Podcasts about uc santa cruz

Original air date: June 10, 2025.⁠ Claire Hoffman⁠ is the author of ⁠Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson⁠, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Hoffman is also the author of the memoir Greetings from Utopia Park and is a journalist reporting for national magazines on culture, religion, celebrity, business, and more. She was formerly a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, and has an MA in religion from the University of Chicago and an MA in journalism from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of the Columbia School of Journalism, ProPublica, and the Brooklyn Public Library. *** ⁠⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of Monterey Bay This Week, Cal State Monterey Bay hosts it's fourth annual gift drive for student-parents, a UC Santa Cruz program dedicated to preserving community history is ending just three years after its debut, and more local news.

“Merry Christmas, Emily” David Lowery does so many things, his CV needs a sequel. He's a professor, a mathematician, a writer, a musician, a producer and an entrepreneur. He's also the singer of two of my all-time favorite bands: Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. Let's start with the former. Lowery formed Camper Van Beethoven when he was a student at UC Santa Cruz in the early '80s. I was so obsessed with Camper Van when I was in high school I cut class to buy their new album--but I had the wrong day, so I cut class the next day to get it. Totally worth it, by the way. Camper Van Beethoven put out a handful of genius albums likeOur Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and Telephone Free Landslide Victory before temporarily disbanding in 1990. Lowery didn't miss a beat and formed Cracker with guitarist Johnny Hickman and they put out a handful of genius albums like Kerosene Hat and The Golden Age, logged a #1 Modern Rock track with "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)" and scored three platinum albums. This is only a partial history, by the way; but I would recommend reading up on both bands because they have fascinating histories.Lowery has produced everyone from Counting Crows to Sparklehorse, founded Sound of Music studios, was a seed investor in Reverb.com (), knocked out his PhD and was named a Global IP Champion by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A ferocious advocate for artist's rights, among other things, Lowery launched a pair of class actions alleging major streaming services had failed to properly license and account to independent songwriters. Lowery currently teaches the economics and finance of the music business at the University of Georgia.An authentic career-spanning collection that boasts re-recordings, demos, b-sides and live takes that have never been heard, ‘Alternative History: A Cracker Retrospective' is out now. It's a deep and privileged dive into the rich and vast Cracker cataloge and to say it's a treat falls short of the mark. It's a musical treasure chest. Cracker are touring now and will be on the road at the beginning of 2025 and Camper Van will be playing dates as well. www.crackersoul.com Www.bombshellradio.com www.stereoembersmagazine.com www.alexgreenbooks.com IG: @Emberspodcast editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

The USC Triple-Double Podcast -- the Peristyle Podcast's basketball-focused podcast -- returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down the Trojan men beating UTSA and UC Santa Cruz and the Women of Troy taking down Cal Poly and Cal.  The USC Triple-Double continues with a look at where the women's and men's teams stack up nationally in multiple statistical categories before moving to a preview of both teams' next two conference games.  The USC women and men each take on ranked opponents in their next matchups with the women traveling to play No. 20 Nebraska and No. 4 UCLA and the men battling No. 2 Michigan and No. 9 Michigan State on the road.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A UC Santa Cruz program dedicated to preserving community history is ending just three years after its debut.

Send us a textWe trace Justin Cummings' path from early leadership training to steering Santa Cruz through a pandemic, fires, and a fragile housing landscape. Practical stories show how to connect experts, cut red tape, protect renters, and stay grounded without losing joy.• early leadership roots in camp programs and team captaincy• becoming mayor during crisis and defining the role• building information bridges across sectors• doubling local COVID testing capacity through escalation and certification• handling criticism with clarity and boundaries• self care, time management and public visibility• housing instability as the central community risk• tenant protections and a funded attorney resource• transparency versus strategy in public communication• culture setting through joy, humor and choosing issues not sides• advice for emerging leaders on listening and sharing the stage BioI moved to Santa Cruz from Chicago in 2007 to pursue a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology with a designated emphasis in environmental science from UC-Santa Cruz, which I received in 2013.  My work has largely focused on invasive species eradication in places such as Panama and the Galapagos, sustainable fisheries science, tropical forest restoration, assessing the impacts of climate change on the environment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in environmental conservation. After a brief post-doc in Miami, I returned to Santa Cruz in 2015 to co-found and direct the UC-Santa Cruz Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, whose mission is to prepare college students from diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of conservation leaders.   In Santa Cruz, I witnessed and experienced the impacts of the exorbitant housing market. I got involved in a rent control measure campaign and was one of the highest signature gatherers to place the measure on the 2018 ballot. This, along with a commitment to community engagement, prompted me to run for city council. In 2018, I was the highest vote recipient and became one of two African American men voted onto the Santa Cruz City Council for the first time in history. In 2020 I became the first African American man to serve as Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz. In 2022, I was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors as the Third District Supervisor.  During my time on the council, I focused on sustainable community growth, increasing affordable housing, reducing carbon emissions, public safety reform, amplifying the voices of marginalized community members, connecting people to resources during the pandemic, and most importantly bringing our community together to make Santa Cruz better for everyone. Support the show

Rev. Dana Takagi reflects on the significance of Abbot Yuko Yamada being the first woman teacher at the founding temple of Soto Zen, Eiheiji. Dana also highlights Yamada's teaching of the Denkōroku, a text written by the ancestor Keizan who emphasized making Buddhism accessible to the masses and not just monastic residential practitioners. Dana emphasizes Abbot Yamada's ongoing contributions to moving Buddhism forward into a more inclusive and accessible future, both in Japan and globally. This is a supplementary episode to the full interview with Abbot Yamada. Listen first if you haven't already!GUESTYUKO WAKAYAMA YAMADA is the abbot of Shogakuji in Tokyo. She currently teaches at the International department of Eiheiji. She is the first nun to teach at Eiheiji, the head monastery of Soto Zen founded by Dogen Zenji. She trained at Aichi Senmon Niso-do, a training temple for female Soto Zen priests, where she also currently teaches. She was ordained in 1999 by the highly respected Rev. Shundo Aoyama-roshi. She was sent to Mt. Equity Zendo in United States for 2.5 years and has also practiced in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Italy. After returning from Europe and finishing 2 more years at the Niso-do she studied at the graduate school of Komazawa University specializing in Chinese Zen History. Prior to becoming a Zen Buddhist nun, Yuko Yamada was a catholic nun in a convent for 3 years.HOSTREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Episode SummaryIn this festive episode, Steve Roby chats with acclaimed pianist, composer, and educator Adam Shulman, a key figure in the San Francisco jazz scene since 2002. Known for his work as a sideman with artists like Paula West, Stefon Harris, and Miguel Zenón, as well as for his own original albums, Adam shares insights into his musical journey and the timeless magic of Vince Guaraldi's “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Key Topics & HighlightsA Holiday Tradition: Adam shares his yearly tribute to Vince Guaraldi's “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” performed with his trio at SF Jazz's Miner Auditorium. He reflects on why the music connects across generations and how it has become a family tradition for many in the Bay Area. Musical Roots: Adam explains how his classical piano training at UC Santa Cruz and mentorship under Smith Dobson influenced his approach to jazz improvisation and composition.Compositional Process: The episode features tracks from Adam's catalog, including “The Little Ones” and “Mingus Dreams of Billy Strayhorn.” Adam explains his creative process, often starting with harmony and drawing inspiration from jazz greats.The Art of Adaptation: Adam discusses balancing his roles as a bandleader and a sought-after sideman, and how collaborating with different artists shapes his unique sound. Behind the Scenes: Listeners get a preview of the upcoming Charlie Brown Christmas show, including the setlist featuring music from both the original album and Guaraldi's “A Boy Named Charlie Brown,” along with introductions to his longtime bandmates John Tala (bass) and James Gallagher (drums).Family-Friendly Jazz: Adam and Steve discuss the importance of introducing young audiences to live jazz and how the Charlie Brown Christmas show serves as a gateway for many to discover jazz.Event DetailsAdam Shulman Trio Plays A Charlie Brown ChristmasDate: Sunday, December 21stTime: 1:00 PM (Matinee)Location: SF Jazz's Miner AuditoriumTickets & Info: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/adam-shulman-trio-charlie-brown-christmas/Bring the whole family for an afternoon of timeless holiday music and jazz improvisation!Connect with Adam ShulmanLearn more about Adam's music and upcoming performances on his website: https://www.adamshulmanjazz.comThanks for Listening!If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Backstage Bay Area. Stay tuned for more conversations with the jazz artists shaping the Bay Area's vibrant music scene. We're keeping Jazz Alive in the 415!

This week… "There are some new cycles starting, and they're just around the corner, and where we are right now is in a big completion moment. There are a lot of things that are ending; our emphasis, our energetic focus is on finishing, and finishing things can feel all kinds of ways but, often, there is some challenge to close out a cycle. And if there's not challenge, then there's often grief."This week-ahead reading for Dec 8-14, 2025 is an excerpt from this week's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Somatic Space class⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Renee Sills. For the full-length forecast and embodied practice for this week,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠purchase the recording here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. In the Portland, OR area? Go & see ⁠A LARGER REALITY: URSULA K. LE GUIN⁠. In this week's episode, Renee reads from the exhibition compilation of the same name, a speech Le Guin gave at UC Santa Cruz in 2014 entitled “Deep in Admiration”.⁠⁠Throughout Sagittarius Season, EA is hosting a reading raffle fundraiser⁠⁠ - Renee and 8 of her students who have completed her practitioner training are all offering readings to support one of our cohort/community members whose life has been severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. If you're interested in winning a reading, or just want to help us support our friend, ⁠⁠click here.⁠⁠

The Kenneth S. Norris Center at UC Santa Cruz is one of the little-known jewels of the campus as well as the Monterey Bay Region. Ken Norris was an American marine mammal biologist, conservationist, naturalist, and co-founder of SeaWorld, as well as a professor of natural history at UCSC.  He was the creator of the UC Natural Reserve System, too.  The Norris Center holds a vast collection of insects, plants and seeds from the Santa Cruz Mountains and supports classes, internships and research by UCSC students, faculty and staff.  Join me in two weeks for a conversation about the Norris Center with Professor Ingrid Parker, the Center's Faculty Director and Chris Lay, the Center's Director.  Find out about the Center's treasures and how you can see them!

This week… "The big picture framework helps us to organize ourselves inside of the details, but the details - the Mercury and Gemini of it all - direct our possibility. This is about our attention and our awareness; how we grow, or the meaning that we're making and what we do with our experiences, really needs us to pay attention to the details."This week-ahead reading for Dec 1-7, 2025 is an excerpt from this week's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Somatic Space class⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Renee Sills. For the full-length forecast and embodied practice for this week,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠purchase the recording here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. In the Portland, OR area? Go & see A LARGER REALITY: URSULA K. LE GUIN. In this week's episode, Renee reads from the exhibition compilation of the same name, a speech Le Guin gave at UC Santa Cruz in 2014 entitled “Deep in Admiration”.⁠Throughout Sagittarius Season, EA is hosting a reading raffle fundraiser⁠ - Renee and 8 of her students who have completed her practitioner training are all offering readings to support one of our cohort/community members whose life has been severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. If you're interested in winning a reading, or just want to help us support our friend, ⁠click here.⁠

GUESTYUKO WAKAYAMA YAMADA is the abbot of Shogakuji in Tokyo. She currently teaches at the International department of Eiheiji. She is the first nun to teach at Eiheiji, the head monastery of Soto Zen founded by Dogen Zenji. She trained at Aichi Senmon Niso-do, a training temple for female Soto Zen priests, where she also currently teaches. She was ordained in 1999 by the highly respected Rev. Shundo Aoyama-roshi. She was sent to Mt. Equity Zendo in United States for 2.5 years and has also practiced in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Italy. After returning from Europe and finishing 2 more years at the Niso-do she studied at the graduate school of Komazawa University specializing in Chinese Zen History. Prior to becoming a Zen Buddhist nun, Yuko Yamada was a catholic nun in a convent for 3 years.HOSTREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Lalita du Perron talks to Nidhi Mahajan, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UC-Santa Cruz about her new book Moorings: Voyages of Capital across the Indian Ocean, the way her fieldwork interviews shaped her project, and the arduous process of turning a PhD into a monograph.

This month marks 25 years of Bullseye, a public radio show and podcast founded, hosted, and produced by Jesse Thorn. The show began as an offbeat college radio show at UC Santa Cruz, as a way for Thorn and his friends to hone their comedian sensibilities over the airwaves during their daily 7:30am slot. Today, it's a show where artists open up about how and why they pursue their art. And it goes out on NPR. Earlier this month, host Brooke Gladstone called Jesse up to ask him how his show survived every new iteration of podcasting, and how it all began. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

In this week's episode, both storytellers must navigate heartbreaking dilemmas as they try to figure out how to convey crushing news.Part 1: While doing fieldwork in the Congo, Stella Mayerhoff must track down a local researcher to deliver devastating news. Part 2: During his second year of residency, Sam Blackman is tasked with caring for a dying child whose mother's unwavering faith clashes with his scientific approach. Stella Mayerhoff is a primatologist turned science communicator. As a scientist, Stella traveled the world—from Puerto Rico to the Democratic Republic of Congo—studying various primate species. She now draws inspiration from her time in the field, writing to share the sense of adventure and real-world impact that science offers. Stella has written for Georgia State's College of Arts & Sciences, Georgia State University Research Magazine, and Science ATL, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Science Communication at UC Santa Cruz. When she's not chasing a story, Stella enjoys spending her time with her cat, TBD, who owes his perfectly odd name to a moment of writer's block. Sam Blackman is a physician-scientist and pediatric oncologist. He's was founder and former head of research and development at Day One Biopharmaceuticals, a company focused on drug development for childhood cancers. He's currently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Google Ventures. Sam is an avid storyteller, baker of bread, and recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Sam lives on Orcas Island with his wife, having successfully launched their first and only child off to college.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff discusses her work and the profound ideas in her book Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era. She explores themes of dream consciousness, cultural and ecological extinction, radical symbiosis, and the concept of apocalyptic parenting as a strategy for social justice and ecological ethics, an antidote to petroleum parenting. The discussion digs into the interdisciplinary ties found in her stories, her collaborative projects, and the communal effort in creating sustainable futures. Dr. Alhadeff also shares her real-life experiences of living for almost a decade in a reclaimed school bus, 'The Love Bus', exemplifying the principles of radical mothering, reuse, collective creativity, and joy amidst systemic challenges. Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff is a professor and author of dozens of books and articles on art, philosophy, sexuality, climate justice, life-passion activism, and "petroleum parenting," including the critically-acclaimed Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era, and Viscous Expectations: Justice, Vulnerability, The Ob-scene. Alhadeff's forthcoming book, Unlearning What We Think We Know (Vernon Press), will be performed during the World Affairs Conference. Her photographs/ performance videos are in private and public collection,s including San Francisco MoMA, MoMA Salzburg, Austria, the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, and include collaborations with international choreographers, composers, poets, sculptors, architects, and scientists. She has been interviewed by The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Pacifica Radio, NPR, and the New Art Examiner. Alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Vandana Shiva, Alhadeff received the Random Kindness Community Resilience Leadership Award, 2020. In 2022, Alhadeff was nominated for a MacArthur Fellowship. Her theoretical and visual work is the subject of documentaries for international public television/ radio. A former professor of Critical Pedagogy & Performance at UC Santa Cruz and Founder of Radical Art in Action, Alhadeff teaches, performs, and parents a creative-zero-waste life. She and her family live and perform in their eco-art installation, a repurposed school bus. www.carajudeaalhadeff.com Topics 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff 01:35 Exploring 'Zazu Dreams' 04:01 Dreams and Cultural Extinction 06:08 Fractal Democracy and Radical Art 08:39 Sensory Consciousness and Neuroaesthetics 14:50 Interconnected Oppressions and Emancipation 28:05 Ancestral Lineage and Multiculturalism 34:00 Exploring Automatic Behaviors and Consciousness 34:50 Interbeing and Consumer Decisions 36:35 The Impact of Privilege and Capitalist Norms 38:06 Radical Symbiosis and Cultural Conditioning 39:21 Eco-Spirituality and Political Awareness 41:18 Apocalyptic Parenting and Deep Noticing 48:01 The Love Bus: A Journey of Reuse and Respect 54:40 Adapting to Change and Collective Creativity 57:55 Conclusion: Embracing Art and Language Resources: Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff's Website ZAZU DREAMS: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, A Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era by Dr. Cara Judea Alhadeff Zazu Dreams book-to-film animation adaptation Fractal Flourishing: Jeremy Lent (Sounds of SAND Podcast) Arab Jewish Mysticism: Hadar Cohen (Sounds of SAND Podcast) Quantum Listening: IONE (Sounds of SAND Podcast) Deep Listening: Pauline Oliveros 5Rhythms Dance Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an architecture of decency Thrutopian Dreams: Manda Scott (Sounds of SAND Podcast) An Ecotopian Lexicon edited by Schneider-Mayerson and Bellamy Challenging Petroleum Parenting Decolonizing Motherhood Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism by Robert Chapman Viscous Expectations: Justice, Vulnerability, The Ob-scene by cara judea Alhadeff The Love Bus: Beauty & Waste In the Face of Climate Crisis Facing Apocalyspe by Catherine Keller Benjamin Lay: The first Revolutionary Quaker Abolitionist Cara Judea Alhadeff, PhD, Promiscuous Crossings (Substack) Email Cara Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message!Our guest this week is Natalie Batalha. Natalie is professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz where received her PhD. Previously, she was a research astronomer in the Space Sciences Division of NASA Ames Research Center. She held the position of Science Team Lead on the Kepler Mission, the first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets around other stars. This mission revolutionised our understanding of planetary systems.The Kepler Mission discovered thousands of exoplanets revealing that planets are common in the galaxy, not rare and many even lie in the habitable zone.Natalie is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2017.We talk about:Where is everyone AKA the Fermi ParadoxWhat is an exoplanetThe Drake equation in simple termsThe revelation that planets like ours are more common than ever imaginedWhat was the Kepler mission and what did it achieve?Who owns space?Will our alien friends be receptive?Can we be trusted to become multi-planetary?Unfortunately, we had a couple of technical issues on this recording but have done our very best to iron them out.Let's look through the telescope!Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyzTwitter: @whrshallwemeetInstagram: @whrshallwemeet

In this episode of The Redacted Report, we reopen the case of Edmund Kemper, the so-called “Co-Ed Killer,” to expose the details that were buried in thousands of pages of police files, psychiatric evaluations, and trial transcripts.This isn't the version told in documentaries or dramatizations. This is the story of how a system failed, how warning signs were missed, and how one of California's most intelligent predators learned to play both sides of the law .Ed Kemper wasn't just hiding in plain sight — he was sitting at the bar with the very officers searching for him. Inside The Jury Room in Santa Cruz, he befriended Detective Johnson, Officer Martinez, and Sergeant Williams, absorbing investigative methods, forensic procedures, and common police mistakes over casual drinks. What they didn't realize was that their “gentle giant” drinking buddy was gathering operational intelligence. Kemper collected handcuffs, police radios, and scanner frequencies, giving him real-time access to law enforcement movements — knowledge that helped him stay one step ahead for nearly a year while bodies continued to surface. Behind the charm and calm demeanor was a man who had already fooled the system once. At just 21, Kemper had been released from Atascadero State Hospital, declared no threat to society despite having murdered his grandparents as a teenager. Working in the hospital's psychology lab, he studied mental health diagnostics, learned how to manipulate tests, and even handled real psychological profiles — including those of violent offenders. He used that knowledge to beat the system, understand his captors, and later, to outthink investigators.We trace the moments where fate nearly intervened — the traffic stops, the roadblocks, the missed connections between agencies that could have saved lives.Officers questioned him, waved him through, even trusted him, all because he seemed “too polite” to be dangerous. Through firsthand reports and redacted files, we expose how institutional blind spots and bureaucratic silos allowed a killer to thrive in plain view. From the quiet house on Ord Drive, where he dismembered victims while his mother was at work, to his Alameda apartment, where neighbors lived just feet away from unimaginable horror, we explore the forensic trail left behind — the vehicle evidence, the recovered photographs, and the chilling confession tapes where Ed bragged, analyzed, and justified every act in painstaking detail.His hours-long conversations with FBI profilers Robert Ressler and John Douglas later became the foundation of modern criminal profiling, shaping how future generations would define the term “organized serial killer.”But beneath all the psychology and procedure lies the story of his mother, Clarnell Kemper — the woman he blamed, feared, and eventually murdered. Working as an administrator at UC Santa Cruz, she may have unknowingly processed paperwork for students her son would later kill.The tragedy of their relationship — and the evidence found in her home — reveal the disturbing cycle of resentment and rage that fueled his crimes.This episode goes beyond the headlines to confront the decisions that allowed a double murderer to be paroled into his mother's home, the psychiatric assessments that missed every danger sign, the sealed records that kept police in the dark, and the agencies that failed to communicate. It's not a story about glorifying monsters — it's about learning from the systems that created them. Because monsters don't always look like monsters.They smile, they shake your hand, and they convince the world they're harmless — until it's too late.We close by honoring the ten victims whose lives mattered far more than the man who took them: Maude and Edmund Kemper Sr., Mary Ann Pesce, Anita Luchessa, Aiko Koo, Cindy Schall, Rosalind Thorpe, Alice Liu, Clarnell Strandberg, and Sally Hallett. Their stories remind us that behind every case file and redacted page are real lives, real loss, and the lessons society cannot afford to ignore.

"Written in the Stars"Got writer's block? Want to unlock the art of storytelling? Grab you tarot deck and astrology chart, and let's get creative with Kacy Boccumini, a certified tarot reader, medium, and filmmaker. Afraid of Nothing podcast host Bob Heske took a workshop with Kacy at Lilydale over the summer, and revisits the experience with our listeners. Kacy also shares some paranormal encounters - including a personal ghost story that is unique and unsettling. Sometimes co-host Cuyle Carvin joins the discussion!ABOUT KACY BOCCUMINIKacy Boccumini is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and medium from Los Angeles. He's the founder of My Best Guy, an independent film production company, and The Lighthouse, a spiritual hub offering classes, readings, and healing work. He holds a Master's degree from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA in Film and Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz, where he graduated with honors and received a Dean's Award for his work on Scorsese's filmic evolution.Kacy spent 17 years at Sony Pictures leading innovation in physical and digital distribution, earning multiple service awards—including a DEG Award for cross-industry leadership on EMA TV avails. In his community, he became the first openly trans person elected to the Miracle Mile Neighborhood Council, where he served as Treasurer. As a filmmaker, his work has screened at major festivals like Slamdance, LA Shorts, Outfest, and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles. His debut short, Last First Kiss, was nominated for Best Dramatic Short of 2025. Most recently, he taught two classes at the renowned Lily Dale Assembly, including his original workshop “Written in the Stars,” which blends writing with tarot and astrology.You can see his films by visiting www.mybestguy.com or see his class and service offerings at www.lightwork.care. Creepy music accompanying Kacy's ghost story courtesy of Zapsplat.com.$10 Afraid of Nothing merch - and more - at the Afraid of Nothing Shopify store. Visit afraidofnothingpodcast.com or use this url:https://www.afraidofnothingpodcast.com/p/shopify-store/Never be afraid to look good and have cool merch! Support the showSUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW: SHOP OUR STORE ON SHOPIFY!Never Be Afraid to Look Good at https://383e86-d1.myshopify.com/.FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE/REVIEW...On our website at afraidofnothingpodcast.com.SUBSCRIBE...Your gracious donation here helps defray production costs. Beyond my undying gratitude, you will also will be shouted out in an upcoming episode.WATCH ON YOUTUBE...We are uploading past episodes on our Youtube channel. WATCH THE DOC… VIMEO ON DEMAND: Rent the Afraid of Nothing documentary here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/aondoc. TUBI: watch for free with ads on tubitv.com. REVIEW OUR FILM ON ROTTEN TOMATOES...Write your five-star review here.

Bryce Mayer is an American beach volleyball player and former indoor standout at UC Santa Cruz. His transition to the beach was seamless, as his love and desire to become one of the best in the country became his pursuit. 2025 was a breakout year for him in the physical, mental and partner upgrade. He is currently a head club coast at Coast Beach Volleyball Club. 01:57 - Turning back the clock: college indoor, the path to creating "Coast" beach volleyball club, let the coach be the coach 15:00 - rocking the "stache," Ferrari love, introverts who have a great following, talking Troy Field, Casey Patterson 20:17 - Going where people want you there, and finding your north star, going to bucket list tournaments, when your child is born, you can't stop staring 30:01 - Playing with Tyler Penberthy, the importance of getting a bid for the Manhattan Beach Open 35:22 - Retrospective action: understanding your past to address the future, the importance of 2-point sets, what is a "lucky" play? Plus, Atlantic City...yuck 54:44 - Was there imposter syndrome for your first draw? Plus, the Manhattan Beach Open was coming - but so was a kid 1:10:44 - Favorite sports movies, books, comedians, etc #nyvarsitysports #optionpodcast

Tom Lehrer, the musical satirist par excellence of the 1950s and 1960s, died this past July at age 97.  Many listeners and their progeny grew up listening to and singing his compelling compositions: easy to remember, easy to sing and easy to finish.  Who could forget “The Vatican Rag” or “The Elements?”What some might not know is that, from 1972 to 2001, in flight from East Coast winters, Tom also taught math and theater at UC Santa Cruz, as a lecturer in American Studies.  Along the way, he made many friends and inspired countless students. This tribute includes music, interviews with friends and colleagues and biographical information.If you would like to know all about Tom and his music, you can find resources and links in this folder: https://tinyurl.com/tdh7n8d9( Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns )

Watsonville students created short films that will screen at UC Santa Cruz today. A Q&A discussion will follow the free event. And, local libraries are protesting censorship by celebrating Banned Books Week.

Recreational ketamine use is on the rise. But why are some people using it to dissociate in the club? Ketamine – a dissociative anesthetic – is illegal without a prescription and can potentially be harmful. Yet, it has had a massive rise in recreational use over the past decade. One study found that use increased by 81.8% from 2015 to 2019 and rose another 40% from 2021 to 2022. What is driving the illicit drug's sudden popularity? And is it's dissociative properties indicative of our times? Brittany chats with P.E. Moskowitz, a journalist and author of Breaking Awake: A Reporter's Search for a New Life, and a New World, Through Drugs, which explores our national mental health and drug use crises, and Benjamin Breen, associate professor of history at UC Santa Cruz, who specializes in the histories of science, medicine and drugs and is the author of the book, Tripping on Utopia. Together they investigate why ketamine is showing up in more people's social lives.Warning: this episode contains discussion of illegal drugs and drugs use and may not be suitable for all listeners. For more information on the science of ketamine, check out NPR's Short Wave podcast.Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluse For handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kaj Larsen: From Navy SEAL to Groundbreaking Journalist This week on the Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie welcome an extraordinary guest whose life reads like an action thriller—Kaj Larsen. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Kaj earned his Political Science degree from UC Santa Cruz and went on to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for a master's in Public Policy, where he was a Shorenstein Center fellow and a joint fellow at Tufts Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies. Kaj's journey is anything but ordinary. Before breaking stories on global conflict zones, he served five years on active duty as a U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant leading special operations overseas. He continues to serve in the SEAL reserves with U.S. Special Operations Command. As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Kaj has reported from some of the most dangerous places on earth—Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and beyond—producing groundbreaking documentaries on terrorism, national security, and humanitarian crises. He's been a senior correspondent at NowThis News, hosted the Emmy Award-winning VICE on HBO, and developed the Vanguard Journalism series for Current TV. Kaj made headlines for being the first journalist to bring waterboarding to public attention—by undergoing it himself on camera—and for breaking media silence in Mogadishu as the first Western TV journalist there in over a decade. Outside the newsroom, Kaj is a two-time national open-water swimming champion, an Escape from Alcatraz duathlon competitor, and a dedicated practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai boxing. His commitment to service extends beyond reporting: he co-founded The Mission Continues and serves on the boards of Team Rubicon Global and other veteran service organizations, deploying for humanitarian missions around the world. Join us as Kaj shares stories from his remarkable career—what it takes to tell the truth from the frontlines, the lessons learned from military service and global reporting, and why resilience and service are at the heart of his mission. Tune in for a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at a life dedicated to serving, reporting, and making an impact on a global scale. In this episode you will hear: • [COVID} Here's a crisis that is about health, and you're shutting down wellness. (7:10) • Murph was my roommate when I first got to BUD/S. He's the first person I met. (32:04) • The thing that got me through was the old “I guess you just have to do it.” (37:12) • Your inner monologue and how you talk to yourself is the only thing that gets you through. (38:34) • Everybody wants to be a frog man on a sunny day. (38:52) • You gotta be careful who you surround yourself with, because cowardice is contagious. (42:37) • I could cover any story I wanted, anywhere in the world. Anything I thought was important. (60:52) • I was always working on helping veterans (62:56) • Purpose maters. (64:09) • The real truth is the greatest and most consistent ways for Americans to build wealth over the last 50 years has been investing in the stock market. (66:22) • A lot of people don't understand the concept of compound interest. (77:40) • We're the greatest economy the world has ever seen. (82:26) Support Kaj:  www.kajlarsen.com - Tactical Wealth podcast - IG: Kajlarsen Support TNQ   - IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13   -  https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit Sponsors:   - Navyfederal.org        - meetfabiric.com/TNQ   - masterclass.com/TNQ   - Prizepicks (TNQ)   - Dripdrop.com/TNQ   -  cargurus.com/TNQ    - armslist.com/TNQ    -  PXGapparel.com/TNQ   - bruntworkwear.com/TNQ    - Selectquote.com/TNQ    - Groundnews.com/TNQ    - shipsticks.com/TNQ    - strawberry.me/TNQ    - stopboxusa.com {TNQ}    - ghostbed.com/TNQ [TNQ]   -  kalshi.com/TNQ   -  joinbilt.com/TNQ    - Tonal.com [TNQ]   - greenlight.com/TNQ   - PDSDebt.com/TNQ   - drinkAG1.com/TNQ   - Shadyrays.com [TNQ]   - qualialife.com/TNQ [TNQ]   - Hims.com/TNQ   - Shopify.com/TNQ   - Aura.com/TNQ   - TAKELEAN.com [TNQ]   - usejoymode.com [TNQ]

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documentary film, UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges highlights the work of Alice McGrath, who was moved by the injustice and dedicated herself to the defense effort, visiting the imprisoned youths, organizing community support, and coordinating national fundraising. In 1944, the convictions were overturned on appeal, marking a rare victory for the Mexican American community. The case, later dramatized by Luis Valdez in Zoot Suit, is remembered as a turning point in civil rights and Chicano identity. Series: "Arts Channel " [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40985]

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documentary film, UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges highlights the work of Alice McGrath, who was moved by the injustice and dedicated herself to the defense effort, visiting the imprisoned youths, organizing community support, and coordinating national fundraising. In 1944, the convictions were overturned on appeal, marking a rare victory for the Mexican American community. The case, later dramatized by Luis Valdez in Zoot Suit, is remembered as a turning point in civil rights and Chicano identity. Series: "Arts Channel " [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40985]

The Sleepy Lagoon case of 1942 became one of the most racially charged trials in U.S. history. Twenty-two Mexican American youths, mostly teenagers, were tried en masse for the death of José Díaz, though no witness placed them at the scene and the cause of death was never established. Denied fair treatment, they faced a biased judge and jury, with twelve sentenced to San Quentin. In this documentary film, UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges highlights the work of Alice McGrath, who was moved by the injustice and dedicated herself to the defense effort, visiting the imprisoned youths, organizing community support, and coordinating national fundraising. In 1944, the convictions were overturned on appeal, marking a rare victory for the Mexican American community. The case, later dramatized by Luis Valdez in Zoot Suit, is remembered as a turning point in civil rights and Chicano identity. Series: "Arts Channel " [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40985]

Considered the godfather of A.I. music, UC Santa Cruz professor and composer David Cope, who died in May, 2025, developed the computer program EMI, or Experiments in Musical Intelligence, in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest computer algorithms used to generate classical music. This documentary film by UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges looks at the impact of Cope's genius on the world of music. Series: "Arts Channel " [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40968]

Considered the godfather of A.I. music, UC Santa Cruz professor and composer David Cope, who died in May, 2025, developed the computer program EMI, or Experiments in Musical Intelligence, in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest computer algorithms used to generate classical music. This documentary film by UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges looks at the impact of Cope's genius on the world of music. Series: "Arts Channel " [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40968]

Considered the godfather of A.I. music, UC Santa Cruz professor and composer David Cope, who died in May, 2025, developed the computer program EMI, or Experiments in Musical Intelligence, in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest computer algorithms used to generate classical music. This documentary film by UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges looks at the impact of Cope's genius on the world of music. Series: "Arts Channel " [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40968]

Considered the godfather of A.I. music, UC Santa Cruz professor and composer David Cope, who died in May, 2025, developed the computer program EMI, or Experiments in Musical Intelligence, in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest computer algorithms used to generate classical music. This documentary film by UC Santa Cruz's Bob Giges looks at the impact of Cope's genius on the world of music. Series: "Arts Channel " [Science] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40968]

Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof. Alison Galloway is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a forensic anthropologist with research interests in skeletal biology and aging in addition to anthropology. Please subscribe to this channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificSense?sub_confirmation=1

Continuing their earlier conversation, Dr. Bruce Damer and Raghu Markus have a socially charged discussion on facing our collective karma with equanimity and grace. Start with the first part of this conversation HERE.In this episode, Raghu and Dr. Damer explore:Ram Dass's teachings on social justice and keeping our hearts open in hellUnderstanding collective karma and how it shapes the world we live in todayWhy this moment in history may be the most powerful time for spiritual awakening and intellectual growthBalancing awareness of global challenges with one's own personal and spiritual developmentCultivating equanimity and positivity instead of falling into fear, stress, or panicThe importance of satsang and sangha—gathering in community for deeper spiritual connectionHow spiritual wisdom from gurus and teachers can be misinterpreted or become misunderstood over timeDr. Damer's connection to philosopher Dr. Kaushik, wisdom from Krishnamurti, and psychedelics from Terence MckennaAltered states of consciousness and connecting into the mind at large“These beings don't just come out of nowhere. There's a karma that we collectively have, actions that we have taken that have created what we are now looking in horror at.” – Raghu MarkusLinks & Recommendations from this episode:Read more of Ram Dass on Finding Space for Equanimity in Social JusticePreorder the upcoming book Strange Attractor, to learn more about the hallucinatory life of Terence Mckenna Listen to Dr. Kaushik's insightful audios HERECheck out Dr. Bruce Damer's Podcast, Levity Zone, featuring episodes with Dr. Kaushik About Dr. Bruce Damer:Dr. Bruce Damer is a scientist, psychonaut, and humanitarian. Dr. Damer is Chief Scientist at BIOTA Institute, UC Santa Cruz. He is an astrobiologist working on the science of life's origins, spacecraft design, psychedelics and genius. Dr. Bruce has spent his life pursuing two great questions: how did life on Earth begin, and how can we give that life (and ourselves) a sustainable pathway into the cosmos? A decade of scientific research with his collaborator Prof. David Deamer at the UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering resulted in the Hot Spring Hypothesis for an Origin of Life published in the journal Astrobiology in 2019. Dr. Damer also has a long career working with NASA on mission simulation and design and recently co-developed a spacecraft to utilize resources from asteroids. Advancing research into altered-state innovation, Dr. Damer recently cofounded the Center for MINDS. You can keep up with Dr. Bruce Damer on Twitter or read his scientific writings HERE.“Perhaps what we're doing now is we're getting ready to go through another one of these compression points and shed off those things and then emerge back out. It's possibly the time for the greatest spiritual growth as well as intellectual, we have the tools of A.I. It really challenges us to decide what's essential.” – Dr. Bruce DamerSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode 486 / Mathew Zefeldt Mathew Zefeldt (b. 1987, California) is Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Minnesota. He received his MFA in studio art from UC Davis in 2011 and received his BA in Art at UC Santa Cruz in 2009. He has had solo exhibitions at The Hole, NY; Celaya Brothers, Mexico City; Hair + Nails, Minneapolis; Big Pictures, Los Angeles; 5-50 Gallery, Long Island City; The Soap Factory, Minneapolis; Circuit 12, Dallas; Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; Hap Gallery, Portland; and Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica. He has exhibited in group exhibitions at Lisa Cooley, NY; The Hole, Los Angeles; Better Go South, Berlin; Night Club, Minneapolis; MOHS Exhibit, Copenhagen; Galerie Fran Reus, Palma de Mallorca; Dreamsong, Minneapolis; Joshua Liner Gallery, NY; Left Field, San Luis Obispo; The Minnesota Museum of American Art, Saint Paul; Akron Art Museum, Ohio; Currier Art Museum, New Hampshire, and The Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma City. In 2022, Zefeldt was an international resident at the Cob x Plop Residency in London, UK, and in 2023 was an artists in residence at the Moosey Residency in Norwich, UK. Mathew has a forthcoming book titled Mathew Zefeldt: Painting Constructed Virtual Worlds, and currently has a solo exhibition titled Reflections at The Hole in New York City. 

We welcome two brave California educators, Dr. Theresa Montano of Cal State Northridge and Dr. Christine Hong of UC Santa Cruz, who have been at the forefront of developing and advocating for a California Ethnic Studies Curriculum grounded in liberation and social justice rather than identity politics. We discuss how Ethnic Studies went from an insurgent field of knowledge in the 1960s to one adopted in 2017 by California. We also cover why the racist Palestine exception remains alive and well in the state of California; how educators, progressive politicians, and union organizers are pressured into complicity in denying Palestinian history; and we examine, as a generational shift takes place in support of Palestinian freedom and humanity, the insidious California Assembly Bill 715, which was brought by the Jewish Legislative Caucus in the midst of Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza; we discuss how the bill would censor as “antisemitic” the teaching of Palestinian history by defining anti-Zionism as antisemitism, by amending the state education code to define nationality as a social group with shared values, and by creating a statewide K-12 antisemitism “coordinator” to police teachers and prevent students from learning about Palestine. Date of recording: July 16, 2025. Watch the video edition on our YouTube channel Follow us on our socials: X: @MakdisiStreet YouTube: @MakdisiStreet Insta: @Makdisist TikTok: @Makdisistreet Music by Hadiiiiii Sign up at Patreon.com/MakdisiStreet to access all the bonus content, including the latest Q&A

Todd Hollenbeck is an American indoor volleyball coach. With nearly two decades of experience at the NCAA level, he has enjoyed a heightened level of success in all three divisions at UC Santa Cruz, USC and Menlo College, highlighting a coach of the year award in 2015 from the AVCA - the highest honor. His stints at the club and HS level and similar success are well-documented. 02:30 - Why did you leave Menlo College? Plus, knowing when to recover mentally and physically from the job and rebounding at it from a different angle, his next mission bringing him back home. 10:40 - The safest place a coach feels, the autonomy some programs offer that go with a large amount of work without a lot of assistance, were there level up moments in your coaching career and how that transition worked, the path from Santa Cruz to USC, the competitive nature of Jeff Nygaard. 23:00 - Finding winners' mentalities vs finding skill set and experience, the comparison and contrast, the transition from USC to Menlo, the connection and separation of the goal from the expectation 31:30 - Other coaches who built their brand doing more with less, plus, your reputation starts the day you say you want to be a coach, players who will remember you forever 45:45 - Did your experience as a coach help you fine-tune your experience as a player? Plus, the basic principle of managing timeouts 55:45 - Books that inspires you, athletically, favorite sports films #nyvarsitysports #optionpodcast

Read the full transcript here. Is AI that's both superintelligent and aligned even possible? Does increased intelligence necessarily entail decreased controllability? What's the difference between "safe" and "under control"? There seems to be a fundamental tension between autonomy and control, so is it conceivable that we could create superintelligent AIs that are both autonomous enough to do things that matter and also controllable enough for us to manage them? Is general intelligence needed for anything that matters? What kinds of regulations on AI might help to ensure a safe future? Should we stop working towards superintelligent AI completely? How hard would it be to implement a global ban on superintelligent AI development? What might good epistemic infrastructure look like? What's the right way to think about entropy? What kinds of questions are prediction markets best suited to answer? How can we move from having good predictions to making good decisions? Are we living in a simulation? Is it a good idea to make AI models open-source?Anthony Aguirre is the Executive Director of the Future of Life Institute, an NGO examining the implications of transformative technologies, particularly AI. He is also the Faggin Professor of the Physics of Information at UC Santa Cruz, where his research spans foundational physics to AI policy. Aguirre co-founded Metaculus, a platform leveraging collective intelligence to forecast science and technology developments, and the Foundational Questions Institute, supporting fundamental physics research. Aguirre did his PhD at Harvard University and Postdoctoral work as a member at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Learn more about him at his website, anthony-aguirre.com; follow him on X / Twitter at @anthonynaguirre, or email him at contact@futureoflife.org.Further readingKeep The Future HumanThe Future of Life Institute"Unification of observational entropy with maximum entropy principles" by Joseph Schindler, Philipp Strasberg, Niklas Galke, Andreas Winter, and Michael G. Jabbour StaffSpencer Greenberg — Host / DirectorJosh Castle — ProducerRyan Kessler — Audio EngineerUri Bram — FactotumWeAmplify — TranscriptionistsIgor Scaldini — Marketing ConsultantMusicBroke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.comAffiliatesClearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz found that sunflower sea stars could help kelp forests recover by scaring away sea urchins. And, United States Rep. Jimmy Panetta called for congressional oversight in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities.

A collaboration between UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz will bring more medical students to the Central Coast. And, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren pushes a bill offering some undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship.

Examining transformative times in human history, Dr. Damer discusses how psychedelics can amplify our consciousness and spark both personal and global change. In this episode of Mindrolling, Raghu and Dr. Damer explore:Dr. Damer's recent work with the resurgence of psychedelics as tools for insight, creativity, and expanded consciousnessAltered states of perception and Dr. Damer's groundbreaking chemical model for the origin of lifeRam Dass' teachings on transcending roles and realizing the illusion of separatenessBuilding supportive, heart-centered sanghas and collective spiritual communitiesHow MDMA fosters deep feelings of compassion, empathy, and human connectionRaghu's mystical experience bathing in the Ganges River Evolutionary patterns in history that reveal how groups overcome stress and awakenThe impact of social media on youth mental health and emotional well-beingThe importance of mindful, compassionate youth mentorship and nurturing the next generationHolding onto optimism for our new digital landscape and the people who are creating itLearn more about recent research into psychedelic science in another captivating Mindrolling episode HERE.About Dr. Bruce Damer:Dr. Bruce Damer is a scientist, psychonaut, and humanitarian. Dr. Damer is Chief Scientist at BIOTA Institute, UC Santa Cruz. He is an astrobiologist working on the science of life's origins, spacecraft design, psychedelics and genius. Dr. Bruce has spent his life pursuing two great questions: how did life on Earth begin, and how can we give that life (and ourselves) a sustainable pathway into the cosmos? A decade of scientific research with his collaborator Prof. David Deamer at the UC Santa Cruz Department of Biomolecular Engineering resulted in the Hot Spring Hypothesis for an Origin of Life published in the journal Astrobiology in 2019. Dr. Damer also has a long career working with NASA on mission simulation and design and recently co-developed a spacecraft to utilize resources from asteroids. Advancing research into altered-state innovation, Dr. Damer recently cofounded the Center for MINDS. You can keep up with Dr. Bruce Damer on Twitter.“For a geeky scientist like me, it was seeing the origin of life from a different perspective, from the first cell division, which led me to propose the chemical model, which has now gone through the field. That was an insight that was absolutely inaccessible to me without some kind of amplification or exaltation of states of consciousness.” – Dr. Bruce DamerSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, host Sambhav Choudhury speaks with Ariel Zucker, Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Santa Cruz. Ariel discusses her journey from an early interest in global health disparities to becoming a development economist specializing in experimental approaches. She shares insights from her research on health interventions for diabetes patients and groundwater conservation in India, highlighting how she balances theoretical frameworks with practical field realities to create meaningful, scalable solutions.

This practice offering is from co-host Rev. Dana Takagi, in connection with Professor and Historian Alice Yang's interview, "Our Heritage of Othering and Resistance" which dropped July 1st.Dana speaks to the need to address specific kinds of suffering as Buddhist teachers and practitioners, as not all suffering is the same. She reflects on the vow to save all beings, and how this stems from a grounded embodiment of our own humanity to understand the humanity of others who need our support the most in these times. Your hostREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Professor Alice Yang helps us put the systematic othering we are seeing in the U.S. today into historical context. She discusses the oppression and disappearance of people, and points out how protest movements are often erased from the history Asian American and other immigrant groups in the United States, when the truth is that we can embrace and continue a deep heritage of resistance. Alice emphasizes the urgency of knowing our history to expand what we think is possible in the present, and why it is important to resist the othering of any community member whether they are in our ethnic group or not. GuestALICE YANG is Chair and Professor of History at UCSC. She is also a founding faculty member of the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Department at UCSC. Her publications include What Does the Internment of Japanese Americans Mean? Historical Memories of the Japanese American Internment and the Struggle for Redress, and Major Problems in Asian American History. She co-directs the Center for the Study of Pacific War Memories and recently curated the exhibit Never Again is Now: Japanese American Women Activists and the Legacy of the Mass Incarceration.HostREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

It's YOUR time to #EdUpClick here to support Elvin & Joe!In this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by Pangram Labs,YOUR guest is Dr. Greer Murphy, Director, Academic Integrity Office, UC Santa Cruz, & Vice President for Strategy at the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI)YOUR cohost is Bradley Emi , Cofounder & CTO, Pangram LabsYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does Dr. Murphy define academic integrity as "practice" & why does transparency & trust matter most?What surprised her most during her first year building a centralized Academic Integrity Office at UC Santa Cruz?Why does academic integrity bring out such strong emotions & how does it connect to identity & belonging?What did their study of 100 US academic integrity policies reveal about support & accessibility?How can institutions create vulnerability-safe spaces for students & faculty to ask integrity questions?Topics include:Academic integrity as transparent practice & truthful reflection of abilities, not perfectionThe challenge of centralizing integrity work across 10 undergraduate colleges at a major public universityHow students & faculty experience integrity concerns as identity-threatening & face-threateningThe paradox of open-access institutions having more legalistic, harder-to-understand policiesBuilding community & solidarity rather than falling into silos of faculty vs. students vs. administratorsListen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. If YOU like what YOU hear, feel free to​ ⁠support our efforts to keep us going!

Jessica speaks with Alyssa Jarrett, a romance author and content marketer based in the San Francisco Bay Area — where the only thing funnier than working in tech is writing about it. She's currently writing and self-publishing a 5-book series of Silicon Valley rom-coms. Her latest novel, Book 3 in the series, is an Armenian bakery romance titled LOVE AND PAKLAVA. As a content marketer, she worked for a decade in B2B marketing roles for tech companies, including Rockerbox, Iterable, and Ripple. Alyssa holds a B.A. in Literature from UC Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Mass Communication and Journalism from Fresno State. Learn more about Alyssa and find her books at https://www.alyssajarrett.com, and follow her on Substack at https://alyssajarrett.substack.com. ~Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals. For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it's like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠CreditsProduced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos SchmittWant to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

Part One: FoundationsDr Freddy Hiebert, President and CEO of Text Project and literacy researcher at UC Santa Cruz, opens her conversation with Australian literacy consultants Sharon and Phil by immediately challenging conventional vocabulary instruction. She declares that lists and flashcards simply don't work, despite being the go-to methods in countless classrooms worldwide.Hiebert introduces her groundbreaking research revealing that 95% of English texts derive from just 2,500 morphological families—interconnected word systems where understanding one member unlocks numerous related words. She demonstrates how "help" generates "helper," "helpful," "unhelpful," and "helpless," transforming vocabulary learning from rote memorisation into systematic understanding that empowers students as independent word solvers.The conversation explores English's fascinating linguistic complexity through Hiebert's memorable culinary metaphor: a German bratwurst in a French baguette with Greek yogurt sprinkled on top represents how English draws from multiple traditions. This understanding helps students recognise why compound words from Anglo-Saxon roots, academic phrases from French influences, and consistent meaning patterns from Greek elements function differently across texts.Hiebert champions semantic maps as powerful alternatives to traditional lists, describing how students build visual connections between related concepts. She illustrates how mapping cats' movements, colours, and features creates meaningful vocabulary networks that expand naturally as students encounter different texts about the same topic.The discussion addresses practical concerns when Hiebert explains that approximately 40-50% of the 2,500 word families never actually require explicit teaching—they're straightforward enough for students to acquire through natural exposure. This revelation reassures teachers worried about covering overwhelming amounts of content.Hiebert emphasises fundamental principles students should understand by third grade: recognising that English draws from different language systems, understanding that certain words perform most of the work in English, and knowing that narrative and informational texts present different vocabulary challenges. These insights prepare students to approach any text with systematic thinking rather than anxiety about unknown words.TEXT PROJECT WEBSITE BY FREDDY HIEBERTText Project website - free student texts (Plus +)SPECIFIC RESOURCES FROM FREDDY HIEBERT, AS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST1. AI Semantic Map Examples You will find an example in this ILA presentation .As well as the presentation, the following paper, which is in review at a journal, gives examples of maps and grids created with AI2. ILA Website PresentationFundamentally, the ILA presentation will have a similar structure to the above presentation:See the ILA webinar here on YouTube.3. AI Prompt ExamplesThe above presentations and the paper (Leveraging AI) should give some examples).4. 'The Story of English' Picture Visual representation showing bratwurst (German) in baguette (French) with yogurt (Greek)Illustrates how English draws from multiple language traditions5. Etymology ResourcesStories of Words develops students' interest in fascinating words like snickerdoodles and terrapin. Using the TExT model, this 16-volume series explores vocabulary through four word-formation methods: borrowed words, life themes, manipulated words, and technological innovations.6. Text Models ExamplesText Models Examples are here.From Freddy: "This site at TextProject provides illustrations of texts that I have developed with AI assisted. I should emphasise that I do AI-assisted, not simply AI-generated. A text typically goes through numerous iterations and I also analyse the texts to determine its distribution according to word zones (more on word zones)And I'm attaching a blog on Word Zones as well . JOIN TEACHIFIC NOW AND SAVE!Join Teachific  today. Access thousands of resources and a growing number of 'anytime' courses within your membership.FURTHER INFORMATIONTune in to "Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy," a free podcast where accomplished literacy educator Sharon Callen and her team share valuable insights and tips. With over 30 years of experience, they provide strategic learning solutions to empower teachers and leaders worldwide.  Subscribe on your favourite platform for exclusive literacy learning content.  Apple, Spotify,  Google, YouTubeRead our insightful blogs, which make valuable connections between resources, podcasts and courses.Visit our Cue Learning website and sign up for the Teacher's Toolkit Weekly newsletter to stay updated on resources, events and discover how Cue can support you and your school.Explore Teachific, our vast collection of PDF resources, to enhance your teaching toolkit. 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Listen to Victor Davis Hanson and co-host Jack Fowler discuss Chinese students as the People's Army agents, Chinese responsibility for global troubles, US judges as politicos, the Secret Service politicized, the choices for Jews among Left anti-Semites, the criminality of the Left's martyrs, cutting aid to California's high-speed rail, and UC Santa Cruz as microcosm of radicalism started in the 1960s.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Claire Hoffman is the author of Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson, available from Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Hoffman is also the author of the memoir Greetings from Utopia Park and is a journalist reporting for national magazines on culture, religion, celebrity, business, and more. She was formerly a staff reporter for the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, and has an MA in religion from the University of Chicago and an MA in journalism from Columbia University. She serves on the boards of the Columbia School of Journalism, ProPublica, and the Brooklyn Public Library. *** ⁠⁠⁠Otherppl with Brad Listi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc. Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brad Listi's email newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the show on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is an ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠affiliate partner of Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Nie talks about the common misconception that China is an ethnic monolith, and how she identifies with her Huaren heritage. Although her spiritual path was discouraged in her early life, she discusses being connected to a centuries old heritage of a resilient Dharma that allows us to dream without limitations even through turbulent times.Rebecca also mentions a book-in-progress which will be a translation of Chan Zen Master poems responding to turbulent historical moments, pointing out how there is much more to Zen poetry than peaceful monks in serene mountains.GUEST BIO:ZEN MASTER REBECCA DAWN NIE is the founder of MV Sanctuary and Vice President of the Maitreya Association for Buddhist College Chaplains. As Stanford's Chaplain-Affiliate, she oversees the Buddhist religious and spiritual life for students, faculty, and staff. Her offerings ranges from Continental Zen to Buddhist Yoga, offering healing wisdom for contemporary life through dharma teaching, translation, and new media art.Learn more about Rebecca athttp://mvseon.com/Highlighted WorksYin Mountain: The Immortal Poetry by Three Daoist Women (2022, Shambhala). Heart Sutra: A Network Audio Technology-Assisted Visual Music CompositionHOSTREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Fred Peterson has been making wines in Sonoma County for more than 40 years.  While attending UC Santa Cruz, he took a job in a classmate's family vineyard in Mendocino County and he found his passion. He left Santa Cruz, and used the rest of his GI Education benefits to attend UC Davis. Photo: Peterson Winery. Credit: Wine for Normal People   Fred got his bachelor's degree in Viticulture and Enology in 1978. And after managing vineyards for a large winery in the Central Coast, he moved to the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma in 1983. That same year, he planted a vineyard and built his house on Bradford Mountain.   In 1987, Fred hung a shingle on a red barn off of Lytton Springs Road and Peterson was born. The winery is no longer in the red barn, but it remains an important part of their history and is represented on every wine label with a back drop of Bradford Mountain, where the Peterson Estate Vineyard is located. Photo: Fred Peterson. Courtesy of Peterson Winery   In this (super dorky) show Fred takes us through some of the fascinating history of how philosophies about terroir and soil have changed since he started as a grower and winemaker in the early 1980s and how he has managed to be a leader in sustainable, but not dogmatic sustainable farming and winemaking.  Fred was one of the first voices in Sonoma to promote low intervention farming and winemaking. It shows in the wines!   Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________   This show is brought to you by my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access – THE place to discover your next favorite bottle. Wine Access has highly allocated wines and incredible values, plus free shipping on orders of $150 or more. You can't go wrong with Wine Access! Join the WFNP/Wine Access wine club and get 6 awesome bottles for just $150 four times a year. That includes shipping! When you become a member, you also get 10% all your purchases on the site. Go to wineaccess.com/normal to sign up!