyond

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2018 3:44


Earlier this year Northamptonshire Police launched Operation Viper to tackle violence, gangs and organised crimes across the county. And while the force remains committed to disrupting gangs, a new scheme hopes to give youngsters involved in such activity new opportunities. I went to the launch of the My Backyard initiative...

My Son the Dungeon Master
Blue Glass Eye: Ep 45 - Derf Jr Done Gone Anonymous

My Son the Dungeon Master

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2018 83:57


We continue our campaign to find peace between the Plague people and the Bunnies and we try to decide what to do with the blue-glass eye. Plus we have special guest Rodney Anonymous, the singer from The Dead Milkmen. The episode was a blast to record and kind of a dream come true. I mean... doesn't everyone dream about playing D&D with the guy who sang "Big Lizard in My Backyard"?

Accent On!
Ruth Hertz Weber,Emilia Lopez-Yañez

Accent On!

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2018 55:00


Host Ilona Europa interviewed Ruth Hertz Weber Weber and her daughter Emilia Lopez-Yañez. Ruth's husband joined our show. We learned more about wonderful kids friendly CD project "The Spaceship who Fell in My Backyard". We played 3 songs from the album and we loved it! Ruth Weber ruthmakesmusic.com

Books Between Podcast
#51-Exceptional Nonfiction Reads & A Conversation w/ Wendy MacKnight

Books Between Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2018 64:24


Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of a 9 and 11 year old, and struggling with some kind of rogue pollen in the air. So if I suddenly sound like the Albino from the Pit of Despair in The Princess Bride - that is why. This is Episode #51 and today I’m discussing some exceptional nonfiction reads and sharing a conversation with Wendy MacKnight, author of The Frame-up!   But first I am excited to tell you that today’s episode is sponsored by MoxieReader - a literacy app that’s like a fitness tracker for your reading life. It gives educators insights into their students’ reading lives, customized recommendations, and a way for kids to set and work toward their own reading goals in a way that is engaging and fun. My 5th graders and I have been trying it out over the past couple of weeks and they have been really been pumped up about hitting their own goals AND they’ve really liked sharing recommendations with each other. I feel like the summer is, for me anyway, the perfect time to explore something new so head over to MoxieReader.com and the use the code welovereading and try it out! A few announcements to pass along! This month’s Middle Grade at Heart book club pick is The Mad Wolf’s Daughter. We’ll have author Diane Magras on the show soon so watch out for that! In July we are reading, Just Under the Clouds and Where the Watermelons Grow is the August pick. In other news, we at MGBookVillage had SUCH as fabulous response to the #MGBookChat  Twitter chats that we’ve decided to continue them! So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST  and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter for great conversations between educators, librarians, and authors about how to get great books into the hands of middle grade readers!    We have some great guest hosts lined up so far, but If you have an idea for a topic centered around supporting children’s reading lives and celebrating MG books and would like to co-host an upcoming chat, please contact us. (I’ll drop a link to more information and our upcoming schedule in the show notes.) Book Talk - Exceptional Nonfiction Reads This week’s book talk is all about nonfiction!! And I will admit, I do tend to read and book talk more fiction than nonfiction. (And I have heard from some of you about that.) But, my students and I are just coming off of a great Unit of Study all about informational texts and I wanted to share with you some of the books that have really hooked us. And as I started this list, I soon realized it’s too much for one episode. So consider this part one, and on the next show you’ll get more great recommendations! Let’s get into it with the hot reads with my fifth graders this year. All of these books had long waiting lists and complicated exchange arrangements with my kids - if you work in a classroom or library, you know what I mean. First up… The Science Comics series!! Oh my word - have these books taken off in my class!  They are graphic novel-style books that feature a character (like an animal) introducing you to their world and telling you everything you need to know about it.  For example, a favorite one in our class is Science Comics Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch and it starts with an introduction by two canine scientists and then we meet Rudy, who talks directly to the reader about things like domestication, Punnett Squares, and evolution, and breeds, and the meanings of various howls and wags. We have another one called Coral Reefs: Cities of the Oceans which is told by a little yellow fish and is all about coral formation and water runoff and the effects of climate change. I will say - they are complicated and do contain sophisticated vocabulary like alleles and numerical dating vs relative dating and, well - lots of other words I can’t pronounce! But the support of the illustrations really helps, and I have found that readers will pick up what they can and skim the rest - and that’s okay. They next time they come across the term allele, they’ll be more likely to pick up that meaning.  There are a TON more in the series, Bats, Plague, Flying Machines, Volcanoes, Robots & Drones with new titles coming like Polar Bears and Wild Weather!! I definitely need to get more of these next year - they are bright and colorful - and just COOL!   Another hot nonfiction read for us this year is Don’t Read This Book Before Bed: Thrills, Chills, and Hauntingly True Stories by Anna Claybourne. This is a National Geographic Kids book published by Scholastic and how it’s set up is each topic has a two page spread with a big title, an introduction and then 4 or 5 text features like a timeline or picture, or fact box. It really lends itself to bite-sized reading and with each flip of the page you get a new topic like “Island of the Dolls” or “Buried Alive” or “Eerie Everest”. And there are six quizzes throughout the book like “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” or “Spot the Fake Photos!” so I liked that it also included some debunking and skepticism. This is book that some of your kids are going to look at and say, “No thank you!” but you know there are a lot you are going to go “Oh yeah! Let me at it!”   In a similar vein is a book called Beasties in My Backyard which also includes a two-page spread for common backyard (or household) bugs like centipedes and cicadas and cockroaches and lightning bugs! Each page has an intro and a HUGE super close-up photo (like see every hair on their legs photo) with the features labeled and explained. And then a fact file with its size and diet and location. And a few text features. Actually, even though the title is Beasties in my Backyard - our classroom has had its share of ants, and moths, and stink bugs, and centipedes recently. Just yesterday my teammate, Cindy, had to snag a spider out of my hair during lunch!  A couple other nonfiction books that my biology-loving students are getting into are 101 Hidden Animals (all about creatures who camouflage), Life As We Know It (about everything from the beginnings of life on earth to species and ecosystems and survival) and Ocean Animals: Who’s Who in the Deep Blue (another gorgeous National Geographic Kids book). Another super popular book this year is one called... Drones. It’s one of those short, wide books with 96 pages chock full of information. There’s a four page intro and then each spread is about a different drone - military drones and then civilian drones. I liked that the pictures are large and the text is large and well spaced so it’s really readable. Also - for each drone they include a “How Big Is It”  box with the silhouette of that drone with either a person or a bus or something to help you picture it. Two other books that have become very popular this year in the wake of student activist movements are Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge which tells the story of the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 with a particular focus on the voices of the children who participated. Another book called Kids on Strike! tells the stories of children who organized in the early 1900s for better working conditions. Each chapter is about a different strike - from mill workers and coal miners and garment workers, It was a fascinating and timely read. I think it would be really interesting to have students compare a chapter from each these books to current news stories about student walkouts and the marches demanding gun control. My students are also really loving those Scholastic “A True Book” series - especially the one called Cybercriminals which is all about hacking and identity theft - topics they hear about in the news and want to know more about. I really, really love this series and they have a plethora of titles that can connect to just about any content area so you can make your reading time also hit some science and social studies. And - I probably don’t need to tell you this, but any of the Almanac / World Record-type books are hugely popular with my kiddos. They were with me too when I was their age! But boy have they changed! My tattered copy of the 19somethingsomething Guinness Book of World Records is black and white, teensy-tiny print, and maybe a picture or two? These books are chock full of color and images with bold words and color coded sections.  I don’t get a new one EVERY year but honestly I probably should they are so popular. Guinness has a great one every year and so does Scholastic.  And the National Geographic Kids Almanacs are also great. And there are also books like The Year in Sports and even ones specific to baseball or football. And I’m starting to realize that this list is pretty heavily loaded with Scholastic titles. Honestly, it’s because they are affordable and I can save up my points to get some of the more pricey ones. But I do realize that limits the selection, so next year I’m going to look for ways to fund some other titles, too. Alright - I hope this has encouraged you to pick up some new nonfiction titles for your children and students. And if you have a suggestion about a great nonfiction book we should all know about, email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter at @Books_Between. Wendy MacKnight - Interview Outline Our special guest this week is Wendy McLeod MacKnight.  We chat about art, her biggest influences as a child, and her inspirations behind her newest middle grade novel, The Frame-Up. Take a listen... The Frame Up Your newest novel is due to be released into the world on June 5th! What is Frame-up all about? What kind of research did you do for this book and did you collaborate at all with the Beaverbrook Art Gallery? What were some of the challenges you encountered when setting up the “rules” of the paintings? If you could go visit any painting you wished, which one would you pick? If you knew a painting could really come alive, would you want one painted of yourself? **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Wendy and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 47:30 mark. Your Writing Life What are you working on next? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a teacher or librarian in your life who helped you What are some books you’ve been reading lately? Links: Wendy’s website - http://wendymcleodmacknight.com Wendy on Twitter and Facebook   Books & Authors We Chatted About: It’s a Mystery Pigface (Wendy MacKnight) A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) Penderwicks at Last (Jeanna Birdsall) You Go First (Erin Entrada Kelly) The Mad Wolf’s Daughter (Diane Magras) The Science of Unbreakable Things (Tae Keller) The Not So Boring Letters of Private Nobody (Matthew Landis)   Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!

Death, Dying, and Other Things
Episode 10.5 Bonus: The Man in My Backyard

Death, Dying, and Other Things

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2017 10:18


Our first ever bonus episode. A story that didn't fit in episode 10. In "The Man in My Backyard," a mystery man terrorizes a father.

Reflections & Celebrations
Lunch with Marcy Ann & Sally, who is getting ready for her 90th birthday!

Reflections & Celebrations

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2017 31:00


Today, we will get some insights on being a real senior citizen!   Sally will share for us some of her secrets as she prepared for her 90th birthday.   And at lunch, she told me the story about when the city where she lived in Ohio started planning to put a new freeway through town, and it would have gone right through her backyard.   She said,  it was MY BACKYARD!   I had to do something!   So, nearly single=handedly, she took on the City, the County and eventually the State of Ohio, but through dogged determination --- she never gave up, she never surrendered to the pressures, she stayed the course, and the freeway finally was actually built in another of town --- not her backyard!      

CincyMusic Spotlight
CincyMusic Spotlight #52

CincyMusic Spotlight

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2014 55:17


Mangrenade - "End of the World"; Dark Colour - "Burn It Down"; Pop Goes The Evil - "Kisses"; Jake Speed and the Freddies - "Devil in My Backyard"; See You In The Funnies - "Oh No"; Waking Silas - "Sleepless Nights"; Jared Harville - "I'll Always Be Your Wounded Dog"; Skeleton Hands - "Gone"; A City On Fire - "It All Comes Down to This"; BoyMeetsWorld - "Right Where We Belong"; Heavy Hinges - "Wait Around"; Northside Garage - "Lost Weekend"; Us, Today - "Androgynetics"; Wussy - "Teenage Wasteland"

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)
The NIMBY Gauntlet: The Process of Socially Excluding Native Renters in Lethbridge?

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2010 32:45


Housing options remain limited for Aboriginal people in Lethbridge. Ongoing research shows that NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) may be regularly practiced by landlords, and plays a central role in denying Aboriginal renters access to accommodations. In this presentation, the speaker examines the systemic nature of what can be described as the NIMBY Gauntlet. Lethbridge landlords, under the guise of the NIMBY Gauntlet, arguable use this mechanism to bring about discrimination against potential Native tenants. The NIMBY Gauntlet, as described, perpetuates what one scholar proclaims to be municipal colonialism, which in this case is characterized by landlords systematically filtering out potential Aboriginal tenants. The speaker will outline some possible remedies aimed at ending such discrimination. Speaker: Yale Belanger Dr. Yale D. Belanger (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Native American Studies (NAS) at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta). Trained as a political historian, his doctoral work at Trent University focused on the emergence and evolution of Aboriginal political organizations in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Canada. His current research with Drs. David Gregory and Jo-Anne Fiske focuses on how NIMBY operates to deny Aboriginal people access to rental accommodations, with an emphasis on developing appropriate strategies to eradicate this process.

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)
The NIMBY Gauntlet: The Process of Socially Excluding Native Renters in Lethbridge?

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2010 32:45


Housing options remain limited for Aboriginal people in Lethbridge. Ongoing research shows that NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) may be regularly practiced by landlords, and plays a central role in denying Aboriginal renters access to accommodations. In this presentation, the speaker examines the systemic nature of what can be described as the NIMBY Gauntlet. Lethbridge landlords, under the guise of the NIMBY Gauntlet, arguable use this mechanism to bring about discrimination against potential Native tenants. The NIMBY Gauntlet, as described, perpetuates what one scholar proclaims to be municipal colonialism, which in this case is characterized by landlords systematically filtering out potential Aboriginal tenants. The speaker will outline some possible remedies aimed at ending such discrimination. Speaker: Yale Belanger Dr. Yale D. Belanger (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Native American Studies (NAS) at the University of Lethbridge (Alberta). Trained as a political historian, his doctoral work at Trent University focused on the emergence and evolution of Aboriginal political organizations in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Canada. His current research with Drs. David Gregory and Jo-Anne Fiske focuses on how NIMBY operates to deny Aboriginal people access to rental accommodations, with an emphasis on developing appropriate strategies to eradicate this process.

Everyday Companion PaniCast
PaniCast 31 Christmas Requests

Everyday Companion PaniCast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2007


Happy Holidays eveyone!There have been a few requests that I have been meaning to get to lately -And here they come. I tried to find extra special versions for people to consider and in each case here long jamming was the criteria.January 19, 1996 Boulder, COWaiting for the Wind to Blow the Tree Down in My BackyardJuly 1, 1999 House of Blues, West Hollywood, CABlightMay 5, 1999 House of Blues, North Myrtle Beach, SCTall Boy (with Time is Free, China > Rider and Norwegian Wood teases)>Don't Be DeniedJune 1, 1996 Wolf Mountain Arena, Park City, UTDream SongWerewolves of LondonMay 5, 1999 House of Blues, North Myrtle Beach, SCBowlegged WomanMake sure to click COMMENT below to let us know what you think -DOWNLOAD the cast here:Everyday Companion Podcast #31Click here to subscribe through iTunes.